Cheeseslave

Food, Health & Politics

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About Me

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My name is Ann Marie and I'm a mom with two young children, Kate and Oliver. We live with their daddy and my husband, Seth, and 2 cats, Bowie and Blackberry, a few blocks from the beach in Southern California just outside of Austin, Texas.

With my husband at the Emmy Awards 2016

Why Cheeseslave? And Where This Blog is Headed

This blog started it in 2007 the year my daughter was born, to write about food, health, and feeding families. I named it Cheeseslave because I love cheese and because I am a believer that traditional food is the healthiest food you can feed your family.

I went on to build the blog into a blog network, in the healthy living space, Village Green Network which we grew to 1,000 blogs and $1.3 million in revenue in its fifth year.

I learned about making money online by doing it. I never took any investment money — the whole thing was bootstrapped and started off a coffee table.

My blog network was destroyed in 2014… keep reading to find out what happened.

With my husband at the Emmy Awards 2017

Hell Yeah or Hell No

In the words of Helen Keller, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

My blog is about living life to the fullest and taking risks to follow your dreams, even if it means doing things unconventionally and not listening to what everyone else says you should do.

Even if it means losing all your money and having everyone turn against you… yes, that happened to me.

In 2014, the blog network I built from scratch was attacked and destroyed.

Read the full story.

I learned that running a million dollar company is all about making decisions. You have to learn to make decisions quickly and be willing to fail. Because it is through your mistakes that you learn.

Decision making and risk taking is about learning to trust your gut. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby who sold the company for $22 million. He said making decisions is easy… “Everything is either a hell yeah or a hell no. And if it's not a hell yeah, it's a hell no.”

Life goes by fast and one day it's over. You don't want to be lying there at the end of your life, thinking yeah, I never did much of anything. Maybe your life is boring. Maybe you're broke. Maybe you're miserable.

It might just be because you haven't taken enough risks.

Or maybe you're miserable and depressed and broke because you took a lot of risks and you just haven't recovered yet. Respect (fist bump)!

Give it a little time. When you take risks, you often fail, and then you're miserable for a while, but then in time you rebound and you're a better person for it. I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt. And YES! I am stronger and happier having gone through it.

But most people I know who are miserable/depressed/broke, it's because they haven't taken enough risks and are just wallowing in mediocrity (the safety zone). If you are reading this blog, maybe you want more out of your life. I hope I can inspire you.

I've very grateful I have this precious opportunity to work from home building a business I love and raise my children. I am really loving this joyful time in my life.

I'm also very grateful to all my readers and followers. You are my extended community of risk takers and truth tellers that I cherish very, very much. Thank you so much to each and every one of you for reading and commenting and sharing.

Contact Me

Click here to contact me.

DISCLAIMER: Information found on this site is meant for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. It should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. Individual articles and information on other websites are based upon the opinions of the respective authors, who retain copyright as marked.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Find Me Online

I'm in the middle of moving cross country to escape Commiefornia -- but I will be blogging and making videos again soon...

I have been censored on many platforms. Here's how to find me:

  • Subscribe to my mailing list and get notified when I publish a new video or blog post. This is the BEST way to get updates.
  • Follow me on Telegram: my Telegram channel This is the second best way to get updates. Telegram is an app you can add to your phone. You should do this quickly because I heard Apple is trying to shut it down.
  • Follow me on Gab: https://gab.com/cheeseslave Gab is slow right now because so many people are joining and they don't have the server capacity but this will be my main socal media home going forward -- unless POTUS tells us he's going somewhere else. BTW Gab is super slow right now. They are self-hosted and they adding more servers as fast as they can. Just be patient. I'll post on there as often as I can but in the meantime I'm posting more on my Telegram channel.
  • Subscribe to my Bitchute channel. I'm hoping this site will not go down. I'm going to be posting videos on Gab -- but I will back up on Bitchute.
  • Subscribe to my YouTube channel. I haven't been posting YouTube videos because I know it's going to get censored. But subscribe there for when I do post again (if I ever do).
  • Support me on Patreon I'm still setting up the bonuses from the tiers but you can start donating now. I will start posting exclusive content on Patreon when I get back to work (soon).
  • Follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/cheeseslave I have been banned on Twitter.
  • Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheeseslave I have been completely banned on Facebook
  • Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ann.marie.michaels/I have been completely banned on Instagram
  • Follow me on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cheeseslave My website links are banned (marked as spam) on Pinterest.

    • Support Me & My Work

    I have been blogging about real food, alternative health, and about the dangers of vaccines and Big Pharma since 2007. As a result, the cabal has punished me severely financially via the IRS, FTC, hacks, etc. I lost my blog network in 2014 which I now believe was an orchestrated attack. Last summer, I lost 80% of my income from my blog due to the Google algorithm change that impacted almost all health bloggers including Dr. Mercola.

    I'm now working to build my blog and YouTube channel and I appreciate all the support from my fans. Once I can start making more money, I will be able to hire some help and childcare, so I can create more content. Thank you for any help you can offer.

    Here are some ways you can support me as a content creator and journalist:

    1. Support me on Patreon I'm still setting up the bonuses from the tiers but you can start donating now. I will start posting exclusive content on Patreon when I get back to work (soon).
    2. Buy my shampoo or skincare. Want more info? Read my review of MONAT. Got questions? Send me an email at annmarie@cheeseslave.com with any questions or if you need help placing an order.
    3. Send me a donation via Paypal: annmarie@cheeseslave.com
    4. Enroll in my online course: Online Marketing Simplified. Updates to the course are temporarily on hold so I can cover Q -- but I will be back to adding course lessons as soon as the storm is over and we are out of quarantine -- any week now!
    5. If you can't help financially, it's OK! You can help by sharing my content. Share my blog posts, YouTube videos, and Facebook & Instagram posts, and leave me comments. Sharing helps get my work seen -- and liking and commenting helps boost the content in the search engine algorithms.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi, Suman, I have appreciated getting to know you and reading your posts on newwaphb.

    I plan to make a recipe archive on this site — so the recipes are easier to find!

    Take care and keep me posted on your progress.

    Ann Marie

  2. Hi. I “know” you from the Discussing NT list. I’m in Chicagoland. Nice to read your water kefir info, as I’m demoing it soon for a noobie WAP group here in the suburbs. Thanks!

  4. Ann Marie! I found this site somehow, independently, and then I saw you on the Discussing Nourishing Traditions yahoo group also. I love your blog and what you contribute to the DiscussingNT group. Thanks.

  6. Hi Ann Marie,

    I just found out your blog this afternoon and I think it is really awesome!! I’m glad to discover nice and healthy recipes and it’s a pleasure to read so much interesting news about (organic) food. You made me discover coconut flour, which is no very much used in Europe. Congrats for your blog!! :)

  8. I was wondering when you started giving your daughter raw oysters? My youngest son just turned 1 and I wanted him to start eating them! Thanks, Khristyna

  9. Khristyna,

    I started letting her suck on the shells when she was just over a year.

    We go almost every week to get them at the farmer’s market, so she always sees Mommy eating (and loving) raw oysters.

    At first she did not want the oysters, but eventually she became interested in eating them. Now, at 2 years, she will easily put back 6 raw oysters at a sitting!

  10. Hi Ann,

    I love cheese too! Unfortunately, my intestines have a much different opinion of it and I don’t eat dairy anymore. I’ve been a huge fan of WAPF for several years and it’s always exciting to find other bloggers who promote it’s philosophies. I’m happy I found your blog and look forward to reading more of it in the future.

  11. Hi, Vin,

    Just subscribed to your blog — I checked it out and I love it! I added you as a friend on Facebook, too.

    Have you ever tried raw dairy? Many people with lactose intolerance find that they can digest raw dairy products very easily.

    If that doesn’t work for you, another thing you can try is a gut-healing protocol along the lines of the GAPS diet. Dr. Campbell-McBride says most dairy intolerance is reversable.

    I did something similar when I was in my 20s and had developed a wheat intolerance. It took a couple of years to fully recover but after that I could eat anything with no symptoms.

  12. Hi, I am 20 years old and read weston price’s book recently and was so happy to stumble upon your blog. After being told at 17 that I had systemic candida, I am finally recovering and am blessed that even through the struggle it has opened my eyes and educated me in health and life. It is so great that you and many others put in the time to share recipes and information for all of us who love receiving it. It’s tremendous dedication, and I thank you. The few recipes I’ve tried so far and wonderful. It’s inspiring for me to know that even though I personally don’t know them, so many people have chosen this way of living.

    Lauren

    • Lauren,

      I know this is an old comment but what medical tests did you get to reach your diagnosis? I’ve been struggling with my health for a few years now (after many tests and nothing found), and I’ve always suspected candida as an issue. But most traditional doctors tend to write it off as something that only afflicts HIV patients.

      Any advice would be helpful :)

      Cheers,
      Marlee

  13. Hi Ann Marie. :-)

    I just found your site and am enjoying it very much! So great to find other sane voices in this crazy world. I read NT a few years back and was so relieved to find something that finally made sense! I’ve been working since that time to grow most of our own food or source it locally and met some great people in the process.

    Thank you for sharing your thoughts. i know I’ll be stopping by again soon.

    Laurie

  15. Do you have a post with all your Los Angeles Food resources? I live in LA, too, and would love to know where you purchase all your stuff, especially the frugal finds.

    Thanks!

  16. Hi, AnnMarie,
    I found your site while searching for coconut flour recipes. We eat mostly natural, real foods at our house and have been doing so for years. I am amazed at how many parents and people in general are still so ignorant about food, and appreciate sites like yours to help educate and inspire others. We have ducks and eat their eggs; try duck eggs if you can find them, they are so much better than chicken eggs! If you would like to see pictures of my daughter’s ducklings, there are some posted on my Facebook page. Cheryl Campbell

  17. Hi I am a hunter and a meat eater. But to read that you eat fois gras is absoutely
    absurd and I would not be telling people that I eat that. The stuff is outlawed around the world you should be ashamed of yourself.

  18. Hi, Mitch,

    Thanks for sharing your opinion. If I believed that the foie gras production hurt the birds in any way, I would not eat it.

    I’m sorry that you think I should be ashamed. I don’t wish that on anyone.

