EASTER is an exciting time where we can relax and enjoy spending quality time with family and friends.
At Easter we are often surrounded by large amounts of delicious food. There’s no reason to feel guilty about enjoying yourself but stay within reasonable limits and portion sizes. Many people can eat their way through about 4k calories throughout Easter day which is about two times as much as most people need. But don’t despair as you can make healthier choices.
If you’re using oil on roasties use oils like olive, rapeseed or sunflower. These will provide Omega 6 and 9 which help keep our bodies healthy. Remember, one tablespoon of oil is roughly 120 calories so don’t go overboard on this. Avoid your potatoes swimming in oil. And you also have the option of an air fryer.
Cook loads of vegetables to boost your five per day and include all different colours of the rainbow. Try to steam, microwave or oven-cook your vegetables – boiling extracts vital nutrients.
If adding sauces to your Easter Sunday dinner, remember that a portion size is just under a quarter of a pint glass at 125g/mls. You can also add herbs and spices like rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley, mint etc to give your meat, vegetables and potatoes a lovely kick. These will provide antioxidants (rosmarinic acid and quercetin), which may protect against inflammatory diseases, and vitamin C, which helps with the normal function of our immune systems. A portion size of meat is about 90g which is the size of a deck of cards. Meat is full of protein. If you are vegan the meat alternative is quorn which is full of protein too.
If you are having an Easter egg, try not to go overboard and remember the 30g limit of free sugars. A small Dairy Milk bar is approximately 25g. If you do go overboard one day, don’t worry or stress and simply reduce your free sugar intakes over consecutive days. But it’s important to note that going above 30g of free sugars per day will increase dental risk.
Have a great Easter and enjoy yourself.
Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered nutritionist from Belfast and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Email: attentivenutrition@
gmail.com
