In this episode of the Tea Time Podcast, Sharissa Bradley continues the Journey Back to Health series with Chapter 11: Clean Eating.

Clean eating is often misunderstood as simply eating unprocessed foods or sticking to the perimeter of the grocery store. While that can be one approach, Sharissa expands the definition to include three additional ways of eating clean: mindful eating, seasonal eating, and cultural eating.

She explains how mindful eating activates the body's digestive processes, beginning with smell and continuing through chewing and enzyme production. When we are distracted while eating, the body may not fully engage in digestion, even if the food itself is considered "healthy."

Sharissa also explores how eating seasonally can increase nutrient density by choosing foods that are grown locally and harvested at peak ripeness. She introduces simple ways to access seasonal foods, including visiting farmers markets or subscribing to a CSA produce box.

Finally, she discusses cultural eating as a meaningful and nourishing practice — reconnecting with family traditions and foods that the body may recognize and respond to on a deeper level.

This episode reflects lived experience and personal research, not medical advice.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 Intro 00:13 Chapter 11: Clean Eating 01:00 Grocery store "perimeter" idea 01:45 Expanding the definition of clean eating 02:00 Mindful eating explained 03:00 Distraction vs digestion 04:00 Eating seasonally 05:00 Nutrient density & farmers markets 06:00 CSA produce boxes 07:00 Cultural eating explained 08:00 Action step: reconnect with cultural foods 08:45 Closing

🔗 Resources

Free Journey Back to Health Workbook https://sharissabradley.com/extras

Tea Time Podcast Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/2034745363989749/

Instagram: @sharissabradley.author