Healthy recipes to complement weight loss treatment.

No, not at all. For most recipes, all you’ll need is a few basics like:

• A sharp knife and chopping board
• A saucepan
• A frying pan
• A wooden spoon or spatula
• A casserole dish or baking tray

You might occasionally find recipes that require a blender or pestle and mortar, but there are often ways to get around this, by crushing or chopping your ingredients finely with a knife. For our recipes, you won’t need any complex or expensive equipment, and they’re easy, too — no complicated techniques or hard-to-find ingredients.

To make your life as easy as possible when cooking, it’s a good idea to have a range of basics stocked up where possible. These include grains like whole-wheat pasta and brown rice, as well as tinned ingredients like chopped tomatoes, chickpeas or other pulses.

It’s also a great idea to have a wide array of dried herbs and spices for you to easily zhuzh up whatever you’re cooking, alongside a healthy cooking oil like olive oil, and salt and pepper.

In terms of vegetables, onions, garlic and potatoes tend to last a while, can be bought cheaply and work in a wide range of dishes. And dried and tinned fruits can be stored indefinitely while providing great, nutritious snack options.

To store in your freezer, look for frozen vegetables, like peas, or chop and store your own vegetables for easier cooking.

And lastly, eggs are a great source of vitamin D, protein and other nutrients. They can be added to lots of dishes or eaten as part of a high-protein breakfast.

It can be tough, especially when you’ve got a lot going on. But there are tips and tricks you can employ to make life easier. Meal prepping on a dedicated day, such as one where you’re off work, can help to free up loads of time during the week or after work — allowing you to simply heat up your dinner rather than prepping and cooking it from scratch.

Keeping lots of healthy snacks to hand is another great way to avoid temptation, and packing a lunch to take to work in the morning is another way you can help moderate your food intake on the go. For more detailed guidance, we’ve put a page together all about healthy eating on the go here.

The reality is that yes, it can be more expensive to eat healthy food. But it depends. Your grocery bill, for instance, might be higher, but you might find yourself saving money on takeaways and eating out if you change your dietary habits. So it’s about perspective. There’s no reason you can’t eat cheap and healthy by sticking to cheaper ingredients where possible, utilising reduced items near their ‘use by’ date and freezing them, and growing your own produce if you’re able to.