  20. Great domain name, cool blog :) but, no easily identifiable social media links :(

  21. Hi Ann Marie,

    Great site. Will be back and looking forward, now, to perusing your recipes section. Started out the year on Atkins diet and then moved over to Fat Flush Plan. I’ve missed cheese so much that I’ve just HAD to have some. Still feel fine… and haven’t put the 35# back on… yippee!

    Lisa

  22. Hi Anne Marie,

    I love your website.
    I appreciate your time, enthusiasm and the effort involved in getting your message and ideas out there.
    Always enjoy reading your material.
    Photos too :) :)

    I live down in New Zealand and have established here a Chapter for the Weston Price Foundation and like you value Real food and reliable infomation.

    Many Thanks,
    Best Always,
    Kieran

  23. Dear Ann Marie,

    jI am so happy to have run across you. I live in LA too (Echo Park)!

    My husband is a chiropractor and we are both Weston Price members. Is Becky still a chapter leader for Silverlake?

    The last year I have worked very hard to get many of the Weston Price principles into our diet. (My husband did a course put on by the Price Pottenger Foundation years ago).

    Do you hold any meetings? (Please e-mail me).

    Debbie Gale

  24. Dear Ann,

    I stumbled upon your website as I was trying to google on the benefits of raw egg yolks which I just started incorporating in my daughter’s raw milk. I had been reading a lot about Nourishing Traditions and am very interested in incorporating a MORE NATURAL WHOLE FOODS diet to my family esp my daughter who is is in the autism spectrum (very mild). I hope we are not too late in nourishing her the right way-she’s 8-and am stil excited in seeing progress even in baby steps.

    Thanks,

    Daisy

  25. Hi. Your site looks great. I can’t wait to dive into it but I am leaving early morning for a vacation for a week! So I will get to it when I return.

    I read through some of the comments here and noticed one about Foie gras. I didn’t know what that was so I googled it. I wanted to see what Mitch Green was talking about.

    While I found Mitch’s comment rude to you in tone (as if you were 3 years old, and even then… well, I raised two boys into good men and I never once told them that they should feel “ashamed” of themselves), I did find some rather disturbing information on the subject of how foie gras is made. I find it incredibly cruel, as I find the process in raising veal cruel. I will included the link below.

    I want to just say that I am not a vegetarian or animal rights activist. And, just because I don’t care for organ meats or oysters, etc., doesn’t mean I think there’s a thing wrong with others eating them. I am a live and let live person overall.

    I am, however, not in favor of animal torture, for any reason. Some people should be tortured, yes… animals, no. (I’m only half-joking about the people).

    So, please post this link about foie gras for others to be informed.

    And to Mitch… perhaps she didn’t know about the process? I don’t know. But, I do love that you are seemingly a caring hunter… hunt for food but care about the animal’s treatment. I admire that. Thank you!

  27. Lisa Marie,

    I just wanted to let you and everyone else know that foie gras is not produced in the way that has been outlawed in many countries. Please do your research on the subject! All I had to do was google it click on a link and read a story about someone who actually went to a farm in the US where they DO NOT torture their ducks. It is posted on villagevoice: https://www.villagevoice.com/2009-02-18/news/is-foie-gras-torture/1

    Wikipedia can’t be used for everything!

    Aside that, I just wanted to thank you Ann for your awesome website! I first found it looking up info about Kefir and now I’m reading everything on it! I totally agree with almost everything on the Weston A. Price website, and am now realizing all the good things about raw milk and butter, and FAT!
    Keep it up!

    • I know this is an old comment but I wanted to add my two cents for anyone who comes along and reads the comments on this About page. If you don’t like something on Wikipedia and you have a SOURCE that you can use to clean up the article and add extra information, then do it. Wikipedia is not the World Book Encyclopedia–if something is not correct, then correct it!

      The one obstacle you might run into is if there is an editor for that topic category who is dogmatic about the subject, then you might run into a problem but if not, a lot of times the editing will stand.

      It’s true that NO encyclopedia should be treated as a primary source, not even Brittanica. But I get annoyed with the way people treat Wikipedia as both completely untrustworthy and carved-in-stone permanent. The very nature of a wiki is that anyone can change it. So change it if something is wrong.

    • By the way, geese do not have a gag reflex. As long as they know who’s feeding them, even being intensively fed for the purposes of producing foie gras is not traumatic to them.

      I read an account from the author of the book Fat where the foie gras geese ran up to their farmer at feeding time even though he was funneling grain down their throats. If you couldn’t gag, do you think being fed that way would bother you?

  29. I love your site, I have been following WPF for about 8 years but I have not really practiced it…. it comes it goes, I do get raw milk and buy local beef and pork, all my meat I get locally raised, chicken too.

    I feel like I just don’t have the time to figure it all out every week… I know planning ahead is crucial, this is why I just signed up for your 1 year menu….
    I’m excited about it, all the thinking is done for me :)

    Thanks,
    Erin

  30. Hi, Erin!

    I’m so excited to have you on the menu mail program. You’ll be getting the first batch or recipes this morning!

    The menu mailer is a HUGE time saver. Well, not for me, LOL! But for subscribers.

    I’m going to plan a trip to go wine tasting up in Oregon sometime soon — we should plan a get-together with all the local Oregonians! (Is that how you spell that?)

  32. Ann Marie,

    Your site is really cool and my son, Matt Stone, at: 180degreehealth, was telling me tonight all about it. He is a big fan and I can see why, as you see eye to eye on many things. We just celebrated his birthday today in Colorado (Feb. 6th).

    Just wanted to let you know how refreshing your material is and how stimulating too…

    Keep up the good work and best of luck to you and your family. I know you’re on the right track, because I’m a living example of how healthy it is to eat real foods. I’m almost 66 and extremely healthy, blood pressure 110/60, blood chemistry is perfect, pulse rate 50, low cholesterol (even though I eat eggs and have half and half every day) and no medications, not even aspirin, strong and great endurance(work 12 hours days a lot), and everything works well, including my mind. I almost feel like I’m cheating the system – I don’t even have aches or pains, I mean none!

    Best wishes and good luck,

    Ron

  33. Dear Ron,

    Thank you so much for your kind words. How lucky you are to have a son like Matt. I’m looking forward to having him on my podcast show. Please tell him Happy Birthday!

    And how lucky he is to have a father like you who is so open-minded. I just found out my mother was put on a statin drug last fall. Long sigh. I sent her a list of the dangers — hopefully she will get off of the thing.

    Ann Marie

  34. Just checking in, I know we follow each other on Twitter but I hadn’t stopped by your blog….didn’t realize you had one until Jimmy Moore posted your upcoming interview. Anyway looks like a lot of the kind of stuff I like to read so you’ll see me poking around here a bit this weekend I suspect! Best-

  35. Hello!

    I’ve been browsing this blog for about a week now and I have to say you are awesome! I recently became an ex-vegan after browsing the Weston A Price website and doing a little research of my own. Despite my research, I was very skeptical about butter. In my mind dairy= bad, evil, fattening, etc. But this blog persuaded me to try butter (Kerrygold from Trader Joe’s, yum) and I am positively hooked! I’ve been using it for the past few days and I feel great. I actually feel full at meals and my previously dissipated appetite has at last returned. And best of all, I enjoy eating now. I’ve hated food all my life (gasp), but now I can’t wait to get in the kitchen and whip something up. So I just wanted to say thank you for your blog and keep up the great work!

    Happy eating!
    Susan

  36. I thought I was reading about me! Love cheese, bacon, butter, and everything else you mentioned! I believe in Sustainable Gardening One Planter at a time, buying local, farmers market…Wow. Glad I stumbled upon your blog! Awesome!

  37. Hi!
    I am searching everywhere if there is a GAPS diet for babies… And what it is.
    My breastfed baby has a leaky gut that is causing eczema and rashes from pretty much all food. She gets hives from dairy. So eventhough she’s 8 months old she still eats only breast milk, and I’m on a strict diet because she reacts to food I eat too.
    Any help…. Advice would be greatly appreciated!!

    Thank you!!!

  38. I am very new to eating natural. It is my 2nd day, i just moved to napa ca, and can easily find all of the food. I am shocked that my olive oil did not cloud up or become solid after being in the frig. over night……..being of italian decent my mother only cooked veggies from the produce market, meat from the meat market, and milk was delivered..in glass bottles..she never went into a super market….i don’t know if they were organic but we rarely got sick……and oh she also gave us a tablespoon of cod liver oil everyday…….she called it fishes in the brook……….I just turned 67 and want to start living young……i have stomach issues ……..and want to get back to the european diet i grew up on…….thank-you

  39. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I stumbled across your site looking for real, homemade buttermilk ranch dressing, since i have been making my own butter. Who knew I’d find another successfully helpful tool in furthering my “self-taught education”…

  41. I found your blog looking for a recipe for sprouted whole wheat crackers. After printing the recipe, which I will use to make a healthier cheesecake for my son’s birthday dinner, I read this “About Me” page, which then took me to the Amazon.com “LOOK INSIDE” feature for the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price, which I had heard about previously on a forum and knew would be of interest to me. After taking notes from the two Forewards from the book, I thought to myself that I needed to share the info about the book, and your blog, on Facebook, which I did.

    Now I know I need to keep reading your blog.

    Thank you so much for your contribution to making this a better world!!

  42. OK – we could be best friends (not in a creepy way). You just found me on Twitter (BigGreenHead) and your name Cheeseslave cracked me up! I can’t wait to read up on why I can finally eat real food. two things, I have a blog 52 Ways to Go Green, Get Lean, or Die Trying! The green part is a cinch, the lean….not so much! Next, I want to invite you to share on our site. We welcome guest blogs.
    Thanks! Love it!

