There are many temptations during Easter that test our willpower and waistline. It is an indulgent season, but fear not – we have compiled a list of tips to help you manage, without missing out.
Help for eating well this Easter
- Choose quality over quantity – Plain, dark quality chocolate has less sugar than milk or white chocolate (although it may contain more fat), the flavour is more intense, and therefore most people find that a couple of smaller pieces are enough to satisfy a craving. With that being said, choose YOUR favourite treats this Easter, just have a little bit, so you don’t feel like you’ve missed out or deprived yourself.
- Portion Control – Moderation is key, when choosing Easter treats. We recommend a 25g portion – which equals to about 3-4 squares of chocolate. Remember – chocolate still has a lot of kilojoules, so overindulging can easily lead to weight loss. Buying individual, smaller chocolates, will make it easier to control the amount you eat, especially if you give yourself a limit of 3-4 little eggs. Larger chocolate blocks or eggs will make it more difficult to control portion sizes, and harder to stop eating.
- Eat mindfully – savour every mouthful. It is easy to “shove” food down, without paying attention to what or how much we’re eating. Eating mindfully involves really paying attention to what you’re eating, the flavours of the food, how it feels in your mouth, the aroma and texture – it will give you so much pleasure and enjoyment. You’ll be surprised how little you actually eat, and how much better it tastes, when you savour a treat this way.
- Sharing is caring – share your Easter treats with family and friends, particularly after Easter. Give yourself the long weekend to enjoy your favourite treats, but come Tuesday….no more! Give them away. Get them out of the house. Don’t fall into the trap of eating all the leftover chocolates and treats.
- Store chocolate in the fridge – The chocolate flavour lasts longer in your mouth when it’s cold.
- Homemade treats – Allergies and intolerances often limits a lot of food choices. Making your own Easter treats is a great way to make indulgent treats that won’t result in reactions or upset tummies. A simple Google search will bring up lots of options for gluten free, nut free, dairy free, and/or low kilojoule Easter recipes. Try dark chocolate covered strawberries or other fruit, or dark chocolate bark – check out our Facebook page for other delicious recipes.
- Help is available – We don’t mean Chocoholics Anonymous, but us. Our dietitians at Tree of Life Nutrition will be happy to help if you have any post-Easter chocolate withdrawals, or need to get back on the weight-loss bandwagon. Give us a call on 3891 6199.
Enjoy the long weekend 🙂