While Easter is a great opportunity to socialise with family and friends, celebrate the season and relax over a long weekend, sometimes the traditional ‘extras’ of Easter, like the all too enticing chocolate Easter egg, can become a little too much!

Here are some tips to help you keep the Easter munchies at bay and resist having just ‘one more’ too many times:

If you can, buy the best quality chocolate eggs and other goodies. This will help you feel as if you’re indulging in the best, will satisfy you much sooner, and as you probably pay more for quality, this will help you buy less chocolate as well.

Choose small, dark, plain chocolate over large or filled eggs that have caramel, cream or other fillings. These add quite a lot to the energy content.  Dark chocolate tends to satisfy people’s chocolate cravings earlier, and thus they eat less!

Try and plan activities for home that will encourage exercise and bring your family and friends together. You may want to organise an Easter egg hunt, or stage activities in the back yard like an Easter egg and spoon race for the kids with prizes other than chocolate - like a fluffy bunny instead!

Take advantage of the pleasant weather and head down to the park or even the beach and remember to ‘slip, slop, slap!’ Try and be as active as you can over the Easter period.

It’s ok to have a little more chocolate than you usually would but try not to go overboard. 1 mini Cadbury Easter egg (solid) is around 150kJ. 4 of these =  20 minute power walk, 15 minute run or a 25 minute bike ride or swim.

If you find you’re getting an influx of Easter chocolate (from work parties, neighbours or you made too many purchases) then wrap them up into assorted little bundles (4-5 small pieces, 2-3 medium pieces or 1 large piece) to have on the table for family and friends to take home.

Don’t buy extra eggs after the Easter weekend is over because they’re on special. Remember: Easter is an indulgent time that shouldn’t last weeks because your fridge is over stocked and the specials were too hard to resist, so try and get back to your normal eating and exercise routine as soon as possible.

Remember that hot cross buns add energy to your diet – a bun should replace 2 pieces of bread, not be consumed in addition to your sandwich!

Easter is a great time to include more fish in your diet so make sure you get your omega 3’s but avoid your fish being fried, crumbed or battered.  Try barbequing, grilling, baking, opening a can or eating it raw!

Keeping these tips in mind over the Easter period should help you and your family stay healthy, happy and full of energy without over indulging in Easter.

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