What If The Secret to Feeling Amazing… Is Living Like Your Great-Great-Great Grandparents?

Let’s face it—modern life is wild. We’ve got apps that count our steps, gadgets that track our sleep, and entire supermarket aisles dedicated to “low-fat, low-carb, sugar-free” foods that somehow still taste like cardboard.

But guess what? Your ancestors were thriving long before any of this tech—or “diet” culture—existed. They didn’t need wellness routines or health podcasts to survive and glow from the inside out. Their lifestyle did the work for them. No calorie counting. No supplements. Just real food, daily movement, fresh air, and deep sleep.

So… what happened?

From Campfires to Convenience Stores: How Health Took a Nosedive

Once upon a time, humans hunted, gathered, and got their nourishment from nature. That meant organ meats, animal fat, seasonal veggies, fruits, and maybe a wild root or two. Then agriculture came along (around 12,000 years ago), which wasn’t all bad. But things really started to go sideways with industrialization. Enter: seed oils, processed sugar, fortified cereals (aka empty calories in disguise), and packaged food with ingredient lists that read like science experiments. The result? A world full of people with sluggish metabolisms, hormone issues, bloating, brain fog—and let’s not forget, an ever-growing list of chronic diseases. Turns out, your body still wants what it was designed for: nutrient-dense, whole foods and a rhythm synced to nature.

Are We Eating the Wrong Parts of the Animal?

Back in the day, people honored the whole animal. Nothing went to waste. Liver, kidneys, bone marrow, skin, heart—all packed with vitamins, minerals, collagen, and the kind of nourishment your cells actually crave. Fast-forward to today, and it’s all about boneless, skinless chicken breast and “lean” cuts. We ditched the most nutrient-rich parts and replaced them with sterile, flavorless chunks—and then wonder why we’re constantly hungry or dealing with mystery fatigue. Bone broth? Grandma’s secret weapon for gut health, joint resilience, and glowing skin. Saturated fat? Used to be a kitchen staple before it was demonized in the 20th century thanks to the (now widely disputed) Diet-Heart Hypothesis. Meanwhile, we’ve been slathering everything in seed oils, and guess what? Chronic inflammation and metabolic issues are on the rise.

Let’s bring back the good stuff—the fatty bits, the organ meats, the slow-cooked bones. Your mitochondria will thank you.

Carbs Weren’t the Enemy—They Were Seasonal

Ancestral eating wasn’t anti-carb. It was anti-processed junk. Carbs came from real foods like sweet potatoes, fermented grains, and fruit—especially when it was in season. People preserved what they could (think jams, dried fruits, and fermented veggies), but they didn’t have constant access to ultra-refined flour and sugar 24/7. And when they did eat grains? They soaked or fermented them to make them easier to digest and more nutritious. None of that “instant white bread with 20 ingredients” business. Even dessert was made differently: think homemade pies with real butter, full-fat dairy, eggs, and love—not artificial colors, seed oils, and fake sweeteners.

Meals Were Simple. Balanced. And Made From Scratch.

Back then, the idea of “fast food” meant something you could throw together from leftover stew. No one skipped meals on purpose, and the concept of extreme dieting just didn’t exist. They ate when they were hungry, three solid meals a day. Cooked real food. Sat down to eat it. And didn’t obsess over macros. Everything was made from scratch—because that’s just how you fed your family. Cooking was tradition, not a chore.

Movement Wasn’t a Workout, It Was Life

No gyms. No 10,000-step goals. Just daily movement—walking, farming, lifting, squatting, playing. Real life was functional fitness. Today, we sit. A lot. Office chairs, cars, couches. And while modern workouts try to make up for it, they’re not quite the same as living in a body that moves all day long. In fact, research shows that our resting metabolic rate has dropped significantly since the 1800s. And it’s not just about weight—it’s about energy, immunity, and resilience. Outdoor time? Huge difference. Nature boosts your immune system, reduces inflammation, and even enhances lung function. Forest bathing isn’t just poetic—it’s biological.

Toxins? Our Ancestors Barely Knew Them

Our ancestors didn’t have microplastics in their water, synthetic additives in their food, or endocrine-disrupting chemicals in their shampoo. They lived in a world where air was clean, food wasn’t sprayed with pesticides, and water didn’t come with a side of chlorine byproducts. Now? We’re basically walking around in a chemical soup—and many of these compounds (like BPA and phthalates) are messing with our hormones, fertility, and even our kids' development. Ironically, even “fortified” foods can be problematic—too much iron, too much fluoride, iodine overload. More isn’t always better. Especially when it’s synthetic.

Sleep Was Sacred—Because It Was Natural

Before electricity, people wound down with the sun. Firelight, candlelight—warm, gentle, melatonin-friendly. They weren’t scrolling on phones at midnight or watching Netflix under blinding blue light. They got sunlight in the morning (hello, cortisol!), moved their bodies during the day, and let melatonin do its thing at night. Their circadian rhythm was in sync—which meant better sleep, better digestion, and better overall health. Today’s blue light and EMFs (yep, Wi-Fi counts) confuse our biology, interrupt sleep, and mess with mitochondrial function. Rest becomes harder, and recovery slows down.

So… How Do We Reclaim That Vitality?

Let’s be real: we’re not going back to living in caves or churning our own butter (unless that’s your thing, in which case—respect). But we can steal a few pages from the ancestral playbook.

• Eat real food: Prioritize whole, unprocessed ingredients. Don’t fear animal fats. Learn to love liver (or sneak it in).

• Move often: Don’t just “work out”—walk more, stretch more, play more. Make movement part of your day.

• Get outside: Soak up the sun. Touch the earth. Let nature do what it does best—recharge you.

• Sleep with the sun: Cut screen time after dark, embrace candlelight, and let your body rest the way it was designed to.

• Detox your environment: Ditch plastics, go natural with cleaning products, filter your water. Every little change helps.

You don’t need to live like a hunter-gatherer to feel good again. You just need to remember that your body wasn’t built for ultra-processed everything, 24/7 screen time, and artificial light at midnight.

‘‘Your body was built for a simpler time, but you can still make smart choices that fit modern life’’.