What Did Your Great-Great-Grandma Eat? Lessons from 1800s Meal Plans for Modern Health

What did your great-great-great-grandma eat? 

There is profound value in looking to the past, drawing from the wisdom of our ancestors to uncover how they cultivated healthy, balanced lives and sustained their communities across generations.

While their life expectancy may not have been as long, this data is skewed by low birth survival rates, which modern Medicine has drastically improved. 

And did you know that the US actually has a decline in life expectancy in modern times? 

America is the only developed nation with a *declining* healthy life expectancy and total life expectancy!¹

We aren’t doing something right! 

 
Since the food we eat every single day plays the biggest lever in improving our health, let’s investigate the diets of our ancestors.

The 1800s offer us a unique window into a different relationship with food—one where abundance was celebrated, meals were a source of joy, and the dinner table was the heart of family life. In an era before processed foods and modern food fears/orthorexic behavior, people maintained a simpler, more intuitive connection with their meals.

What I find most intriguing is how their approach to food differs from our modern perspective. While we often grapple with complex dietary rules and restrictions, our ancestors focused on nourishment, celebration, and making the most of available ingredients.

So, let's step back in time and explore what graced our great-great-great-grandma’s dinner table for the month of November. The meals might inspire your own culinary adventures!

I'll share some photos from a few different vintage cookbooks, then discuss some of the consistent trends at the end! 

Truthfully, they ate a very metabolically supportive diet. They ate a lot of food (calories), didn’t fast, ate high carb, consumed primarily saturated-rich fat sources and ate low PUFA, and they consumed B vitamin rich animal protein sources.

I am slightly fascinated by the farming and culinary traditions of our ancestors, so I hope you enjoy these vintage meal plans as much as I do! 

So, first, let's check out meals from 'What shall we eat?', published in 1868. Meals our great-great-great grandparents could have consumed.

Next, let's check out a meal plan from 'What shall we have to eat?', published in 1893. Meals our great-great-great grandparents, or great-great grandparents might have consumed.

Isn't it eye-opening to take a look at 1800s meal plans? 👀 No crazy diet rules, no food fear, and plenty of calories. While we don't need to go this extreme with food prep, it's a reminder to ditch the diet stress. 🙅♀️ 

Notable trends --

• ate 3 meals/day, no intentional fasting, but also did not frequently graze/snack (instead of 'breakfast, lunch, dinner' they called the meals 'breakfast, dinner, supper')

• no dietary extremes

• did not fear carbs (ate high carb)

• consumed mostly saturated fats, and ate relatively lower polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) (no vegetable oils, and didn't eat much nuts and seeds)

• consumed food that is demonized across a variety of diet camps: meat, dairy, flour, sugar, fruit, potatoes, and grains

• no processed food/food in a package
  
  

One of the biggest changes has been the TYPES of fat consumed.

The saturated fat, animal product, & cholesterol fear-mongering propaganda starting in the 1950s led to a huge shift in our dietary fat. Since the 1930s, there has been a 700% increase in chronic disease development. In the 1930s, the chronic disease prevalence was 7.5%.² Today, 60% of the population has one or more chronic disease. ^{3 4}

I’m not sharing these meal plans to suggest that you should eat exactly as they did. 

Instead, my goal is to help you reduce food fear and stress as you navigate the overwhelming and often confusing health space. The last thing any of us need is more stress in our lives! 

Gaining perspective from the diets of our great-great-great-grandparents can be both liberating and grounding. In today’s world, where so many foods are scrutinized, this perspective can help alleviate unnecessary fear around eating.

Letting go of food fears can significantly enhance your well-being. Feel empowered to explore traditional food preparations and discover what nourishes your body best, rather than letting someone else’s anxieties dictate your choices.

And to address the elephant in the room - yes, they did not have to deal with the crappy food system we all face today. OF COURSE food sourcing is important!

Our modern food system is undeniably complex and imperfect, and it does contribute to various health issues. But better options do exist, such as organic sugar or non-GMO, organic flour. Embrace the idea that there’s always a step forward you can take.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed, consider focusing on just one area of your sourcing to improve for the rest of the year—whether it’s meat, dairy, eggs, produce, or grains. Small, sustainable changes help avoid overwhelm and empower you to make a difference.

Do the best you can and avoid what you personally can’t tolerate.

But instead of stressing about eating 'good' and avoiding 'bad' foods on a list made from some random health influencer (which will differ depending on who you follow)...

Keep it simple: cook at home, source as high of quality ingredients that you can, stay active, and prioritize happiness. 

In reflecting on how our ancestors ate, it’s clear that their approach to food was deeply connected to nourishment, balance, and community. By rediscovering these time-tested practices, we can better understand how to restore health to our bodies and our food systems. At Nourish Food Club, we’re committed to rebuilding a food system centered around small-scale regenerative farms, where quality and sustainability take precedence over industrial practices. By embracing the wisdom of the past, we can move forward with a healthier, more connected relationship to the food we eat and the land that grows it.