5 Tips to Avoid the Easter Weight Trap

By Jenelle Craotto APD

There’s no denying it – chocolate is delicious! This Easter I want you to give yourself full permission to indulge in your favourite treats - and more importantly, to do so without any guilt!  It’s perfectly fine, and even healthy, to do so.  After all, there certainly is room in a healthy diet to eat food for no other reason than because it’s delicious.

Now while I’ve given chocolate the thumbs up, I want you to keep in mind my favourite tips so you can enjoy the Easter break – without the weight gain.

Save the Chocolate for Easter  
Easter bunnies and choccie eggs have slowly filled our supermarket shelves, but we’ve been in a battle of wills with hot-crossed buns ever since the New Year rolled around!  
Just remember, Easter is a 4-day weekend in autumn – so make the decision to only indulge in your favourite Easter delights during those few days.  And trust me…you’ll actually enjoy those luscious treats all the more!

Timed Treats
If you’re eyeing off a bag of hot-crossed buns on an empty stomach – you’re willpower is about to be seriously tested.  This Easter, get organised with your meals and snacks and make sure you have plenty of wholesome and nourishing food on hand.

Go ahead and indulge a little, but save your favourite Easter goodies for just once in the day. This may be some chocolate for dessert or perhaps a hot-crossed bun with your afternoon cuppa.

Quality Matters
Guzzling back large quantities of tasteless, cheap chocolate is hardly satisfying!  You’ll likely wind up feeling sluggish and find that you didn’t really enjoy your chocolate treat.  Instead, opt for some truly decadent chocolate so you need less to really get your chocolate fix.

Savour Each Bite
Mindfulness is not just reserved for the hippies; it can be a really great trick to enjoying the full experience of eating chocolate – and all food for that matter! 
Take time to savour your chocolate, by eating it slowly, paying attention to its indulgent texture, taste and aroma.  Just like eating quality chocolate, you’ll probably need less to satisfy any cravings.

Share the Love
If you have an over-supply of chocolate (…is there really such a thing?!) share it with family, friends, neighbours and colleagues – they’ll love you for it!

IMAGE FROM ETHOS ORTHODONTICS

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