Does the concept of a ‘healthy Easter’ sound completely alien to you? Don’t worry – we understand! But we are here to introduce you to some new ideas that may just take your fancy. It is so easy to get swept up these days in the tidal wave of sugar that dominates the shelves between January and April every year.
Easter doesn’t have to ruin your diet – if you still want to get involved, there are many food-free ideas flowing around these days. Like Christmas, Easter hold its own festive, craft traditions in the forms of homemade Easter trees, bunting and woolly little lambs and chicks. YouTube is a fantastic resource for teaching yourself a new craft… pompoms are incredibly simple to make, and with the addition of some pipe cleaners and googly eyes, they can be transformed into adorable little figures that would make any Easter basket completely adorable!
Not sold on this? Fair enough… we’ll get back to the food… but at least consider some perfectly tasty alternatives: Supermarkets are catering more than ever to those on ‘free-from’ diets. For those seeking sugar-free options, journey to a larger store and try to look past the shelves stocked with brightly coloured boxes for the main chocolate brands. Instead, cast your eye along the shelves a little further or lower and you may find some tasty sugar/dairy/gluten free alternatives that are just as agreeable. There will usually be options available in the ‘free-from’ aisle, or perhaps have a look online where you will find an even wider range again. Additionally, many savoury alternatives are now starting to gain popularity in high street shops for those wishing to avoid sweets altogether. Eggs made entirely of cheese, complete with crackers and chutney are even beginning to emerge! And of course, there’s always real eggs to enjoy!
If you are willing to eat sugar but want to limit your intake, consider instead a good quality dark chocolate egg. Labelling law requires ingredients to be listed in order of weight, therefore most milk and white chocolate eggs will have ‘sugar’ listed first as their main ingredient, but if you choose a dark egg that’s at least 70% cocoa you should see ‘cocoa mass/solids’ top of the list. Another tip is to count the ingredients: ideally, you only want to see around 5 ingredients. The longer the list, the higher the chance of artificial flavours and hydrogenated fats/oils etc you ideally want to avoid. If you want to enjoy everything in moderation, consider purchasing or making smaller, individually wrapped items. This automatically helps to monitor your portion size and may help to prevent the chance to gorge!
Do you enjoy baking? Why not use Easter as the them for some delicious homemade cakes and biscuits? Seize the opportunity to use healthier ingredients, such as substituting honey for sugar, using avocado instead of butter, or perhaps almond milk instead of cow’s milk. Do some research online – there are countless recipes to choose from for those wishing to substitute sugar and fat for healthier alternatives. Perhaps treat yourself to some delightful new cookie cutters and cake moulds; there are countless designs for Easter themed shapes such as eggs, chicks and bunny rabbits… go wild and have fun!
Easter is what you make it. Fill your bank holiday weekend with plenty of smiles, laughter and happiness… enjoy!