Leading dietitian Susie Burrell shares how families can have a healthier Easter at home

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 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 percent natural protein source

A fantastic way to have a more balanced Easter is to mix treats with healthier alternatives.

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.

“My Easter Banana Loaf Cake (recipe below) 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”.

Susie Burrell’s Easter Bunny Balls Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut, plus extra to coat
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 Mayver’s Probiotic Super Peanut Butter
• 100g white chocolate melts
• 12 pink mini marshmallows, cut in half diagonally
• 12 white mini marshmallows, cut in half lengthways
• 24 candy eyes
• 12 pink mini candies
• 12 patty pans

Method

1. Place the quick oats, coconut, honey, cocoa power and peanut butter in a medium mixing bowl. Mix until evenly combined.
2. Roll mixture into 12 small balls. Place in the refrigerator to firm.
3. Meanwhile, prepare decorations and melt white chocolate according to packet instructions.
4. Remove balls from refrigerator one at a time to create the bunnies. Place a skewer in the bottom of a ball and hold onto the skewer as you coat the ball in chocolate. Place ball in patty pan and remove skewer. Press 2 pink marshmallow halves into the top of the ball for the ears, press 1 half white marshmallow into the back for a tail, place two candy eyes on the front and add the candy nose. Sprinkle a small amount of coconut over. Repeat with remaining 11 balls.
5. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes to set.

Susie Burrell’s Easter Banana Loaf Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 250g frozen raspberries, thawed
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cup Mayver’s Skin On Peanut Butter
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 1/4 cup light extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 3 overripe bananas, 2 mashed and 1 sliced
• 1 cup plain wholemeal flour
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1. To prepare the chia jam, combine raspberries and chia seeds in a small mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Cover and place in the refrigerator to thicken.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C /160°C (fan forced). Line a 21cm x 11cm loaf pan with non-stick baking paper.
3. Beat peanut butter and eggs with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until thick and well combined. Reduce speed to low and beat in olive oil, honey, milk and mashed banana.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, bicarbonate soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and fold gently.
5. Pour mixture into lined pan and press banana halves into the top of the mixture. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.
6. Slice into 12 pieces. Serve alongside chia jam and peanut butter.