Reading The Ingredients Just Might Change Your Life

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Improved digestion. Clearer skin. Brain fog clearing up. These are some of the benefits of paying attention to the quality of ingredients that go into (and on) the body! Gubba Homestead, a leading figure in the homesteading and natural skincare community, experienced all of the above and then some. Her family’s health improved, too, as they began avoiding toxic chemicals and returning to more natural foods and products.

Gubba tells her story today and also what led to her recent de-platforming on TikTok. (She was talking about the dangers of ingredients in sunscreen when her account was taken down.) She explains where her passion originated and why she won’t give up helping people uncover what’s in their food and skin care products. Finally, she also gets into what led her into homesteading and why she believes we can all become homesteaders in our own right (even if we live in the city)!

Visit Gubba’s website: gubbahomestead.com

Register for the Wise Traditions conference at wisetraditions.org

Find your local chapter leader at westonaprice.org

Check out our sponsors: Green Pasture and Fat of the Land

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Listen to the podcast here

 

Episode Transcript

Within the below transcript the bolded text is Hilda Labrada Gore and the regular text is Gubba Homestead.

Improved digestion, clearer skin, and brain fog eliminated. These are some of the benefits that our guest in this episode has enjoyed since she switched to real nourishing foods and started paying attention to the quality of ingredients that go in and on her body. This is episode 495, and our guest is Gubba Homestead. Gubba is a leading figure in the homesteading and natural skincare community.

She discusses the changes she has made over time and what she has noticed as a result. Why is she passionate about our need to pay attention to what we put into our bodies and on them? She also discusses what led to a recent deep platforming on TikTok and how an investigative piece of journalism by the Wall Street Journal did not cite any of the studies that she was quoting, caused her to be de-platformed. She was talking about the dangers of sunscreen.

Finally, she reveals what led her to this homesteading journey and why she believes we can all become homesteaders in our own right, even if we live in a city. Before we get into the conversation, I want to invite you to the Wise Traditions Conference. This October, from the 25th to the 27th, we will be in Orlando, Florida.

We have a stellar lineup of speakers at the ready, from Dr. Stephen Hussey to Manel Ballester, Sophia Eng, and long-time favorites like Dr. Tom Cowan and Dr. Natasha Kimmel-McBride. Together, we’ll enjoy nutritious food and benefit from the wisdom shared on the stage and from the friends that we make. Visit Wise Traditions to learn more and get your tickets. I hope to see you there.

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Visit Gubba’s website: http://www.GubbaHomestead.com

Register for the Wise Traditions conference: https://www.WiseTraditions.org

Find your local chapter leader: https://www.WestonAPrice.org/find-nutrient-dense-foods

Check out our sponsors: Green Pasture – https://www.greenpasture.org

Fat of the Land – https://FatOfTheLand.myshopify.com

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Welcome to the show, Gubba.

Thank you so much for having me.

Sunscreen

Look, we’ve all witnessed censorship over the past few years, accounts taken down from different social media platforms or shadow banned, but usually, it had to do with shots or COVID-related materials that were outside of the mainstream narrative. I understand that you were deplatformed with a post that had to do with Sunshine. Tell me what happened. What social media platform it was? Why you were taken down?

This all started when I began researching about sunscreen. I didn’t realize it was such a hot topic because when you look at the research and you find these common ingredients are causing serious adverse health effects, I took to my platform because that’s what I talk about. I talk about health and homesteading and I brought up sunscreen and I did not realize how hot of water that was. It really became a David and Goliath situation. I was quickly de-platformed on TikTok. I had around 100 or 300,000 followers on there and they just took me off.

Over on Instagram, I started talking about sunscreen and I said, “Are you guys seeing what you are putting on your skin? Look at these ingredients, you guys. These are affecting your hormones, avobenzone, which is a common ingredient in a lot of sunscreens, is causing abnormal placentation and early pregnancy. What is going on?” What happened over on Instagram is they started to fact-check me. My advice to anybody listening to this is whenever there’s a fact check, that means there’s some truth around there.

