Eat Like a Human: Nourishing Foods and Ancient Ways of Cooking to Revolutionize Your Health

by Bill Schindler

An archaeologist and chef explains how to follow our ancestors' lead when it comes to dietary choices and cooking techniques for optimum health and vitality. "Read this book!" (Mark Hyman, MD, author of  Food )
 
Our relationship with food is filled with confusion and insecurity. Vegan or carnivore? Vegetarian or gluten-free? Keto or Mediterranean? Fasting or Paleo? Every day we hear about a new ingredient that is good or bad, a new diet that promises everything. But the secret to becoming healthier, losing weight, living an energetic life, and healing the planet has nothing to do with counting calories or feeling deprived—the key is re‑learning how to eat like a human. 
  
This means finding food that is as nutrient-dense as possible, and preparing that food using methods that release those nutrients and make them bioavailable to our bodies, which is exactly what allowed our ancestors to not only live but thrive. In Eat Like a Human , archaeologist and chef Dr. Bill Schindler draws on cutting-edge science and a lifetime of research to explain how nutrient density and bioavailability are the cornerstones of a healthy diet. He shows readers how to live like modern “hunter-gatherers” by using the same strategies our ancestors used—as well as techniques still practiced by many cultures around the world—to make food as safe, nutritious, bioavailable, and delicious as possible.
 
With each chapter dedicated to a specific food group, in‑depth explanations of different foods and cooking techniques, and concrete takeaways, as well as 75+ recipes, Eat Like a Human will permanently change the way you think about food, and help you live a happier, healthier, and more connected life.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Food, Nutrition, Audiobook, Cooking, Diets

304 pages, Hardcover

Published November 16, 2021

Reviews

[Irena Pasvinter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bill Schindler is an experimental archaeologist and food anthropologist who is passionate about applying his theoretical knowledge in the kitchen, day by day and meal by meal. "Eat Like a Human" is about what we can learn by comparing our food choices to the diet of our prehistoric or preindustrial ancestors and how we can benefit from this awareness.


Image credit: Wikimedia commons, Prehistoric rock art site in northeast Zimbabwe by Robert Stewart Burrett

Ancient diet and food preparation strategies prioritized nutritional value of food, allowing us to survive through milenia. Today we prioritize the quantity and safety of food, but often pay for this with the lower nutritional value. For example, modern domesticated types of mais, potato or wheat are more pest-resistant and give higher yields, but contain considerably more sugar, less protein and micro-elements than their wild relatives or the types used a hundred years ago.

So what would it mean to eat like a human (aka the survival-oriented homo sapiens) in the modern world? Although the book is relatively short, is provides a lot of fascinating answers: from how to gather wild greens to how to make your own bread and cheese, from the high nutritional value of blood and internal organs to the ancient past and bright future of entomophagy(eating insects), from geophagia (eating earth and clay) to the benefits of fermentation -- lots of interesting information here and plenty of food for thought, as well as an appendix with recipes for the new converts.

I personally don't see myself engaging in entomophagy or geophagia (unless at the last stages of starvation), but I still found the book very interesting. I might even consider preparing some fermented cabbage at home (as we did in my childhood), instead of buying its unfermented pseudo-equivalent in a local supermarket.

My only problem with this book is that as much as the author strives to convince us of necessity and benefits of eating more like humans (consuming food with the highest nutritional value), he never once mentions that in this case we also need to live more like humans (don't over-eat and be physically active). Our prehistoric ancestors and people in pre-industrial societies not only ate differently, they also lived in a very different world. But according to the author, if you switch to the highly-nutritional food, you will feel more satiated and end up losing your excess weight. Well, maybe it worked for him, but I have my doubts... On the other hand, if you were to attempt to regularly incorporate into your diet all the recipes included in the appendix, the sheer effort of this formidable undertaking would surely be enough to keep you in perfect shape.;)

Read in 2022.

[Ben De Bono · Rating 2 out of 5]

This may be the most impractical advice book ever written. I’m fascinated by several of the ideas but virtually every one of them requires a major cultural shift, tons of time, or a massive financial investment.

For example, he recommends you make your own cheese. So far so good. I’m at least intrigued. But then he goes on to explain you should use raw milk. And not just that but you should only by it from a dairy farmer you’ve personally formed a relationship with to ensure the milk is safe and ethically produced.

