Three books promoting healthy eating habits for adults and children

'Unjunk' the kitchen, battling food waste and 'MediterAsian' recipes are all on the table

Lyn's Food Adventure teaches children about food waste. Photo: Deliveroo x Taaleem

Since the pandemic, there has been a growing trend of people paying more attention to what they eat.

There are also rising concerns about food waste and sustainable gastronomy, helping people make better food choices, rather than treating them as an afterthought.

Dr Khalid Shukri, a functional medicine specialist at Wellth in Dubai, says there are “a million reasons” to adopt healthy eating habits. “Being health-conscious keeps ailments away, improves mood, keeps you calm, results in a longer lifespan, stronger mind and an overall better quality of life,” he adds.

With that in mind, here are three books released in the UAE this year promoting healthy eating habits for adults and children alike.

Unjunk by Bernadette Abraham

The self-help book is designed for parents who want to empower their children to make sound food choices. It includes practical explanations of what foods to avoid and what to encourage, as well as how to facilitate a smooth transition to eating healthier foods.

A big advocate of clean eating, Abraham has four children and uses her credentials as a nutritionist to navigate the busy world of parenting. More than sharing expert insights on what to feed little ones, she wants parents to teach their children to make their own choices.

The book features feeding strategies with a budget in mind, recipes, puzzles and games to make it more engaging. Abraham also provides tips on how to “unjunk” the kitchen, as well as how to stock products that provide the most nutrition for the family.

The book is available on Amazon.ae for Dh99.72

Lyn’s Food Adventure by Deliveroo and Taaleem

The book is dedicated to children between the ages of three and eight, and features colourful visuals by Aman Darwish and an easy, relatable story by Ayah Halawany. It teaches young readers about food waste.

The storybook follows Lyn, a curious young girl who watches how her parents deal with leftover food, from repurposing fruits and vegetables as smoothies or donating others to charity. The book, which is a collaboration between Deliveroo and UAE school chain Taaleem, is meant to simplify food waste for children and teach them conscious consumerism from a young age.

The book ends with a No Food Waste pledge, encouraging young ones to follow in Lyn's footsteps.

“So when you fill up your plate, only take what you will eat, and eat what you will take, so our Earth we don't replete,” reads a line in the book.

The book is distributed across Taaleem schools and is available in English and Arabic.

Available for free at lynsfoodadventure.com

Eat to Beat Your Diet by Dr William Li

The book is a spin-off of Dr William Li's 2019 New York Times best-selling Eat to Beat Disease, where he explored how eating the right foods could reduce the risk of chronic diseases, approaching it from a mainly medical perspective.

In March, the Harvard-trained doctor released a book that talks more about human metabolism and science-based weight loss. The book provides an easy-to-understand explainer about how certain diets can promote fat loss and boost the metabolism, especially for those who are looking to shed some kilos.

Aside from providing recipes and detox guides, the book also dives into the role of supplements, sleep and exercise in creating healthy habits, and helping the body keep off excess fat. Readers can use the book to design a four-week personalised plan to improve metabolism and elevate overall health.

One concept explored in the book is the “MediterAsian” diet, a combination of Mediterranean and Asian food influences. There are 36 recipes in the book.

Eat to Beat Your Diet, which is recommended by Wellth's Dr Shukri, teaches people what to eat, when to eat and how to eat, along with other lifestyle tips on improving sleep and de-stressing.

The book is available on Amazon.ae for Dh78.46.