That’s honestly my opinion. When I say something is fact-checked, I know that person’s probably talking about something that the system doesn’t want people to know. I started to be fact-checked on there when I was talking about sunscreen and my posts were being labeled as misinformation and dangerous. What ended up happening is the Wall Street Journal reached out to me and said, “We want your comments on sunscreen. We see your posting about it.” I sent them this whole entire write-up with all of the research talking about sunscreen and its health effects.

I quoted 15 different research papers and I was coming up with stats. When that article came out, they didn’t include anything. I didn’t expect them to, like, let’s be real, I didn’t expect them to include any of that. They did not include any of what I said. All they included were opinions from dermatologists and experts for actual research. That’s when I came over again to my platform and said, “Let’s talk about the research. Let’s talk about the statistics.” Then I kept getting hit and shadow banned and my posts were flagged. It’s so crazy. It’s really a David and Goliath situation because I’m David. I’m just this little small homesteader.

Who’s Goliath? In other words, if the Wall Street Journal was interested in objective reporting, why wouldn’t they have scooped up those studies and said this little homesteader is pointing to these 5, even if it was just 5? I know it was more than that, but these five studies. Why didn’t they say that, do you think?

I think it comes down to who is in cahoots with who and who’s being funded by who. Big Pharma is a trillion-billion dollar industry and sunscreen is a huge, huge moneymaker in many different aspects, from selling the sunscreen, making people think they’re going to get skin cancer if they don’t wear it, and then the adverse health effects that come from wearing sunscreen, they make money. My thought is this Goliath is this huge system and they all work together.

For example, in one of the misinformation flags that I got when they fact-checked me, I went and looked at that fact-check and I was like, “What kind of science are they using? What kind of research?” The researchers that they were using had a disclaimer that they were in cahoots with Johnson & Johnson. They had worked with them previously and things start to add up and you’re like, “They really are all in this together.” That’s the Goliath. I feel like how do you go up against a system like that?

It’s interesting that you mentioned Johnson & Johnson because I had never put together the fact that the companies producing the sunscreen might have some associations with the pharmaceutical companies. Johnson and Johnson, didn’t they make a COVID shot?

They did.

Even if they’re not directly aligned, they stand to benefit when people are sick, when their hormones are disrupted, and when they’re having troubles with fertility. They’re going to turn to pharmaceuticals, what they hope are remedies. It’s a moneymaker for them. If people realized all of these creams aren’t doing us any good, they’re not preventing skin cancer. As a matter of fact, they’re enhancing different health issues. If the truth got out about that, they would be jeopardizing their livelihood, these companies would be.

What you brought up is the fertility. Fertility is such a huge issue going on right now. There are so many women in my personal circle who are struggling with fertility. All I can think about is what I’m reading in the research of the sunscreen health care products and our food. As you said, if that truth got out, then it jeopardizes them and people are going to be angry, but people have outsourced almost their thinking and their trust to these big corporations. It’s difficult to break that barrier to people like, “They’re lying. They’re lying to you and you are being harmed.”

I’m only laughing because you’re right. People aren’t always ready to hear that truth. When you come online, I feel like you’re bringing a spirit of gentle reminders. I am wondering, speaking of gentle, if you have such a sweet spirit about you. How did this small little homesteader become this David fighting this Goliath? Why were you interested in the sunscreen topic in the first place?

I was interested in sunscreen. It all boils down to ingredients for food and boils down to ingredients. I started reading my food labels and I was like, “What am I eating?” When it came to skincare, I started reading the ingredients and said, “What am I putting on my skin?” Then sunscreen, which is such a hot topic. A few summers ago, I stopped eating seed oils and I noticed I didn’t sunburn. That was the first summer I hadn’t sunburned. I was like, “This is pretty interesting.”

I took that interest and started just looking at the ingredients in sunscreen. It was mind-boggling to me. I just couldn’t believe that people were putting this stuff on their skin, your largest detox organ, and having these chemicals absorb. That’s why when I find these things, I gently remind people or gently share with people, “Do what’s going on?” It’s coming from a loving place because it was so shocking for me. When you find that truth, you want to share and help people. That’s what I want to do. I want to help people.

Big Food And Big Pharma

Tell me how you went from wanting to help people to having this whole big homestead and realizing that food is your medicine. Earlier, just to back up for a second, Gubba, you said something like, “I had a feeling the system wouldn’t like this, what I was bringing.” How did you kind of have that healthy skepticism of big food and big pharma?

