The ancestral approach to natural health, outlined in a tremendous piece by Dr Mercola, is a blueprint for modern well-being. For nearly all of human history, our ancestors enjoyed vibrant health without the modern obsessions of calorie counting, supplements, or fitness trackers. Their secret? Living in sync with nature, eating nutrient-dense whole foods, moving daily, and avoiding the environmental stressors that have become inescapable today. The ancestral approach to natural health offers time-tested wisdom that is increasingly validated by modern science—and desperately needed in today's chronically ill society.
1. Nutrient-Dense Whole Foods Were the Norm
Ancestral diets were based on whole, unprocessed foods that provided optimal nutrition. These included:
Whole-animal consumption, with a focus on organ meats, bones, collagen, and marrow—offering vitamins (like A, D, K2), minerals (like zinc and iron), and amino acids largely absent in modern diets.
Traditional fats, including saturated fats and omega-3s from grass-fed animals and wild fish, supported cellular health, hormone balance, and brain function.
Seasonal fruits and vegetables, rich in antioxidants and fibre, complemented animal-based staples.
Unlike today's food supply, dominated by ultra-processed, calorie-rich but nutrient-poor options, ancestral eating emphasised quality over quantity. There were no seed oils, refined sugars, or fortified grains, which are now linked to inflammation, insulin resistance, and metabolic disorders.
2. Movement Was a Way of Life
Physical activity wasn't scheduled or outsourced to a gym, it was embedded in everyday life:
Manual labour, farming, gathering, and hunting demanded constant movement and functional strength.
Outdoor work naturally boosted vitamin D, supported circadian rhythms, and offered cardiovascular benefits.
This daily exertion kept metabolic rates high, preventing obesity and lifestyle diseases. In contrast, today's sedentary routines, desk jobs, and reliance on labour-saving technology have led to a drop in resting metabolic rate and physical fitness.
3. Clean Air, Pure Water, and Low Toxic Burden
Our ancestors lived in an environment largely free of synthetic pollutants. Today, however, we are bombarded by:
Plastics, heavy metals, and endocrine disruptors like BPA and phthalates, now found even in newborns.
Chemical-laced foods and water, with residues from pesticides, herbicides, fluoride, and chlorine.
Air pollution and VOCs, contributing to respiratory and systemic inflammation.
Back then, food was grown in nutrient-rich soil, water came from unpolluted sources, and the home environment lacked the chemical saturation of modern cleaning, cosmetic, and packaging products.
4. Light and Sleep Were Governed by Nature
Before artificial lighting, daily routines followed the sun:
Morning light regulated cortisol and wakefulness.
Evening light, from fires and lamps, preserved melatonin production for restorative sleep.
Near-infrared (NIR) light from the sun boosted mitochondrial function and healing.
Today, exposure to blue light from screens, EMFs, and erratic light cycles disrupts circadian rhythms, impairs sleep, and interferes with the body's natural repair processes, contributing to fatigue, hormonal imbalance, and poor immunity.
5. Resilience Through Nature Connection
Time in nature provided more than exercise and fresh air—it delivered immune and psychological benefits:
Exposure to green spaces increased NK cell activity and reduced inflammation.
Soil microbes and biodiversity supported the gut microbiome and immune system.
Sunlight and grounding enhanced cellular energy and reduced stress.
Modern urban living has stripped away these natural immuno-regulatory exposures, replacing them with sterile, indoor environments
Why Modern Health is Declining
The shift away from ancestral living began with agriculture and worsened with industrialisation, leading to:
Processed foods and synthetic additives
Sedentary lifestyles
Environmental toxin overload
Disrupted sleep and light exposure
Despite medical advancements, chronic diseases—diabetes, obesity, autoimmune conditions have soared. This highlights a biological mismatch between our evolved physiology and modern lifestyle.
