From Field to Forest and More: Natural Foods For Health with Jill Nussinow

Week of December 12, 2026

Putting More Plants on Your Plate: What is “Plant-Based Eating”?
Of course, you are here at the Ranch, eating a lot of plants. How do you carry this over to eating at home? And why does it matter? What special nutrients do plants provide? We can learn a lot from science and examining the diets of herbivorous animals; how they get strong and stay healthy. Which plants matter and how do you eat more of them? You will leave with a plan for eating in a more “plant-based” manner.

How Gut Health Leads to Better Health and Improved Cognitive Function
What does one need to eat to have a healthy “microbiome” which encompasses more than just your gut or GI tract. You will learn more about the connection between your gut and your brain, and how this affects your sleep and wellbeing. With growing concerns about brain health, we must consider that you cannot separate the brain from the body. The goal then, is overall health, which often begins in the “gut”. Remember the rock song that stated: “Feed Your Head?” Learn about the foods that do this.

Mushrooms for Food, Mood, Nutrition and More
There are so many species of fungi (mushrooms); a number are edible, some are medicinal and others are poisonous. You will learn about the nutritional composition of a variety of mushrooms, how to cook them, how they are cultivated, how and where they grow, and more. Mushrooms feed the gut and are part of the gut-brain connection. Jill has been foraging for mushrooms for twenty years and speaking at SOMA Wild Mushroom camp for more than 10 years. This fascinating topic is fun and “magic”.

Food As Medicine: Harnessing the Power of Your Food Choices
If food is medicine, can it truly replace pharmaceutical medications? Jill will take you on a tour of current dietary trends, discussing what works and what doesn’t work, and why a plan needs to be individualized. She will review label reading, choosing the “best for you” foods, behavior change and more, in this lively lighthearted look at a serious subject. You will learn tips and tricks on how to fuel your body in the most positive way.

 

Jill Nussinow, MS, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian who has taught whole food plant-based and vegan cooking for over 40 years. She taught nutrition and culinary arts at Santa Rosa Junior College for 30 years and is the author of four award-winning plant-based cookbooks.

Beyond her work in nutrition, Jill is passionate about foraging wild plants and fungi in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties and is a sought-after speaker at the annual Sonoma County Wild Mushroom Camp in Occidental, California. Over the past five years, she has also become deeply involved in breathwork, teaching students both online and in person at The Sea Ranch. She emphasizes the importance of being in a “rest and digest” state while cooking and, especially, while eating.