When you see the bigger picture of how they are, like we discussed, harming people, when our food has all these chemically toxic ingredients, and then people get sick, they go to the doctor, and they get prescribed something from the doctor that then puts money into big pharma’s pockets. I understood that. When I was looking into sunscreen, I kind of had a hint, a vibe, that when I was going to start talking about this, this big industry, that it might be hitting this big system in a sensitive spot and it definitely did. Immediately being deplatformed, being labeled for misinformation.

 

I mean, being labeled as dangerous? How is that dangerous when the research is showing that it could potentially cause pregnancy defects? That is where when you see the big picture, things start to add up more easily. How I went from this little homestead is I was just sharing my day-to-day. I became fixated, or not fixated, more interested in how I was nourishing my body. That’s where the Weston A. Price Foundation came into play because I was a vegetarian for ten years.

I was listening to one of your podcasts, actually, and it was with a dentist and he was talking about fluoride, but he made a comment about how he could always tell someone is vegan when they came in because their gums would bleed. I was like, “My gums bleed, but I take immaculate care of my teeth.” I started researching more and more, and this was a few years ago, and I started eating meat.

That was all in the homestead. I started to see the connection with our food. I have cows in my field, and I was like, “These cows are loved and they’re eating grass and it’s regenerative, and all the animals in the field with them.” I started to share that. I started to look at the ingredients, and then I started to look at the research and then sharing that with people. That’s how I’ve grown my platform to say, “Look at what is going on. We are being poisoned.”

Eating Meat

It all started to add up for you. You mentioned avoiding seed oils and noticing that you didn’t burn. Was there any other dietary shift? What did you notice, for example, Gibba, when you started eating meat?

I suffered from brain fog a lot when I was a vegetarian. I have not had brain fog again since eating meat. I feel like my skin, my hair, and my just overall health and my family has noticed that. Before, when I was vegetarian, I looked weak and they are so happy that I eat meat now because they’re like, “Your color has returned. You look better.” I noticed the brain fog right away. I noticed my fatigue was gone. Digestion issues. I had such bad digestion issues when I was a vegetarian.

That first bite of the burger that I had, that’s how I broke my vegetarianism. My body just knew that’s what I needed and it tasted so good. That started into then the no-seed oils that summer. I was like, “I don’t sunburn.” There has to be something here, some sort of truth and then started walking around barefoot. I’d never slept so good as when I walked around barefoot. It’s all just piling on. I love sharing this because even my family is like, “Wait, walking around barefoot, that helps you sleep better? Meat is helping you feel this good? No seed oils and you’re not sunburning? What is going on?”

Homesteading

You could have done all those things, Gubba, without having a homestead. From what I see on Instagram, it looks like you’ve got a goat, maybe, or cows. Tell us what you’ve got on the homestead and how you decided to get into it.

I have goats for my own source of raw milk, which is another sticky, very sticky topic online. That’s another one that they will shut you down for. You don’t have to come free, but I have goats for raw milk and it is so delicious. I have chickens for fresh chicken eggs every day. I do allow farmers to use my property for grazing for cows. I love to do that, have the cows around. Being able to be out here. When I see this living in the city, I feel like you are disconnected from your food. You go to the grocery store. You don’t know who raised that meat.

You don’t know who grew your produce. You don’t know who’s processing your food. There’s a large disconnect. It took me moving out here to see the cows in the field, to have that connection to my food, to really start to dive into this way of life. I look at it as reconnecting to my roots of how my great-grandparents homesteaded. I did start in little ways when I lived in the city. I found a little farm store where they had farm fresh eggs and jams. That was a great little break away from the whole disconnected way of living that I had been engaging myself in.

When you live in the city, you become disconnected from your food. You do not know who raised your meat, grew your produce, or processed your food.

Here at the Weston A. Price Foundation, we recommend that people know their farmers. We have a whole list of chapters of the Weston A Price Foundation around the world where people can reach out to the chapter leader and say, “What farms are in the area? What farms deliver in the area? That people can get started on this real food journey and your point is so valid, Gubba, that even in the city, we can get closer to our food source.

