‘Pinch of Nom – Everyday Light’ by Kate Allinson and Kay Featherstone. Published by Pan Macmillan: £9.99, Argos

Ex-restaurant owners and friends Kate Allinson and Kay Featherstone had the big hit cookbook last year with the original Pinch of Nom book of low-cal low-fat “fakeaways” – it was the fastest selling cookbook of all time. Their new bible, Everyday Light, is still Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly but this time everything is less than 400 calories. All recipes are super family-friendly and range from things like healthier fish and chips to hash brown breakfast bake; everything is so approachable that you find yourself marking half the recipes simply flicking through the book. Also, over half the book is vegetarian and we barely even clocked it: testament to how tempting and filling the recipes are. We love the fact that it’s so down to earth; there’s nothing intimidating about any of the meals, ingredients or techniques – these women embrace a shortcut which is great for making your New Year health drive so painless.

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‘Vegan (ish): 100 simple budget recipes that don’t cost the earth’ by Jack Monroe. Published by Pan Macmillan: £11.55, Amazon

Not a health cookbook per se, but food writer and campaigner Jack Monroe’s approach uses the most basic of ingredients that it always ends up accidentally healthy regardless; this book is her first foray into meatless cooking, so by rote becomes better for you (generally) and the planet too. Comprising 100 un-snobby plant-based recipes, Jack proves that veganism doesn’t have to involve pricey meat substitutes or unusual, expensive ingredients and that it is possible to create budget-friendly meatless versions of classics like carbonara, and beet rather than beef wellington. We’ve got the bakewell tart bookmarked and feel healthier just thinking about it.

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‘Deliciously Ella The Plant Based Cookbook’ by Ella Mills. Published by Hodder & Stoughton: £14.50, Book Depository

The biggest selling vegan cookbook ever had to be included in this list because whether you follow a plant-based diet or not, it’s clear that Ella Mills aka Deliciously Ella, knows how to create crowd-pleasing healthy food. This book shares recipes for some of the most popular dishes from her original blog and now her central London café, Mae Deli and covers everything from breakfasts, salads, burgers, one pots and sweet things. We’ve cooked our way through a lot of this book, and find it invaluable for staying on track during the working week: choose a few recipes from the salads or stews sections and cook in advance to ensure you always have something healthy ready-to-go in the fridge. The squash and corn salad with jalapenos and coconut is a winner, as is the Sri Lankan curry which is packed with sweet potato, spinach and warming spices. Some ingredients aren’t your usual storecupboard staples (coconut sugar, cacao powder) but can be bought in most large supermarkets or substituted. Look out for her new one coming this summer which is sure to be a hit too.

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‘Chetna’s Healthy Indian’ by Chetna Makan. Published by Mitchell Beazley: £14, Amazon

It is bizarre that Indian food has a reputation for being unhealthy, because the opposite is true. Real, authentic Indian food is nothing like a greasy takeaway; Indian home cooking is fresh, seasonal, packed with nutrients and usually low in fat and high in fibre with a focus on vegetables and perhaps a little meat or fish. Great British Bake Off alumni Chetna Makan’s book, Chetna’s Healthy Indian, showcases all of these things and is a joy to cook from. We’ve created delicious bright chutneys, a creamy but light yoghurt chicken curry and so many veggie delights that have gone down well with friends, young family and for solo dinners. As a handy January extra, much of the ingredients are cheap as chips – red kidney bean curry, so many daals, sides cooked with frozen peas etc – so you can knock up fabulous healthy meals without breaking the bank until payday. A fuss-free book that’s full of flavour and is easy to cook and eat from for any occasion.

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The verdict: Healthy cookbooks

Dr Megan Rossi’s very sensible, very nutritious collection of recipes in Eat Yourself Healthy is a trove of mouthwatering, accessible recipes that don’t demonise carbs, meat, dairy or fat but promote genuinely healthy eating.

We’d like to give a significant nod to the new Pinch of Nom which has made low calorie eating doable for so many people and will continue to do so with this new one – just be careful not to load up on substitute diet foods at the detriment of real health. Actual vegans have so much choice these days in recipe books, but both Jack Monroe’s and Ella Mills’s latest books should have a place on your bookshelf. Go forth and cook healthy things.