No one has time for that. Even if I wanted to that impossible in my life right now

But that’s just one idea. You should also bake your own bread - but it has to be sour dough with yeast you’ve cultivated yourself. You also need to butcher your own animals - preferably ones you hunted. And you should be foraging on a daily basis for fresh plants

To do even a part of what he recommends would require not just a complete rethinking of my life but a second mortgage to afford it all. Not to mention I’ll need to clone myself to find time for it all

I’m not saying none of his ideas have merit. I can’t judge that. But I can say I’m not about to upend my entire life to give them a good

[Jason Boldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical and authoritative introduction to traditional food preparation strategies employed throughout history to make food safe and nutritionally available. If I were building a Venn diagram that represented optimal nutrition, it would be Dr. Schindler’s “Eat Like a Human” (how to process food to make it safe for cooking and as nutrient dense as possible), Dr. Shanahan’s “Deep Nutrition” (what foods to eat and not eat), and Samin Nosrat’s “Salt Fat Acid Heat” (how to cook food for optimal flavor). Someone who is interested in building skills like sprouting and fermenting foods will learn the why and basics of the how in this book, then can hone those skills by diving into deeper explorations like Sandor Katz’s “The Art of Fermentation.”

What made us human was developing ancient technologies that enabled us to access the widest range and depth of nutrition of any species on the planet.

We weren’t designed to eat meat and organs. We lacked claws, teeth, and strength that predators have. So we created stone tools that mimicked these, evolved arms for throwing, and became the most badass mammalian predators on the planet. Nose to tail eating supercharged our evolution and brain development into what we are today.

We weren’t designed to eat grains, tubers, and seeds. We lacked the digestive systems and built-in biological fermentation capabilities of granivorous animals like ducks. So we created methods like sprouting and fermenting to trick plants into releasing their toxins and unlocking the nutrition within.

We also aren’t designed to to eat vegetables the way we do today. Our historical consumption of vegetables was based around foraging and fermenting - hyper local, hyper seasonal, and in moderate quantities. We certainly aren’t designed to choke down kale smoothies, spinach salads, and other mono-cropped vegetables that are full of toxins and natural defense chemicals.

Employ the principles and strategies in this book, and you’ll be on a proven yet lost path. That path leads to your optimal vitality, health, and participation in our deepest cultural and social practices.

[Pam Hurd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information I've never heard before. Pretty eye opening. Appears to be well researched. Unfortunately most of the diet changes recommended in here are things I don't think at my stage of life I'm willing to take on. So much foreign (to me) information to investigate and learn to incorporate in one's life style such as including charcoal, ash and clay into your food, eating all of the animal, using very different ingredients and different methods of preparation. Don't get me wrong I suspect much of this will need to become mainstream in the future (e.g. insects as a large part of our diet). Sigh, just tough to get over the yuck reaction for some of us. Need to concentrate winning the younger generation over with the facts.

[Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t usually write reviews but I don’t usually give single stars either. Though I appreciate how the book is organized and the work that went into writing it, it was not what I expected. The information provided was not practical nor did I feel like it was based on any scientific data. Examples of how to “eat like a human” were cherry picked and applied inconsistently. For example, our ancestors ate grains all the time, but according to the author “they (grains) have no business being in our diets.” In another chapter, we learn that eating insects are a part of our ancestor’s history but in this situation, we should continue to eat like our ancestors did. Why in one case and not the other? Have studies been completed to show that the cultures who incorporate certain practices, like eating insects or omitting grains, are more well-nourished than those who don’t incorporate such practices?

There were a couple parts in the book where I couldn’t tell if scare tactics were being used or if it was more of a case of not enough information provided. The first instance was with spinach in that it contains oxalates and that sufferers of kidney stones should stay away from oxalates. This comes right after the chapter opening of “plants should scare the hell out of you” and “we believe we are on the right track when a spinach salad hits our plate at least a couple times a week.” Maybe I’m the only one who connected the dots in an order that lead me to spinach is not a healthy choice and can cause kidney stones. I spent some time reviewing information regarding oxalates in spinach and found this source (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/oxal...) to be helpful in deciding whether or not I will reach for a spinach salads in the future. The second instance included a segment about Glycoalkaloids in potato skins and how they are toxic. But at what levels? My understanding is that you need to consume around 4+ pounds of potatoes to reach a toxic level. So is it better to keep or remove the skin from my 6 oz baked potato? What about the fiber, iron or potassium in the skin I might be slicing off? If I forgo the spinach salad, what about the calcium, vitamin A or magnesium I’m not longer ingesting? Or all the benefits of the healthy toppings I might have included? What provides the best health benefit to my body? What are the trade offs?

In the conclusion, the author states, “becoming a more educated (food) consumer is crucial, so when you walk into a grocery store you see with fresh and informed eyes and make the healthiest choices you can.“ I completely agree but not sure that this is the book that will help me navigate what to buy at a grocery store, what to consistently put on my plate at home, or how to navigate what (or how) to eat when going out, or visiting friends and family. I do agree that what we eat is very important and there is a lot of confusing information out there, but I’m not sure it has to be this hard or complicated.

