In this episode of the Tea Time Podcast, Sharissa Bradley continues the Journey Back to Health series with Chapter Six: Emotional Connections.

This chapter explores the powerful emotional ties we build around food — especially comfort foods connected to memory, safety, and love. Sharissa shares a personal story about cookies and tea with her grandmother, and how that ritual created a deep emotional pathway tied to warmth, belonging, and connection.

After being diagnosed with celiac disease and eliminating gluten, she lost the ability to access that comfort in spontaneous ways. This episode unpacks the emotional deficit that can occur when healing protocols, elimination diets, or food restrictions remove not just ingredients — but emotional anchors.

Sharissa encourages listeners to examine their own comfort foods and find ways to make nourishing swaps that preserve emotional connection without creating deprivation. From gluten-free baking to creative substitutions like sweet potato chips or vegetable-packed nachos, this episode focuses on reclaiming comfort safely.

This episode reflects lived experience, not medical advice.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome & Chapter 6 introduction 01:00 – Cookies, tea & grandmother memories 02:00 – Celiac diagnosis & losing comfort 03:00 – Emotional deprivation during healing 04:00 – Recipe swaps & nourishment 05:00 – High nutrient dense substitutions 06:00 – Nostalgia & grandmother's birthday 07:00 – Recreating comfort through scent & taste 08:00 – Encouragement & closing

🔗 Links & Resources

Download the free Journey Back to Health Workbook: https://sharissabradley.com/extras

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

Watch this on youtube: https://youtu.be/VjoSDx8t03g