Reclaiming Health Through Ancestral Wisdom
Returning to our roots doesn't mean abandoning modern life. It means reintegrating principles that supported health for thousands of years:
Eat real, whole foods, with emphasis on organs, collagen, healthy fats, and seasonal produce
Move frequently and functionally
Detox your environment by reducing plastics, processed food, and synthetic chemicals
Align with natural light cycles and reduce blue light/EMF exposure
Get outdoors daily for sunlight, grounding, and nature's immune boosts
Conclusion: Timeless Wisdom for Modern Resilience
Ancestral health practices weren't fads, they were survival strategies, honed over millennia. They created resilient, metabolically strong, and vibrant humans. By removing modern disruptors and reintroducing these foundational habits, we can reclaim the vitality that was once a given.
Dr. Mercola's article powerfully underscores that health is not something we need to chase with technology, it's something we return to by aligning with nature.
Our ancestors maintained better health naturally through their lifestyle, which included nutrient-dense whole foods, physical activity, and living in harmony with nature
Traditional diets emphasized whole-animal consumption, including organ meats and bone broths. They also incorporated saturated fats and seasonal fruits and vegetables
Daily physical activity was inherent in historical lifestyles through manual labor and outdoor work. This resulted in higher metabolic rates compared to today's sedentary patterns
Past generations had minimal exposure to environmental toxins, synthetic chemicals, and other pollutants that are now common in food, water, and everyday products
Natural light and rest patterns followed the sun's cycles, which supported proper melatonin production and sleep cycles. There were no disruptions from blue light and electromagnetic fields
The way humans live today is drastically different from how people thrived for most of history. Our ancestors didn't need to obsess over health or fitness; it was a byproduct of living in harmony with nature. There was no need to count calories, track steps, or rely on supplements because their environment naturally provided everything their bodies needed to function optimally.
Over time, industrialization, technological advancements, and modern conveniences have drastically reshaped the way people eat, move, and live. This shift has fueled an epidemic of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and obesity. Despite having easier access to health information and medical advancements, many struggle with low cellular energy, poor metabolism, and declining well-being.
The key difference lies in the stark contrast between ancestral diets and movement patterns and the modern lifestyle that actively works against cellular health. By looking to your ancestral roots and embracing the core principles that sustained human vitality for generations, you'll be able to restore proper cellular function and reclaim true health in a world that has largely abandoned these essential practices.
What Started the Decline in Nutrient-Dense Diets?
For nearly 99% of human history, survival was dependent on hunting, gathering, and consuming whole, nutrient-dense foods. It wasn't until about 12,000 years ago that agriculture and animal domestication began reshaping diets,1 and even then, food remained unprocessed and rich in essential nutrients.
•The rise of industrialized food production — With industrialization, food production shifted dramatically from traditional methods. This introduced refined sugars, seed oils, fortified grains, and mass-produced convenience foods.
•Modern diets lost their nutritional foundation — Industrialized food production has stripped meals of their original nutritional value and replaced nutrient-dense staples with calorie-rich but micronutrient-poor substitutes.
•The mismatch between biology and diet — Despite your biological need for the same essential nutrients, the modern diet bears little resemblance to the diverse, traditional whole-food-based diets that once sustained human health.
Are People Eating the Wrong Fats and Animal Parts Today?
Ancestral diets were built on a deep respect for whole-animal consumption, ensuring that no part of an animal went to waste while maximizing nutrient intake. Unlike today, where people commonly eat lean cuts like chicken breasts, ribeye steaks, and tenderloins, past generations valued organ meats, marrow, and collagen-rich connective tissues. These cuts provided a wider range of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, which made meals far more nutritionally complete.2
•Organ meats were central to traditional cooking — Historical cookbooks and records from the 1700s to the early 1900s, such as "The Lady's Assistant for Regulating and Supplying the Table" from 1787, highlight the widespread use of organ meats in cooking, as seen in the images below.3
Processed foods were completely absent — Perhaps the most significant contrast between ancestral diets and modern eating habits is the complete absence of industrially processed foods. Everything was made from scratch using whole ingredients, with no reliance on packaged convenience foods.
•Cooking was a daily practice rooted in tradition — Food preparation was not seen as a chore but as a daily rhythm embedded in family life and cultural tradition. Meals were prepared with care, using methods passed down through generations.