[Elan Garfias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very interesting spinoff of paleo with the guiding philosophy being it's not so much what you eat as how you prepare it. Schindler goes through all the major food groups and covers not only the existing nutritional science, but also the way those foods have been consumed historically around the world to maximize nutrition. Each chapter comes with tons of recipes, and while some of his recommendations require big dietary shifts, many of them are immediately actionable. For example, vegetables can be made way more bioavailable through simple fermentation, so I now have a few jars of them fermenting at all times to neutralize the phytic acid, something I didn't even know existed before reading this. Again, after reading the chapter on meat, I was inspired to go out and buy a whole chicken to learn how to cut it up and cook. Not only is this waaaaay cheaper, but he makes the case for organ meat as nutritionally as well as ethically superior. While many foods such as grains and seeds may not come as naturally to the human diet, there can be a place for them via methods such as sprouting and soaking, and sourdough fermentation completely transforms bread on a nutritional and even glycemic level. Same goes with dairy, which gets optimized as active yogurt and kefir. Beyond this, bugs get their own chapter, as do the effects of eating charcoal and dirt, which form the pillars of age-old health practices in Africa and South America. Regardless of whether or not these recipes appeal to you, the information contained in each chapter is empowering and practical, and perhaps the biggest takeaway comes philosophically, from the first chapter. As humans, we evolved tools to make up for our relative lack of physical prowess: everything from digging sticks to meat scrapers to spears. Cooking evolved the same way, allowing the fire to pre-digest increasing amounts of meat and free up energy from the digestive tract to support growing brains. Whether consciously or not, the process of cuisine allowed us to unlock new sources of food and diversify out diet by mimicking what other animals were doing (ie grinding seeds the way a bird uses gastroliths, using rennet the way a calf's stomach uses milk, etc). All of it ties together so nicely, fusing millennia of culinary tradition with the free will to choose our best food options.

[Johanna Rojas Vann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, really good advice. Yes, it’s HARDER and takes more work to eat real food (many reviews seem to believe it should be easy, but good health takes work and there’s no way around it). they’re approachable ways to do it without spending every hour in the kitchen… the author did touch on that a bit but I think there could have been more. Still would recommend this book to anyone interested in ancestral eating (although, I don’t think I’ll be eating bugs… like ever!)

[Tim Dugan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas. Why not use the whole animal? (Of course we laugh at hot dogs for being more than muscle meat…. And they have a reputation of being bad)

many things he said might no apply generally. So what that organs have more nutrition when we are already over loaded. More iron isn’t good for men. And a few folks have limitations

Sour dough sounds like a good idea

I don’t have a clue where I would get crickets

So my question is “what’s the value of ideas I can’t implement?”

The author says a lot of vegetables are poison - and there’s some truth- but it’s an unusual focus. It deserves better explanation

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schindler has written a book on a critical topic: what should humans actually eat? It deals with the same issue as Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, namely, for an omnivorous species such as ours, how can we eat in the healthiest, most biologically appropriate ways?

Schindler is pretty hardcore in his tastes and starts the book with an anecdote about drinking blood. But as the book proceeds and he explores a variety of topics, he concedes the necessity of food's socio- cultural impact. So for instance, eschewing a piece of cake at your kid's birthday might be faithful to your eating habits, but costs too much in stress and social value. Eat the cake, dude.

My biggest issue with the book (and I wanted to knock my review down to 3 stars but couldn't quite) is I wanted a lot more follow up. If I had been in a class, I would have raised my hand twenty times for more information. Tell me more about oxalates. Tell me why potato skins are bad. Tell me more about eggs and beer and yogurt. He has a big time crush on sourdough bread, and the depth of that chapter was helpful. But this book is more of a starting point for primal/ natural eating than a comprehensive study.

I'd like to add that the book was written with a hefty amount of privilege. His recommendations call for a local butcher, friendly farmers you know personally and places with vegetation. He bemoans that in the state where he lives (same state as me), the sale of raw milk is illegal. He must drive to neighboring states to buy it. But many Americans have access to only a single supermarket. Many live in food deserts without even that. It's hard to find fresh pasture raised beef liver or organic kefir when you have one grocery store 30 miles away.