  43. Hi Anne Marie
    Just subscribed to your newsletter. Wanted to say well done for standing up for what is right .
    Just baked my first ever muffin. It was the one with blueberries and coconut flour. So as well as being my first ever muffin it was my first ever coconut flour attempt at anything. My hubby of 21 years nearly had a heart attack when I produced the finished result. It looked like a muffin (not a biscuit) tasted like a muffin (not a random bit of baked stuff) and smothered in organic butter tasted great was so much better than “politely acceptable’ which is what he is used to…….he he Thanks

  44. My Name is Gary Hoskins, Owner of Rocky Mountain Clean, All Natural Buffalo Soaps and Shampoos in Tucson, AZ.
    I have been in the soap industry for 2 ½ years. I use only organic fats: Olive Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, and Tatanka Oil (Bison Tallow).
    I am looking for people who will link web sites with me. I know this will benefit us both as it will increase our search ratings.
    My site is http://www.rockymountainclean.com
    If you have any questions or input for me since I’m new, please contact me at: gary@rockymountainclean.com
    Or call me @ 520-248-8305
    Gary

  45. Of course love your blog, but I REALLY like your green crocs that you are wearing in your pictures above. VERY COOL! :) Why wear anything else when your feet can be so crazy comfortable in crocs???!!

  46. Um, Weston Price is a dentist. ‘Nuff said on that one.

      • Milk is full of sugar, fat and protein. All the more perfect for bacteria to thrive. Like the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, or Brucella and E. coli.

        I’m all for healthy living and sustainable agriculture (yay for organic produce and local ag!), but I think it’s stupid to adhere to principles that have been debunked by so much evidence. It’s the 21st century, folks. We should know better.

        oh, and that guy that cheeseslave buts her oysters from has been shut down
        repeatedly over the past few years because cholera was found in the oysters (yeah, I know LA, and I know the farmers markets).

        • I’ve been to the Carson, CA farmers market but not the one in LA. Is there a fish market in LA? Next time I visit I would like to go there for some oysters.
          The farmer we buy raw milk from, here in Northern VA, is a friend and we trust him. A few weeks ago, early on a Saturday morning, I was picking up the milk and met the Cow, Snowbell, who gives us our weekly gallon… She was quite amiable and didn’t mind being petted as she was being milked.
          The point is, there needs to be a certain amount of trust between the producer and consumer. We know where our milk comes from, we know the cow, we know Mr. A, the owner, our kids play with their kids, and we see his family in church on Sundays. Of course there are some dangers with raw milk (if you don’t know where it is coming from), but there are more dangers in drinking a watered down, pasteurized, homogenized, factory assimilation of so-called milk.
          “Progress should mean that we are always changing the world to fit the vision, instead we are always changing the vision.” G.K. Chesterton
          What is our vision, as traditionalist foodies, for our world and how has that vision been altered by the food industry? … Oh sorry, were we talking about milk?

        • @The Living Ghost of Louis Pasteur

          What evidence? Cite your sources.

          And by the way, it’s pretty lame to post using an anonymous name and fake email address.

  47. so glad to have found your site! You look like a very young Meg Ryan in the pics above, and your daughter is precious! Its always nice to find other moms with similar views! I’m bookmarking your site.

  48. Hi, not a new Mom. I am an old Mom. But I have decided to revamp the way my husband and I eat. I decided in January that I was sick to death of feeling like crap even though I am a diabetic. I started low carb eating and discovered a new world. After 3 months, my blood work was fabulous and my nurse practioner called me a rock star but I still didn’t feel great despite losing 30 lbs. Then my health food store owner told me about Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Dr. Enig with Sally Fallon. We just started this newer eating system a few weeks ago and while it is a bit overwhelming at first, I finally am starting to feel better. Because of my diabetes, I still don’t eat bananas and substitute strawberries instead, but I am taking 3 Tablespoons of coconut oil every day and starting cod liver oil. I am really anticipating learning more from you and other websites. Thank you for what you do.

  49. A funny blog from “Daily Dose” (William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.)

    Feds target Amish in bizarre sting operation

    It’s the roughest, toughest gang of outlaws you’ve ever seen — a band of bearded renegades so dangerous that a federal agency needed help from TWO law enforcement departments during a recent raid.

    The Amish must be stopped!

    These buggy-driving menaces represent such a threat to the American Way of Life that the feds put one of them in the crosshairs of an 18-month sting operation.

    But this wasn’t about weapons, drugs or counterfeit money — it was about RAW MILK.

    This thriller begins with brave FDA agents putting their lives on the line by infiltrating another group of known radicals: Washington, D.C.-area families that enjoy farm-fresh milk and other organic goods.

    These families know that raw milk is superior in every way to Big Dairy’s watered-down swill and that it can even cure everything from asthma to autism. But since it’s illegal to buy raw milk in Maryland, where most of these families live, they were forced to look elsewhere.

    That’s when they joined together to form a cooperative to buy a stake in Dan Allgyer’s Pennsylvania farm. It’s a way of skirting the law — you’re not “buying” the milk if you already own the farm.

    Little did they know there were traitors in their midst: Undercover FDA agents using assumed names joined the club and attended gatherings in members’ homes… where they secretly gathered evidence to use against Allgyer.

    And when the Amish farmer ultimately delivered his contraband, the agents turned into Elliot Ness and the Untouchables, launching an armed predawn raid on his Pennsylvania farm with the help of U.S. marshals and state police.

    All that was missing was a team of Navy SEALS!

    Naturally, there’s no real evidence against Allgyer. After a year and a half undercover, the feds can’t point to a single sick customer or a single case of contaminated milk.

    The only supposed crime Allgyer committed was “selling” his milk across state lines — but since the cooperative is technically an owner and not a customer, even that argument is thinner than pasteurized milk.

  50. Dear Anna,
    I just read you “about you” and honey I think I have fallen in love with you. hahah NO worries I have been married for 27 years and very happily but this is just up my street. I started my life after marriage graduating from Le Cordon Bleu when I got sick with cancer I went whole green raw crazy but then my body rebelled I could have eaten sticks of butter and I did it rounds of brie… hee hee.. You cannot take brie from a girl what is the point in living. Now I am back just eating organic, we don’t eat alot of grains but we do eat range fed meets and raw milk, and butter, sometimes non raw butter and milk. And we have not been more well or healthy. Not only that we are happy. I am not a girl that can live without a good eggs benedict or floating islands for to long. I did it though for three straight years.. My hell. The eigth level. I have often heard about your site from my friend Debbie Young who I adore and think is brilliant. I look forward to getting to know you better. We did a nutritional boot camp on BasicMissions a few months ago then we did a lenten boot camp and Now we are just writing for summer. Food is what is up for the next six weeks after Labor Day. I love working with food and the Goop crew and I just took a tour of New Orleans which is where I grew up and I swear I have to diet before doing that again. Well off to get things in place for our dinner. Tonight stuffed pork loin with cherry and pistachio sauce and a nice jasmine rice and a lovely kale salad. With a beautiful pear pie with yep lard crust.. I love lard in crust. Divine. Wishing you the best and so glad I finally made it over. I will be a regular. Many Blessings. And Keep Up the Cheese. Callie

  51. I found your blog from a comment on another blog I just came across – Im loving this new way of finding interesting blogs! I know Im going to love this one, Im new to the whole healthy life, good food thing.

    Just wanted to say hello!

  52. Great to learn a little more about you. BTW, your daughter is such a cutie – but you knew that already. Thanks for all you do. You are a great encouragement.

  54. Just smiling ear to ear looking at you and your moody baby, all normal and everything. It’s so damn hard to go against the grain, but your nutrition conclusion is the same as mine, and I believe that of Joel Salatin. Keep it up, and thanks.

  56. Hi Ann Marie,

    I stumbled upon your website and so glad I did! I saw that you posted a comment about beating candida. After reading so many negative and not uplifting things on the internet about people suffering from candida, I was so inspired to see that you beat it and and are now eating amazing and nutritious foods! Have you blogged about this in any more detail? Are there any sites that you can point me to to help with my candida battle? There is plenty of info out there, but I’m looking for positive success stories like yours. I”m really inspired and want to hear more!

    Thanks!

  57. Hi Ann Marie, can you recommend cookware because I read so much contradictory information! I tried to find something in your archives but no luck so far. What is best? Stainless steel, cast iron… ?
    Many thanks!
    Vida

  58. Hi Ann Marie,
    I am wanting to purchase a Green Egg grill for cooking. I use mostly grass fed meat, but I am concerned about the link between barbecue and cancer. This grill will cook slow and low as low as 250. I would like to grill both meat and veggies. It also require a different type of charcoal. This is a very social thing we do in Texas and it is convenient to put a brisket on in the evening to have ready for the next day. What are your feelings about grilling?
    Thank you,
    Shirley

    • Shirley,
      I use my Green Egg on a fairly regular basis. You do have total control of the temperature and can cook at a low temperature. I cooked some bison burgers last night directly over the natural charcoal at 200 to 250 degrees. If you want to cook something for a longer time you can do it indirectly with a pan of water directly under the meat. It would not be healthy to cook on a smoker or grill every day, but once or twice a week or less often (if done the best way possible) makes cooking and eating good grass fed or pastured meats a delight.

  59. I Love this site !! I have it booked marked, My husband and I are both very Healthy and we eat this way :) all the best to you and your family.
    Patti Erickson
    Milwaukee WI

  60. Hi Marie do you get mail from Millions against Monsanto ? that’s the invisible devil that we are all fighting .
    Unless we unite and understand about our Constitutional Rights and how to apply them we don’t have any Rights .
    You have a very important gentlemen there in L A his name is Richard I Fine .
    Here is a link on Richard .https://www.search-results.com/web?l=dis&o=100000052&q=Richard+I+fine&atb=sysid%3D406%3Auid%3Df7cb1e519adb3aa7%3Auc%3D1305075326%3Aq%3DRichard+I+fine%3Asrc%3Dcrb%3Ao%3D100000052
    Here is a video that you should please watch with your friends and family .
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hITYIT02rA lethal injection the story of vaccination
    Well I have garden greens all year round and share Natural Heirloom seeds I keep Mason Bees , and I dont use one ounce of chem. on my garden plants .also we have lots of Natural glacier water and its green all year round . Thank You Joe L’Amarca
    I have a lot of seeds if you know anyone that wants some for free , they can reach me at 253-565-4551

  61. https://www.humet.com/acatalog/ToxicMetals.pdf

    I wondered if you have ever read this article by Kaayla T. Daniel. She suggests this as an explanation for why people do not get healthy even though they are on a nutritions diet. I’m wondering if this could explain my insomnia! Maybe pregnancy deposits heavy metals in new locations that suddenly start causing us problems?

