Eat Like a Human

Nourishing Foods and Ancient Ways of Cooking to Revolutionize Your Health

By: Bill Schindler

Narrated 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.

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.

Critic reviews

“If you are confused about what to eat, tossed about in the storm of conflicting dietary advice, Eat Like a Human provides a refreshing, unique perspective on the origins of the human diet, and how to design and prepare a varied inclusive diet of nutrient dense foods, often wild and weird, that extracts the most nutritional benefit through ancient cooking methods (and often ancient foods ignored today – insects anyone?). If you want to learn to be in right relationship to your body, nature and food, read this book!”—Mark Hyman, MD, New York Times-bestselling author of The Pegan Diet

“Dr. Bill Schindler is at the forefront of a small handful of intrepid researchers who have taken the deep insights of evolutionary science and wedded them to the practical (and critical) process of feeding ourselves, our families, and communities. Eat Like a Human is not ‘cave man reenactment’ — it is a science-based approach to truly nourishing the human body, mind, and spirit.”—Robb Wolf, New York Times-bestselling author of The Paleo Solution and Wired to Eat

“From Samburu warriors in Africa drinking blood milkshakes, to highlanders in Peru dipping potatoes in a sauce made of clay, Eat Like a Human takes you on a fascinating journey of culinary traditions around the world. Dr. Schindler explains why food preparation techniques are critical for obtaining the best possible nourishment for our food while providing delicious recipes acceptable to western palates. Eat Like a Human is a delightful read that serves as a practical road map to healthy eating.”—Sally Fallon Morell, President of the Weston A. Price Foundation

“Eat Like a Human will awake your latent hunter-gatherer. Dr. Schindler shares his intriguing journey from 'hard core obsessive' to the realization that food is more than nutrition — it's also a cultural experience that is invaluable to our health and happiness. A lifetime of discovery and invaluable forgotten skills between two covers.”—Darina Allen, founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School, and author of Grow Cook Nourish

“Dr. Bill Schindler dives into ancestral foodways, into the archeology of food, in order to draw a better future for our health as well as the health of our planet. He doesn't just preach the change in our eating behavior, he uses the world's simplest argument—eat like a human—to understand our DNA, our metabolic functions, and the evolution of our species in order to design a better, tastier, healthier, and more egalitarian future.”—Alex Atala, chef and author of D.O.M

Great information. Best book of its kind

I've listened to books similar to this but never got the real life information this has.

Interesting, but….

This book offers interesting ideas, however not really practical, especially on foraging. And then I don’t think much of the information presented here were really backed by strong scientific research.

Eat ze bugs

Pretty ok. Interesting but also the chapter intros with the poor audio recordings is weird.

Make The World Human Again!

I am so glad that Dr Schindler finally put together a book of his vast knowledge and experiences with ancestral nutrition. I am a huge fan and follower of Dr Schindler and have been blessed to have an opportunity to taste the Modern Stone Age Kitchen foods and boy, eating ancetserally does not mean that you miss out on taste! As a very grain intolerant person, I experienced first hand how I can actually tolerate grains when they have been prepared right, in the ways that Dr Schindler described that our ancestors did to make these foods safe and nutritious for us, but we have completely come away from with our modern industrialized food manufacturing practices. I keep learning more and more that it is really not about what you eat, it's about HOW it is made! It is also nice that Dr Schindler did his own narration, as his passion and earnestness really translates to the topocs. The audio clips of his travels were such a nice bonus for the audio book. Great touch!

Like a Human

This is awesome!!
Dr. Schindler has collected an amazing amount of information and awesome stories!! I have to buy the hardcover!!! It’s a keeper!!

No, thank you.

Way more involved and expansive than I expected. I eat a healthy diet. After this book I have no desire to “eat like a human,” nor do I have the time or resources. Someone really into food…all kinds and all ways…may enjoy this book. I did not. Parts are DEFINITELY not good company during mealtime.

Amazing and Powerful

Awesome book about health, nutrition, history, culture, culinary creativity, and the story of our human family. I am excited to dive deep into these ideas and share this book with my friends and family!

One of the best books on diet and nutrition

This is one of the best books I have read in human diet and nutrition. It provides a new perspective on the approach to nutrition without being too restrictive and giving many solutions for someone to enjoy his favorite foods in a healthy way.

Possibly too concise

If you are familiar with Dr. Schindler's content, have listened to a few podcasts of which he has been a guest, then you will likely not find significant new content here. The audiobook is much shorter than the listed 6 hrs and 15 mins, as the end of the book covers recipes and preparations. Thoroughly enjoyable as a content refresher, great performance by the author himself. I wish more time had been spent on the discussion of food processing throughout hominid evolution. The entomophagy chapter is A+

Loved the information in this book.

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Listening to it again this month. This is a great aside to those living in a keto/carnivore space. The journey back to eating like our ancestors has reversed my poor health and opened my eyes to the real horror of processed food. My wife and I are gathering ingredients to try some of the recipes in this book, can't wait. Thanks Dr. Schindler.