Seventeen years ago, I left Mongolia. Since then, I’ve called Taiwan, Sweden, and several cities in the Netherlands home. In recent years, living in the Netherlands, I’ve been diving deep into biohacking. This summer, I returned to Mongolia for an extended stay—and for the first time, I saw my home country through a biohacker’s lens.
To be honest, it wasn’t just the biohacker’s lens. It was also the lens of a mother. But for now, I’ll share the view from the biohacking side.
The Mongolia People Imagine vs. The Mongolia I Experienced
When many people picture Mongolia, they imagine endless steppes, round white yurts, and nomadic families herding animals under the vast blue sky. That image is partly true—maybe 30%.
For thousands of years, Mongolians lived in deep harmony with nature. We rose with the sun, rested with the sunset, and ate only what we could produce ourselves. This way of life is still alive in the countryside.
But my recent stay was in Ulaanbaatar, the capital, for three months. Thanks to friends, we rented a place near the mountains where we could hike. Ulaanbaatar is home to over 1.5 million people—more than half the country’s population—and it’s a bustling, modern city. You can find every type of cuisine and entertainment here. In many ways, you don’t miss out on modern comforts by living there.
A Biohacker’s Paradise (or carnivore’s paradise)
From a biohacking perspective, some things in Mongolia felt like pure gold.
- High-quality grass-fed meat: Mutton, beef, horse, and even camel meat—yes, camel! Before I moved abroad, I didn’t even know meat could not be grass-fed. In Mongolia, herds roam freely, grazing on wild grasses. By default, it’s organic.
- Organ meats: Mongolians eat organ meats regularly, and they’re easy to find. I was never a fan before, but this trip changed my mind.
- Fresh dairy: Summer means abundant fresh milk, which becomes yogurt, handmade clotted cream, and calcium-rich dried curd—prepared using traditional methods.
- Mineral-rich water: While tap water quality isn’t great, mineral water is widely available in supermarkets.
- Rock salt: Locally sourced and packed with minerals, rock salt is a household staple.
In many ways, the traditional Mongolian diet—rich in animal protein and dairy, low in processed foods—aligns perfectly with nutrient-dense eating.
The Challenges
But it wasn’t all perfect.
- Air quality: Even though we lived near the mountains, the air pollution in the city was a real issue—caused by heavy traffic and weak environmental regulations.
- Globalized food culture: While it’s exciting to have access to every type of cuisine, it also means 24/7 convenience stores, processed snacks, and global fast-food chains. Sadly, younger generations now have easy access to ultra-processed foods that don’t support long-term health.
Biohacking with Kate 
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