You absolutely can. Those chapters are so valuable because when I was starting out in the city, I found my local Weston A. Price chapter, and it was helpful. Helped me connect with others who were like-minded, who had this regenerative way of thinking and you can find community through that and community is so important. I feel like when you are starting on this journey, finding other people who are wanting to reconnect because it can be daunting and I feel like that is a large response I receive online. How do I do this? You guys give such a great way to do that with those local chapters.

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Skincare Line

I know that you have a skincare line. What prompted you to get into that? I know you abandoned seed oils, but what made you think, “Maybe I should do something to kind of keep nurturing myself, not only from the inside out but from the outside in?”

This was actually prompted by my dad, a close family member, and he was struggling with severe eczema. It was his hands, his arms, face, neck. What he did first was go to the dermatologist. What do they do? They prescribe topical steroids. I said, “Send me what they gave you.” I started researching those topical steroids. What are the side effects? You’re not told that when you go in.

When I started to see how from topical steroids, you can suffer from serious withdrawals because your skin becomes so used to that steroid once it doesn’t have it anymore, then you have inflammation that comes up, your skin is thinned and it can become something even worse than what the topical steroid was treating. I said, “No. We’re not going to do this.” He was already self-conscious about going out in public. I said, “No, we’re not even going to risk this.” I started looking into more holistic skincare.

I stumbled upon tallow and started researching it. I live out here on the homestead. I have an abundant supply of beef fat, but when it comes to beef fat in tallow, it is important to know and be aware of what the cows are eating. You do not want grain-fed feedlot tallows because they are going to have a higher omega-6 content, which can lead to inflammation and can disrupt your lipid bilayer, but when you find that grass-fed tallow and I said, “Let’s just try this.” I started making tallow for my dad. Within two weeks, his eczema cleared up. See, he is self-conscious.

He was self-conscious, but that self-consciousness went away.

His self-consciousness went away and he had confidence again. It was mind-blowing. That spurred me to, again, start looking at the ingredients in skincare. I used to have a big, long, complex skincare routine. Everything they tell you, the dermatologist recommended products. I started looking at those ingredients, too and comparing them against tallow. I was like, “What are we doing? These are affecting my hormones. These are affecting my lipid bilayer. These are deteriorating my skin.” Ever since just using tallow daily, my skin has become more full, it’s not dull. It’s just amazing to be able to take this to the world. That’s another thing that I’m sharing with people like sunscreen, “Do you know what’s in these products? Do what you are putting on your skin?”

I think what you’re doing, maybe unintentionally, Gubba, too, is you’re helping people realize that they can take their health into their own hands. They can start looking at the labels themselves. After all, that’s what you did, right?

Yes, and I genuinely encourage that almost daily on my posts is read the ingredients. It’s that simple because you’re going to read the ingredients and see red-free and you’re going to be like, “Why would I have that in my drink? Why do I have parabens in my skincare when they have been advocated against in hair care? They took them out of hair products, but they’re still in the skincare products? What’s going on here?”

It just takes reading and then asking those questions. I understand there’s still that barrier where people have so much trust in these brands that are at the store. They think that just because it’s on the shelf, it’s okay. It’s been approved by the FDA. It’s totally good for me. That’s not true. It’s kind of more trying to break that barrier and help people get over that hump of, “They don’t have your best interest in mind. You need to have your best interest in mind. “

Now is the time to break the barrier and get over the lie that big pharma has your best interest in mind. You need to have your best interest in mind.

Aren’t there also, I guess they call them proprietary secrets, where the skincare companies don’t have to divulge everything that they’re using because they don’t want people to replicate their products. Sensibly, that’s the reason. You might not even see on the label some of the ingredients that are in there. Is that true?

Yes, that is true. Another thing that’s concerning is in these ingredients that are going into skincare or even our food. Some of them are so highly processed that they can be contaminated with known carcinogens. They’re like, “The amount is unknown. It’s a possibility, but it’s okay. Put it on your skin.” I think that’s crazy. We don’t want to be using these highly processed products, but we’ve become so conditioned to them.

