What Does It Mean To “Eat Like Our Ancestors Ate”?

Why do we keep talking about “eating like our ancestors ate”? What does that make you think about? What kind of food did your ancestors eat? Lamb? Pig? Fish? 

If you’re looking for nutrient-dense food, going back a generation or two (or 10) might enlighten you on how much our food has changed in recent years. We believe in the importance of considering how our ancestors ate as we navigate how to live a much healthier lifestyle as well as working through challenges like food transparency and food freedom. 

Understanding how our ancestors ate will also help you understand our farm and why we’ve chosen to farm regeneratively. It’s a priority for us at 1984Farms to produce meat like our ancestors ate… nutrient-dense, clean, and natural.

What we mean by “ancestors” is both our personal genealogy and the early history of human survival. We can go back a couple of generations, before food like Lucky Charms and Ramen were in every household, and recognize that human diets were simple and natural. 

My grandmother and grandfather on their wedding day.

May I tell you about my own lovely grandmother? She grew up on a dry farm in Utah and ate a lot of meat and raw dairy. Growing up, she and her family had a family milk cow, and would eat or use all the parts of the meat animals. She loves pork rinds, and was raised knowing how to fry up pig skin. It’s her 96th birthday TODAY and she’s just starting to slow down. I consider her the epitome of health! 

When we consider the way meat was raised or hunted historically, there are 4 specific things we are trying to simulate with regenerative farming here at 1984Farms.

1. Pure, Clean meat. Animals were not affected by synthetic toxins like pesticides, medications, or vaccines. 

2. Wild game and meat animals naturally ate grasses, not grain. It has only been since the 1960’s that feedlot operations and vitamin-infused grain have been introduced to farm animals, affecting the animals who literally do not have the stomach for it. 

3. Wild game and meat animals lived out in the open. They were free to roam in the sunshine, and they instinctively foraged for what they needed. Animals moved around and some migrated, leaving the grass to regrow before returning to an area. 

Ancestral Foods vs Ultra-processed foods of today. Which do you think is killing us?

4. Our ancestors diets prioritized animal foods. Their diets consisted of nutrient-dense food like meat and dairy. (Their diets also lacked the amount of chemicals, synthetic vitamins, preservatives, and fillers that most store-bought food contains today.) 

It doesn’t take much to look around and recognize that the health of our society is struggling. The diet of the average American is so far from the way our ancestors ate, even just a hundred years ago, and we’re paying for it in our physical, mental, and emotional health. 

We believe that eating the way our ancestors ate promotes healthier individuals, healthier families, communities, and ultimately a healthier world. 

We dedicate blood sweat and tears to provide truly clean meat for not just our own family but yours as well. 

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Let (Food) Freedom RING!

“Freedom” seems to be quite the buzzword lately. Freedom of speech, Educational freedom, Religious freedom… but what do you know about Food Freedom? 

In my last blog post about Why We Love Independence Day, I mentioned some similarities between Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm and what we’re seeing going on in the world today. 

In a nutshell, and to no one’s surprise, our freedoms are being attacked. 

Food Freedom is something I am very passionate about, so buckle up. 

As a Farmer and Business owner, I am seeing first-hand more and more red tape around selling food. We have had to jump through some pretty ridiculous hoops and sign on dozens of dotted lines to legally sell and ship our grass-fed meat. 

Farmer’s markets are banning the sell of fresh farm eggs.

In many States, it’s illegal to sell raw cow milk. 

However, no one will interfere if you’re privately giving it away, but as soon as there is money exchanged you no longer have the freedom to use your best judgment or choose for yourself. When did we stop taking accountability for the food we eat and let the government step in and “help”? Regulations are inconsistent from state to state, even county to county. There is no rhyme or reason to the red tape except that money is involved. 

Since you’re reading this, it’s probably safe to say you understand the benefits of responsible farming and consuming quality meat. How has it become that you can get a “burger” for $1 at Mcdonald’s and yet top-quality grass-fed, antibiotic-free ground beef will cost at least $10 per pound? 

It’s a money game to stay healthy. Please invest in your health while you’re healthy. You can pay the price for quality, nutrient-dense food and receive the health benefits now… or you can complain about the price of healthy food, buy less-nutritious food, and pay the healthcare system later when your body is riddled with disease and inflammation and you will be at their mercy. That may sound a little dramatic – but that’s the reality. Being unhealthy is a prison, it’s the opposite of freedom. I know because I’ve been there. 

Historically, tyranny is always connected to food and education. People are easy to control when they are uneducated, hungry, or sick. 

I strongly believe in education and informed consent. When information is withheld (like not labeling lab-grown meat), we cannot make informed decisions, and we become pawns in a game we never meant to sign up for. Do your due diligence to be as informed as possible.

The government is NOT accountable for your choices. If you get sick from choosing something they recommend, they will not take responsibility for it. You will be left to navigate the consequences on your own time and your own dime. 

In today’s fast-paced, instant gratification-centered world, 1984Farms is doing things unconventionally, but this used to be the norm. Raising and gathering your own food, being informed and being accountable are actually traditional values that benefit individuals and society. These are values our great country was founded on! 

We need to take our freedoms back! At 1984Farms, we are passionate about empowering you and your family to take ownership of your food, your health, and your education. We have paved one way as a reliable food source, and we have given you the information you need to make informed decisions. 

If you aren’t raising or growing your own food, go to the places, farms, and people that align with your values – buy from them! 

If you need help finding the quality meat, produce, dairy or resources that you’re looking for please reach out to me! I’d be more than happy to help. You don’t have to figure this out on your own.

You’re a part of our community, and your questions are very welcome! 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Food Freedom. Leave a comment or send me a message!