Kiddipedia
As the Easter bunny hops its way into households very soon, there are many eager children anticipating a delicious dose of chocolate eggs and treats.
Alongside the joy this can bring, it can also raise concerns for parents on how much sugar their families are consuming over the Easter holiday period.
For answers, we turned to leading dietitian and Mayver’s ambassador, Susie Burrell, for her expert advice on how to celebrate Easter in a balanced way and enjoying treats whilst not overdoing the sugar.
With Easter eggs containing high levels of sugar and kids notoriously wanting to eat them all at once, Susie says that kids only need to eat more than three Easter eggs to get more than their upper daily recommended intake of added sugars.
“Despite the momentary fun and delicious taste of Easter eggs, too many treats will leave your body dealing with the side effects long after the celebrations have ended.
“It’s quite common to experience sugar rushes, headaches and mood swings as a result of indulging in more than we should.”
Susie has shared the following tips on how to enjoy a healthy Easter this year, without the chocolate hangover.
Be aware of how much sugar is in each Easter treat
Having an awareness of the sugar content in the eggs or treats you have chosen can prevent your kids going overboard, as it can be monitored accordingly.
“A typical chocolate Easter egg contains around 9-10g of sugar, which is why it is so easy for us to go exceed our recommended daily sugar intake if we have a whole basket of Easter eggs.”
Susie reminds us that “a child’s recommended daily intake of sugar is only 25g, so it’s important not to turn a blind eye to the sugar content as it can be easy to overdo things leaving kids with fluctuating energy levels and issues with attention and concentration.
Mix treats with a 100% natural protein source like Mayver’s Peanut Butter
A fantastic way to have a more balanced Easter is to mix treats with healthier alternatives.
Although most kids prefer milk or white chocolate, dark chocolate can serve as a much healthier option, with significantly lower amounts of sugar. – this is not true. Better is –
The key to keep calorie and sugar intake controlled is to opt for small, child portions. Seek out smaller eggs and stick to a clear limit on each day so children can space out their treats.It will also help to eat main meals before any chocolate and to get outside and move as much as possible to help burn off the extra sugars and energy
“You can also opt to improve the nutritional profile of treats by combining chocolate with a natural peanut butter like Mayver’s is a tasty way to balance out the intense flavour and provides a protein hit as a bonus”.
“The protein from the peanut butter will help you and your children fuller for longer and as a result, the family will feel less inclined to reach for another treat.”
Prepare your own Easter sweets
If you have extra time, there are even some easy Easter treats you could make at home so that you can track ingredient quantities whilst having a fun boredom buster over the holidays.
For the hot cross bun addicts out there, Susie recommends trying Mayver’s hot cross bun protein balls that don’t contain any sugar, making them a great alternative to Easter chocolates and double as a tasty post-workout snack too.
“My Easter Banana Loaf Cake provides a healthier way to start the Easter morning festivities and is topped with the great taste of Mayver’s Skin On Peanut Butter for an extra boost of fibre and a spoonful of naturally sweetened, chia jam.”
Collect Easter eggs and redistribute evenly
Much to the dismay of little ones, yet a clever tactic, is to collect all of the Easter eggs after an Easter egg hunt and share them evenly between the children.
Not only will this prevent your child going overboard sugar wise, but the silver lining is that it can help to avoid any arguments between the kids over who found more eggs!
Wait until later in the day before indulging in sweets
As tempting as it is to eat your eggs first thing in the morning, holding off on eating sweets until the afternoon can be an effective method of stretching out your sugar consumption.
Susie says “leaving a smaller time bracket for eating sweets on the day, or even breaking up your family’s Easter egg consumption across several days helps to keep your sugar intake in check”.
For recipe details and more information please visit www.mayvers.com.au
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