Eat Like a Human: 5 Lessons That Changed the Way I See Food

What if the way we eat today—though modern, convenient, and even trendy—is actually disconnecting us from our biology?

That’s the question Dr. Bill Schindler, an archaeologist and chef, tackles in Eat Like a Human. This book isn’t just about food—it’s about survival, evolution, nourishment, and reclaiming a lost relationship with our ancestors, the land, and our own bodies. And while the stories are rooted in ancient practice, the applications are strikingly modern. Here are five takeaways I believe everyone should sit with:

1. We’re the Most Disconnected Eaters in Human History 

Dr. Schindler reminds us that for most of human existence, we were deeply connected to our food. We hunted, gathered, fermented, cooked over fire, and respected every part of the animal or plant. Today? We outsource it all. That disconnection has physical consequences—nutrient deficiencies, chronic disease, and even anxiety around food itself. → Clinical note: When we lose connection to how we eat, it shows up in how we feel. Many of my patients struggling with inflammation, blood sugar issues, or gut dysfunction are also living on ultra-processed, hyper-palatable “dead” food.

2. Processing Isn’t the Problem—Modern Processing Is 

It’s easy to villainize “processed food,” but Dr. Schindler flips that on its head. Fermenting, sprouting, nixtamalization, smoking—these are all forms of processing our ancestors used to unlock nutrition. The problem is that industrial processing strips away life, fiber, enzymes, and minerals. → Clinical takeaway: I often encourage patients to reintroduce traditional preparations: ferment your veggies, soak your grains, slow-cook your meats. It’s not about perfection—it’s about giving your body what it can actually use.

3. Nose-to-Tail Eating Is Our Evolutionary Blueprint 

One of the most confronting parts of the book is also one of the most transformative: animals aren’t just meat—they’re organ meats, bones, skin, blood, fat. And we evolved to eat it all. Liver, especially, is emphasized as a nutritional powerhouse that’s largely disappeared from modern plates. → Try this: Start with grass-fed liver capsules or a small amount of chopped liver mixed into ground beef. Your mitochondria will thank you.

4. Fermentation Is the Missing Link in Modern Gut Health 

Our ancestors fermented everything—dairy, grains, vegetables, meats. This wasn’t for flavor. It was for survival, digestion, and preservation. Fermented foods come loaded with beneficial bacteria and predigested nutrients, something our sterile, pasteurized culture is sorely lacking. → In practice: When I see dysbiosis or low SCFA production on a GI Map test, fermented foods like kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi are often part of the protocol—not just supplements.

5. Eating Like a Human Is More Than a Diet—It’s a Relationship 

At its core, this book isn’t telling you to follow a new list of dos and don’ts. It’s asking you to remember. To reclaim food as a relationship—not a set of macros, not a diet trend, but a sacred act of nourishment. → Healing starts here: When patients shift from fear-based eating to embodied, ancestral eating, they gain more than energy or a flat stomach—they gain a sense of belonging in their own body.

Final Thoughts

Eat Like a Human is both an invitation and a challenge: to return to the foods that shaped our physiology and to nourish ourselves in ways that are both ancient and alive. In my clinic, I see the power of this return every day. The path to healing isn’t always found in a new pill or protocol—but in remembering what it means to be fully, wholly, beautifully human.