•Modern diets have abandoned balance and real food — The modern diet has strayed far from the nutrient-dense, balanced approach that sustained our ancestors for generations, and this has led to the explosion of metabolic dysfunction, obesity, and chronic disease.
•Restoring ancestral principles is essential for health — Without a return to traditional dietary principles built on real food, balanced meals, and nutrient-dense ingredients, these health problems will only continue to worsen.
How Outdoor Physical Activity Shaped Health in the Past
Previous generations maintained significantly higher levels of physical activity compared to modern society. While structured exercise programs attempt to compensate for lost movement, they rarely replicate the natural, sustained activity levels of past populations.
•Resting metabolic rate has declined since the 1800s — According to an article published in Current Biology,14 Americans' resting metabolic rate (RMR) — the total number of calories burned when your body is at rest — has declined by approximately 6% since 1820. This decline translates to roughly 27 fewer minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day.
•Lower body temperatures reflect reduced metabolic activity — The study suggests that body temperature, which is directly linked to metabolic rate, has steadily declined over the past two centuries. This serves as a physiological marker of reduction in activity. As physical exertion reduced, metabolism became less efficient, which contributed to the rise of obesity, insulin resistance, and other metabolic disorders.15
•Occupational shifts drove the loss of daily exertion — Much of this decline is a result of changes in occupational demands. In the 19th century, most jobs required sustained physical effort, with farming, manufacturing, and construction involving prolonged manual labor.
•Work-related energy expenditure dropped sharply — Historical data reconstructed from U.S. Census Bureau statistics show that the average metabolic equivalent of work — measured in METs, a unit representing energy expenditure relative to RMR — has declined by about 25% since 1870.16 Early industrial workers, for example, frequently performed energy-intensive tasks, whereas modern jobs often involved prolonged sitting with little physical exertion.
•Sedentary lifestyles disrupt metabolic health — The widespread transition to office-based employment and reliance on labor-saving devices has significantly altered how energy is used, shifting populations toward more sedentary patterns that negatively affect metabolic health.
•Loss of outdoor exposure weakened immune resilience — Beyond the loss of movement, this transition has also cut people off from the immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory benefits of exposure to nature.17 Time spent outdoors enhances metabolic resilience by lowering inflammation, improving mitochondrial function, and supporting immune regulation.
•Green spaces activate key immune pathways — Without regular interaction with nature, you miss out on key biological stimuli that once conditioned the body for resilience. For instance, research shows that spending time in green environments like forests increases natural killer (NK) cell activity, reduces inflammatory cytokines, and even improves lung function in those with asthma.18
•Outdoor activity supported optimal vitamin D levels — Daily outdoor activity allowed past generations to naturally produce adequate vitamin D, an important nutrient for bone strength, immune function, and metabolic health.19 In contrast, modern lifestyles that keep people indoors have led to widespread vitamin D deficiency.20
To learn more about the benefits of outdoor movement, read "Whether You Count Steps or Time Your Walk, What Matters Is Getting Outdoors."
Did Minimal Toxin Exposure Helped Our Ancestors Thrive?
Past generations thrived because their bodies weren't constantly fighting off an onslaught of synthetic compounds. Their health was supported by clean air, pure water, and real food. The steady accumulation of environmental toxins has altered human biology and burdened your body with stressors it was never designed to handle.
•Food, water, and air were free from synthetic pollutants — Historically, food was free from synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and chemical preservatives. Water sources were not laced with pharmaceutical residues, chlorine byproducts, or microplastics. Air pollution was limited to natural sources rather than the modern toxic mix of vehicle emissions, industrial waste, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from everyday household products.
•Plastics and chemical disruptors are a modern burden — Plastics, heavy metals, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and dioxins, are modern inventions that have become unavoidable.
Their widespread presence has fueled metabolic disorders, reproductive issues, and neurodevelopmental abnormalities.21 Even infants are now born with high toxic loads, which puts them at an immediate disadvantage early in life.22,23
•Fortification created hidden health problems — One of the greatest public health deceptions has been the so-called fortification of food with iodine, iron, and fluoride under the guise of disease prevention. Instead of addressing nutrient depletion caused by industrialized agriculture and environmental degradation, these interventions have introduced new health burdens.
