Our story
Over millions of years, humans lived as hunter-gatherers. Our ancestors prioritised hunting, and our diets were rich in animal foods—meat, fat, organs—along with ripe fruits and honey. Vegetables, leaves and other plant foods were back-up foods.
After the dawn of agriculture (~10,000 BCE) the diet and lifestyle of humans changed; Western civilisations became more sedentary, and began to rely on plant foods (like grains) as dietary staples. These changes coincide with the first reports of humans developing chronic diseases, like diabetes.
A few generations later, the Industrial Revolution moved us even further afield—into a ‘food’ landscape that would be utterly unrecognisable to your great-grandma, let alone your paleolithic ancestors.
The 21st century diet comes, not from Nature, but from factories—ultra-processed, grain-based and seed-oil rich. These factory ‘foods’ that most of us grew up eating are a primary driver of chronic diseases, like gut, metabolic and reproductive disorders.
To rub salt in the wounds, our modern comfort-first lifestyles encourage us to be sedentary, hyper-connected and overly-domesticated—afraid of ‘germs’, sunlight and the weather.
In living like this, we have lost many of our natural instincts, and ultimately, become a shadow of our genetic potential.
Modern humans might live long lives, but we suffer from chronic disease & poor quality of life along the way.
The good news is that chronic diseases are largely preventable.
By eating the right foods—quality whole foods, especially animal foods—and living more like our ancestors in general (less chemicals, less sitting, less tech, more play, more connection, more Nature), we can positively influence our quality of life and build generational health for our family.
Eat Ancestral can guide you along the path to reclaiming the health & wellbeing you deserve.
Hello — I’m Ben, founder of Eat AncestraI
I was born in Noosa, Queensland, Australia.
I am an extremely lucky human.
My parents worked hard and gave my two brothers and I a great life.
For the most part, we were happy and healthy.
Some of the family, though, are a typical subset of the Australian population—overweight, obese and suffering from various chronic diseases.
In high school, I realised that I was heading in the same direction.
I was overweight, uncomfortable in my own body, and couldn’t seem to do anything about it.
This is when I decided to begin studying exercise and nutrition.
My family is Dutch, and Scottish in origin
I’ve got white skin and red hair—not exactly built for the Australian climate.
My hometown, Noosa, has long hot summers, and short mild winters.
The exact opposite to my ancestors back in the Netherlands and Scotland.
Knowing your ancestry gives you a lot of clues…
Not only on how much time you can spend under the blazing hot sun before you start to burn…
But also about what you should eat and how you should move.
Australians love sports
My brothers and I played AFL, rugby, cricket, golf, basketball—anything really, when we were growing up.
My older brother was the athlete in the family—he had abs, and was often picked for rep teams.
I was average at most sports, but enjoyed some success where explosiveness, and stubbornness were needed.
We were far from sedentary.
Australians spend lots of time outdoors
You learn a lot from living close to Nature.
As kids, my brothers and I built treehouses and flogged an old Mazda ute around the paddock.
We had one big axe, one small one, and didn’t wear any shoes.
We looked after horses, and at one time, a very aggressive goat.
We grew a small amount of herbs, fruits and vegetables and owned a few chickens.
We would often catch fish, prawns and crabs from the local rivers.
My parents always took us camping and I loved sitting around the fire.
I remember countless road trips.
We were vigilant of snakes and jellyfish—and taught first aid for each.
Our immune systems were challenged constantly by ants, bees and blue-bottle jellyfish.
We were all pretty strong swimmers, and could handle some rough surf.
When I think about it, we were extremely active and robust, and we rarely got sick.
Being active and spending time outdoors wasn’t enough to keep me healthy
In high school, I developed shin splints, achilles tendonitis, and started to gain body fat.
My teeth were better than the average, but I still had some fillings, and one pulled.
My big brother had pretty bad acne.
My little brother had gut problems.
My grandma suffered from debilitating arthritis and later, type-2 diabetes.
I thought all of these health problems were genetic—that we couldn’t do much about them.
Being naïve and determined, I tried anyway—beating myself up with the government’s recommended advice from the cereal box in order to lose ‘weight’.
This generally meant endless cardio, a low-fat diet and multiple meals throughout the day.
I’m pretty stubborn—I gave it a fair shake—but it didn’t work very well.
I realised that sometimes you need more than effort—you also need the right information.
And that the government’s Food Pyramid was complete bullshit.
Travelling—leaving home at 17 to go live in France—was where it all started to unravel
Living in France with a French family taught me a few things about life;
We’re all the same—they also like being outside and playing sports.
We are so different—the act of eating is an art, and ritual to them.
The fridge—or cave if you have one—should smell like cheese and other fermented foods.
One chooses quality food and drink over quantity.
They knew what fasting was, but knew not the name.
Spending time around a table is better than in front of a TV.
I had never eaten real bread in my life, along with countless other traditional foods that my own ancestors undoubtedly ate.
The French also drink a lot, and enjoy passionate debate.
They are romantic, philosophical and bluntly honest.
Being immersed in a new environment, culture and experience is inexplicably life-changing.
There’s more than one way to cook an egg.
Australia doesn’t have much of a food culture
Well, white Australia, that is.
Ironically, the Indigenous Australians do, but we never thought to ask them for nutrition advice.
Modern day Aussies (pronounced Ozzies) eat along the same lines as the majority in the United States, and the United Kingdom—a highly modernised diet that would be unrecognisable to even our most recent ancestors.
Processed, refined, sweetened, out-of-season, quick-to-cook, and non-perishable.
It’s not food for humans—it's disease-causing, transient mouth pleasure, in the form of calories and macros.
We eat too quickly, and too often.
We buy based on price, but pay extra for it later on in life.
“Eat Ancestral” is a way of living
I want to help people lead more enjoyable lives.
And for that, we need to be in good shape—physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
We modern humans—despite our technology and access to endless data—are truly struggling to make this happen.
People are suffering, completely unnecessarily, from all kinds of preventable health issues.
Being overweight is just the tip of the iceberg.
The good news is that we actually have the answers to these problems.
The trouble is that they are buried amongst the noise.
I can help you cut through that noise.
I am here to share what I have learned
My purpose here is to provide people with better information, and simpler, more reliable tools that have stood the test of time in keeping our ancestors healthy and free of chronic, degenerative, modern diseases.
Some of it comes down to ancestry, but we must also look elsewhere for clues—like our food, movement and sleep habits.
My mission is to equip you with long-term strategies that suit your individual needs.
My hope and vision is that you suffer less and enjoy life more.
And that your kids, and theirs, may do the same.
Food, study, play, outdoor adventures & being in service to others
These are some of the things I do.
I’m more of a student than a teacher.
I’m curious and keen for adventure.
I am obsessed with finding the truth.
I admit my mistakes.
I try to stay humble and growth-oriented.
I’m, quite simply, here to help.
Ben