The Health Secrets of The Ancients

 

“How do I get my life in order?

This is probably the most common question I get outside of fitness.

It comes in different shapes and forms, but it always boils down to the same thing.

And I’m not surprised.

As a society, I believe we have never been more confused, more conflicted and more out of touch with reality than today.

Regardless, my answer to that question is always the same:

Eat better, move your body every day and spend more time outside in nature (aka get more sunlight).

Do these 3 things consistently and the rest will take care of itself.

“But, but… Victor, how’s that going to solve my problems?”

 

Wisdom Of The Ages

I’ve been reading a lot of old school training and nutrition literature lately. Books from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Fascinating stuff, really. And a testament to our failure as a society in respecting the laws of nature.

We understood the human body better back then than we do today. No comparison. We were healthier, stronger and smarter 100 years ago than today.

As a species, we are no longer evolving, we are degenerating.

And our forefathers knew this time would come. They knew the causes and the remedies of degenerative disease. They knew what kept us strong, virile and healthy.

This wisdom has been all but forgotten today. The truth has been hidden from us.

Undoubtedly the best book I’ve ever read on human health is Dr. Weston A. Price’s masterpiece Nutrition and Physical Degeneration (released in 1939).

Make no mistake. This is not a diet book. It’s not a weight loss fad. This is the thorough study of our ancestors.

In the early 1900s, Dr. Price and a team of researchers traveled across the globe to live among and learn from the primitive cultures of the world.

From people living in isolated villages in the Swiss Alps to the Australian Aborigines, the Eskimos of Alaska, the indigenous tribes of Peru, the Kenyan Masai to the Maori of New Zealand, we’re talking about humans in their natural habitat, completely isolated from civilization. Untouched and uncorrupted by the modern world.

What becomes evident from the get-go is that these people were (and are to this day) free from degenerative diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and brain dysfunction.

The primitives were not only in perfect health, they also had perfect physical features (i.e. bone structure, height, teeth) and impeccable brain function.

Their civilized peers, on the other hand, were already facing the health consequences of modern living (keep in mind, we’re talking about the early 1900s here). They were already indulging in man-made foods and becoming increasingly sedentary.

 

Where Civilization Goes Disease Follows

“Stalwart physical development and high moral character” is what characterizes people living in alignment with nature’s laws.

We already know that high physical fitness correlates with better brain function (this has been well established in recent research). But according to Dr. Price, it’s not just our intellect that benefits from an active lifestyle.

A lack of adequate nutrition and physical activity not only dumbs people down, it breaks their character. He goes so far as to correlate living a “modern life” with physical, mental and moral degeneration.

Controversial? Sure.

True? You tell me.

Look around. This is precisely what we see in the world today.

We have strayed from the way. And the effects are apparent wherever you look.

Our ancestors knew how to eat, move and live to be healthy. They had this stuff figured out centuries, millennia ago. And here we are living in a virtual world, eating industrial waste masquerading as “food”, popping pills like Tic Tacs and wondering “WhAt’s GoiNg oN”?

As we are getting fatter, sicker and more degenerate every year we still fail to look reality in the eye.

But let’s take a step back for a moment.

Why do I believe what this man had to say close to 100 years ago? What is different about his take on the subject? Is it because he’s a doctor?

Hm… good one. But no.

I believe if you read someone’s work, you can tell if they’re sincere or if they have ulterior motives.

If you really listen, you can tell truth from fairy tales and marketing gibberish.

But more than that, everything the Doc proclaims in his book is in alignment with my experiences. The proof is in the pudding, as they say.

 

The Key To Health, Longevity and Happiness

 

So what’s the solution? And what does all this have to do with the initial question?

How can the wisdom of the ancients help you get your sh*t together?

Should we all go back to living in the forest and hunting our own food?

Compelling, but no.

We must embrace the wisdom of our forefathers. And we must adapt their knowledge to our modern environment. That is truly the only way to health and happiness.