•How iodine, iron, and fluoride additives backfired — Iodine, carelessly added to salt, has contributed to autoimmune thyroid disorders and metabolic dysfunction.24 Meanwhile, the indiscriminate addition of iron to processed foods has led to iron overload in many individuals.25 Fluoride, falsely promoted as essential for dental health, has been linked to neurotoxicity, thyroid suppression, and skeletal deterioration.26,27
•Chemical treatments accelerate health decline — The modern approach of treating toxic overload with more chemicals and medical band-aids only accelerated our health decline. The solution is not more fortification or synthetic interventions, but rather the removal of unnecessary toxins from our food, water, and air.
How Natural Light and Rest Patterns Restore Health
Before artificial lighting, people's sleep patterns were governed by the natural cycles of the sun. Exposure to natural light, particularly in the morning, signals the brain to suppress melatonin production and increase cortisol, which promotes wakefulness.28 As daylight fades, melatonin levels rise, preparing your body for sleep. This cycle ensures that energy is used efficiently during the day and that cellular repair, detoxification, and regeneration occur during the night.29
•Evening environments supported deep rest — Before electricity, people relied on fire, candles, and oil lamps for illumination, all of which emitted warm, red-toned light that did not interfere with melatonin production. The absence of artificial distractions also encouraged relaxation, storytelling, and social bonding, which reduced stress and prepared the nervous system for deep sleep.
•Daily sunlight exposure included near-infrared light — Natural sunlight contains a full spectrum of wavelengths, including near-infrared (NIR) light. Regular exposure to NIR during daylight hours helped stimulate mitochondrial function and supported melatonin production inside the cells. Mitochondrial melatonin plays a key role in reducing oxidative stress and enhancing the body's repair processes during sleep.
•Blue light disrupts your circadian rhythm — Modern living has introduced technologies like artificial lighting, especially the blue light emitted from screens, which delays melatonin release and disrupts your body's internal clock. Instead of winding down with the setting sun, you remain artificially stimulated late into the night, which leads to poor sleep quality, disrupted hormone balance, and metabolic dysfunction.30,31
•Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are a modern threat to restorative sleep — EMFs are another major disruptor of natural rest patterns that previous generations never had to contend with. Wi-Fi routers, smartphones, and other electronic devices now flood the environment with EMFs, which interfere with your body's natural electrical signaling.
•EMF exposure weakens mitochondrial function — Research has shown that exposure to EMFs suppresses melatonin production, disrupts deep sleep cycles, and increases oxidative stress. Over time, this constant exposure weakens mitochondrial function, fuels inflammation, and compromises your body's ability to repair itself during sleep.32
For a deeper look at how light influences your biology and strategies to safely optimize your sun exposure, check out "The Power of Light, Mitochondria and Circadian Rhythms."
Reclaiming the Quality of Health That Was Once Normal
Our ancestors thrived because their daily lives naturally aligned with biological needs. Whole, unprocessed foods fuelled metabolism, daily movement maintained strength, time in nature built resilience, and sleep followed the natural rhythm of light and darkness.
•Modern life has dismantled foundational health habits — Modern conveniences have made daily life easier, but at the cost of the very foundations that sustained human vitality for generations. Diets are now dominated by ultraprocessed foods, movement has been replaced by sedentary habits, and environmental toxins infiltrate every aspect of daily life. These shifts have sabotaged cellular health and fuelled an epidemic of chronic disease.
•Reversing decline starts with removing modern disruptors — To reclaim health, you must eliminate harmful influences that didn't exist for past generations and restore the conditions that allow your body to function optimally.
•Ancestral wisdom supports optimal health — By understanding what worked for our ancestors, you can adopt habits that support mitochondrial health and metabolic efficiency instead of relying on a system designed to suppress symptoms rather than prevent illness.
The goal isn't to return to the past but to apply time-tested principles in a way that fits today's world. By making small but meaningful adjustments, you'll be able to restore your body's energy production and rebuild the strength and resilience that used to be the norm.