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#136 - Ancestral Habits and Lifestyle Outside of the Kitchen: what we do and why it matters
20 July 2026

#136 - Ancestral Habits and Lifestyle Outside of the Kitchen: what we do and why it matters

Ancestral Kitchen

About

If we understand the importance of eating nose to tail, preparing bone broth and fermenting our grains, we understand that these ancestral principles for preparing food help our body to benefit more from the food we are eating and to avoid some of the damaging effects of industrial foods.

But are there other areas in our life where industrialized habits, behaviors and products are damaging our bodies and lives and are there ancestral, traditional ways of living we can look back at and try to imitate or recreate in our lives today, for optimal human thriving, longevity and happiness?

Yes, there absolutely are. There are ways of ancestral living that reach beyond the doors of the kitchen that support our habits in the kitchen, and our habits in the kitchen support our life outside. It’s all inextricably interconnected. In this episode we talk about what some of these ancestral aspects of modern life are, and how we have been integrating them and what you can do to bring them into your life today.

We have a further aftershow on our private supporter podcast, Kitchen Table Chats, where we discuss some important habits to cultivate, and we dropped a lot of links and resources in the show notes to support all of what we are discussing today. Rather than push our body to the limits of its tolerance, let's place ourselves in a prime position for thriving and succeeding, and enjoying our life more every day.

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If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts:

    Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your libraryScroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening

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Resources:

Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth

Whoop sleep study (one of many!)

Episode 76: Essential Oils in an Ancestral Kitchen

Episode 37: A Peek into Alison and Rob's Ancestral Lifestyle

Episode 12: Why I Gave Away My iPhone

Decluttering help from Minimal Mom on YouTube

Whoop Podcast (they are on YouTube also)

Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne - signs of PTSD in children in heavily programmed lives matching signs of PTSD in children raised in war zones

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Whole Body Barefoot: Transitioning Well to Minimal Footwear by Katy Bowman

Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman

Nutritious Movement, Katy's website

Xero Shoes

Many, many styles of barefoot shoes for all ages and styles: Anya's Reviews

e-Ink Screen devices

Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share

The podcast has a website here!

Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen

The podcast is on You Tube here

The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay