Each year at Easter, I get asked lots of requests to write about Easter. The two most common questions I get asked are:
- What’s your approach to Easter?
- How much chocolate do you allow?
So here is my approach:
Food is meant to be enjoyed. It’s not a time to add guilt for having foods we don’t normally eat. Here’s what I do:
- Keep it plain – chocolates with fillings are usually loaded with more colours and flavours with potential behavioural and other affects. No thanks. I want to enjoy my Easter.
- The darker the chocolate, the better. Or put the other way, the lighter the chocolate, the more sugar it contains. We typically have 85% to 90% but if that’s too strong a taste for you, go for 75%.
- Chocolate with breakfast on Easter Sunday. This may not float everyone’s boat but our kids don’t get chocolate regularly, so for Easter, I make bunny tail pancakes with strawberries, blueberries, whipped cream and chocolate shavings or chunks made into the pancakes.
- Plenty of water and real food to be had every day. And other than Easter Sunday, real food is the first food to be offered eaten as a snack, not chocolate. Easter Sunday starts with chocolate. It’s the only time of year this happens so you can imagine the excitement in the house.
- Easter egg hunt. Again because we don’t do a lot of sweet things, I don’t mind the kids participating in an Easter Egg hunt. The chocolates are not really that great but I deal with it and just make sure they don’t go too crazy with the amount they get.
- A little bit for a few days, then out of sight and back to really just sometimes. The sweet stuff is addictive, so I don’t want everyone to get in the habit of eating chocolate every day.
- I let the family know there’s no need for Easter Eggs. Winter PJ’s are good thanks.
There you have it. I adopt a similar approach to birthday party and Christmas food too.
Was this helpful? What’s your approach?
