So you’ve decided to try a vegan diet? Well, if you want to do it in the healthiest way possible, this is probably the most complete, one-stop guide you need to learn how.

I love a cooked breakfast but I don't often have time in the mornings so when I do, I love making eggs. While scrambled eggs and omelettes are great, I love these mini omelette bites as nice finger food when cooking for a few people.

Pasta carbonara is one of those dishes that people trying to keep calories low don't get to eat all that frequently. That tends to be the case with dishes where some of the main ingredients are eggs cheese and pasta. I took that as a challenge to see if I could do something to make this classic dish a little more macro friendly.

When I was a child, my favourite dessert was stewed apples, made by my granny. It was warming, comforting, easy to eat and she always spiced them with cloves which for me is the spice of my child hood. When she taught me how to make them, I couldn't get over how easy they were, even for 10 year old me. They're low in calories, free from added sugars and are a great all round healthy dessert.

As a child I never really liked peas and thats more than likely because the only way they were served to me was microwaved and boiled... without any really seasoning other than salt. Unfortunately that's the way most people are served vegetables these days so it's no wonder parents have trouble getting their kids to eat their veggies.

I've got a thing for creamy, cheesy sauces combined with carbs and mac n' cheese ticks all those boxes... and then some. It can be a bit of a calorie-bomb though so this recipe will show you how to make a very creamy but low-fat and high protein sauce that you can use for mac 'n cheese and much more.

The best fried rice I ever had was sitting at the bar of a tiny little ramen shop in Miyazaki, Japan. I told the chef as much and he was very proud to get the compliment, all the more so because I doubt he got many foreigners, if any, there. I asked him his secret and he smugly smiled and slapped his forearm. It's a Japanese thing which means "skill" as in it was all down to his skill as a chef.

I wasn't convinced and there had to be something that gave that fried rice such a distinctive flavour (not least because the Japanese tend to be very traditional with ingredients unless they're trying to to highlight the uniqueness of the dish... he wasn't). I took another bite and put my tastebuds and memories to work. 

After a few more seconds, it hit me, "Is there butter in this?" I asked. The smile fell off his face the same way it would if someone had called your bluff on a bad hand of poker. He mumbled a little and conceded it had a little butter and then he went back to cooking, not making eye contact with me the rest of the evening until I left, victorious in my attained knowledge.

I have often said that I should have been raised in either Thailand or India, such is my love for the cuisine of each country. Ever since I discovered Thai curry paste I have experimented with different ways of making lower-calorie versions of my favourite curries and this is one of the results that I've adapted for cooking in bulk.

There has been an explosion in vegan-friendly products on the market which is great in one way as people who don't want to eat animal products have many more options but are these products always good replacements for their animal-based counterparts? 

Losing weight isn't easy. Some people can struggle with their weight for years and if you're reading this right now, you're probably one of those people. With that said, anything that can help make losing weight a little easier is definitely worth giving a try.