5 Summer Recipes With Less Than 500 Calories

If you were told that you could lose up to 14 pounds by dieting only two days a week for a month, would you believe it?

We had a hard time believing it, too, until we met nutrition expert Jacqueline Whitehart. A mother of three, Whitehart specializes in what is known as the 5:2 Diet, a fast and easy diet that has taken Britain by storm and is finding its way across the pond. The 5:2 Diet is a structured meal plan that consists of only two days of dieting on low-calorie meals — 500-calorie meals for women and 600 calories for men — that will help you rapidly lose weight, as well as lower your risk of age-related illnesses such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, and heart disease.    

Click here to see 5 Summer Recipes with Less Than 500 Calories

Ever since the diet was created by medical journalist Michael Mosley and journalist Mimi Spencer, other industry experts have joined the cause and have started preaching the diet's success, including Whitehart.

In her cookbook, The 5:2 Bikini Diet, Whitehart promises you a bikini (or board short)-ready body in just one month with her delicious and easy recipes. Targeted for women, all of the recipes are less than 500 calories and will make you question the term intermittent-fasting (IF), which is used to describe the two days of dieting.

These aren't just recipes for salads, either, because Whitehart has provided easy and low-fat options that'll not only help you succeed with the 5:2 Diet, but will have your taste buds singing. Like a prawn green curry that, at only 278 calories, takes a mere 15 minutes to put together, or a decadent chocolate pudding that will prove to you that chocolate doesn't always have to be a guilty pleasure.

The best part? Even if you choose not to practice the 5:2 Diet, these are still really easy, low-calorie recipes for you to enjoy when you're craving something on the healthier side. These recipes are fast, easy, and delicious, so there's no reason not to try them.  Summer is here and there's always room for improvement — so get cooking. 

Anne Dolce is the Cook editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @anniecdolce .

This story was originally published on June 13, 2013.