You can have your cake and eat it too! Or in this case chocolate.
Easter is right around the corner and recently lots of people have been asking if its okay to eat chocolate.
What about my diet?
People who feel they are on a diet may feel they are missing out around Easter especially when family is around.
Easter is a time when family and friends come together to celebrate and spend time together. A big part of this holiday is food. Hot cross buns, fish and especially chocolate…
Here are a couple of things to help you get through Easter!
Don’t deprive or restrict yourself
Its often better to have the piece of chocolate, eat it and then move on. This is much better than to agonize over not having it.
Often people will end up eating other food to try and satisfy their chocolate cravings. However, this often leads to people often ‘giving in’ to their chocolate craving and eating more chocolate than they would have in the first place. This then often leads to people eating more calories.
So just have the chocolate and move on!
And remember, there are no good and bad foods, just foods. These foods are here to be enjoyed.
Think big picture
Easter is only four days out of the year. That’s less than a week.
For the rest of the year, you should be aiming to eat fresh whole foods like fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and lean proteins. For example, aiming to have your two fruit and five vegetables each day. If your doing this having a little bit of chocolate over Easter isn’t going to derail you.
Practice mindful eating
One problem people seem to have difficultly is ‘having trouble stopping’ or they are a ‘all or nothing type of person’.
One way around this is to practice mindful eating. This practice enables you to continue to enjoy chocolate but at the same time allow you to be more in-tune to your bodies hunger cues.
Lets try it together:
- Grab a piece of your favourite chocolate.
- Put away all distraction eg turn your phone or TV off.
- Eat with all five senses and be present in the moment.
Try answering these questions when you eat your chocolate:
– What can you taste?
– What you smell?
– What does the chocolate feel like?
– What does the chocolate look like? - Enjoy!
What chocolates can I eat?
You can eat any chocolate!
However, If you did want some help with portion control these chocolate options are a good place to start:
- KitKats in individual packets
- Maltesers in individual packets
- Mini Freddos Frogs
- Ferry Friends
Enjoy the holiday and spending time with friends and family!
By Emma Pearson, Accredited Practising Dietitian