Overall, compelling and engaging, but not quite detailed or realistic enough to satisfy.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up because his restaurant is fairly local to me, and I know someone who’s taken one of his sourdough classes. The stories of his travels were interesting, and several of the recipes looked accessible enough, particularly the sourdough section and the ones that basically just require extra hands-off fermenting time. I also appreciated his acknowledgment that raw dairy isn’t legally accessible for many Americans, and that he created his dairy recipes accordingly. Other books I’ve read on the topic basically just say raw or nothing. There were other recipes that seem so involved, like making enough mozzarella for the amount of pizza my kids eat (if I could even convince them to eat sourdough crust to begin with, though they’ll at least eat homemade dough.) And there are absolutely things that I cannot wrap my brain around eating if starvation isn’t on the line, like the entire chapter on bugs. Ick.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was received as an ARC from Little, Brown Spark in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was beyond interesting with a unique perspective. I was fascinated with the background of Dr. Bill Schindler and the knowledge he applied through archeology with a foundation of a healthy diet was pure brilliance. I am a foodie and am easily mesmerized by the world of culinary arts now, I have a whole new perspective on food and where it comes from and its all thanks to Dr. Bill Schindler. I know a lot of our community is just as fascinated and even more which will motivate them to read this book and have fun learning as much as I did.

We will consider adding this title to our R Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

[Nick Eshnaur · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a lot of quote unquote diet books out there, but this was revolutionary for me. Schindler's awareness of other cultures and approach certainly appealed to my interests, but I think this book is an objectively fascinating look at the "how" of food and challenges the way our modern society should look at what we eat

[JR · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got more than halfway through this, even though it was pretty gross from the first. I have no doubt this doctor is on the right track and that getting back to how our bodies were designed to be nurished would be a good thing. However, I'm never going to be able to follow his recommendations. I'm not eating nose-to-tail animal, not consuming raw milk or making my own cheese from it, and not eating bugs, even in powdered protein form. So, though this was interesting, I eventually got weary of being completely grossed out in each chapter.

[Perry Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good info, but useless unless you dedicate your life to eating in this manner.

[Phaedon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across Bill Schindler on a few nutrition podcasts. I found him to have a fairly fresh perspective on the whole ancestral theme, and also to sound fairly balanced and level-headed in what he espoused. After all, he seems to be less about excluding food groups and more about processing them correctly. None of what he said when I listened to him seemed to contradict what other nutrition pundits I respect promote, so I thought it might be interesting to read his book.

This work isn't exactly what I was expecting as it's part recipe book and how-to guide on food processing rather than just a book about optimising human nutrition. I was looking for the latter more than the former, so I wound up with a bit less of the type of content I was after, but I did enjoy what was there.

Schindler's take on how to think about food is difficult to argue with. I think anyone following his advice would undoubtedly be eating a very healthy diet. As other reviewers have noted, however, one needs to be ready to commit a lot of time, energy and resource to eat the way Schindler wants us to eat. To a person who is already quite focused on nutrition, some of his advice verges on on the impractical.

Still there, are easier recipes and guides to follow, and I myself have started fermenting some vegetables. Perhaps more importantly, Schindler managed to change my perspective on some things including the viability of nuts, dairy and wheat as a food, not to mention how to consume them in the healthiest way possible.

If you're steeped in the ancestral style of eating, you may not find all of what Schindler has to say new or revolutionary, but I think he does a good job of framing it all in a true paleoanthropological context. I also think he does manage to provide some new insights that aren't readily available elsewhere. If you are ready to invest more energy into preparing food in an ancestral way, this may just be the book for you.

[SidSedai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. I noticed the reviews are all over the place, as if some people are personally offended by somebody’s writing about how our food system has changed and ways to reclaim nutrition in unconventional ways. I think these people are just ignorant and lazy, or just enjoy their fast-paced western lifestyle. Whoops, did I say that? Yikes! More power to them in that case. But in my case, I am trying to further my knowledge of how ancient cultures survived and thrived in different ways, and want to improve the nutritional quality of the food I put in my family’s mouths. So this was an excellent read. Will I be making some of the recipes immediately? Oh, yes. They’re much easier than some people make them out to be! Will I be making my own cheese weekly? Probably not (at least now now!). You can take of leave recipes from this book, but the education is wonderful. And with the detrimental health issues and disease and infertility we experience in the US and western culture in general, it might behoove us to not judge this way of eating so quickly. Maybe we could benefit. I know I have in the smallest ways I’ve applied more ancient practices in my cooking.

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

For this kind of book where somebody goes on and on about their diet and food philosophy... This one resonates the most with me! I don't know, I could never try and convince anyone to read such a book. That said, here's what I enjoy about it:
It's a synthesis of every major food trend that's interested me in recent years - bone broth, fermentation, organ meats, traditional foods, paleo, wild foods, etc - under a clear and coherent principal that traditional societies (and a surprising amount of animals in nature) use aging, cooking, fermenting and different preparation processes to make food as nourishing and bioavailable as possible. Basically a rebooted version of the Weston Price (is it a cult?) / Nourishing Traditions stuff.
It's definitely my guiding food philosophy now (unfortunately we all need one these days).

