For decades, we’ve been told that red meat, eggs, butter, and raw dairy are bad for us—while ultra-processed foods like oat milk, seed oils, and cereal have been glorified as the key to health. But here’s the harsh reality: the food industry isn’t driven by what’s best for your health, it’s driven by profit. Whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods simply aren’t as lucrative as ultra-processed, shelf-stable, mass-marketed “health” foods. And so, over time, we’ve been conditioned to fear the very foods that our ancestors prized the most.
The consequences of this shift are devastating. Not only are metabolic diseases like diabetes and obesity skyrocketing, but modern diets are actually changing the structure of our skulls. Anthropologists have observed that our jaws are shrinking, our facial structure is becoming weaker, and dental issues like overcrowding and misalignment are more common than ever. This isn’t genetic—it’s a direct result of our nutrient-deficient, highly processed modern diet.
The solution? To revert back to what worked. To eat like our ancestors did. To embrace real, unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods and reject the industrialized food products that have led us to this state of poor health.
The “Unhealthy” Foods That Are Actually Healthy
Many of the most nutrient-dense, ancestral foods have been demonized by mainstream nutrition for decades. We’ve been told they’ll clog our arteries, raise our cholesterol, and lead to heart disease. But science—and human history—tell a different story.
- Eggs: One of the most complete sources of protein and nutrients, packed with choline, vitamin A, and omega-3s.
- Cream & Butter: Rich in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K2, crucial for proper bone and dental development.
- Red Meat: Loaded with bioavailable iron, zinc, B12, and complete proteins for muscle growth and overall health.
- Raw Milk: A natural source of beneficial enzymes, probiotics, and fat-soluble vitamins, supporting gut health and immunity.
- Cheese: When made from quality, full-fat milk, it’s a powerhouse of calcium, vitamin K2, and saturated fats.
- Salt: Demonized as a health risk, but in reality, an essential electrolyte that regulates hydration and nerve function.
- Honey: A natural carbohydrate source that provides enzymes, antioxidants, and antimicrobial properties when consumed in moderation.
These foods have been staples in human diets for centuries, nourishing strong, resilient populations. But in the last hundred years, they’ve been cast aside in favor of industrial food products designed for profit—not for health.
The “Healthy” Foods That Are Actually Unhealthy
In place of traditional, whole foods, modern diets now revolve around heavily processed, synthetic food-like substances that have been marketed as “healthy” alternatives. But these foods don’t provide the nourishment our bodies need—they contribute to inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and nutrient deficiencies that directly impact bone, muscle, and brain development.
- Seed Oils (Canola, Soy, Corn, Sunflower, etc.): Industrially processed oils that are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which contribute to chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic disease.
- Low-Fat Dairy: Stripped of its natural fat-soluble vitamins and replaced with synthetic fortifications and stabilizers.
- Nut and Oat Milks: Ultra-processed and loaded with seed oils, synthetic vitamins, and gut-disrupting additives like carrageenan.
- Margarine: A toxic, chemically processed butter substitute made with hydrogenated vegetable oils that harm heart and brain health.
- Plant-Based Meats: Highly processed frankenfoods full of soy protein isolates, seed oils, and synthetic additives.
- Soy: A phytoestrogen-rich, heavily processed ingredient that disrupts hormone balance and inhibits mineral absorption.
- Protein Bars & Cereal: Marketed as health foods but typically packed with refined grains, sugar, seed oils, and artificial sweeteners.
These foods did not exist in human diets until very recently, and they are directly contributing to the rise in chronic disease and poor development. We are not suffering from an excess of animal fats and red meat—we are suffering from a diet dominated by industrial, processed foods.
Let’s Not Blame Meat for What This Is Doing
Mainstream nutrition likes to point fingers at meat and saturated fat for the rise in heart disease, obesity, and metabolic disorders. But what changed in the last hundred years wasn’t our meat consumption—it was our consumption of seed oils, cereal, oat milk, and processed grains.
- In the early 1900s, people consumed real butter, lard, whole milk, and red meat daily, yet obesity and metabolic disease were rare.
- When processed seed oils, refined grains, and synthetic food products became dietary staples, chronic disease exploded.
- Studies that blame red meat for health issues fail to account for the rest of the diet—many of these findings lump red meat eaters into groups that also consume high amounts of processed foods, sugar, and alcohol.
The problem isn’t real, whole food. The problem is the highly processed, industrialized food products that have replaced it.
The Modern Diet Is Devolving Our Skulls
One of the most shocking consequences of our modern diet is its effect on bone and jaw development. Anthropologists have found that compared to our ancestors, modern skulls are smaller, our jaws are less pronounced, and our teeth are more crowded and misaligned.
Why? Less chewing, fewer fat-soluble vitamins, and nutrient deficiencies from ultra-processed foods. Traditional diets were rich in vitamin K2, vitamin D, collagen, and minerals like calcium and phosphorus—all essential for strong bones and facial development. Modern diets, high in seed oils and refined grains, fail to provide the nutrients necessary for proper bone growth.
Weston A. Price: Indigenous Cultures Had Perfect Jaw Development
In the 1930s, Dr. Weston A. Price, a dentist and researcher, traveled the world studying indigenous populations that still followed their traditional diets. What he found was staggering—these groups had perfectly developed facial structures, strong jawlines, and straight, healthy teeth.
What was missing? Processed foods, refined grains, and seed oils.
Instead, these groups ate 10 times more fat-soluble vitamins and 4 times more minerals than people on modern diets. They thrived on raw dairy, organ meats, fish, eggs, and animal fats—all rich sources of vitamins A, D, and K2, which are critical for skeletal and dental health.
When members of these same populations switched to modern, processed diets, tooth decay, facial deformities, and chronic disease skyrocketed.
There’s a Lesson to Be Learned: We Need to Revert Back to What Worked
The evidence is clear: our ancestors knew how to eat for health and longevity. They relied on real, nutrient-dense foods that supported strong bones, healthy brains, and thriving bodies. The modern diet, with its processed oils, refined grains, and synthetic ingredients, is causing disease, degeneration, and even changes to our physical structure.
The lesson? It’s time to return to what works.
- Eat real, whole foods—animal fats, red meat, raw dairy, eggs, and organ meats.
- Avoid ultra-processed industrial foods—seed oils, plant-based substitutes, refined grains, and sugar-laden “health” foods.
- Prioritize fat-soluble vitamins and mineral-rich foods to restore proper development and resilience
We are not meant to survive on synthetic, lab-created foods. We are meant to thrive on the same foods that fueled our ancestors for generations. The further we stray from that, the more we suffer. The only way forward is to look back at what worked and reclaim the diet that made humans strong.
Citations:
- Daniel, R. "How Your Child's Favourite Foods Could Cause 'Alarming' Changes to Their Face, Scientists Warn." The Sun, 2025, https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/32791342/childs-favourite-foods-could-cause-alarming-face-changes/. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
- Marsh, Sarah. "Are Ultra-Processed Foods Changing the Shape of Our Jaws?" The Guardian, 14 Jan. 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/14/are-ultra-processed-foods-changing-the-shape-of-our-jaws. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
- Price, Weston A. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Paul B. Hoeber, Inc., 1939.
- von Cramon-Taubadel, Noreen. "The Effect of Agricultural Diets on Human Skull Morphology." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 114, no. 1, 2017, pp. 34-39, https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1711475114. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
- "Principles of Healthy Diets." Weston A. Price Foundation, https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/principles-of-healthy-diets-2/. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.