If the popularity of the carnivore diet and current Beyond meat stock price is any indication, we may have just unknowingly entered the 'post-vegan' era.

Yes, veganism is dead- and not a moment too soon. 

We have suffered long enough the consequences of consuming low-fat, minimal plant based protein, brainwashed to believe that a diet consisting of mainly fruit and vegetables, nuts, rice, beans and tofu on repeat and in endless variations is enough to provide us with all the macro and micro nutrients needed to be healthy and successfully reproduce. Now we know better.

Perhaps no one knows this more than Cara Molina, who has made a career out of coaching others on the importance of what are called 'ancestral foods'.  This way of eating tries to mimic the way that our ancestors ate thousands of years ago and is not in any way complex or difficult to grasp. The main ethos is this: focus on nutrient-dense whole foods and avoid ultra-processed ones. There is no calorie counting or measuring. No obsessing or weighing in. The aim is just to consume food that is as close to nature as possible- think local, fresh-caught fish, pasture-raised meat, eggs, and dairy, and locally grown fruit and veggies.  According to Cara, when we simply swap ultra-processed foods for natural, nutrient-dense ones beautiful things begin to happen: we drop the extra weight, balance the hormones, reduce inflammation, have increased energy and longevity and reverse or eliminate illness and chronic disease. And if Cara herself is any indication, your hair and skin will also look fabulous.

You are a self-described 'ancestral health coach'. What led you to this career
path and have you always been interested in health?

Yes, I love ancestral health because there is so much noise in the health space
today from conflicting ideas, and studies/research that really hasn’t served us
well. People always want to see a “study” to back up something that our
ancestors have already shown to be beneficial, sometimes going back thousands of
years. I understand we live in a modern world that is much more toxic than the
one our ancestors lived in, even 50 years ago, but many of the fundamental
principles from ancestral health traditions still apply and are beneficial:

1. Eat nutrient dense foods – animal foods are most nutrient dense!
2. Get daily sunshine
3. Eat foods in their natural state, and by properly preparing foods that are not
easily digested otherwise, for example- grains, legumes, nuts…
4. Get quality sleep each night
5. Avoid environmental toxins
6. Get daily contact with the earth/ground
7. Keep active and move functionally – lifting things, carrying things, walking a
lot…

There are a few things that led me to this career path. I went through a very
stressful time when just 3 years into my marriage, my husband suddenly got very
sick. He suffered from a debilitating and painful disease that manifested in the
skin, but affected his entire body. He was bedridden and couldn’t work. I was his
primary caretaker, and dealt with the physical and emotional stress of watching
someone I love so much suffer more than anyone ever should have to. When
conventional medicine offered no help, we took matters into our own hands, and
was able to provide the environment for his body to do what it was designed to do
– heal itself. We used food as medicine, along with alternative type therapies that
enabled him to be in remission in one year, much faster than anyone else with
that condition, who were taking pharmaceuticals!

Fast forward to him being healed, and me being completely burned out. Again, I
learned how I was able to balance my hormones and regain my energy by giving
my body the right environment to continue to heal.

I knew I had to use the information I had learned to help others. I went to the
Primal Health Coach Institute, and I also reignited a passion I had for prenatal
nutrition in connection with ancestral health. You might wonder what these two
things have to do with each other, but they are very closely connected. You see,
our ancestors did everything in their power to obtain foods they viewed as
“sacred” to give to women before they got married, and to consume during
pregnancy. These foods led to them being able to birth robust, strong health and
vibrant children, free from modern diseases and without the need for braces,
glasses and free from dental cavities! The work of Dentist Dr. Weston A. Price
showcased this, and when I learned about his work and discoveries, I found it
absolutely fascinating! I knew one day, I would specialize in helping women have
healthy pregnancies and babies.

Exactly what are ancestral foods and why in your view are they so important?