  62. Thank you! I am forever altering recipes to be more in line with Weston Price and Nourishing Traditions. Now I can look at your site first, to see if you already have done that work!

  63. I found you through my good friend Lisa_C who reads your blog often. I’m loving your blog too. Isnt amazing how much more important nutrition is when you are a Mama?
    Thanks for sharing!!

  65. Hello wondering if you did Gaps diet while pregnant and experianced weight loss while pregnant or weight gain and also if you did the diet while pregnant ,, what were the results after pregnancy ?

  66. Ann Marie-
    It was a pleasure connecting today & discovering our mutual love for “Magnesia!”
    I would welcome a collaborative effort, but would esp appreciate some “social networking” coaching! I’m an absolute stone there& would be willing to trade ares of expertise, or otherwise.
    Enjoy the balance of your stay in Dallas & I’ll look forward to our chat next week…
    Cheers,
    Morley
    “Mg Man!”
    847.922.8061 (M)

  67. Hi. I found your blog while reading a handout from a sourdough bread vendor from the santa monica farmers market.

    When I looked up cheeseslave, I found a great article on bone broth and gluten intolerance. I already knew about my struggles with gluten and other food sensitivities but I was not aware of the value of bone broth. After a bit of research I found restaurants in koreatown LA that serve sul lung tang, a beef broth soup made from ox bones. i go there several times a week now to eat soup. it’s been amazing. if you have an opportunity to go there i recommend e moon oak on western and olympic.

  69. GOOD MORNING ANN MARIE….I so enjoy your page, I have always been interested in organic grown, and glad to see that there is more and more of an interest by young people like you. You so remind me of myself back in the early 50’s when I grow my own veg. when to the farmer to get raw milk, and at that time read Adel Davis. There were a few Health Food stores around, although we had to travel to a big city to fine them. By the 60’s there were many smaller shops, however, they were the kind that you could get high in just from the secondary smoke by the time you finished shopping. Today we have a great health food store right here in Easton, Pa, and one of the greatest small farmers markets in the country…. Thank you for a great and very interest site.

  70. Kate is ADORABLE!! Enjoy. They grow-up before you know it!

    My family is in love with cheese, too! : )

  72. It was a surprise to me to be clicking through fb and seeing my childrens faces on a story!! Love the attention you brought to the issue of vaccine damage.

  73. Hi Ann Marie
    Surprised you live in Las Vegas my wife and I live out in Henderson Of Course!
    Since we are from the 20’s and farm kids we know about how you should eat from the garden, drink that milk straight from the cow and that fresh fruit picked right off the tree. What a change in life style we have lived through. Had to laugh when you said garden. Livin’ with these city folk have to keep those raised beds hid in the back yard. Sure couldn’t hang your clothes outside, wouldn’t look nice. Think the thing that keeps us going is keeping the dream of getting back to that old time life style. Hang in there you just might make a difference. Billy & June

  74. i am twenty four and my dad raised four children alone since we were
    7 4 2 and three days old

    we are alone and i have lost two sisters now

    its just me and my dad and brother
    we love raw milk and butter and eating healthy
    we like farming and making animals happy
    yes a cow can actually be happy and run and kick and come so happy to see you
    when she is raised from a calf with love
    she can be JUST as friendly as a dog she can just push alot harder
    lol so you have to be careful
    my family has gone to micheals farm and we met him and talked with him

    we want to farm and have found a place for 130 thouand
    and are fundraising and asking people to help

    my dad is fourty five my brother is sixteen
    we want the farm to be open all the time to provide people with friendship
    good food and learning opportunities
    my dad grew up farming and we are a FARMILY
    we have the chance to help people and stay together
    and work hard having a farm
    and we are asking for human beings all over
    to help us GET IT
    even if that means someone else can buy it
    and we can work for them FOR TEN YEARS FOR FREE
    and just live in the old house
    we will manage the farm
    and grow the five acer gardens
    Alisha Hillman
    Twitter Singledad1234
    i want to keep my family together
    I dont want to lose my dad and brother and be homeless

  75. Hi there!
    I am so happy that I “happened” upon your website. We have so much in common. I actually found your blog upon doing a search to see if anyone else naturally balances their hormones like I do (and as I have helped several of my nutrition clients do). I am so impressed by this resource!

    I am a new mom too and hope I can eventually transform my blog (slnhealthytidbits.blogspot.com)into as wonderful as a resource as yours.
    Is this blog your “job?” I currently have a day job as a marketing director for a large health food store and its sister company, which is a national supplement company (needs.com) and I do my nutritional counseling “on the side” as I have been doing for a decade!

    Again, thanks so much for doing what you do…I will be referring my clients to this blog for sure!

  76. Hi Cheeseslave
    We are on GAPS now for three or four months. Your website has been most helpful! I’m seeing a new me emerging from this change in lifestyle, diet. I am pretty excited when I see others combining work with what they love, family and feeding families. It gives me hope that I can stop punching a clock for work and start letting people come to me for help and advice. i am an RN and a lactation consultant and now GAPS newbie wannabe cook. I’m looking to combine my current career with my new found love, cooking and preparing the best food I can, into a sustainable living for myself and family.

    Thanks for your website. It’s a thing of beauty
    Katy Mc

  77. Hi! I have wanted to eat a more organic based gluten free diet for some time now. I have fought the battle of the bulge since age 12. I ran across Jon Gabriel’s method for weight loss last year and have lost 56lbs so far. He encourages “live” foods, and organic/grass fed/free range as much as humanly possible. It is not just about the foods that we eat but the vitality of the foods that will enable our bodies to glean the nutrients that it needs from the foods that we eat. I wanted to pass his method along to you so that you could share his method with other readers/friends that you know who are struggling with weight issues. He deals primarily with the mind-body connection and not just calories in/calories out. I am at a disadvantage though. I drive a truck for a living (over the road) and only have access to very few organic fruits and veggies. It is also nigh on impossible to find grass fed beef/free range chicken that I can cook in my crock pot. So I will continue to read everything I can find on organic cooking/gluten free baking etc and dream of the day when I can have my very own organic live food kitchen.
    Blessings to you!
    Trish

  79. just cruising on the internet investigating natto, and it led me to you
    i just got some natto samples, and i really prefer the natto miso, which i cant seem to find
    i read about weston price a long long time ago

  80. Hi,

    I am wondering why no one makes their own home made jello from the bone broths/meat soups that are made on the GAPS diet? I can’t find any information on this process…is there a way to do this at all? I have so much beautiful gelatin and I don’t see why I have to purchase it to make what I already somewhat have…?

    Thanks!
    Regan

    • I make jello from pig skin – the same way it is made in the North East of China (a traditional food in those areas). If done properly, it comes out really firm and clear.

      On a different subject, with regards to fish oils, I generally avoid them because the majority are heavily refined and processed, with a distorted ratio of EPA and DHA.
      I recently came across a wild handcrafted oil which is extracted using no heat, chemicals, or mechanical pressure. The website is: https://ratfishoil.org/

      It sounds pretty amazing, but surprised I haven’t heard of it before. Has anyone else tried it?

      • Hi Melli,

        Can you please share with me the exact details of how you make your jello from pig skin? Do you make it with fruit juice, or do you just mean that you have the jello (gelatin) left over after you boil the pig skin?

        • Hi,
          I normally boil the pig skin for a short while (until it changes colour) and then take out the skin from the water, let it cool a bit, and then remove any fat and remove any hair. I then place it into a pan of fresh clean water (about three times the volume of skin), bring to the boil and simmer for a few hours. Then just let it cool. If done properly it sets very well.

          Hope this helps.

  81. Hi Ann Marie,

    I just listened to your sprouting and soaking webinar yesterday and I am excited about your class. I have been on the GAPS diet and in the progress of healing my gut from all kinds of food allergies/sensitivities and have come a long way since August. I am looking forward to learning about sprouting and making my own bread, etc and putting healthy whole grains back into my diet (it’s been way too many years since I’ve enjoyed them). Will you be offering the classes individually as you mentioned? Looking forward to learning more. Thank you for your awesome work!

    In Gratitude,
    Leslie

  82. Hello, I was wondering if Maca was still helping you with your melasma? I was reading that raw wasn’t good? I wanted to buy some on Amazon but I am poorly educated about this. Do you take the pills or loose? Any information would be great. Thanks!

    • I have not been taking maca regularly. I took the powder. I am too lazy w/ supplements. You can try it; maybe it will work for you.

      What really worked for me was just eating a balanced traditional foods diet. It took about 25.-3 years for my melasma to completely disappear.

  83. With diabetes and dementia, I have been following the mainline advise trying to get better. I take 14 pills and my blood sugar level still is at 300 more often than 200. Ive lost weight with injections of something that is suppose to replace my insulin shots, but even so no change in blood sugar levels. Im drinking skim milk, eating steamed veggies. Stress in my life is over the top, being 51 and raising 3 kids ages 4, 6 and 7. They are also my reason for wanting to live long. I am making a change today. I appreciate your site, as it points me to many options that will help me as I turn things around. Thank you. Wish me luck!

