166: Dr. Bill Schindler - Learning How To Eat Like a Human

Just like any other animal on the planet, humans have an instinct that tells us when to start eating, stop eating, and what we should eat. But we’ve lost the ability to listen to our senses. Share on X

What can the lives of ancient humans teach us about how to thrive in the modern world?

I spoke with Dr. Bill Schindler, an anthropologist, chef at the Modern Stone Age Kitchen, and author of Eat Like a Human, to find out.

During our chat, he told me that almost every prehistoric tool our ancestors used helped them evolve their diets. From making food safer to boosting its bioavailability and nutrient density, the dietary evolution of early humans is directly linked to our evolution as a species.

So what helped ancient humans grow bigger bodies and more capable brains? What kept them in a natural state of health? And why have modern-day humans lost this instinctual knowledge?

According to Dr. Schindler, our world does everything to make us distrust our senses. We’re the only species on the planet that intellectualizes food; we need help learning what to eat, how much to eat, etc.

But we can reverse this, and he shares his advice on how to optimize our diets and lifestyles to be fully-nourished humans.

Humans are omnivores by technology, not design. We can eat animals and plants, but need technology to get both into states our bodies can use efficiently. Share on X

Dr. Schindler has dedicated his career to researching ancient humans and spending time with indigenous hunter-gatherer tribes to learn how to optimize our modern-day diets.

Even though our basic nutritional requirements have stayed the same for the last 3,000 years, we’ve lost our ability to eat instinctively and listen to our senses. We’re the only species on the planet that needs help learning what to eat, how much to eat, etc.

So he shares his ideas about how to follow the instinctual practices our early ancestors used to extract the most nutrition from our diets and return to our natural states of health.

Tune in to the episode now for a look at how our ancestor’s incredible past may help us evolve our current and future states of health. I hope you enjoy this discussion as much as I did!

In this episode, you’ll discover

Why we’re the only species that intellectualizes eating the right foods
What it means to be a fully-nourished human
How to approach vegetables in your diet with intention
Which foods Dr. Schindler completely removed from his diet to reverse damage and transform his life
What type of bread Dr. Schindler considers the “safest” to eat
The importance of eating animal fats and organ meats (in moderation)
How grocery stores and modern food manufacturing destroyed our natural food instincts
Why the emotional satisfaction, social connections, and cultural ties to our food are just as “nutritious” for our bodies as healthy foods

Tune in to tap into the science of our evolution through nutrition now!