Tips for a Healthy Easter
Easter is upon us yet again – only four weeks away! It’s important to remember that Easter is not an excuse for a 4-day chocolate gorge, but it is a 4 day holiday…. However, it is estimated that Australians spend over $200 million on chocolate at Easter, so there is a whole lot of chocolate eating going on around the country. Of course, this would be a dieting disaster, but for those of you trying to lose weight (or just not wanting to be sick from overindulgence), we would like to suggest the following tips to keep your excess calorie intake to a minimum!
1) EASTER IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO EAT CHOCOLATE FOR A MONTH
Remember, Easter starts on Good Friday and finishes on Easter Monday. There is no need to binge on chocolate in the weeks leading up to and after Easter. Do not buy any chocolate for yourself and, if you are given any Easter Eggs, choose to eat only one small one. By the time Easter Monday arrives, dispose of any excess chocolate that is in your house or give it away. This way you won’t be tempted to keep eating the chocolate for the coming weeks.
2) DARK CHOCOLATE IS A BETTER CHOICE
Dark chocolate has a higher percentage of cocoa (70-85%) than milk chocolate, which will leave you satisfied with smaller portions. Not only that, chocolate with a high cocoa content contains potent antioxidants that have been shown to have a positive impact on heart disease and other inflammatory conditions. So choose a good quality, small dark chocolate egg to enjoy and make sure it contains high concentration of cocoa.
3) BURN OFF YOUR CHOCOLATE CALORIES
The best way to not feel guilty about enjoying some chocolate over Easter is to make sure you do exercise to ‘burn off’ any extra calories you may have eaten. For example, if you have a Cadbury Crème Egg (39g), you would be consuming around 172 calories which means you would have to walk for 25 minutes at a moderate pace to ‘burn off’ the extra calories. If a Lindt bunny (50g) is more your style, make sure you lace up your walking shoes and take off at a decent pace for 39 minutes!
I guess the over-riding message of this blog is to be mindful of what you put in your mouth over Easter. The old saying ‘A moment on the lips, a lifetime on your hips’ may be a little exaggerated BUT if you don’t compensate for any over-indulgence over Easter, then you can expect the scales to suffer later. Remember, Easter is not an excuse to let your guard down about what you eat: instead, it should be a time to relax, enjoy time with family friends, and to get outdoors!
The Natural Way wishes you all the best for a happy & relaxing Easter break. If you need help to STAY on track with your weight loss BEFORE your holiday, be sure to call us on 1300 SLIMMER (1300 754663) or contact your regular supply person’s mobile. After all, we have been helping Australians lose weight for over 45 years, so we know we have a program to suit your needs, tastes and budget – even for Easter!
