Christmas can feel like an emotional minefield when you're grieving. One minute, you're standing in the supermarket, overwhelmed by choice and memories. The next, you're at a dinner table where an empty chair marks the place your partner used to sit.

When Kevin died, I found myself in a garden centre surrounded by twinkling lights and cheerful shoppers, desperately wanting to escape. Everything felt like a different reality – one that didn't match what I was experiencing. The music, the decorations, the joyfulness. And at home, I was really struggling to look after my most basic needs like cooking a proper meal.

If you're reading this, you probably know exactly what I mean.

What Nobody Tells You

Here's something I wish somebody had told me right from the beginning: grief doesn't just live in your heart and mind. It affects your appetite, digestion, blood sugar, gut bacteria, sleep, energy, immune and nervous system—every single system in your body reels from the impact.

You're either not hungry or can't stop eating. Exhausted but wired. Standing at the fridge at 11pm eating a piece of cake or ice cream because you’re craving comfort. Or because you forgot to eat at dinnertime.

Then Christmas arrives. Late nights, rich food, emotional landmines, social pressures, and people asking if you're "doing okay." Your body, already struggling to keep up, can tip into complete overwhelm.

When emotional stress is already compromising your digestion, reducing appetite or intensifying cravings, the sheer abundance of holiday foods, alcohol, and disrupted routines can create even more chaos, not less.

When Recipes Become Lifelines

I looked haggard that first December. Grey. Lifeless. My Ayurvedic doctor prescribed something unexpected: three proper meals a day. Not therapy. Food.

Absurdly simple. But it changed everything.

I experienced how small, intentional food choices can genuinely help. Not in a "diet culture" way. In a "this actually makes me feel more human" way.

That experience inspired me to write Nourishing Through Loss: A Gentle Holiday Guide. Because when your world falls apart, sometimes the most radical thing you can do is feed yourself – in a truly nourishing way.

A Different Kind of Christmas Cookbook             

This book isn’t your typical holiday recipe book. It’s a manual for navigating grief through food choices that sustain your body, and small, achievable routines that actually make a difference to your mood, and your ability to cope with all the emotional triggers of the holiday season.

Every recipe follows my ‘magic formula’—half your plate vegetables, plus protein, plus healthy fats. No calorie counting. No deprivation or restrictions. It’s about eating three meals at more or less the same time – as often as possible – to help keep your blood sugar more stable so you don't crash. Supporting gut health, which affects mood. Giving your body actual nourishment instead of surviving on biscuits and coffee.

What makes them usable: they're not rigid. My Budget-Friendly Stuffing? I make it differently every time, swapping ingredients based on what veggies there are in my fridge. The soup? Again, whatever veg need using up. The book gives you the framework that you can adapt. Grief brain is real—you need recipes that work with whatever you have.

They are also designed for most ‘diets’. Vegan, vegetarian, omnivore. Mostly gluten & dairy-free. Whatever way you eat, these work.

What's Actually Inside

Warm, grounding breakfasts - Like customisable spiced porridge that sets you up for the day instead of triggering a sugar spiral.

My magic lentil soup - Pack it in a thermos when travelling. Make one batch, eat for lunch and dinner. Add whatever vegetables you have left. It's saved me countless times.

Proper festive food - Stuffing, mushroom gravy, cranberry sauce, apple crumble—made with ingredients that nourish rather than leave you bloated and miserable.

Nourishing desserts - Genuine comfort without the sugar crash that makes everything worse.

Drinks for everyone - Spiced ginger mulled wine with digestive spices, special alcohol-free alternatives plus festive options for kids.

Beyond Recipes: Practical Tools for the Season

Food is just one part of staying grounded. The book also shares strategies I wish I’d had in my first Christmases without Kevin:

• The 80/20 Rule — Balance 80% of the time so the other 20% doesn't derail you. Sustainable support, not perfect
• How to Actually Say ‘No’ - Gentle scripts for declining more food, more alcohol, more anything when you're at capacity. You're in control.
• Eating Anchors — regular meals that give your body stability when everything else is chaotic and unpredictable.
• Navigating Gatherings - Building balanced plates at buffets. Managing expectations. Putting your wellbeing first without guilt.
• Travel Survival - What to pack, what to say to hosts, maintaining anchors when routines collapse.
• Emergency Resets - Simple steps when your digestion is off after eating too much or too often.

Permission to Do Things Differently

Perhaps most importantly, this book gives you permission to acknowledge that the festive season is extraordinarily challenging when you're grieving—and to put yourself first without apology.

Give yourself a break. Allow yourself to do things differently this Christmas. Your body will thank you for it.

Whether that means preparing simple, nourishing meals that stabilise your energy and mood, setting healthy boundaries around alcohol and social commitments, or simply having a plan to avoid overwhelm—this book offers the practical tools that can make the difference between barely surviving Christmas and finding small moments of genuine comfort amid the chaos.

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If you want a complete guide to managing these challenges and having practical support throughout the holidays, Nourishing Through Loss: A Gentle Holiday Guide brings together all the recipes and strategies you need.

You can find it in print on Amazon.
Or download the PDF here.