The UK has a fresh new import:  women bloggers  promoting healthy eating with the lure of a photogenic lifestyle. Ella Woodward,  Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley and Amelia Freer are all authors with new big-name-publishing-house cookbooks out right now.

Ella Woodward’s debut Deliciously Ella was the fastest-selling debut cookbook in the UK since records began.   All are wildly successful in the digital world, incredibly photogenic and as a recent New York Times story stated are: “…the Daughters of Nigella, the logical successors to Nigella Lawson, the food personality known for her lush desserts, sensuous presentation and high-profile split from the art dealer Charles Saatchi.”

Minus the fattening desserts of course.

One might logically assume that British food and healthy eating were incompatible.  But the healthy food scene over there is as bonkers (endless avocado toast recipes, Instagram perfection, kale beauty products, probiotic chocolate and $700 US juicers anyone?) as it is in North America.

We’ll confess to being a little suspicious of this intersection of healthy eating and beauty benefits.  We know that eating well will have a positive effect on your weight, hair and skin.  But will it turn you into an Instagram superstar?  Unlikely. But if  the advice of a blogger moves anyone towards eating better, then we’ll join the chorus and say “hear, hear”.

And if those foods make you look good as well…bonus!

Ella Woodward

If you’re not already familiar with deliciouslyella.com, you are way behind on this trend. Her blog receives 6 million hits a month, and she has 400,000 followers on Instagram.  Her new book is Deliciously Ella Every Day and promises quick and easy recipes for gluten-free snacks, packed lunches and simple meals.

Her biggest hit:  Brownies made with Sweet Potatoes and Dates.

Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley

Hemsley + Hemsley are two sisters who look like models and espouse a philosophy of “good food, good mood, good digestion, good health.”  They’ve got their own TV series Hemsley + Hemsley Healthy and Delicious (not in Canada. Yet.), a cafe at swanky retailer Selfridges, fetching videos and a new cookbook Good + Simple.

For two totally untrained cooks, they appear to be on to something.

Their biggest hit:  It’s a tie. They were first out of the spiralizer gate, but it’s their bone broth recipe that’s #1 on their website. Stomach soothing bone broth is packed with vitamins, minerals, collagen and keratin. They claim their broth has amazing benefits for the skin – including helping alleviate cellulite. I guess sipping is believing: you can click here for the recipe.

Amelia Freer

It’s her sensible and no-nonsense approach that makes celebrity nutritionist Amelia Freer so appealing.  Her philosophy:  eat food naturally high in healthy fats, protein, and LOTS of vegetables.  Her first book focused on ten easy steps to eating healthy with a few recipes to help keep you on track.  Her latest Cook. Nourish. Glow. ups the ante with over 100 recipes.   Amelia feels like the grown-up in the green queens bunch. She studied at the prestigious Institute for Optimum Nutrition and is a member of the British Association for Applied Nutritional Therapy. And before writing her bestselling first book, Eat. Nourish. Glow, she spent years treating clients with conditions like digestive complaints, weight problems, skin issues and exhaustion.

Her biggest hit:  The hugely impressive transformation of singer Sam Smith. His Instagram thank you (151.9 likes) included this line about her book:  “It’s not even about weight loss.  It’s about feeling happy in yourself.”