Eat to Heal

"A decade of clinical experience, the latest inflammation science, and 60 recipes that taste as good as they heal." Lee Holmes

There are some books you write because you have something to say. And then there are books you write because you simply have to, because the information is too important, too transformative, and too urgently needed to keep to yourself. Eat to Heal is that book for me.

Over the past decade as a Clinical Nutritionist, I've sat with thousands of people who were struggling. Exhausted. Inflamed. Dismissed by a system that couldn't find a name for what was making them feel so unwell. What I kept seeing, again and again, was a pattern the science is now beginning to confirm: systemic inflammation as a hidden driver of almost everything. And I'll be honest, this book is also personal. I've lived it myself, through autoimmune disease, mast cell activation syndrome, and Long Covid related neuroinflammation. I know what it feels like to do everything "right", eat the kale, take the supplements, foam roll on a Sunday, and still feel like a sleep-deprived raccoon. Eat to Heal is the guide I wish had existed before I had to figure this out the hard way.

"Inflammation isn't just a physical response. It's woven into our neurobiology, our trauma, our gut, and our daily choices, and understanding that changes everything."

Did you know? Research shows ultra-processed food diets can increase inflammatory markers like CRP by up to 40%. Meanwhile, anti-inflammatory eating has been shown to produce DNA markers 4.5 years younger than chronological age. So basically, the broccoli is winning and the packet of chips is not your friend, however convincingly it argues otherwise from the pantry shelf.

This book goes far deeper than diet. Yes, there are 60 delicious anti-inflammatory recipes inside (more on those in a moment...). But Eat to Heal is really a complete framework for understanding, and reversing, the chronic, low-grade inflammation that underlies conditions from digestive disorders and hormonal imbalances to heart disease, cognitive decline, and autoimmune illness.

Drawing on the latest breakthroughs in inflammation research, integrative medicine, and the gut-brain axis, the book explores the microbiome and how gut bacteria influence inflammation and neurotransmitter production (your gut runs the show far more than your brain would like to admit). It looks at the gut-brain axis and the two-way relationship between inflammation and brain function, trauma and the nervous system and how unresolved stress rewires the body's threat response even decades later, cellular health and the cutting edge of inflammation science including zombie cells, autophagy and NAD+ (yes, your cells can have zombies in them, no, this is not a horror film). It also includes a MAP (Mediterranean Anti-Inflammatory Plan), an evidence-based anti-inflammatory food pattern with no calorie counting and no kitchen scales required, and a 16-question inflammation self-assessment to help you understand exactly where your body is at and where to begin.

Because healing should never feel like punishment. Every recipe in this book was designed to be genuinely nourishing and genuinely delicious, real food you'll want to cook on a Tuesday night, not just Instagram-worthy dishes you'll photograph once and never make again. Each one is coded with three healing pillars: anti-inflammatory champions, nervous system nurturers, and cellular energy boosters.

A taste of what's inside: for breakfast, buckwheat banana crêpes with figs and fresh berries, Greek sheet-pan eggs with herbs and feta, and a healing mushroom and spinach egg scramble. For lunch, curcumin cauliflower rice bowl, polyphenol-rich power bowl, and a super-fast gut-healing vegetable soup. For dinner, turmeric-spiced chicken with herb sauce, caper-crusted salmon with whipped Greek yogurt, and a low and slow bone broth stew. And for the sweet tooth, resveratrol-rich berry compote, golden energy balls, and an inflammation-fighting trail mix that will make your usual desk-drawer biscuit stash look rather sad. Every recipe is built to crowd inflammation out, not restrict your way to health.

To give you a real taste of what's inside, here's one of my favourites, straight from the book: My delicious Mediterranean Mezze Platter.

This colourful spread is a MAP-style celebration of anti-inflammatory abundance. Featuring roasted feta for creamy richness, crisp and roasted crudités, sardine crackers, and a vibrant herb pesto packed with phytonutrients, it's a feast for the senses and a gift for the gut. Every bite delivers prebiotic fibre, healthy fats and inflammation-soothing compounds, helping to calm the nervous system and energise your cells (and unlike most platters at a party, this one won't fight back the next morning).

Mediterranean Mezze Platter.

Serves 2 to 4 as a light lunch or sharing plate.

Roasted feta:

• 200g feta, preferably sheep's milk
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp za'atar
• freshly ground black pepper.

Crudités:

• 4 baby cucumbers halved lengthways
• 6 to 8 whole baby carrots
• 6 radishes halved
• 1 small head radicchio with leaves separated
• 1 small endive with leaves separated
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of sea salt

Herb pesto dip:

• ½ cup fresh basil
• ½ cup fresh mint
• ¼ cup fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp walnuts or pine nuts
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast or grated parmesan if you like
• 1 small garlic clove
• juice of ½ lemon
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and pepper, and a splash of water to thin.

Serve with sardine crackers (recipe also in the book and below), or crackers of choice, extra olive oil, and a sprinkle of sumac.

Method:

• Roast the feta at 180°C with oil, oregano, za'atar and pepper for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
• Roast the carrots and radishes with oil and sea salt for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
• Blitz the pesto ingredients until smooth, thinning with a splash of water if needed.
• Arrange everything on a platter with the fresh crudités and sardine crackers, finishing with a drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of sumac.

This is the kind of recipe I designed Eat to Heal around: abundant, beautiful, and quietly doing serious work for your gut, your nervous system, and your cells, while looking far too good to be this good for you.

If you've ever felt like your body is working against you, if you're dealing with persistent fatigue, digestive issues, brain fog, pain, anxiety, or a diagnosis that doesn't quite explain how you feel, this book is for you. It's also for the person who is doing everything "right" and still not feeling well, the one with a supplement shelf that resembles a small pharmacy and a wellness routine more disciplined than most Olympic athletes, and still waking up exhausted. Because sometimes the missing piece isn't another supplement or elimination diet, it's understanding the deeper biological story your body is trying to tell you. Eat to Heal  connects the dots between food, gut health, nervous system regulation, and cellular ageing in one practical, evidence-based plan.

Eat to Heal, published by Rockpool Publishing, original paperback, out 28 July 2026, with 60 anti-inflammatory recipes plus complete healing protocols. Pre-order now for $34.99, available wherever books are sold.

Pre-ordering supports this work and ensures you're among the first to receive your copy.

Thank you, from the bottom of my (healed) heart <3