The 5:2, or fast diet, works by restricting calorie intake for two non-consecutive days a week, while allowing you to eat normally on the other five days. In The Fast Days Cookbook, food writer, Laura Herring shows you how you can avoid entering the hanger zone on your fast days with recipes that give you maximum satisfaction for the fewest calories.

The focus is on planning what to eat and when, cleverly combining ingredients that provide huge flavours – fast days should not be a punishment! If you enjoy food, then you should also enjoy it on your fasting days, not resign yourself to sad-looking salads.

With over 70 delicious, quick and easy recipes ranging from 50 calories to 350 calories, the meals in this book can actually be enjoyed any day – fast or feast! Taking you from Breakfast to Lunch and Dinner, you’ll also find recipes for low-cal snacks, sweet treats and even toppings and dressings. You can mix and match the meals in the book to suit you and your lifestyle, and there are plenty of make-fresh and pack-up ideas to stash in your bag and take to work.

Choose from Turkish-style baked eggs, burrito bowls, Nori wraps, Thai beef salad, pork and quinoa burgers and spicy dahls – there’s even a banana and cardamom ‘ice cream’. Fast days should make your food work hard to earn its place on your plate!

And who says you have to dine alone on your fast days? Most of the dishes in this book can also be eaten as part of a family meal, with a few simple add-ons. Complete with menu plans, batch cooking ideas, store cupboard essentials and time-saving tips and tricks, this book shows you how the 5:2 diet can become a seamless part of your lifestyle.