What’s worse is that we have this medical system, these professionals who have gone to schools. A lot of people look at them as “They know better than me. They know so much more.” Those doctors, some of them, these professionals, are receiving PR packages from these big brands. Do they really have your best interest in mind when they are in cahoots with these brands? Are they really looking at the research behind the ingredients of these brands? Are they taking into account the kickbacks that they’re getting? It’s a really slippery slope.

That’s a really, really good question. We always encourage people to, yes, read labels but also follow the money trail. Who’s got your health in mind? When we are well, then nobody makes any money. The healthcare slash care system isn’t making any money. The pharmaceutical companies aren’t making any money. When we learn to make our own food, the restaurants aren’t making any money.

Credibility

I’m not saying you shouldn’t go to the restaurant now and then, and perhaps you might need some temporary fix with a pharmaceutical. Generally speaking, we really want people to realize that they can break free of the system. Gubba, I have to say, some of the things that you’re saying sound oddly like those who are so strong against the system that they call themselves conspiracy theorists. What’s interesting is I’ve seen you almost egg people on, “Call me a conspiracy theorist.” Don’t you think that by inviting that label, might damage your credibility?

I don’t think so. I am more embracing the label of conspiracy theorists because there are people out there like us who are seeking truth and they don’t have a platform. People think that they’re crazy, calling them a conspiracy theorist. I’m there for that person and I’m saying, “I’m out here. I have the platform. I’m a conspiracy theorist and I’m thinking just like you.” I am encouraging it. I am embracing it because I think it’s more instead of a conspiracy theorist, it’s a conspiracy realist. I’m just looking at the reality of the situation and I’m sharing it with the world.

Now, what if there’s someone who is super skeptical and thinking, “I bet Gubba, if I’m going to follow the money trail, Gubba just wants to sell her skincare line. she wants to have a Gubba clothing line.” What would you say to the person who thinks you’re rallying against the man, but you’re the man?

I’ve seen that in some of the comments online like, “She’s probably bought out by Big Pharma herself or Big Food.” I think somebody was saying Big Food bought me out and I’m the opposing side, but I would say absolutely not. If I was bought out, I wouldn’t be silenced. They wouldn’t be deplatforming me. They would keep me up there. You see these people who are more controlled opposition-type people. They have their platforms. I am having my voice minimized, being shadow-banned, posts taken down, and threats coming in. That’s what I would say. I think there’s more truth when people are being labeled as misinformation or they’re being fact-checked. There’s something there.

 

We can relate at the Weston A Price Foundation, our Instagram feed, unless you go look for us. Our posts do not show up. The same is true of you, I think, because I’m following you and I don’t see your posts at all, hardly ever.

Yep. That has been reported to me. I saw that with you guys on Instagram as well, that they were shutting you down and they totally do do that. It’s just like, I’m just going to keep voicing, whether it’s on my website Gubba Homestead, or other social media. I just have to keep going on. As I said, I think because they are silencing you, you have some truth. There’s definitely some truth in your posts and they don’t want people to know that because it hits them in the pocketbooks.

This is the beautiful thing. I’m convinced and tell me if you feel this way too. The truth and the light cannot be hidden. You can try, but eventually, it comes out. You could even think of people who’ve been put into prison. My father’s from Cuba, so anyone who says anything against the government ends up in prison. Those political prisoners you cannot hide their light and people know what’s really going on. You cannot pretend it away or scurry it away, even if you try. I’m kind of encouraged by this kind of what Sally calls the uprising of the crowd. The reason you have so many followers, the reason the foundation has so many members, and so forth. The reason we’re all going strong is because you cannot keep a good man down.

I completely agree. I really think that Ruth is in the pudding. People, when I’m talking about raw milk or tallow or my diet, I feel like I look healthy. My hair is healthy, my nails are healthy, and my skin is healthy. There’s truth in that. When I was looking at the Weston A. Price Foundation and I started following your principles, I felt good. I knew there was truth in that. listening to these other stories. Like you’re saying, yes, the truth really cannot be hidden.

I don’t think you have a family yet, do you?

I do not.

Testimonials

Have you gotten any testimonials from families who’ve been following your journey and are trying to do the same thing? They’re homesteading with you and they’re like, “I feel so much better.”