    • Why do you drink skim milk (and hopefully not from the store…)? Can you try raw milk? Raw milk has been known to cure diabetes and regulate your blood sugar without the need for insulin or a drastic change in your diet…

      http://www.realmilk.com/milkcure.html
      Quote from site:
      “About ten years ago a very sick man came to the Sanitarium suffering from a severe cystitis and nephritis. He was a diabetic. As milk contains about five percent milk sugar, it was feared that he could not manage this amount of sugar. But he did manage it, and improved in every way and in eight weeks was sugar free. My experience with milk diet in diabetes has been limited, but very interesting. These few patients, only seven or eight, have been much pleased with the results. Insulin was used for a time in some of the cases. They all became sugar free, or nearly so, after from four to ten weeks. From the fact that these patients were able to use a much more liberal diet than diabetics usually can take [after the treatment], it would seem to indicate that at least a partial regeneration of the pancreas is not impossible. “

  84. Anne Marie,

    Love your blog, been subscribed for a while. We’ve been mostly NT for about 6 years. Started when we lived in Vegas. Man was it a pain to get raw milk! Drove 4 1/2 hrs each way every three weeks to pick up milk in Utah from Redmond farms! Those were the day! Now we’re in Denver and our cow share delivers to my garage b/c we’re big buyers. :)

    Started homeschooling in Vegas (ok, started when #1 Son was born, but he turned 5 when we lived in Vegas). Have had two children completely on raw milk and mostly NT. Your blog actually makes me think fondly of Vegas! :) I’m not a fan of the heat so it was a rough four years. :)

    Thanks for all your hard work! And your intro to Matt Stone! WOW! :)

  85. Love your blog!! And the name. I totally agree with it all! I’m a senior in high school..and i LOVE the book Nourishing Traditions. I am looking forward to reading more!!! :)

  86. My daughter showed my wife and I your site- we are looking forward to trying your recipies, we are looking for a good yogurt recipie-if possible using a slow cooker- if not what you feel would be god to use. Thank you for your time you put into your site. Appreciate the information

  87. I’m glad to have found your blog. it’s great that there is more and more discourse about the health benefits of eating natural foods, fats and all. I am 33, 5’7 and 115lbs. I’ve been that weight since high school and I think eating organic and staying away from perservatives and artificial stuff has helped me maintain my weight. I do NOT shy away from butter and whole milk AT ALL. I have never dieted or counted calories, and I really don’t believe that’s necessary if you eat healthy and natural. My husband has had a chronic stomach problem since he was 20 years old. Caused him to throw up for days at a time, and he was bedridden with his mystery illness once every month or two. Doctors could not figure out what was wrong so they just prescribed him an anti-nausea drug. Shortly after we moved in together I got him eating yogurt and later drinking kefir for the cultures. He was sceptical of my “homeopathic” ways but years later now he gets sick once a year, if that. He is much more likely to believe that proper nutrition has a big effect on our health and well-being and that nature provides us with a lot of resources to help heal ourselves. He now reads ingredients on things he buys, which never occured to him before!! I have endometriosis, PMS and infertility issues. I want to start taking maca – maybe it will help. Thanks!!

  88. Wow I thought I was the only one in the world who preferred to use the clothes line versus the angry clothes dryer in my basement. LOL

    I am glad to hear there are others out there who love the outdoors and natural living as much as i do. I think it is amazing that once upon a time, the market was where women spent their days basking in the sun while they shopped for the best foods for their children while mingling with their neighbors swapping recipes. Sigh! those were the days and they can return if we support our farmers and others that make this country really what is was meant to be.

  89. My friends love Weston Price. Another friend told me about Cure Tooth Decay since one of my daughters has several cavities. I’m listening to your mp3 right now with Ramiel. I’m eager to learn more & also scared about the amount of time & lifestyle change that this may entail. I ate raw before twins & it really helped heal my body alot & I’m needing some healing again. I love eating local & organic, grass fed, etc. We have food allergies to cow dairy (although we do eat butter) soy, wheat & I have some nut allergies in addition to that. I’ve been considering however, raw milk, but concerned about the price & whether we’d have allergies to raw cow dairy also. One of my daughters has CP & she’s the one with cavities…I think from the lack of more calcium in her diet (she has almond & rice milks) as well as acid reflex & still needing to drink from a bottle even though she’s 3 years old.
    Anyways, I”m open to making a change but I need it to be somewhat easy & accessible & not too time consuming since I’m so busy with twins & special needs on top of that. Any ideas/suggestions? Thank you!
    Suraya

  90. Way to go Ann Marie. Its wonderful to see such young Moms keeping with traditional foods that nourish us and sustain the Earth as well. You certainly have your priorities straight. Thanks for being such a great role model for not only your sweet daughter but other young Moms as well. Will pass on your blog to others.Keep up the good tradition.

  91. I found your webpage helpful and will try many of your suggestions. I have melasma and have been to many doctors and they do not do anything and think I am just over reacting. I am so fed up with my melasma which is spreading all over my face. I wish I could get to the bottom of it. Do you think it would be reasonable to ask my doctor to do some blood work to rule out glandular issues? This is what I would like to do since it would rule out and problems with my glands. Thyroid, adrenal, pituatary? Are there any other gland tests I should ask for?

    Thank you for any info you can give me.

    Sincerely,

    Mary Ann Smith

  92. Hi, I stumbled on your blog when looking for a recipe. I am a holistic nutrition counselor and reflexologist. For years I suffered with odd symptoms. I went from doctor to doctor and each one told me to see a psychiatrist. I finally, like you realized something I was eating may have been making me sick. That was the start of my journey 8 years ago. I stopped eating gluten and felt much better, but not great. I cut out one food after another, had 2 bouts of cancer and still didn’t feel any better. Doctor after doctor couldn’t find what was wrong. Finally my brother became very sick and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. I thought back on how my mom had suffered with bowel problems!!! Finally an answer, but no doctor would believe me. I took my health in my own hands and 6 months ago started the specific carbohydrate diet, much like the GAPS diet.I am off all grains, dairy and any processed foods. My joint pains are gone and I have lost 18 lbs.!! But the best part is I feel like I have energy and sleep much better!! Thanks for your recipes and blog. I use your recipes without dairy. I am a member of WPF and only eat the meats and eggs from Sally’s farm in Brandywine. (I only live 20 min. away.)
    BTW your baby is really cute!!!

  93. Hi there! I am told you were able to cure your own RA with diet/supplements. Is this true? If so I’d love to hear more. Please let me know either way. Thanks!

    • Hi Katie,
      I don’t have RA, just joint pains that go along with Crohn’s. I have them no more by doing the Specific Carb. Diet which is like the GAPS diet. It took 2-3 months before the pains went away, but it worked!!

      Vivian

  94. Greetings, Anne Marie. Thank you for your website. I was wondering if you could answer a few simple questions regarding the sequence of symptoms I’m experiencing since I’ve been on the GAPS diet, about 2-3 weeks now, although the 1st 2 weeks were not strict as I was just learning about it.

    This week I decided to go on stage one of the diet as strictly as I could stand it. So, starting on Sunday, I’ve mainly ingested home made chicken broth, beef-bone broth, or pig feet broth and fresh organic carrot juice. Some of this carrot juice started to ferment because I didn’t know that cold was not reaching a crisper drawer in my frig. I drank it anyway because I figure the good bacteria would be fine.

    Yesterday, however, I started experiencing extreme fatigue and weakness. So I drank a lot of juice from different organic fermented veggies. I felt better but was still hungry. So I fried a couple of eggs in some organic kidney fat and ate only the yolks. I also ate a little boiled pork and boiled chicken meat thrown in to the same pan of fat because I was still hungry and weak after eating the egg yolks. I had no reaction except for a little discomfort momentarily in my lower left abdomen. I was fine the rest of the evening.

    Since I started GAPS diet 3 weeks ago, I went from constipation to very infrequent but regular bowel movements except…

    about a half-hour ago, I had a normal stool + diarrhea for the first time. Maybe I had too much fermented carrot/veggie juice? Everything was orange.

    Do you think I’m beginning a new ‘stage’ of detox and about to go through a lot of diarrhea or do you think this was caused by drinking too much fermented veggie juice too soon?

    Thanks for any input and for all that you’re doing to help people.

    Kind Regards
    Serena

  95. I found your Web site on a search for pickles and the art of fermentation. Like what I have seen so far including the article of yours I found. I’m a new subscriber I like what I have seen so far. I think I might just learn a thing or two.
    Thanks for your site.
    Joan

  96. Wonderful! I did the same when I had my children, we all moved into the forest and turned to old-fashioned style of living. The best thing I ever did. Today all the children (4) are adults and extremely healthy. They stick to healthy clean eating and living because it’s habit. They have all tried the crappy stuff and it made them ill. Your daughter will live this legacy from you and give it on to her children. Nice to “read” you.

  97. Can Kefir be frozen without nutritional damage (or major damage) making it useless/dead?

    • There is some talk in scientific circles that dead probiotics still support the immune system. Probably live cultures are even better, but dead is still great. Who’da thunk? I read this in Campbell-McBride’s book.

      In general, from years of kefir making, low temperatures simply send kefir grains into dormancy. They can easily be brought to room temp again and (within a few batches) be up and going again, culturing milk like they used to. This leads me to believe (with no scientific evidence to back me up) frozen kefir, even though it is the product of the grains and not the grains themselves, should still have health benefits.

      It is high temperatures that are problematic for kefir, but any Western house temperature should be fine – I think the viability cutoff is somewhere in the 110s Fahrenheit.

  98. Thanks for the great info on your blog…love it! Quick question, I am pregnant and have been reading a lot about the benefits of raw milk for the development of our unborn child. However, to be honest, I am a little nervous at the thought of the possibility of introducing some illness via the raw milk. Thoughts? What was your experience? Would you recommend raw milk during pregnancy? Your help is greatly
    appreciated.

    • @Jennifer

      I do recommend raw milk during pregnancy but if you are nervous about it, don’t do it.

      Make sure you eat plenty of grass-fed butter and cream.

      • I’m sorry to dive into debate mode, but this is frightening advice. The human immune system can be defined into two components – intracellular infection fighting (viruses, some bacteria, some fungi) and extracellular infection fighting (parasitic bacteria, fungi, worms, prokaryotes, etc). During pregnancy, a woman’s immune system ramps up the intracellular functions but scales back the extracellular functions (this prevents your immune system from attacking baby, because the uterus is still protected by the immune system and babies have all the fun immune system triggers that parasites do).

        So why is raw milk especially bad during pregnancy)? Because cows are common carriers of infectious bacteria, fungi, and other extracellular parasites, particularly on their exterior mucus membranes (teats!). Ingesting these during pregnancy places you at a much higher risk of infection. Raw milk may (but does not always) contain heightened levels of these pathogens, increasing your risk of infection.

        Pasteurization was invented and is widely practiced for a reason. In a normal, healthy adult, raw milk probably won’t be harmful provided the collection is a sterile as possible. In a pregnant or immuno-compromised person, raw milk can be quite dangerous to their health.

        Please at least consult a GP or obstetrician before embarking on any raw milk diet during a pregnancy.

        • Agreed. Unless it is, or almost, your own cow or herd, and you are 100% satisfied with practices used, (as in, you have seen these for yourself), pasteurization remains an important safety measure.

          Ah. I see the comments go straight downhill – even to the bizarre – after this. Cheeseslave might better serve her intention by discontinuing them..

