We’ve been good – drinking water, following the diet, exercising regularly. All is great; the body is changing, looking pretty and healthy. But now with Easter just around the corner, there is this fear around holiday eating.
Do I really need to skip my favourite meals?
Or can I persuade my family to try all completely new dishes this time with broccoli quinoa salad as the main threat?
Can I have at least a tiny bite of that chocolate egg and feel like a kid again?
Or will that ruin everything I’ve been working on so far?
I’m all about healthy food choices and active lifestyle, and I will recommend this to you and your family all the time.
And what I tell you now may surprise you…
I do believe that there is absolutely no need to stress about eating over Easter holidays.
Why? Because it’s just a few days.
Even if you go for a few cheat meals, it won’t make any difference to you.
If for most of the year (let’s say 80% of your time) you chose good food combined with physical activity, you will be fine. What you are doing most of the time, your daily habits, daily choices – that’s what matters.
With the tips listed below, you have a Green Light from me to enjoy amazing food this Easter:
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Do Not Starve Yourself Before Easter
You decided to eat almost nothing before Easter to be able to eat it ALL during Easter, huh? Don’t do that; it’s silly, not healthy and even dangerous. You will feel sluggish, hungry and you will want to eat everything that’s on the Easter table, as you deserved it, right? No. Eat as healthy as usual and don’t panic. You will have that favourite treat over the weekend.
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Do Not Plan To Go On a Diet After Easter
If you do, you may feel that you need to eat it all now because after holidays you will just sip a veggie juice. So, you may choose rubbish food, consume tons of calories with zero nutritional value and that is another recipe for a disaster. Even if you have some less healthy choices over Easter, just come back to your normal routine afterwards and stick to it.
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Do Not Prepare The Food For The Whole Army
I don’t know about you, but in my family, we always have so much food that we could feed the whole village, easily…I’m not sure where it’s coming from, but it has to be a lot. So the Easter is gone, and we are still eating that food afterwards. There is no need to do that. Prepare only as much as you need to for Easter and in the amount you would normally eat. In your standard week, you don’t eat 3-course meals few times a day, so your consumption doesn’t need to increase for holidays.
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Enjoyyyy Your Favourite Food, And Yes, Eat That Chocolate Egg
Come on; you can taste that Easter egg, it’s only once a year. Don’t eat the biggest one and not every day though. You don’t need to eat all the food that’s on the Easter table, skip the ones you were always eating only because your grandma wanted you to. However, if you have your favourite Easter food, something you most likely eat once or twice a year, have it, enjoy and indulge in it.
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Drink That Wine If You Want To
Even though alcohol is a drink, not a real food, the amount of calories it has is quite astonishing. However, if you really feel like it, yes, you can have that glass of wine or two. Remember to drink plenty of water too. Your head will thank you for the following morning.
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Do Not Punish Yourself
When Easter is over, there is no need to punish yourself for all the amazing food you just ate. Your body really wasn’t ruined over the last few days especially when you were mindful of portion sizes. Don’t think about it, go back to your daily healthy habits and carry on as usual. Be good to yourself.
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Do Not Sit By The Table Day In Day Out
In our culture, it’s quite common to be sitting by the table for the whole party. The food is within arm’s reach, so we are likely to eat more. Change this. Eat that main meal and stand up, go to the garden, have a conversation with other family members, play with kids. Your digestive system will be grateful.
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Stop When You Are Full
Eat whatever you feel like eating but stop when you feel full. Even if someone else is taking another piece of cake, you don’t need to do that. Eat slowly, take breaks, drink water. Food needs to be enjoyable, not giving you discomfort and inability to walk.
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Move As Often As You Can
Move at the party, go for a family walk after dinner. Run in the morning, do some exercises in the evening. You will feel much better with more energy and more room for some other great food the following day.
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Have Fun With Your Loved Ones
Easter is time to be with your family, your friends, your loved ones. Very often it’s time when you see people who you haven’t seen for a long time. Spend some quality time with them. Paint eggs together, prepare some decorations with the kids, do eggs hunting in the garden. Listen, talk, share your dreams and plans, inspire each other, be there for each other. And have fun – it’s festive celebration for all of you.
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