Yes, I do. I get messages like that daily and it makes my heart feel so full. I cannot even explain the feeling because when people reach out and they say, “I started reading the ingredient labels and it’s taken me a while, but I’m making my own bread and I’m learning how to make things from scratch. I found a place where I can find local produce.” That is so cool because it’s much bigger than that, just this family. They’re then growing roots in their community, and communities are so powerful.

I look at each one of those messages I get that it’s this little change going on in these pockets of communities around the world. I love that, I love that. It’s really a big kick to the system because now people are starting to disconnect. They’re starting to say, “I don’t need your processed food. Like I can do this by myself in my kitchen.” I love that. I admire that. I cherish that.

 

I just want to encourage you, Gubba. I know you’re affecting thousands and millions of people and we all are too. Even if tomorrow, all of the platforms took all of our stuff down, again, the truth and the light cannot be hidden. We’re going to still have an impact on our immediate vicinity and then our larger community and then our broader state and so forth.

I’m actually telling you this, but also the listener, like it’s so encouraging that we are going to have a ripple effect, whether or not there are social media platforms, whether or not there’s a podcast, like it’s really encouraging because when you hit upon that truth like it’s undeniable. I also just want to point out that N equals one. You can read all the studies you want, but until you experience it for yourself, you kind of might not even know for sure what’s right. When you feel that difference of having meat in the diet or getting that sun on your skin, then there’s no going back, right?

Yeah, there is no going back. What I love so much is just your little community around you, like you said, without social media, you can make such a huge impact. I was thinking about my parents, who never garden. We grew up in the city, but now my dad has this huge garden in his little suburban backyard. He grew these amazing garlic bulbs this year. He is out doing me in the garden and it’s only his, I think, second year of gardening, but just because I was interested in it and I started to talk to my parents about food, he started to build the garden boxes. He started to research soil, and he’s now just this garden connoisseur and it is so cool to see that. People are inspired by him and it just grows and grows.

Health Tip

That’s so beautiful. I love it. Now, Gubba, I want to pose to you the question we pose at the end here. If the listener could only do one thing to improve their health, a lot of folks listening are like, “I’m on the struggle bus. I just cannot get better or something’s wrong.” If they could just do one thing to improve their health, what would you recommend that they do?

I would recommend, and this is what I recommend to everyone, to start homesteading. What I mean by that is start in your kitchen and start cooking from scratch. Even if it’s just a loaf of bread or a batch of cookies or something simple like that, just start there because you’re going to taste the difference. You’re going to feel the difference and then you’re going to start asking questions like, “Why did this bread taste so good? Why do these eggs that I sourced from the local farm taste so good?” You’re going to start seeing these changes in your life all because you started homesteading in your kitchen.

Beautiful words to end on Gubba. Thank you so much for your time on behalf of the Weston A. Price Foundation. We are grateful.

Thank you so much. It was an honor.

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Our guest was Gubba Homestead. You can visit her website, GubbaHomestead.com to learn more. Remember that we actually have a Wise Traditions app if you don’t want any third party involved in your receiving this content. Share your favorite interviews with friends. This helps us get the word out in a more personal way. Thank you so much for reading, my friend. Stay well and remember to keep your feet on the ground and your face to the sun.

 

About Gubba Homestead

Gubba Homestead, a leading figure in the homesteading and natural skincare community, has captivated over 4 million followers across various social media platforms with her unique perspective on traditional living and self-sufficiency. Through her platform, Gubba promotes a lifestyle deeply rooted in sustainable practices, advocating for a return to nature and less dependence on the conventional system. Her content blends practical homesteading advice with insights into holistic skincare routines, resonating with a diverse audience seeking to embrace simplicity and mindfulness in their daily lives.

With features in prominent media outlets such as Fox News, Wall Street Journal, and People Magazine, Gubba has sparked conversations and challenged societal norms with her controversial viewpoints. Her fearless approach to questioning mainstream ideologies has earned her both admiration and criticism, yet her unwavering commitment to authenticity continues to inspire millions worldwide to embrace a more harmonious relationship with the natural world and themselves. Gubba Homestead stands as a beacon of empowerment, encouraging others to forge their paths towards sustainable living and self-discovery.

 

Important Links

• Gubba Homestead
• Wise Traditions Conference
• Green Pasture
• Fat of The Land
• Wise Traditions app

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