          This is a most excellent website, and I am again reminded that I have no idea where my happy family poster captioned, “They’re happy because they eat lard,” has gotten off to.

        • Hello, I own and operate a licensed raw milk dairy. We are required meet and or exceed pasteurized milk standards for bacteria. Our milk meets the same standards as pasteurized without destroying the vitamins and enzymes. Commercial milk needs to be pasteurized because of all the filth. We are routinely tested and are an accredited TB and contagious disease free herd. Nearly all commercial dairy farms are not. And there are bacteria that survive pasteurization. So wouldn’t it be best to drink milk that is clean and healthy from the start rather then milk that has to be made safe?
          Albert
          Pereirapastures.com
          Pereira pastures dairy on Facebook

          • Albert, thank you soooo much for what you do! I’ve ingested raw milk through 2 or 3 pregnancies, and my babies are incredibly healthy! My last was born easily at home (a 10lb 1oz healthy fella). I agree it has to be something the pregnant mother is herself comfortable and confident in. I personally would NEVER drink the disgusting crap they sell at the store!!!

        • You are absolutely right, Ryan. The practices of almost all modern factory dairy endeavors require the pasturization of their milk. That is the only way that the milk can be decontaminated froml the unsafe/filthy practices that are part and parcel of “cheap” milk. For many thousands of years though, mankind drank milk straight from the cow with ill effects only from the farmers who were not clean. Many of the older people still alive in this country were brought up on raw milk with no ill effects. The secret to safe raw milk is cleanliness. Personally, I purchase my raw milk from a dairy that has the highest safety standards in the State of California, Organic Pastures of Fresno County.

          Interesingly, the state (prodded by the milk factory interests) tries to shut down this wonderful dairyj, but they have failed every time. Mark McAfee, the owner. maintains records, enforces clean practices and produces the best milk in the state. When I was growing up in Oregon during WWII, my grandmother milked her cows in Gresham and then drove into Portland to deliver to her own milk/cream/burrer customers.

          An acquaintance of mine told me that when he was growing up on an early milk factory using the techniques of the time, he walked down to the milking barn early one morning and found one of the milkers with his booted feet in a fresh bucket of milk (covered with cow sh**). He asked himl what he was doing and he replied that his feet were cold; he golt up, poured the milk into the tank and commented that it would be pasteurized.

          • I forgot:
            Organic Pastures

            Raw Milk

            OPDC Raw Milk is alive with fully active enzymes, a broad spectrum of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria, all 22 essential amino acids, 18 good fatty acids, metabolically available vitamins, immunoglobulins, minerals, antioxidants, and CLA.

            The milk is never damaged or changed by pasteurization, homogenization, or other processing. Organic Pastures produces 100% USDA certified organic, Grade A, raw milk of super premium quality. USDA organic standards require that cows be pasture grazed just four months out of the year. OPDC goes far beyond this standard and grazes our cows on green pastures every day. In addition to green pastures, our cows are fed: a specially formulated organic mineral supplement, free choice salt and trace mineral blocks, high test organic alfalfa, and some sweet organic corn to keep them healthy and strong. A disease free life: a life with optimal health starts with a strong immune system – and raw milk is the finest immune system support food available.

          • And I completely agree. Instead of fixing the issue, feeding cows grass, keeping them healthy, etc, we have a cascade of interventions that make for nasty bad-for-you milk instead of pure good milk… We give cows grain, which they can’t digest, which makes them sick, so we give them antibiotics, which lowers their milk production, so we give them growth hormones, etc. Instead, just feed them grass and keep them clean and healthy….

            We just went to California, and I am amazed how expensive raw milk was… We pay $7 a gallon, buy 12-13 gallons every two weeks, and drive 100 miles to get it. We went to California for a week, bought a few gallons from the local store, cool yet concerning, and was amazed… It was $8 for a half gallon of Organic Pastures raw milk, and $15 for the gallon. And then when we got it home, it tasted/smelled funny and we couldn’t drink it. I am sure that is just because the milk isn’t kept as cold as I normally do. It was not in a closed fridge at all, but on the shelf, along with butter, etc… Definitely not kept at 30-40 degrees….

            • Wow Tiffaney,

              Prices have gone down, or it depends regionally. In ’02, I was buying raw milk in the Bay Area for $12 / gallon. This was from Claravale Dairy, and it was not organic. I can only assume prices have gone up in the last 11 years. As for Organic Pastures, I had problems with their raw milk too, all the way back in ’02. It would go back way too fast and have a funky taste. Even though Claravale was not organic, it tasted wonderful and lasted a good week.

              • Yeah, there is a huge difference in pricing from region to region… And strange about the Organic Pastures… I wonder if it goes bad faster because it is a bigger organization… I like having milk from a small place, that isn’t huge with tons of customers…. I feel that it is safer, fresher and more cared for than a corporation…. I wonder why others notice that milk go bad faster than others… My milk I can keep for 2-3 weeks, though it is rare that it hasn’t been drank within 2 weeks…. I just learned that I have to shake each gallon every other day to keep it fresh, but nothing more than that (besides the 35-40 degree fridge I guess…)

                • In Massachusetts, a gallon of raw milk costs about $10 – $13, based on my experience with 2 different dairies.
                  Nothing better, in my opinion. I was nervous about giving raw milk to my then-2-year-old, but we’ve been fine. I’m starting sooner with any future kids. Grocery store (even organic) milk gives us sniffles and congestion, but so far, so good with raw. Only complaint is that I have to drive an hour each way to buy milk!

  99. I can’t believe in this day and age people are still supporting dairy products. Cows milk is essentially white blood cells, puss to be exact. Impregnating cows and taking their baby’s from them so that the milk can be extracted for human use and consumption is the farthest thing from natural. Humans are the only species on the planet that drink another animals breast milk. Cows milk is not even a complete source of fat. It does not contain any of the 8 essential amino acids. The calcium is completely unavailable to the human body. Cows have 3 stomachs and we have one, why are we drinking their breast milk?!

        • Jane, having just read down a few comments, I have to agree with you. Wow. No wonder people’s health is going to hell in a hand basket. So long as it’s a sterile hand basket…people don’t seem to mind! “Milk is puss” ????
          Stay asleep people, stay ignorant. Just please stop imposing your safety on us.

      • Tiffaney,
        Pasturized milk is used to make yogurt, can’t do that with raw milk; that is its only benefit. Homogenized milk is poison.

        • I agree Homogenized milk is poison, but I also think pasteurized milk is bad too. And why can’t you make yogurt with raw milk?? I do all the time… I don’t eat yogurt if it is made from pasteurized milk if I can help it…

          Here is a quick website I found showing you how to make raw milk yogurt…
          https://www.culturesforhealth.com/raw-milk-yogurt-video

    • I can’t believe in this day and age people are still supporting non-traditional foods.
      (And I am beyond confused that you apparently think your own white blood cells are made of pus. Do you really think that’s what’s flowing in your veins?) I’m sorry that human nature doesn’t live up to your high standards for ‘natural’, but this is what humans have been doing in their natural state for many thousands of years. I’m sorry that you feel disappointed by what we’ve evolved to eat, but the simple fact is our ancestors were not herbivores, nor did they have three stomachs, yet we get along just fine. I’ll stick with eating as my ancestors did and thrived on, and I’ll leave experimenting with our diet and nutrition to you and yours.

      • Amen. I’ll let someone else be a guinea pig. Meantime, I’ll eat all the evil, non-vegan foods that others avoid. More for me!

    • Your comment is extremely odd. Please consider attending some classes.
      PS And that thing with the faucets on a cow is called an “udder.”

    • This is an almost verbatim statement (they usually say “rape the cows”) made by vegans and in PETA literature over and over. As someone stated, white blood cells are not pus. You would not live very long without medical intervention if you were circulating puss.
      I have my own cows and love the fact that I know were milk comes from. I don’t think raw milk is a magical food but it does have many benefits over heat treated milk. That being said, it is of utmost importance to know the condition of the cows and handling practices of the milk before you buy. If you do that you will certainly know more about your raw milk than the gallon you pick up at the store.

    • Hmm, sounds like vegan proselytizing. It’s fine if you don’t want to utilize dairy products, but when you come to a site called cheeseslave, you are missing your audience and clearly have an agenda, one I’m certain has only been “researched” from one point of view.

      You should research kefir on Dom’s kefir site. Kefir has 42 different strains of healthful bacteria (called probiotics). In homemade kefir, you get literally billions of those strains PER CUP. It is not pus, although I am sure your OWN body will produce plenty of mucus and pus from the imbalance created from eating high amounts of sugars and carbs, as that is what non-meat diets most likely contain in large quantity.

      I was vegetarian for 8 years, and I started to regain my severely failing health when I went to a natural, traditional diet that includes bone broth, gelatin, lard, meat and fermented foods.

      To each their own on eating styles, but don’t push a moralistic agenda calling it science, particularly around people who have done their research.

  100. Hello Anne Marie, I have read your article “Tips For Balancing Hormones Naturally” – I have tried increasing my roughage with flax seeds and also using mother wort for insomnia and stress – this has really made an improvement. Both are cheap and easy to find.

  101. This blog is the best thing I’ve found since “godairyfrree.org”, which is hilarious. I am a dairy LOVER, but that website just has lots of YUMMY vegan and vegetarian dishes. That’s funny, too, because I am a CARNIVORE. I just love wholesome super-healthy food along with my wholesome super-healthy meats and dairy. I am a strong believer in milk, cheese, and ice cream myself. Ann Marie, you’re my new best friend! Also, I am from LA. I now live in AZ in a town that prides itself on its high rate of obesity and scoffs at us “Californian health nut weirdos”. LOL!