As mentioned, ancestral foods are the ones viewed typically as “sacred”,
because they helped to build and sustain a new life. These are some of the most
nutrient dense foods on the planet, meaning gram for gram, they contain more
vitamins and minerals than other foods. These vitamins are also in the form the
body is able to use right away, meaning they don’t have to be converted – they are
bio-available. These foods include, organ meats, especially liver, eggs, raw dairy,
shellfish, fish eggs, animal proteins, bone marrow, bone broths and meat stocks,
just to name a few. These foods are so important because they provide the
foundation of the nutrients required by our body to function on every level. We
need the vitamins and minerals found in these foods for hormonal balance,
nutrient stores, mineral balance – all this is needed for fertility, energy
production, sleep, resiliency to stress…

You have posted about the 'lies women are told by the medical system'. Can
you elaborate?

One of the biggest lies women have been told by the medical system is that we
need the so called medical professionals to help us in birthing our babies,
because pregnancy and birth are treated as health conditions, not natural events
that have been taking place since the beginning of time. Uninterrupted birth is
the most beautiful thing a woman can experience when fear is outside of the
equation and deep-seated trust in her body is what she carries in her heart from
conception to post-partum.

Why in your opinion is it problematic to eliminate entire food groups from our
diet?

This can be problematic for two main reasons.

First, this method doesn’t get to the root cause of our symptoms. If we aren’t digesting
something well, we need to fix the terrain, or the soil of our body so that we can.
This goes into the idea that the actual health of our body dictates whether we
have symptoms or not, as opposed to the idea that we “catch” a disease, or that
one food in particular makes us sick. There may be a time where certain foods
need to be eliminated in order for the body to heal, but in the context of entire
foods groups being removed – such as meat, dairy… this leads to the second
reason this can be problematic- nutritional deficiencies. I’ve seen many who adopt a vegan or plant based diet, and see results initially – which most likely is because they
removed processed food and have their body an environment to detox waste, but
they have also created an environment for the body to deplete itself. Removing
foods that provide necessary nutrients for a prolonged period will lead to
deficiencies which will lead to major hormonal imbalances in women.

While there are so many of us with dairy intolerances, you remain a big
advocate of dairy, especially raw. Can you tell us why?

This is an example where people love to make blanket statements such as food
xyz is bad for you. People like to hear things that are black and white, so they
don’t have to think whether its good or bad. But there is a lot of nuance and grey
area when it comes to foods, and dairy is a great example of this. Not all dairy is
created equal! Highly processed dairy such as pasteurized milk, from cows not
fed their natural diet, can be problematic for a lot of people. But raw dairy is a
completely different animal! Raw milk for example is a living food that is
extremely healing, and can be very easy to digest. It is a perfect whole food,
providing an amazing natural balance of carbs, fat and protein. When dairy is in
it’s raw state, the proteins haven’t been denatured, which can be a big issue for a
lot of people who are sensitive the milk protein, the casein or whey for example. A
lot of attention goes to “lactose intolerance” – which is more accurately
described as a pasteurized milk intolerance. This is because raw milk, or what’s
also known as “real milk”, contains microorganisms that produce the enzyme
lactase – needed to break down lactose -the type of sugar found in milk. Switch
to raw milk and problems generally resolve themselves.

Your focus is very much on pregnancy and you recently have spoken about
your 'unmedicated hospital birth'. Can you tell us a little more about that?

Yes. I had a dreamed about a homebirth since before I got pregnant, and told
myself I would never give birth in a hospital! Well, never say never. I had a
rupture in my membranes at around 34 week, the cause being unknown. I went to
the hospital, which looking back, if this where to happen again, I would not have
done. They wanted to induce me since I was at “high risk for infection” being
open, but I continued to trust my body, as well as take the necessary measures to
keep my body healthy, and wait for labor to begin on it’s own. Nine days later, and
having been stuck to a hospital bed the entire time, labor began naturally. I had
such an empowering birth experience because I had been victim to every form of
fear mongering, disrespect and we continually had to decline interventions. My
birth ended being intervention free, with a beautiful healthy baby boy. We went
home the next day.

