Light Exposure

Getting natural light in your eyes and skin pores has various benefits. Sunlight helps regulate hormones, boosts vitamin D, improves your gut microbiome, and optimises your circadian rhythm for better sleep. Spending time outside upon waking up will also enhance mood, and alertness and help launch you into the day (1, 2). 

Eat an Evolutionarily Consistent Diet 

It goes without saying to avoid processed foods. But if you want to go a step further for optimal results, consider incorporating a more ancestral diet and eating pattern.

There are different variations within the ancestral diet space, from ‘paleo’ to ‘carnivore’ and ‘animal-based’ eating. This can get a little dogmatic and complicated, so we’ll keep it simple. 

We greenlight anything our ancestors would have consumed pre-agriculture.  

Before we discovered how to plant crops, we ate primarily meat, organs, some tubers and fruits and honey. And the literature does support that we weren’t exclusively carnivorous(3). In our view, the whole ‘be strong like our ancestors who only ate meat’ narrative is a little misleading and makes for clever marketing. 

But, what these three camps can agree on is that animal foods are king. So, focus primarily on meat and organs to cover your protein and essential micronutrient bases. 

Regarding fruit, nuts, seeds and some vegetables, this varies from person to person and is determined by different factors. 

If you're someone who prioritizes athletic performance or strength, then carbohydrates are an optimal energy source. We recommend tubers, white rice (this one gets a free pass due to its low toxicity), fruit and raw honey.

Some people find they do better without nuts, seeds and vegetables because these can cause GI issues. Many of these foods can cause autoimmune flare-ups, but if you’re someone who can tolerate these foods, and they make you feel good, then we see no reason why you should skip them as they do offer some health benefits. And ultimately, you have to be able to adhere to a way of eating long-term. If variety matters to you, then incorporate these. 

Nothing is set in stone here, so experiment and pay close attention to how different foods make you feel. You can adjust as you go and it usually takes a period of trial and error before you figure out what works best for you. 

Note that unless you have a health issue like an autoimmune disease etc. then there’s no reason to stick to carnivore for more than 3-6 months. Many start to experience downsides after an extended period such as weakness, insomnia, palpitations and muscle cramps.  

The bottom line is, to eliminate grains, refined sugar and processed foods and prioritise meat and organs. Whenever you can, go for grass-fed and finished meat, and organic nuts, fruit and vegetables to avoid harmful pesticides. 

In addition, it is critical to avoid seed oils and cook with animal-based fats like butter, ghee, tallow and lard as these can withstand higher temperatures, you can also use some fruit oils such as coconut oil, olive oil and avocado oil for cold dishes.  

Move More 

The modern world is more sedentary than it has ever been. Our ancestors didn’t plant themselves in front of a screen for 8 hours a day… 

Research shows being sedentary massively increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes (4). So, mimicking the way tribes would go on extended hunts and walk for days on end, we recommend walking at least 10,000 steps a day. This can be split up between morning, afternoon and evening. 

Walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise because people generally equate ‘exercise’ with blood, sweat and tears. While there’s a time and place for this sort of gruelling activity, we need to be mindful not to over-exert ourselves. As well as being a low-impact, low-risk aerobic activity, walking has been shown to have similar cardiovascular benefits to running (5). 

Sleep 

We cannot stress enough the importance of this one. One of the single most detrimental aspects of modern living is this culture of ‘sleep sacrifice’.  People sacrifice sleep for work, social events, vices, or the instant gratification of late-night Netflix. What many don’t realise is the accumulative effect this has – and the compounding damage it causes over time.  

Prioritizing 7-9 hours of sleep is key for long-term health, performance and well-being. Your sleep routine should mimic that of our ancestors. They weren’t exposed to artificial lights or computer screens that block melatonin and roast your dopamine receptors. 

Master your circadian pattern by following the pattern of the sun in your location. As the sun begins to set, consider reducing the lights in your home. Doing this will drive signals to your body that it's approaching bedtime, setting you up for optimal, restorative sleep. We recommend no devices an hour before sleeping, but if you have to, consider using blue light-blocking glasses or screen-filtering apps for your device.  

Ensure your bedroom is like a cool, dark cave. This means keeping it cool (the optimal temperature for sleep is 16-20 degrees celsius) and strictly NO electronic devices. Your room should be a sacred space for sleep and sex – nothing more.   

Disconnect 

Social media platforms, smartphones, and video games have all been intentionally engineered for addiction. Being on these not only fries your dopamine receptors but also increases the likelihood of developing ADHD and damaging mental health. Simply put, technology is not congruent with ancestral living. This is why we need to treat it respectfully and ensure balance for our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. 

There are various ways you can reduce your usage… 

• Download app-blockers
• Keep your phone on aeroplane mode when not needed 
• Have ‘digital detox days once a week’ where you cut off from devices for 24 hours  

Re-Connect 

Believe it or not, there was once a time when we didn’t wear comfortable socks or shoes and spend most of our days inside concrete boxes. 

Reconnecting with nature is paramount if you wish to live a more ancestrally aligned lifestyle. 

This isn’t just symbolic, there are genuine health benefits in doing this. 

Getting outside in nature has been shown to improve cognitive functions like memory and attention while doing the opposite in urban environments (6). It also reduces stress. 

Connecting your bare feet to the earth, a practice known as ‘grounding’ has been studied since the ’70s and has been shown to reduce chronic inflammation (7). 

Induce Struggle

Hard times make tough people. And while we no longer fight the elements, war with tribes, or fend off predators, we can still induce struggles so we can build strength and resilience. 

