During the celebrations of Easter and Pesach we can easily eat too much of the food on offer. The following tips will assist you in making healthy choices while still enjoying all the festivities.
- Beat the boredom eating and ensure a healthy eating environment at home
We all appreciate this time of relaxation with friends and family as well as partaking in religious activities. However with too much time on hand, we can easily fall into the trap of mindless snacking- especially if plenty Hot Cross buns, Easter eggs and Matzo tempt us with their ease of visibility and availability. Our advice? Plan your days and keep occupied. Make healthy choices during tea time at church as well as during Brocha at Schul. While enjoying healthy snacks at home, enjoy the “treats” (Easter Eggs/ Hot Cross buns/ cake / biscuits) in the context of social events such as Parties, coffee shops, picnics and braais.
- Shop like a Pro!
Practice good shopping by replacing the usual treats such as sweets chocolates and chips normally bought over this period with healthier snacks such as fresh fruit slices, fruit bars, dried fruit, assorted nuts, low fat Rice chips, popcorn and lean biltong sticks.
- Make good choices when socializing
Try to make healthy choices when eating out with friends and family. The table below gives you an idea of what to plan for a healthy Braai as well as which Fast Food choices are best for a quick, convenient meal.
| Usual braai | Healthy braai | ||||
| Fat g | Energy kJ | Fat g | Energy kJ | ||
| Lamb chops 150g | 34 | 1924 | Chicken kebabs 150g | 8 | 1139 |
| Boerewors 100g | 36 | 1624 | Corn on the cob 100g | 3 | 495 |
| Garlic bread 50g | 5 | 855 | Three bean salad 80g | 5 | 416 |
| Potato bake 150 g | 15 | 1557 | Carrot salad 80g | – | 136 |
| Beetroot salad 80g | – | 174 | |||
| TOTAL | 90 g | 5960 kJ | TOTAL | 16 g | 2360 |
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Save yourself 11 slices of bread! |
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| Usual Fast food | Healthy Fast food | ||||
| Fat g | Energy kJ | Fat g | Energy kJ | ||
| Beef burger & chips | Asian meal | ||||
| Burger patty 100 g | 18 | 1108 | Chicken strips 150g | 15 | 1169 |
| Roll 40g | 400 | ½ Portion rice 100 g | – | 531 | |
| Deep fried chips 200g | 30 | 2552 | X 2 Portion veggies 200g | 9 | 715 |
| TOTAL | 48g | 4060 kJ | TOTAL | 24 g | 2415 kJ |
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Save yourself 5 slices of bread! |
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- Limit the amount of Matzo
Matzo is a much less satisfying than bread and we therefore can easily eat too much – especially when enjoying Matzo with spreads such as butter and avo. Whether rye, whole wheat or Gluten free all types of Matzo have a high GI value that can play havoc with our blood sugar levels and increase appetite, when eaten in large quantities.
Breakfast – include fresh fruit as well as a protein e.g. eggs, low fat cottage cheese or low fat yoghurt – this enables you to enjoy a smaller portion of Matzo. An example is 1 cup cubed paw paw, 3 Matzo crackers served with low fat cottage cheese and sliced tomato.
Lunch – enjoy a large salad with protein and replace the Matzo with 3 baby potatoes (boiled in skin) or quinoa – e.g. Tuna quinoa salad or Chicken potato salad
- Pesach – First and second night – Portion Control
These meals are characterized by many courses. The best strategy is to cut down on the amount of food served at each course e.g. ½ an egg, soup without the Kneidlach, choose only one type of fish or one type of protein for the main course (e.g. chicken or beef) and then choose the one dessert you like best out of all the choices offered.
To leave you with a laugh…get into the holiday spirit by trying some Yoga moves “a la bunny”…perhaps bunnies do do it best?
Wishing you a blessed and safe holiday period with loved ones – from all of us at Nutritional Solutions.
Nutritional Solutions Registered Dietitians 