THE WONDER OF WHAT WE EAT COOKBOOK LAUNCHES NATIONWIDE: A DOCTOR’S SOLUTION TO THE PEDIATRIC OBESITY CRISIS

New cookbook by Dr. Ritu Saluja-Sharma helps families combat childhood obesity and prevent disease through joyful, simple, kid-friendly meals

RALEIGH, NC, UNITED STATES, November 18, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Just in time for Thanksgiving, double board-certified Emergency and Lifestyle Medicine physician Dr. Ritu Saluja-Sharma announces the release of The Wonder of What We Eat Cookbook, the third installment in her groundbreaking children’s wellness series. Co-created with her 9-year-old daughter, Serena Sharma, the cookbook brings Dr. Saluja-Sharma’s Head Heart Hands philosophy to life with more than 75 easy, affordable, and kid-tested recipes designed to help families use food as a foundation for lifelong health.

A Timely Solution to a Growing Crisis

Childhood obesity and chronic disease are at record highs, with more than one in five young people affected by obesity and over one in three living with at least one chronic condition. Driven by ultra-processed foods, sedentary lifestyles, and a lack of meaningful nutrition education, today’s children are developing health challenges once seen only in adults.

As the nation prepares for the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2025-2030), expected to emphasize prevention, whole foods, and the role of nutrition in metabolic health and chronic disease, particularly in children, Dr. Saluja-Sharma is already putting those ideas into action. Her book series reflects this forward-thinking approach, offering families practical tools and education that align with the priorities outlined in national health initiatives.

“Every day in the ER, I see patients suffering from conditions that could have been prevented,” says Dr. Saluja-Sharma. “If we want to change the trajectory of our nation’s health, we have to start earlier—by giving kids the knowledge, mindset, and tools to understand how food shapes their bodies and their future. True prevention begins in childhood, around the family table.”

The First Comprehensive System of Its Kind for Children

The cookbook is the third installment in The Wonder of What We Eat series, a three-part system for lifelong health that bridges nutrition science, mindset, and hands-on learning. The series empowers kids to understand how food affects their energy, mood, metabolism, and even their genes, introducing the science of metabolic health in an age-appropriate, uplifting way.

Based on Dr. Saluja-Sharma’s Head Heart Hands framework, the full series includes:

- The Book (Head): Builds foundational knowledge about how food powers the body and mind, while fostering a healthy mindset about food and health.

- The Workbook (Heart): Reinforces learning through reflection, real-life application, and health literacy skills.

- The Cookbook (Hands): Puts knowledge into action with simple, nourishing recipes families can enjoy together.

Lessons from the workbook are already being implemented in schools to teach students prevention-based, evidence-driven nutrition and health literacy.

Healthy, Delicious, and Holiday-Ready

The Wonder of What We Eat Cookbook transforms healthy eating from a daily struggle into a joyful, family-centered experience. Co-created by Dr. Saluja-Sharma and her daughter, it helps kids and parents turn good intentions into delicious, shared moments.

The cookbook helps families:

- Make healthy eating enjoyable, even for “picky eaters” — with kid-approved, nourishing recipes made from real ingredients that support growing bodies, sharp minds, and steady moods.

- Empower kids in the kitchen — through step-by-step instructions that build confidence, independence, and lifelong skills.

- Connect learning with doing — with recipes including a “why it matters” note, helping kids understand how food fuels their energy, focus, and mood.

Featuring more than 75 kid-tested recipes—including Protein-Packed Waffles, Roasted Candied Carrots, and a wholesome, refined-sugar-free Pumpkin Pie—the cookbook is a celebration of nourishing food, hands-on learning, and the everyday meals that shape lifelong health. With Thanksgiving approaching, it offers families delicious ways to balance comfort and nourishment at the holiday table.

About the Author: Dr. Ritu Saluja-Sharma, MD, is a double board-certified physician in Emergency Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine, and the founder of Head Heart Hands, a holistic wellness program empowering individuals and organizations to prevent and reverse chronic disease through root-cause approaches. A graduate of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she’s passionate about making food-based, evidence-driven health education accessible to both adults and children.

Daniela Sicuranza
Laura Evans Media
daniela@lauraevansmedia.com
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