[Conrad Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the most insightful and eye opening book I have read about food. Arguments are made that we can basically eat all of the food groups but it's the way we prepare them that's most important. Fermenting is a great way to make foods more digestible for humans. Although I wouldnt use all of the strategies in the book as they all take time it's good to know about how foods can be prepared in a more healthy and sustainable way.

It seems vital that any food we eat we have some part in the process, which means basically no junk or overly processed foods. It means seeing where your produce is grown, knowing how cattle is raised or having a part in the process of cheese, yoghurt etc.

Amazing read highly recommended!

[Zora]

couldn't get into because couldn't afford (though I can seldom afford grass-fed meats butchered by a yoga master either, so perhaps I shouldn't be troubled at the book prices as I can't take a good deal of the food advice) 14.99 for an ebook may protect the publisher's print business, but then anyone middle class gets priced out of buying a book, much less the poorer people who suffer most in health from eating the SAD. A couple of imprints at a couple of large publishers have realized ebooks should be 5.99 (and the author should get half, because really, they did the gol-darned work!), and occasionally be put on sale for 1.99. Those are the smart publishers, and that does not include this publisher.

[Courtney Harp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I enjoyed reading about the author's travel experiences (many with his family in tow) as he learned about food and preparation processes from other cultures - near and far. Most of his recipes seem impractical for a majority of people today, but I appreciate how he encourages the reader to make small changes that will impact one's health in the long run. I learned something new with each chapter, especially chapter 7 regarding bugs! The book also gave me the desire to make my own sourdough bread in the future.

[Brittney Stalvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very impressed with the information and organization of this book. It was very practical even for someone (me) who already practices and is well-versed in ancestral eating. The recipes he includes are solid and adaptable.

To the person who reads this and feels like his ideas are too far fetched, look into the Weston A Price Foundation. There are plenty of people who eat this way because they have personally experienced the significant health benefits. It doesn’t need to feel overwhelming, just make small changes every day.

[Carol Steel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but…

Not for me. Probably great if you live on a farm, butcher your own meat and have a day per week to bake your own sourdough bread, ferment your honey and have easy access to his suggested ingredients. I don’t. Still, suggested substitutions are easy enough to incorporate and his point of view, while authoritative, leaves me with many questions. But an interesting read nonetheless.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

What attracted me to this book was the title and having heard the author speak on the topic! Fascinating stuff! Difficult to execute in modern society but the author offers suggestions to allow you to slowly move in a healthier direction. Enjoyed the various chapters in the book which is broken down by food category and the authors excellent writing style! I will likely try some of the many recipes presented knowing I will be providing myself and family with nutrient dense, safe, bioavailable, and delicious food! 😎

[Myra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this interesting and easy to read. I like that he includes recipes. Some of them I am excited to try. Some I know I won't even bother. It's a lot of work if you want to do everything described in this book and I'm not willing to dedicate that kind of time to it.

It did make me really appreciate the blood sausage when I traveled recently to the British Isles :D

I think this is a must read for anybody interested in nutrition and what they are eating.

[David Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book fascinating. The most amazing chapter was actually the acknowledgements. I don't think I have ever said that about a book before. I enjoyed the rest of the book too. There are several recipes I am very interested in trying.
The passion and intensity of the author was pretty inspiring.

[Denis Romanovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the end this is a quite good book. From the way our ancestors made their food, to analyzing reasons of their adaptation to environments, to problems of the current food paramide. This book explains what we lost in making our food nutritious and digestible by industrialization and globalization. Of course, there are good recipes inside.

[Gabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Definitely up my alley. I have studied nutrition for many years now. This is a great balance of all the things I have learned. As a healthcare practitioner and someone who has suffered from chronic illness due to food intolerances what Bill states makes sense.

[Leiloni Schulz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has many new ideas of how we should look at good and nutrition. Some of it I knew. Some of it was information that I never heard before. Some of it I should look more into. One thing I am going to add to my diet is cricket flour.

[Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of good information on farm-to-table cooking. No processed foods here unless one counts fermenting at home. However, I do draw the line at eating insects -- even crispy deep-fried crickets, even when they're ground into flour.

[Nan Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

The book has interesting stories but lots of weird things. The recipes, while looking good and sound fun, unfortunately will not be things i can make. I was hoping for more on European traditions and relatable stories.