Like you we are huge fans of organ meats, especially liver. From your
perspective why is liver so special?

Liver is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet! It contains a good
amount of bio-available Vitamin A in the form of retinol, B vitamins and choline,
essential minerals like zinc, copper, selenium and iron. The vitamin A and copper
content make it especially helpful for regulating iron in the body.

You often talk about the incredible benefits of gelatin. Can you tell us why you
love it so and how does it differ from collagen? Do you take both?

Yes, gelatin is an incredible component of food that comes from the joints,
connective tissues and bone of animals. This food is high in amino acids,
specifically glycine and proline, which we need for our overall gut, immune, and
connective tissue health. When we cook and break down tough cuts of meat, meat
on the bone, or cook bones in water for an extended periods of time, the gelatin gets
released. Gelatin is helpful in supporting detoxification in the body, and regulating
estrogen, so it is very helpful for hormonal balance. Efficient detoxification is
crucial for managing hormone levels, including the elimination of excess estrogen
from the body. Collagen is the structural protein found in connective tissues, including skin, bones, and cartilage. Gelatin is derived from collagen through a process called hydrolysis. It is essentially cooked or broken-down collagen, so this is what we get when we make broths and cook tough cuts of meat or meat on the bone. Collagen and gelatin can both be found in supplement powders, and I personally take both! When collagen is heated or processed, it breaks down into gelatin, which dissolves in hot water and gels upon cooling.

What foods and supplements do you think are critical to maintain healthy
skin and hair?

For healthy skin and hair, we want to eat foods that support our metabolism and
hormones, as well as aid in the body’s natural detoxification. I recommend
sufficient animal protein (minimum of 100g a day), raw carrots which help remove
endotoxins from the gut, mineral rich ripe fruits and superfoods like oysters and
beef liver, and of course gelatinous rich foods like broths and meats

Tell us about your hair care routine. What do you do to keep your hair looking
healthy? What do you avoid?

My haircare routine is very simple! I make sure to massage my scalp really well
each time I was to stimulate the hair follicles, and clean my scalp of excess oil. I
find my hair grows very fast, even faster since taking extra care to do this. I also
try to limit the use of heat on my hair, and I avoid any toxic hair products. I eat a
very mineral rich and nutrient dense diet, which contributes to my hair health and
growth. I was very pleased that after I had my baby, I experienced no postpartum
hair loss!

 What are the top ten ancestral foods that you can't live without?

This Is a great question!

1. Raw milk  
2. Beef liver
3. Oyster extract
4. Bone broth
5. Bone marrow
6. Local organic fruits
7. Raw butter
8. Grass-fed beef
9. Fermented sourdough
10. Raw cheese

Your favorite brands:

Gelatin: Perfect Supplements, code coachcara10
Collagen: Perfect Supplements, code coachcara10
Toothpaste: Risewell hydroxyapatite toothpaste, code coachcara
Haircare: Hair therapie! I also use Real Puracy
Skincare: Honeymoo beauty. Code Cara10, and The Golden Secrets, code coachcara
Cookware: Caraway home, ceramic cookware, code coachcara10, also stainless steel and cast iron cookware
Drinking water: RO (reverse osmosis purified water), always remineralized with trace
minerals, salt and lemon or lime, or electrolytes, and structured with Somavedic, code
coachcara10
Bed sheets: 100% organic cotton percale sheets from Quince or Target
Vitamins: Birthright supplements prenatal – code coachcara15, shilajit from Natural
Shilajit, code CARA10OFF, Earthley Nourish her naturally, code coachcara10
Coffee/Tea: Purity coffee, Fabula coffee, and Equip Foods clean coffee, code coachcara

You can find Cara on IG @the.nourished.healthcoach

-HT