  102. Hi Ann Marie,
    I am confused by this blog. I too love natural foods. I have been eating “Primal” I suppose for almost three years. I say I suppose, because I did not start on anyone specific plan. My rules are to eat food that for the most part existed before about 1880, at least somewhere in the world. I do not avoid naturally ocurring fats and oils, but I do not eat grain-derived oils. I had not heard about Mark Sisson until I had been basically eating primal for several months. I do like his website very much, and I appreciate that he has an open mind. What I don’t understand is all of the railing on your blog against primal or paleo diets. A primal diet is really about eating normal food. It isn’t radical. I avoid processed food, particularly sugar and grains, but I eat lots of veggies and all the fruit I want. From my point of view what is radical is eating industrial food-like substances found in cereal boxes and energy bars, etc. Do you really love cheese? Then why not eat cheese. It is perfectly acceptable as a primal food. Some Paleo/Primal eaters shun dairy, but I certainly don’t. I also love to cook. In fact, the only reason I could think of why someone who had actually tried eating primal didn’t get along well with it would be if they really hated to cook. Primal eaters do generally get along better if they cook their own food. I am confused. Has a cereal company started advertising on your blog? What is going on here? What do you really think?

  103. Just caught your post on camels milk…Ive been periodically looking for sources of camels milk for a few years with no uck. Do you know of anyone in California that can help me track this elusive treasure? I’m also looking for Donkey’s milk but that seems to be even harder to find. For the most part its only available as a uber-expensive cheese or in beauty products. Any help would be wonderful. Thx

  104. I see on your site a recipe for making magnesium oil. I would love to find a recipe
    for making magnesium gel. I have been buying a brand called Health and Wisdom Inc.
    It’s very expensive. It’s magnesium mixed half with water and seaweed extract added.
    It is a gel, so the magnesium does not separate from the water. Do you have a recipe for
    this? Thanks.
    Anna

  105. Hi! My entire family is on a low-carb diet right now, and I am just learning how to use coconut flour. We don’t have to be gluen-free, but wind up eating “mostly” gluten free due to the low-carb diet. We also have to be nut-free, because both my husband and daughter are allergic to all nuts and legumes (no nut flours, no chickpea flour, no soy flour).

    I have a challenge for you: a relatively low-carb cheesecake that doesn’t use nuts or legumes. My husband’s birthday is coming up in 10 days and he wants me to make a cheesecake!

    The problem is: all of the low-carb cheesecake recipes I’ve come across use nuts for the crust. We can’t do that. I’m thinking of making the crust with a combination of coconut flour, flaxseed meal, and maybe just a tablespoon of graham cracker crumbs for that “regular” flavor.

    As for the cake itself, I refuse to use artificial sweeteners of any type. I just don’t think it’s good for you. We’d rather take the hit on carbs using sugar or some other type of real sweetener (not stevia — i think it tastes bitter and don’t like it).

    So, can you help me come up with a relatively low carb cheescake? (Let’s just call it “reduced carb!”) If you don’t answer me within 10 days, I’ll of course experiment with this myself and let you know how it turns out . I’m an experienced cook, but I’ve only made cheesecake once before (and it turned out great!)

    Thank you,
    Lynn, Rob, and Danielle – fellow cheese slaves!

    • If your kids are allergic to nuts, make sure to investigate vaccines, since many have peanut oil in them, but they don’t have to list it as an ingredient… :(

  106. Hi Ann Marie!

    My name is Carla Hernandez and I am an Integrative Nutritionist. I love reading your material and would love the chance to write a guest post on your blog! The topic would be about weight loss as a symptom rather than the main focus, as it is typically addressed. I would be addressing how to lose weight naturally by focusing on getting the body healthy by finding the root cause of weight issues. My focus is not on counting calories and exercising as a means to lose weight, but rather on finding other concerns that may be present that are preventing one from losing weight (which is why so many people struggle with this).

    You can learn more about my practice by visiting http://www.wiserootsnutrition.com

    Thanks and let me know what you think!

    Carla

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WiseRoots
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/WiseRoots
    Blog: https://wiserootsnutrition.com/category/blog/

  107. I agree with you completly regarding food. Thanks for the great info. Glad I came across your site, and have signed up for your e-mails

  109. Hi Ann Marie,
    I wanted to ask your advice on Group B streptococcus. It’s been routine previous years to simply go in during labor and get antibiotics for the baby to not be affected.. however I think for a baby this is probably really harsh to the newborn intestinal tract, and having recently learned about a healthier lifestyle, I just wonder if there’s really a risk, and if there’s anything else I can do, or maybe something I can take to counteract the antibiotics. I would really appreciate your input or anyone who has dealt with this, thanks!

  110. Hi, have you heard of Progurt? Just wondering your thoughts on the products.
    Thanks Debbie

  111. Fermented dairy from from unpasteurised milk of grass fed animals is one of the most healthy traditional foods for some people, especially for those who have type B blood group or lactase persistence.

  112. Hello, there! I have enjoyed your website for a few years now and want to thank you for putting it out there for so many of us who are on our own quests to raise healthier kids.

    I have been searching for mayonnaise recipes for a couple of years now. I’ve made mayo with just about every oil you can name. While I know that olive oil is the healthiest oil to use for mayo, my family doesn’t like its strong flavor. I have even tried different brands and different regions of olives and it is still too strong. I have found a recipe for grapeseed oil which tastes quite good, but I have been reading that grapeseed oil contains too much omega-6s, so I have been questioning even this.

    Do you have any alternative oils to use for mayonnaise that are both healthy AND mild in flavor? My family thanks you in advance.

    Thank you!
    AnnMarie Deis

  113. Hi there to every single one, it’s truly a good for me to pay a quick visit this site, it contains useful Information.

  114. Hi Ann Marie,
    I live in L.A. (South bay) too. I was wondering where you purchase your organic meats, dairy and fruits and veggies from. I would love to start buying locally more. Thank you,

    Ashley

  115. Hello, I am new to GAPS, and I am so overwhelmed when buying food! Meats, cheese, butter and yogurt are so hard for me to understand, as far as the ingredients go.
    Any samples of ingredients I should be looking for? Or even specific brands of any of these?

    Thanks in advance!

  116. Have been enjoying Cheeseslave. Learning a lot and feeling better – good stuff. I’m following a suggestion from another blog, which came by way of your blog — not sure which one. In any case, the suggestion is to include coconut oil in your coffee (if you won’t give it up) to help with hormone imbalance. I’ve been surprised to recently realize that I quite enjoy coconut oil in my coffee. However, when my coffee gets cold, the coconut oil hardens. I remember reading some time ago (like 5+ years I would guess) that one should avoid coconut oil, because it is bad for the heart. I don’t quite understand why coconut oil is good for me and yet not bad for my heart. Can you explain this for me? I haven’t found a direct answer in my other online research. Thanks in advance!

  117. We share two very important and similiar values: chesse and education. I am a mom, teacher, blogger, tech geek – I think, and would like permission to share your titile and link for your post about, “Why We Don’t Limit Screen Time”. I think it is very important to get two sides to every story…. Thanks

    Jayne Clare
    Teachers With Apps

  118. This is just being particular, but “artisanal” is actually not a proper word. It should just be “artisan” cheeses and milk. It’s a common mistake that’s getting more popular…but it’s incorrect. Love your blog! :)

  119. Hi Ann Marie! I have been an avid reader of your blog for a couple years now. I have learned so much from you and from your readers. Now I have a friend that needs your help. She is suffering from terrible IBS (just recently diagnosed), and her doctors have ruled out any other possible causes. She’s only 32 and generally healthy aside from that. I have been telling her to take probiotics for years now, but any time she tried them she had such a bad detox reaction she stopped. I tried to explain that this meant she needed them very badly but she was not willing to feel sick. Unfortunately she is now very sick and can only eat white rice, saltines and oatmeal without getting sick (diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain and heartburn). I know she should be avoiding gluten so I don’t know why her doctor told her to eat saltines. She’s taking fiber and prebiotics. Can you or your readers offer any advice? Should she see a gastroenterologist? A naturopath? Should she be tested for parasites? They did put her on a strong course of antibiotics when she got an irritated stomach lining/pre ulcer a few weeks ago…Do you know of any doctors or Naturopaths in LA that specialize in IBS or Gut problems? She has been calling me crying and she’s terrified!

  121. Hi Cheese Slave! I LOVED the Healthy Life Summit. Thanks for doing that!

    Question….isit ok to do water kefir made with sugar on full Gaps?

  122. Are you a doctor, or a dietician or nutritionist? OR is your background as a concerned and thoughtful, well-read layperson?

    I don’t discount the latter at all, but it would be nice for you to state this up front.

    • I am a lay person. Just started gaps to heal gut from years of antibiotics treating Lyme. Also nursing 3 month old, who is already having GI issues ( green, mucus stools). I am not doing dairy for this reason and thus thought water kefir would be good, yet I am concerned about all the sugar.

      Thanks.

      • kefir for you or the baby? Raw milk is definitely safe for both of you, IF you are getting it from a clean dairy that takes care of their cows.

  123. Dear Anne Marie,
    I love your site Cheeseslave. I am a cheese slave too. I came across your site because I was looking for organic maseca, but I could not find it, and I read your article, and loved it. I would like to put it on my facebook and twitter, but I have a request from you.
    If you could revise and updated it— if there is any new info, e.g. if Maseca now is true to their advertising. As you know Greenpeace sued them for false advertising, because they said their maseca was all natural when in fact they used GM corn. The other change I would like to see in your page is two words “shit” and “bullshit”. My friends are all Christians and we don’t use any of those words among each other, and I just don’t feel comfortable sending them an article with those words. But your article is very important, I feel they should read it, since all of them eat maseca.
    Thank you so much for your time and dedication.
    Kindly,
    Leticia Navarrete

  124. Hi!
    Just wanted to drop a line and say thanks :) I dig the posts on facebook and the blog articles. I’m a huge real food enthusiast and a practicing health coach. I think there is nothing better in this world than getting back to the basics and eating foods that nourish you and doing things that feed your soul! You can find me here: https://wholelifewellnesscoach.com.

    Thanks again! Have a great day!