You see, I do not condemn the ways of modern man. But for us to advance as a society, as humans, we need to get back to our winning ways.

We need to eat better.

We need to get up off our asses and move our bodies.

We need to spend more time outside in nature and less time glued to a screen.

We need to sleep more and sleep better.

We need to live in community, not isolation.

We need to go back to the source.

These are the universal laws of man.

 

The Vegan Hoax and The Universal Human Diet

 

So what did our ancestors eat?

We have this silly notion in our heads that people “back in the day” lived in a pristine world with clean air, fresh water, and a perfect diet of steamed veggies and gluten-free grains.

Don’t make me laugh. Our ancestors were survivors, not a bunch of hippies living in paradise.

They ate whatever they could cultivate, gather or kill. And that means pretty much anything nature provided: Grains, fruits and vegetables, meat, fish and seafood, milk and dairy, nuts and seeds.

Yes, they ate bread, they drank milk and they ate meat. Truth be told, their diet would give most dieticians and “health experts” today a mild heart attack.

They ate plant foods as well as animal products. They valued organ meats (i.e. liver and glands) and seafood (i.e. fish eggs and liver oil), for their rich nutritional content. Unsurprisingly, these foods have practically disappeared from the modern diet.

They did not count calories and macronutrients. They did not avoid carbs or animal fats. They didn’t follow any restrictive diets.

Yet, obesity was unheard of. They were in perfect health. Physically, mentally and spiritually.

The trend today is to restrict or eliminate macronutrients and entire food groups (i.e. no-carb ketogenic or vegan diets). And the results speak for themselves.

I have to chuckle every time I hear these food extremists come out with yet another “best diet”.

There is only one universal human diet.

And it’s certainly not paleo, keto, vegan or any other magazine diet. Speaking of the vegan diet, I’ll let the Doc chime in with his take on the subject…

“As yet I have not found a single group of primitive racial stock which was building and maintaining excellent bodies by living entirely on plant foods.”

– Dr. Weston A. Price

 

That’s right. Not a SINGLE GROUP of studied people could sustain their health on a plant-only diet. Not one. Chew on that.

But this should come as no surprise to you. Look at the vegans you know. Do they look healthy, strong and powerful? No. They either look like prison camp escapees (who couldn’t do a pull-up to save their lives) or they’re grossly overweight.

Either way, one thing all vegans have in common is malnourishment.

We have betrayed our heritage. We have betrayed nature. And we are paying the price.

So what’s the universal human diet I speak of?

Simple. A diet of earth-grown food. A diet we have evolved to eat over the course of millennia.

A diet that combines all food groups and macronutrients. A diet that naturally limits overeating. A diet that is very low in (or completely devoid of) man-made foods like refined grain products, vegetable oils and sugar.

But food is only one part of the equation. The primitives had a couple other tricks up their sleeves.

They were highly active, regularly working hard physical labor to provide for their families and their community. They also understood the need for adequate rest and sufficient sleep.

They respected nature and lived in accordance with her laws.

The Health Secrets of The Ancients:

• High levels of activity (balanced with adequate downtime)
• Daily sunlight exposure
• Hard physical labor
• More and better sleep
• A diet comprised of nature-made foods
• No pills, powders and potions

Physical health cannot be separated from mental health.

Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. You already have your path set out for you. Go ahead, follow it… or suffer the consequences.

I have yet to find a better, more complete resource on human health.

I highly recommend you get yourself a copy or you read it online (you can find the PDF file for free).

And remember what Milton said: “Don’t accuse nature, she has fulfilled her task; you must fulfill yours.”

So go ahead, fulfill your task.

 

Until then.

Thank you for reading

Victor

 

P.S.

Confused about how to EAT, TRAIN, and LIVE to lose weight, build muscle and maximize your God-given potential?

I got you.

Grab your copy of Lean Machine and uncover the secret science behind physical transformation.

Follow in the steps of hundreds of people (check out these testimonials!) who have achieved incredible results without giving up their lives in the process.