Fabulous feasts for zero points!

Whether served in a spicy curry, a fragrant stir-fry or as part of a colourful salad, more and more of us are enjoying vegetables, herbs and pulses as alternatives to a mainly meat-based diet. And there’s no time like summer for exploring new flavours. ‘Fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables such as asparagus, peas, tomatoes and berries are one of the pleasures of summer,’ says Jess O’Shea, a nutritionist at WeightWatchers.

‘Not only are they delicious and packed with healthy minerals, vitamins and other nutrients, but veggies and most fruits are either ZeroPoint foods with WeightWatchers or have very low PersonalPoint values because of their incredible benefits for your health. they’re valuable allies if you’re aiming to lose weight and get fitter.’

there’s a huge body of scientific research to show the enormous health benefits of eating a wide variety of plant-based foods. they’re brimming with natural compounds known as phytochemicals, which give them their colour and flavour, and have been shown to help boost your immune system as well as reduce your risk of some diseases.

Non-starchy vegetables in particular — from green beans to tomatoes, peppers and spinach — have been identified as being so rich in healthboosting properties that they are listed as ZeroPoint foods for all plans on WW’s PersonalPoints programme.

Not only that, but you can actually claim extra PersonalPoints for your daily budget just by eating veggies!

You’ll add an extra Point for each handful of different non- starchy vegetables that you eat, no matter what other ZeroPoint food categories you’ve also chosen.

SO BY adding a small salad and a serving of broccoli to your lunch and a handful of cherry tomatoes to your dinner at night, you’ll gain three extra PersonalPoints for your budget to spend however you want — it really is as easy as that.

‘Vegetables and fruit are a fantastic natural source of fibre, which is great for your gut health and also helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer — another bonus,’ says Jess O’Shea.

‘there’s a huge range of plantbased recipes to enjoy at WW — from light and sustaining to filling and comforting. So there’s every reason to add more veggies to your diet — and even to base many of your meals around them. try to enjoy as many different varieties as you can, as this has been shown to be particularly beneficial to health.’

Now summer is here, this is super simple, as you can see from the delectable recipes we’re sharing today as we continue our exclusive series with WW, to help you lose up to half a stone by the start of the school holidays. It will help you enjoy whatever activities you have planned for the summer months by becoming fitter, healthier and with a more positive outlook on life.

to help you get off to a flying start, WW is offering two months’ free membership to Daily Mail readers — see the back page of this pullout for details.

Are you tempted by the thought of a lunch or dinner of savoury mushrooms, gently roasted with garlic, shallots, rosemary, thyme and red peppers?

Or perhaps you’d prefer a scrumptious bowl of quick cauliflower fried rice or Cajunstyle tofu with corn salsa and a crispy salad? All of these delicious dishes — the recipes are shared here — have zero or very few PersonalPoints and they can be on the table within 45 minutes or even less.

So what are you waiting for?

Just pick the dish that appeals to you most and give it a try . . . there’s a whole new repertoire of fuss-free and delicious vegetablebased dishes just waiting for you.