Camembert, Gorgonzola and blue cheese are named on the 2020 GAPS book’s recommended-food list. Their listing answers one question: they are listed natural cheeses. The separate question is whether cheese fits the dairy forms you have already introduced and tolerated.[1]
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride introduces natural cheese after earlier dairy forms and asks for one cheese at a time, beginning with no more than one mouthful. This guide brings the named cheeses, sourcing questions and introduction details together.[2]
The Named Cheeses on the List
| Food Name | What the List Establishes |
|---|---|
| Camembert Cheese | A named entry in the recommended foods. |
| Gorgonzola Cheese | A separately named entry in the recommended foods. |
| Blue Cheese | Also listed under that broader food name. |
The book does not use those entries to rank which cheese is easiest to tolerate. It also does not say that tolerating one product establishes tolerance of every cheese with a similar name. Keep the actual product clear when introducing it.[1][2]
Where Natural Cheese Fits
The separate Dairy Introduction Structure is for people who started directly on Full GAPS or who could not introduce dairy during Intro because of sensitivity. It starts with a dairy-free period, then introduces ghee, butter, yogurt-culture dairy, kefir-culture dairy and homemade cottage cheese before natural traditionally made cheeses at Step 7.[2]
Our dairy introduction guide gives the complete seven-step checklist, including the different starting amounts and observation periods. It also explains how this route differs from dairy introduced during the six-stage Intro Diet. Someone who already introduced and tolerates suitable dairy during Intro does not need to restart the separate structure.
Campbell-McBride describes cheese as a concentrated source of milk protein and a food whose yeasts and molds can be difficult for some people to tolerate. She notes that some people can have homemade yogurt but never tolerate cheese. Its place on a food list does not require everyone to reach that step.[2]
Introducing One Cheese at a Time
Once the earlier dairy forms are introduced well, the book says natural organic cheese can be tried individually, starting with a very small amount, no more than one mouthful, and watching the person’s response. It names cheddar and Parmesan as examples, but does not require cheddar as a universal first cheese before Camembert or Gorgonzola.[2]
Record the cheese, product and serving amount so you know what changed. Adding several new cheeses together makes that observation harder. A cheese that caused a reaction is not replaced by an assumed easier cheese simply because both names appear on the allowed list.
The book’s severe-dairy-allergy exception remains important: some people cannot tolerate even ghee, and it excludes butter and ghee in anaphylactic-type allergy. A known dangerous milk allergy is not an ordinary home cheese-introduction situation.[2]
Natural Cheese or a Processed Spread?
The recommended list names the cheeses themselves. The avoid list separately names processed cheeses and cheese spreads. A dressing or spread described as Camembert-flavored or Gorgonzola-flavored is therefore a different product that needs its own ingredient check.[1][3]
Read beyond the flavor name. The relevant questions are what the product is, how it was made and what has been added. “Natural” on the front of a package does not answer every ingredient question for you.
Raw Milk and Purchased Cheese
The dairy chapter prefers raw organic milk from native breeds raised on organic pasture for homemade dairy. The summary’s later cheese step, however, names commercially available natural, traditionally made cheese. The Camembert entry itself does not add a separate raw-milk-only condition.[1][2][4]
Those instructions should stay distinct. A supermarket purchase alone does not settle whether a cheese is traditionally made, and an artisanal label alone does not establish individual tolerance. Our milk and dairy guide explains the wider sourcing preferences and fermentation rules.
In our family, yogurt, kefir, ghee and sour cream are usually made in weekly batches. That is our homemade-dairy routine. Keeping the preparation method and the introduction amount separate makes this guidance easier to use.
Camembert’s Rind and Blue-Cheese Names
The book lists Camembert but does not give its rind a separate introduction stage or a special tolerance ranking. Treat the actual cheese as the food being introduced rather than using the rind as an early-stage exception.[1][2]
Blue cheese and Gorgonzola are separately named entries. That is a food-list distinction, not a clinical ranking. The same one-cheese-at-a-time guidance still applies.[1][2]
Frequently Asked Questions
Must Cheddar Come First?
The 2020 book uses cheddar and Parmesan as examples. It does not give a compulsory cheddar-before-Camembert or cheddar-before-Gorgonzola order.[2]
Does Gorgonzola Have to Be Homemade?
No. The structure distinguishes homemade cottage cheese at Step 6 from commercially available natural, traditionally made cheese at Step 7. Making blue cheese at home is a separate craft, not a requirement in this sequence.[2]
What If Yogurt Is Fine but Cheese Is Not?
The book describes that situation directly. Continue with the forms that fit the person’s tolerance rather than treating cheese as a compulsory final achievement.[2]
Your Next Step
Check where you are in the dairy introduction guide before choosing a new cheese. For the wider food list, use our GAPS food guide. The Dairy Introduction course is listed in the WFLI Shop.
References
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), Recommended Foods, entries for Blue Cheese, Camembert Cheese and Gorgonzola Cheese.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Dairy Introduction Structure” and its summary, intended groups, earlier dairy forms, cheese, amounts and allergy exceptions.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), Foods to Avoid, processed cheeses and cheese spreads.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Milk and Dairy Products,” milk sourcing and home fermentation.
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