  125. Howdy, I live close to where they have the Sunday Farmers Market, N of Iowa Ave on Purdue Ave in Santa Monica. I read that you buy pasteurized eggs from 2 venders at the F.M. in S.M. where you also live. Do you know if they are still venders, and is that the F.M. that you were referring too?
    TIA
    Mike

  126. Ha-ha, I typed that question of July 24th too quickly, and didn’t re-read… I meant to say ‘pastured eggs’, not “pasteurized eggs’. ;^)>
    Anyway, let me know which Farmers Market you were talking about. The one downtown, or the Sunday Farmers Market on Purdue?
    TIA
    Mike

  127. Hello Ann,

    I have lots of hormonal problems and i was happy to read your blog, can we please get in touch? you have my email please email me and we can discuss further
    thanks
    Mona

  128. Hi Ann Marie,
    I’ve been following you for quite some time. I have hypothyroid and have been “treating it naturally” for about a year with the care of a Naturopath. I’ve been taking an iodine supplement, avoiding fluoride and soy as well as eating more whole raw fruits and veggies than ever before! I got a lab back the other day and my TSH is still too high 8.65. I was hoping to get a good Thyroid book recommendation from you so I can learn more, so I know what to do next. Also any web resources you have would be helpful. Thanks so much for your help, thanks for everything you do!
    Mary

    • Cooks illustrated says to wrap cheese first in waxed paper, or was that parchment paper, and then an outer layer of aluminum foil, to make the cheese last the longest in the fridge without going bad. I just buy waxed paper sandwich bags and use those for the inner layer.

      • Thanks, Ali. I had parchment paper so I’m trying that – with tin foil around that and then in the cheese section on the door of my fridge. No plastic any more! I’ve got a lovely piece of gouda and I don’t want any of it to go to waste. So, here’s hoping!

  130. Hi- I was wondering if anyone could advise me on what to do with a bone stock I just made. It simmered for 20 hours, alas, when straining it I found a piece of saran wrap from the packaging that had also simmered in there the entire time. Would you toss the stock or not worry about it? Thanks so much for any responses!!

    • Personally, I wouldn’t worry about the Saran wrap. As long as you got it out, I see no concern. Strain it once more and go. Tom

    • The technical answer is you need to discard it. Heating plastic wrap releases a toxic chemical slurry into whatever food it’s near. This goes completely against what you’re trying to do with bone broth, which is to heal yourself.

      The practical answer, however, is an evaluation of your finances (cost of bones vs. your resources) and level of discomfort at missing a batch from your diet, which only you can evaluate. If you’re poor enough, maybe you have to keep the broth. But no, it’s not going to support your health.

  131. Hello Ann Marie!

    I was wondering if you have ever read healingnaturallybybee.com? It is an amazing wed site about curing candida, hard core diet and supplements. I would LOVE to hear your feedback on it. I plan to follow your recipes one I heal my leaky gut.

  133. I saw your Pinterest page (and am a happy follower!) and was curious as to whether or not it was a business page or a standard, personal page. If it is a business page, what type (professional, online marketplace, local business, other, etc.)? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

  134. Hi Ann Marie

    It is my pleasure to come across your blog as well as your FB page. I am a 36year old Chinese from Malaysia, and i have questions on hormonal imbalance.

    I remember reading one of your blog about 5 steps on how to deal with hormonal imbalance. Whilst your foods suggestion impressed me, however, as an Asian, I do not always take cheese, milk or olive oil.

    We are using peanut oil or corn oil or sunflower oil for cooking, not using palm oil as suggested by yourself because my husband complaints that palm oil gives weird tasting on the foods.

    Anyway, my intention of writing here is to ask your for a more Asian recipes (if you have). I used to have almost flawless skin before i gave birth to my daughter in year 2010. Ever since then, i started with Herbalife diet in hoping to fit into my clothing asap. Herbalife did help me losing my weight back to normal. However, i noticed that my skin started to congest (especially on both side of the cheeks and chin) with closed comedones and regular pimples here and there.

    Regular facials and changing skin care products weren’t helping and recently i went for TCM (the chinese medicine) to confirmed that i have hormonal imbalance. I am now on TCM medicines.

    I would like to know does dieting like taking herbalife (i usually take it in the evening in replacing dinner) makes hormonal imbalance worse? Do you have any suggestions?

    Thank you.

    • Christine,

      The skin gets clogged when the liver is clogged. Beets are a good food to flush your liver. Eat beets regularly. Roast in oven, or boil in soup, or grate them raw in salad. All is good. You can stir fry, but since they’re a root, they take longer. Beets are sweet and delicious.

      In the U.S., there is also a tea called Daily Detox. I don’t know if you can get it, but there are many different roots you can brew to purify your body, if you don’t have our brand. Dandelion root is good, so are burdock root (gobo) and mullein. I think (not sure all those roots are good for the liver. Talk to your TCM practitioner, because you probably have different things growing in your part of the world that would support your liver just as well as what we have here.

      Herbalife shakes have a lot of crap ingredients in them – they might be keeping you in pimples. Also, you take milk daily if you are drinking their shakes.

      • Hi Ali,

        Thanks for your suggestion. The beets you mentioned was beetroot, right?
        Yes, we can find beetroot here..usually blend it and drink it with sourplum, tastes good.

        I just started a detox, not from the tea but from another company.

        Yes, i take milk with herbalife or else the taste is too bland and not filling, is that alright? i read somewhere that milk gives acne, not sure how true.

        Anyway, i will give beetroot a try and to take more vegetables.

        Thanks Ali!

      • Hi Christine,

        What are the ingredients of your detox?

        Oops, I meant to say milk thistle for liver, not mullein. I had a friend with dried milk thistle that she mixed with salt in her salt shaker.

        Yes, in some parts of the world it’s called beetroot. Where I live, it’s just beet.

        Christine, I can’t answer with certainty on milk for you. It depends on the quality of milk, and also, I’ve read that Asians didn’t evolve with much dairy food, so your system might not need nor be able to handle milk. I don’t know the right answer for you. You should see how it goes and if it makes you feel healthy. Everyone is different.

        Lard and coconut oil are excellent fats – lard is a good source of Vitamin D. I don’t know if Malaysia has access to Vitamin D from the sun year round, but more than half of the United States can’t get Vitamin D from the sun from October through March. Olive oil (if it’s real olive oil, and many are not) is better raw, on salads. But we have to work with what’s available to us too, and I don’t know what is more available in Malaysia. If you have to choose only from the oils you already mentioned, throw away corn oil and never use it again – many people are sensitive to corn and most of it is also GMO these days. So use sunflower for #1, and peanut oil as a backup.

        I’m guessing you have access to whole animals? You can make bone broths, which are easy to make. They only take the carcass (bones) of an animal, hot water, and vinegar for a few hours on simmer. You can use other ingredients but I keep it simple and just add veggies later. According to Dr Campbell-Bride, homemade bone broths (use broth to make veggie or meat soups) are healing. there are many substances within the bone that support the body. And broths with salt and spices are delicious. Bone broth will naturally get you some of the fat you need too, so your soup will be richer.

        I suggest finishing the Herbalife you already bought and then don’t buy anymore. With lots of non-natural ingredients, the shakes might get in the way of your healing.

    • Hello Christine,
      I would like to make a few comments on your choice of oils. Peanut oil has a problem with molds and it is very difficult to locate a ‘good’ organic source without this problem. Corn oil is mostly gmo and dangerous to consume; the jury is always out on anything that is gmo (frankinfoods). I don’t know very much about sunflower oil, but don’t use it. The safest oil to use is virgin coconut oil and even then you have to be careful; it should be organic; my wife and I use Trader Joe’s and Costco organic VCO, but we have found the best source to be Tropical Traditions, ordered off the web. Olive oil is good if you can find a local trusted organic source; there has been recent disclosures that the “so-called” olive oils from other countries is diluted with soy oil and that is really poor oil.
      jacksson

  135. Do you, you know, actually have any credentials? Or do you just spout off whatever you want to be true as if it were fact?

  137. “I could live on freshly baked sourdough bread and cheese. With lots of butter.”
    I couldn’t have said it better!! And ice cream for dessert…vanilla sitting in a pool of espresso.

  138. Hi
    I agree with you on full at real foods. I am frrom Wisconsin, and have spent time in Holland, and also love real cheese. Is there a way to get raw grassfed cheese from Holland here in the states?
    Thanks,
    Sheri

  140. Hi I am blown away by all this information for
    I have been battling with a bloated stomach for over two years doctors and test and nothing I am 45 now and I was slim even after children a picture of health as people would always comment how healthy I would look… I have tried ditching wheat dairy meat sugar the whole lot yes and I lost weight but my stomach would grow during the day and I swear I look seven months pregnant by the end of the day… There would be occasional days that I wouldn’t bloat and I can assure it couldn’t be food cause on those days I would have wheat…so that theory is out the window …. I have been through domestic violence and even when I left my marriage I had a lot of stress but I always excercise every day and I was always active but this last year has to be the worst year if I excercise now for even 20 min the next day my body feels as if I have done a 10 km run I am exhausted … The reading I have been doing from your site and other sites about cortisol makes me wonder if it correlates to my stomach bloating up and feeling hard like a pregnant stomach….

  142. Hello,

    I’d like to inquire if it’s possible to purchase advertising space on cheeseslave.com.
    If there is any space available please let me know and we could discuss further details.
    Looking forward to your positive reply.

    Thanks,

    Adonis

  143. hello. i want to know more about how to deal with magnesium deficiency? bc i have a lot of the symptoms. i want to know what other foods or vitamins i can take? thank you

  144. Good day to you!

    My name is Giselle, and I’ve been following your website for quite some time now. I love your post about kefir, as I’m a big fan of the stuff. Currently, I’m working on a blog called Your Kefir Source, which serves as a guide on all things related to kefir. I think I have something that will be a good fit for your site, as well as useful to your readers, and for that, I’d like to reach out:

    https://www.yourkefirsource.com/kefir-recipes/

    It’s all about how you can prepare and enjoy kefir at home. Hope you enjoy trying out these recipes as much as I did. Feel free to share them, as well, if you like. What do you think? :)

    Giselle

  145. I am unable to access my “Real food for busy people” which I should have lifelong membership to. We all paid $100.00 for this. Please respond! I have tried all avenues of contact – this is the last one I could fine.

  146. I cannot access my healthy whole grains class which I, also, paid a lot of money for and was assured that I could access for life. Please don’t ask me for my receipt as I am sure I no longer have it. I do however have all of my saved information from you, i.e. my user name and password etc.

    Roberta

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  14. […] journey – which I will soon get back to telling you about – so many of the things Ann Marie writes about I’d never heard of a year ago never mind participated in. Now my kitchen is bubbling […]

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