The ultimate ancestral book list

We've gathered our favourite books that explore a wide range of topics, from the forgotten wisdom of ancestral diets to the science of metabolic health, regenerative farming, and the deep nourishment found in collagen, organ meats, and whole animal nutrition.

Whether you're curious about the impact of nose-to-tail eating, the power of sunlight for circadian health, or the role of traditional foods in fertility and longevity, this list has something for you. 

If we were starting our journey over, these are the books we'd want in our hands...

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

Part cookbook, part nutritional manifesto, Nourishing Traditions is your invitation to cook and eat the way humans thrived for millennia. 

Drawing on Weston A. Price’s research into traditional diets around the world, Sally Fallon revives lost arts od fermentation, slow cooking, and nose-to-tail eating. She invites you to simmer bone broths, celebrate organ meats, and embrace nourishing animal fats once labeled “bad.” The result? A metabolic awakening rooted in old-world wisdom.

Deep Nutrition by Dr. Catherine Shanahan 

What if your facial structure, metabolism, and even your children’s health were shaped by the way your great grandparents ate? Deep Nutrition exposes the long-forgotten link between ancestral diets and genetic expression, revealing how nutrient dense foods can literally shape our biology.

This book explores how the foods  that built some of the healthiest populations in history, and how veering from them has led to widespread metabolic dysfunction. If you want to understand how real food can influence everything from immune strength to fertility, Deep Nutrition offers a powerful, science backed roadmap to reclaiming your health at the cellular level.

Sacred Cow by Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf

Red meat is under fire like never before, but are we missing the bigger picture? Sacred Cow challenges the widespread belief that cattle are an ecological disaster and a dietary sin. Instead, Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf present a thought-provoking case for how properly managed ruminants, cows grazing on regenerating grassland, scan help heal the land.

Drawing on ecological studies, nutritional science, and ethical philosophy, they argue that grass fed beef and dairy can be both humane and climate-friendly while delivering superior nutrient density (like B12, iron, zinc, and even healthy fats). Whether you’ve dabbled in vegetarianism or are a dedicated carnivore, this book will reframe how you think about sustainability, ethics, and the true cost of your protein choices.

The Collagen Diet by Dr. Josh Axe

Collagen, our body’s building block for hair, skin, nails, and joints, has found the spotlight for a reason, and Dr. Josh Axe takes the fascination to new depths in The Collagen Diet. But it’s not just about tossing any random collagen supplement in your smoothie. 

Axe emphasises the beauty of grass-fed and wild-sourced collagen as the key to truly transformative results.

Learn why your gut, metabolism, and even hormone balance hinge on getting enough of this vital protein, plus how modern diets often neglect the tissues that contain it (think cartilage, tendons, and tough cuts)

Real Food for Fertility by Lily Nichols

A must-read for anyone (as fertility is about so much more than just conceiving). 

Real Food for Fertility unpacks why preconception nutrient stores matter and how modern diets may be at odds with optimal reproductive health. It explores the critical role of egg quality, early pregnancy nutrition, and the impact of preconception habits on fetal development. This book addresses common fertility challenges like hormonal contraceptive use, insulin resistance, gut imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, and PCOS, offering a comprehensive roadmap to correct deficiencies and restore balance. It also covers male fertility, providing essential insights on sperm health, DNA integrity, and key nutrients to support conception.

How to Heal Yourself with Sunlight by Andreas Moritz

We often forget that nutrition extends beyond our plates. We’ve all heard about vitamin D, but here, it’s illuminated as more than a simple nutrient: sun exposure can reset circadian rhythms, boost immune function, and even optimise the benefits we get from grass-fed diets.

Ever wonder why our ancestors spent so much of life outdoors? Turns out, consistent, moderate sun exposure underpins everything from robust hormone balance to mental clarity.  How to Heal Yourself with Sunlight makes a compelling case that the synergy of real food and real rays can restore energy levels in ways modern medicine has barely begun to appreciate.

Nourishing Broth by Sally Fallon

A sister to her classic, Sally Fallon zooms in on the humble yet heroically nutritious world of stocks, broths, and stews in Nourishing Broth.

With stories and recipes that celebrate every culture’s love affair with slow simmered bones, she details how everything from collagen to trace minerals leaches into the water, ready to heal aching joints, seal leaky guts, and supply the body with a wealth of amino acids. It’s a testament to just how much goodness we can unlock by using every part of the animal, no waste, maximum sustenance. Whether you’re sipping bone broth to recover from surgery or simply seeking a comforting ritual that also nourishes on the deepest level, this book will turn your stockpot into a daily source of vitality.