Okay, you can stop now. Three weeks of antioxidant salad and purgative smoothies is more than enough for anyone. You’ve done your bit for healthy privation and digestive efficiency. You’ve toned your thighs and trimmed your body of the excess baggage. You can face the rest of 2009 with your well-defined cheeks (and cheekbones) held high.

Actually, January has always struck me as a curious time to try to lose weight. It’s precisely now that you want grub to sustain you through the grim, grey days of winter, when the world seems a less than friendly place and there’s a year of uncertainty ahead. I find myself naturally turning to the edible comfort blanket of cream and carbs rather than the green virtue of the salad drawer. I don’t think I’m alone — so, this week, I’ve gone resolutely antidiet.

These recipes, you might notice, are a tad on the rich side, and probably not the sort of thing you should eat every day. But a bit of what you fancy once in a while does you good. This isn’t food that will make you thin, but it might just make you happy. And, for me, that’s even more important.

... and what we should be eating

If you don’t want to give up the good work, the American nutritionist Dr Jonny Bowden, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth (Fair Winds Press £15.99), has a definitive list of healthy foods we should all aim to be eating now.

Beetroot Think of beetroot as red spinach — it is a rich source of folate, and the red pigment is thought to be a cancer fighter.

How to eat it Raw, grated on salad. (Heating decreases the antioxidant power.)

Cabbage Loaded with sulforaphane, said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.

How to eat it Raw as a crunchy topping.

Swiss chard Leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect the eyes.

How to eat it Sautéed in olive oil.

Cinnamon May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.

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