Healthy Easter food ideas

Okay, let’s assume one thing first: if it comes wrapped in brightly coloured tinfoil, it’s the exact opposite of healthy. Easter is Easter and, for whatever reason, it’s become synonymous with chocolate eggs.

That doesn’t mean you have to become synonymous with a holiday sugar overdose.

So here are ten cool Easter food ideas to help you negotiate the Easter break without breaking any overindulgence records!

One: Go cold turkey

Well, hot turkey to start; a delicious way to make Easter lunch a celebration. And then, once the main meal is out of the way, there is all that fabulous white, protein-filled meat left over for great anytime, healthy turkey sandwiches in wholegrain bread.

Two: Save the ‘best’ for last

And, as it’s Easter, the best is, of course, the stuff that’s far from best for our health. That said we’re not going to deny ourselves the treat. Why should we?

Here’s the trick. Eat the healthy stuff first, be it lunch or a snack. The more you stock your stomach up with nutritious food, the less room you’ll have for the sweet stuff, yet the enjoyment will still be the same.

Three: Snack often

Natural yogurt, apples, strawberries, banana smoothies, avocado, or the aforementioned turkey sandwiches. Snacking helps to keep your sugar levels in check, in and around the chocolate and, of course, reduce the sweets intake.

Four: Drink water

It’s not exactly food, but regular swigs of plain old H2O might be just the thing to keep mind and body operating in a healthy way. If there’s drinking over Easter, dehydration can set in. Water fixes that super quick. And if you’re high on the calories over the Easter break, chilled water can help burn a bit of that off.

Five: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

In fact, if you’re serious about a healthy Easter, don’t put any eggs in it at all. Instead, go for a lavish basket of local and exotic fruit. Or how about some fresh veggies cut into sticks and served with delicious dips? Either way, you’ve got healthy snacks for an Easter party or an Easter holiday picnic!

Six: Start with breakfast

Don’t scramble out of bed and head straight for the chocolate eggs. For a start, you’ll get your day off to a sugar-rushed start with a nice energy flop to look forward to later. If you get the day underway with a decent breakfast of real eggs and wholegrain toast, you might well postpone that first Easter treat until after lunch.

Seven: Run off the Easter bunny

Do you know what it takes to burn off one 50g Easter egg? An 80-minute power walk or about 50 minutes of energetic dancing. So if you’re going to eat the eggs, be ready to burn them off just as fast.

Eight: Quality, not quantity

The cheap eggs might look more impressive stacked up all bright and colourful in a bowl, but cheap is not cheerful when it comes to your health. Less is more. Go for dark chocolate high in cocoa and antioxidants.

Nine: Paint your eggs

It’s hard to convince the kids to eat anything that’s not coated in glittering tinfoil, so why not dye or paint some boiled eggs? It’s a fun way to keep the young ones occupied or a great way for you to unleash some creative flair.

Ten: Size doesn’t matter

Why not savour a mini Easter egg once every hour or two and stay right away from the large ones that’ll play havoc with your cholesterol?

And remember, it’s all about moderation. Temper your Easter with sensible food choices and a bit of exercise and you’ll be all the better for it.

Looking for quick snack options that will boost your energy quickly? Read our blog on '5 Energy-Boosting Foods that Give Energy.'

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