Endeavour Short Courses
By Endeavour College Nutrition Instructor and Nutritionist Sophie Scott who designs short online courses on nutrition for Endeavour Short Courses: endeavourshortcourses.edu.au
Start the day right –
- You’re less likely to stock up on Easter chocolate and buns if you’ve had a wholesome brekkie with a good serve of protein, so make sure the kids start the day right. Try yoghurt with fruit and muesli, or rye toast with feta and avocado. This is a good way to add some balance to a chocolatey Easter diet, and make sure there is some nutritious food in the system ahead of the sugar onslaught
- Throughout the day, serve snacks that will provide important nutrients such as fibre and protein, which will send strong satiety signals to the brain and keep little tummies fuller for longer. Think nuts, tuna, yoghurt, fruit, boiled eggs and whole grain muffins
Opt for alt Easter treats –
- For a healthier choccy hit, make strawberries dipped in melted chocolate – that way you’re getting some of your fruit serves as well
- Easter egg hunts are great fun but half the fun is the hunt so why not swap out the sugary eggs for something else like stickers or toys
- Get crafty with DIY Easter eggs from blown out eggshells or embrace the tradition of an Easter egg hat parade
- For a tasty protein-packed alternative to hot cross buns, cinnamon French toast hits the spot
- Don’t forget bliss balls – they can provide a healthier choccy hit with cacao, and even look like an Easter treat
Be careful at the supermarket –
- Supermarkets are designed specifically for us to buy food we don’t need and in large volumes. Everywhere you turn, there’s specials on chocolate, not just in the chocolate aisle, but on the end caps, the checkout and the areas leading up to the checkout. To avoid overbuying, which can lead to overeating, make a list and stick to it no matter how tempting the 2-for-1 offer is
- Aim to only buy treats for the Easter weekend. Supermarkets stock Easter food months ahead of Easter, but it will be so much more special if it comes from the Easter Bunny on Easter Sunday
- Pester power is real – if you can, leave the kids at home when you do the supermarket shop
You can have your chocolate and eat it too –
- Buy the best quality eggs you can get and savour them instead of bulk buying cheap chocolate
- Opt for mini hot cross buns rather than the oversized ones. You’ll still get the kick of the hot cross bun taste without overdoing it
- Mini-eggs or hollow eggs are still delicious Easter eggs but they have less sugar due to their shape and size
- Ask the kids to choose one Easter treat each and hopefully they’ll cherish every bite.
Binge eating happens to all of us on some occasions, namely over Easter. It’s ok to overindulge sometimes and eating one too many Easter eggs isn’t cause for concern. It’s when this behaviour becomes a consistent and regular coping mechanism and a bad habit that it can affect mental and physical health. If you want to find out more about the psychology of food, including how to overcome overeating and create healthier habits with food, there are new short online courses on nutrition, food psychology and eating disorders at endeavourshortcourses.edu.au
