Have A Healthier Easter With These Four Easy Tips!
For many Easter and Passover means two things: lots of family and lots of food. Time with the other Neanderthals is great, but all that food can cause a problem. How do you stay away from all that candy? Jelly beans, chocolate, peanut butter, you name it; there’s candy everywhere you look right now. Luckily, your favorite caveman has some handy tips to help you stay on track through the rest of the week.
1. You might be eating more sugar than you realize. While it may not sound like that big of a deal to pop the occasional marshmallow morsel into your mouth, a few of those sugary niblets over the course of the day can really add up. For example, if you’re eating one handful of M&Ms every so often throughout your day, you could be unthinkingly taking in an extra few hundred calories. Read this article from Fitsugar to check out what 100 calories of Easter candy really looks like.
2. Lamb vs. Ham. Thanksgiving might be for turkey, but lamb and ham are both the traditional choices for Easter. But which is healthier? While lamb has more calories and fat than ham, the pork’s curing process loads it up with salt — as much as 40 percent of your daily value of sodium per 3 oz. serving.
3. Make a healthier Easter basket. You don’t have to just pour a whole bag of Cadbury eggs into a basket. With a little creativity, you can have a healthier Easter basket that’s just as yummy! Bunny-shaped graham crackers are a festive and high-fiber addition to any Easter basket. Peeps, while not necessarily loaded with nutritional value, are at least a low-calorie alternative to most Easter candies. A serving size of four Peeps only adds up to 128 calories! If you have to have chocolate, try an antioxidant rich dark chocolate that’s organic or fair trade. Throw in carrots for the Easter bunny. Put pastel-colored fitness gear like socks into the basket. For kids, trade the candy for little toys like books, puzzles, Silly Putty(it does come in an egg), or packets of seeds and gardening tools. Want a better alternative to jelly beans? Try energizing sports chews or fruit leather.
4. Check online for healthier Easter or Passover alternatives. There are simple swaps you can use to make traditional dinner foods a little friendlier for your waistline. Matzo balls are usually made with chicken fat and can really pack some calories. For the same flavors as matzo ball soup, try a healthier chicken noodle soup instead. Make sure there’s a brightly colored salad on the table as an appetizer. Eat this first and you’re less likely to gorge on dessert.
If you have any great health tip, let me know in the comments. Have a great weekend Rockheads!