The simple notion of becoming ‘harder to kill’ should inform the way you exercise. Resistance training is a no-brainer here. Becoming bigger, leaner and stronger by challenging your body to lift heavy things also has various lesser-known health benefits, such as improved insulin sensitivity, bone density and lowered risk of depression. 

You can also create ‘struggle’ through fasting. Nowadays, one can have food delivered to the door just by opening their phone and clicking a few buttons. This instant gratification not only harms our relationship with food. There’s no ‘earning it’ and this instant gratification breeds laziness and softness. It also breeds a lack of discipline and self-control. Being able to feed yourself whenever you want can make for a slippery slope and develop a sense of neurosis a.k.a pain avoidance - shying away from the feeling of ‘hunger’ and gorging on demand. 

Incorporating fasting - whether intermittent or extended - has health benefits like promoting cell autophagy, improving insulin sensitivity and regulating hunger hormones (snacking isn’t ancestral). It will also reshape your relationship with food and help build mental resilience. 

Get Cold  

This overlaps with the notion of creating ‘struggle’. Our ancestors embraced swimming in cold rivers and would have to cross freezing lakes. But, if you don’t have access to either, you can induce similar stress on your body with a cold shower. The rationale here is to induce physiological micro-stress in the body, boost fat oxidation, and metabolism and even enhance the immune system (8,9).   

Protect from Modern Toxicity  

Our modern environment is riddled with toxic compounds. This has largely been introduced by industrial and commercial corporations. These are ruining our health without us even realising it – until you take a step back and look at the big picture. Cancer rates and cognitive disease is skyrocketing, and fertility and testosterone continue to plummet.  There is now a growing body of research linking these to things like microplastics, and glyphosate, having endocrine disruptors called xenoestrogens (10). Even tap water is laden with fluoride and microplastics!   

So, protect yourself:

• Buy a tabletop water filter or house filtration system that uses reverse osmosis and filters fluoride — if you can’t, buy water in glass bottles
  
  
• Avoid perfume — this includes commercial deodorants, shampoos and many other household products  
  
  
• Cooking with granite or stainless steel - avoid aluminium, non-stick Teflon
  
  
• Turn off wifi or use ethernet (if possible) and keep the phone in aeroplane mode (avoid EMF waves) 
  
  
• Whenever possible, choose organic fruit and veg and grass-fed & finished animal foods 

Community

Modern communication like social media is continuing to alienate people. Being isolated and communicating with others over a screen creates an emotional and physical void. We’re losing sight of what real human connection feels like. On top of this, it’s destroying relationships, and social skills and damaging mental health. 

In days of old, we would hunt together, fight together, eat together, and gather around a fire together, sharing love and laughter. Nothing clears the mind like being present with others. Prioritise quality time with those you love. So, try switching off Netflix and giving those hours to someone who matters – you’ll feel the difference.

Conclusion 

As you can see from these strategies, achieving optimal health doesn’t require heaps of money or a wardrobe of supplements. The human body is designed to thrive without drowning it in synthetic pills or powders. 

And remember, things can’t always be perfect. We can only do our best. But if you can incorporate even half of these evolutionarily sound habits, you’ll improve your health and well-being drastically.  

 

Sources 

1. Conteville, L.C. and Vicente, A.C.P. (2020). Skin exposure to sunlight: a factor modulating the human gut microbiome composition. Gut Microbes, pp.1–4. doi:10.1080/19490976.2020.1745044.

2. Blume, C., Garbazza, C. and Spitschan, M. (2019). Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood. Somnologie : Schlafforschung und Schlafmedizin = Somnology : sleep research and sleep medicine, 23(3), pp.147–156. doi:10.1007/s11818-019-00215-x.

3. Eaton, S.B. (2006). The ancestral human diet: what was it and should it be a paradigm for contemporary nutrition? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 65(1), pp.1–6. doi:10.1079/pns2005471.

4. Theheartfoundation.org. (2022). [online] Available at: https://theheartfoundation.org/2019/08/10/is-sitting-the-new-smoking/#:~:text=The%20study%20found%20that%20people [Accessed 19 Oct. 2022].

5. Williams, P.T. and Thompson, P.D. (2013). Walking versus running for hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus risk reduction. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology, [online] 33(5), pp.1085–91. doi:10.1161/ATVBAHA.112.300878.

6. Schertz, K.E. and Berman, M.G. (2019). Understanding Nature and Its Cognitive Benefits. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28(5), pp.496–502. doi:10.1177/0963721419854100.

7. Oschman, J., Chevalier, G. and Brown, R. (2015). The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Journal of Inflammation Research, [online] 8, p.83. doi:10.2147/jir.s69656.

8. Acosta, F.M., Martinez-Tellez, B., Sanchez-Delgado, G., A. Alcantara, J.M., Acosta-Manzano, P., Morales-Artacho, A.J. and R. Ruiz, J. (2018). Physiological responses to acute cold exposure in young lean men. PLOS ONE, [online] 13(5), p.e0196543. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0196543.

9. Janský, L., Pospíšilová, D., Honzová, S., Uličný, B., Šrámek, P., Zeman, V. and Kamínková, J. (1996). Immune system of cold-exposed and cold-adapted humans. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 72-72(5-6), pp.445–450. doi:10.1007/bf00242274.

10. Wang, X., Ha, D., Yoshitake, R., Chan, Y.S., Sadava, D. and Chen, S. (2021). Exploring the Biological Activity and Mechanism of Xenoestrogens and Phytoestrogens in Cancers: Emerging Methods and Concepts. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, [online] 22(16), p.8798. doi:10.3390/ijms22168798.