10 best healthy-eating cook books

But the healthy brigade are here to help, and there is a glut of cookbooks on the market filled with easy recipes - including warming soups, stews, curries and even puddings - to see you through the winter months and start your new year on the right note.

1. The Natural Food Kitchen: £13.59, jordanbourke.com

With influences from around the world, this book is a great all-rounder to have. Chef Jordan Bourke’s recipes are indulgent yet “guilt-free”, using natural ingredients and realistic alternatives to sugar, wheat and dairy products.

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2. Honestly Healthy Cleanse: £25, honestlyhealthyfood.com

This book is based on the principle of alkaline eating – avoiding “acidic” foods that may irritate your system, including dairy, meat and certain grains. Weirdly, lemons are not acidic but alkaline. Once you’ve got your head around what’s what, the recipes are simple, delicious and not restrictive at all.

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3. Clean and Lean Diet Cookbook: £12.99, bodyism.com

The celebrity trainer James Duigan has one overriding piece of advice – cut the C.R.A.P. – caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol and processed food. This cookbook is filled with protein-rich, lean meals to help you trim down without feeling as if you’re missing out.

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4. Itsu: the Cookbook: £11.19, amazon.co.uk

Every recipe in this book from the popular Japanese-style chain is under 300 calories and takes less than 30 minutes to make. A must-have for a 5:2 dabbler or anyone looking for a light, quick evening meal after a late finish at work.

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5. Hummus Bros: £14.99, hbros.co.uk

Hummus Bros is a chain of simplistic little eateries that serves up a variety of… you guessed it. This book teaches you how to make snacks, mains and more with Middle Eastern influences and a nourishing philosophy.

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6. Plenty More: £12.50, ottolenghi.co.uk

Ottolenghi’s veggie recipes look complicated but, barring a few ingredients that you may need to go beyond your local supermarket to find, they are surprisingly easy. A great book if you want to do something a little special without scrimping on health.

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7. Hemsley and Hemsley: The Art of Eating Well: £11.99, hemsleyandhemsley.com

These gorgeous sisters certainly look the picture of health – and their recipes look delectable. This is a book that allows butter, red meat and dessert – but in the right proportions and with the freshest of ingredients. Proof that you can enjoy a little bit of what you fancy and still stay healthy.

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8. Total Greek Yoghurt Cookbook: £7.94, uk.fage.eu

Chef Sophie Michell has drawn on her Greek roots to create some healthy and inventive recipes, all using Fage Total Greek yoghurt. High in protein and low in fat, this is a mainstay in many healthy fridges, and now you can explore how to use it beyond breakfast.

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9. The Medicinal Chef: Healthy Every Day: £15.19, dalepinnock.com

This accessible book is filled with easy recipes tailored to your health needs – skin, joints and bones, respiratory, immune, metabolic, mental health, heart, digestive or reproductive. It might help alleviate your ailments, and will definitely boost your smugness levels.

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10. Green Kitchen Travels: £25, greenkitchenstories.com

Husband and wife team David and Luise started blogging about health, veganism and travel on the website greenkitchenstories.com. This latest book continues their labour of love, with beautiful food styling and photography helping to capture the different countries and cultures that have influenced them.

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Verdict:

If you’re looking to shed pounds, Clean and Lean Diet Cookbook will become your bible, with realistic, good food. Or if you just want a great all-rounder, the Hemsley sisters will see you right. Veggies can opt for Honestly Healthy for easy meals, or Plenty More for something a little more gourmet.