The Natural Food Guide - September 13

The Natural Food Guide

How to Cut Through Diet Confusion & Build a More Nourishing Way of Eating

This free class is being presented as part of the Light Cellar Open House on September 13.

Registering for this session also gives you access to the full Open House and all of the day's available recordings.

Date: September 13 at 10am MST

FREE

Choose Your Format:
In-Person: Light Cellar Teaching Kitchen (limited seats)
Online: Live via Zoom

What if eating well didn't have to be so complicated?

Low-carb. Plant-based. Paleo. High-protein. Mediterranean. Carnivore. Raw.

Nutrition advice can feel like an endless series of competing rules about what you should eat—and what you should avoid.

This class offers a different way of looking at food.

Rather than giving you another diet to follow, Malcolm Saunders will introduce you to a simple framework inspired by the foods humans have relied upon across cultures and throughout history.

At the heart of this framework are Four Kingdoms of Food: Plants, Animals, Bacteria and Fungi.

Each offers something unique. Together, they provide a powerful lens for thinking about nourishment, diversity, traditional food practices, and your relationship with the natural world.

The Natural Food Guide isn't designed to tell you exactly what to eat.

It's designed to give you a map so you can make better food decisions for yourself.

In this class, you'll discover:

• Why nutrition has become so confusing
• A different way to think about food beyond diets, fads, and trends
• The Four Kingdoms of Food: Plants, Animals, Bacteria & Fungi
• What each kingdom contributes to the human food experience
• Traditional foods and preparation practices associated with each
• How modern diets can unintentionally neglect entire categories of food
• How to use the Four Kingdoms as a practical framework rather than another restrictive diet
• Simple ways to begin expanding the diversity of foods you eat

Four Kingdoms. Countless possibilities.

Plants

Herbs, vegetables, fruits, roots, seeds, spices, wild foods and the enormous diversity of the botanical world.

Animals

Meat, seafood, eggs, dairy, stocks, broths, gelatin, organ meats and traditional nose-to-tail foods.

Bacteria

Fermented vegetables, sourdough, cultured dairy, kombucha and the ancient relationship between humans, microbes and food.

Fungi

Culinary and medicinal mushrooms, wild fungi and one of the most fascinating kingdoms in our food system.

Together, these become a framework you can continue exploring for a lifetime.

This isn't another diet

You won't leave with a list of foods you're forbidden to eat.

Instead, you'll leave with a new set of questions:

What kingdoms am I eating from?

Where could I introduce greater diversity?

What traditional foods and skills have disappeared from my kitchen?

What would I like to learn next?

Continue your journey

This class is also an introduction to the broader Light Cellar learning pathways.

From here, explore:

PLANTS
Wild Foraging • Herbal Medicine • Elixir Crafting • Herbal Mocktails

ANIMALS
Stocks & Broths • Functional Gummies • Organ Meats

BACTERIA
Fermentation Fundamentals • Wild Sourdough • Naturally Fermented Soda

FUNGI
9 Medicinal Mushrooms You Should Know • Medicinal Mushrooms Made Culinary • Wild Mushroom Exploration

Choose the kingdom that sparks your curiosity—and go deeper.

Who this is for:

• Anyone confused by conflicting nutrition advice
• People wanting a broader and less dogmatic approach to eating
• Curious home cooks
• People interested in traditional foods and food skills
• Anyone wanting to understand the philosophy behind Light Cellar
• Those looking for a starting point before exploring our deeper classes

No previous knowledge is required.

Instructor

with Malcolm Saunders

Founder of Light Cellar, author of Elixir Life and Chocolate Life, educator, wildcrafter, and longtime explorer of traditional foods and the relationship between food, health, and the natural world.

Please register thoughtfully

Space is limited for the in-person experience, so we ask that you only register if you genuinely plan to attend.

If your plans change, cancelling your registration helps open spots for others who would love to join.

After you register

All participants will receive a reminder email with full event details, a Zoom link for online attendees, access to the recording after the class, and any relevant notes or resources.

If you can't attend live, you're still welcome to register and watch the replay.