Easter is the time where we see more healthy diets broken than any other time of the year!
Unlike Christmas, where people tend to consume wholesome foods such as chicken, turkey, prawns, cold meats, and nutritious salads, Easter is a time where many people fill their tummies with high sugar content and problematic carb foods like chocolate eggs, hot cross buns, and marshmallows.
A great way to stop sabotaging your weight loss efforts is to have your weekly treat meal time fall on Easter Day so that you can enjoy a guilt-free sugary treat amongst family and friends. However, it’s important to maintain self-control and limit yourself. Remember why you started your journey to a fitter/healthier life in the first place, and use this as motivation to stick to healthy choices!
We’ve done up a quick list of healthy alternatives for you to try out this Easter.
1. Dark chocolate-dipped bananas
Bananas are a great option for sweet-tooth sufferers! They’re packed full of good nutrients, including vitamins C and B6, fibre and plenty of potassium. Starve off those sugar cravings by mixing up a bowl of dark chocolate (70% or over is best) and dunking bananas in. Coat them in crushed nuts for a bit of extra flavour.
2. Berry smoothies
With the endless amount of smoothie options out there these days, there’s no excuse not to find a formula you like! Blueberries are full of awesome antioxidants and vitamins, and taste delicious when mixed with bananas and nut milk! Feel free to adapt your smoothie to suit your taste buds, but try not to add extra unnecessary sweeteners like sugar, honey or high-fat yoghurt.
3. Chia seed pudding
If you’ve never tried this scrumptious dessert before, we certainly recommend doing so! Super easy to make and even easier to eat, chia seed pudding is another one of those sneaky sweet treats that are secretly really good for you. Similar to flax seeds, chia seeds are very high in Omega-3s. Mix your favourite fruit into the pudding for an added colourful touch.
4. Raw snack balls
Raw snack balls are a great little treat for when you’re feeling those sweet urges come on. And, like chia seed pudding, they don’t take much effort to make! For this particular recipe, simply blend 15 pitted dates with approx. 250g of cashews, 1 tbsp of vanilla essence and a sprinkle cacao powder together and roll into balls. Again, there are a few different alternatives so feel free to get creative with yours.
Don’t have time to make them yourself? Head to your nearest health food store – there’s always an array of choice there!
5. Make Your Own Banana Icecream
Did you know bananas can be blended into ice cream? They are practically the wonder woman of all fruit and veg! Simply throw 2-3 frozen bananas into a blender with a splash of nut milk of your choice (approx 2-4 tbsp to be exact) and blend until you’ve got a soft-serve texture. If you want to get creative, you could add a dash of cinnamon or some nuts into the mix towards the end of blending!
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