Easter = Chocolate = Weight Gain (or does it?)

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It seems like only a few weeks ago that the supermarket shelves were groaning with 'quick to cook' pancake batter mixes and delicious toppings and the internet was awash with syrupy-sweet recipes to help us celebrate Shrove Tuesday and now here we are facing Easter and it’s all about chocolate!

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How are we supposed to keep our waistlines in tact when faced with such potential indulgence? One route is to just say “no” but where’s the fun in that? Another route is to carefully plan your chocolate moments!

How, what and when we eat daily has a meaningful impact on how efficiently we digest and absorb the nutrients provided by our last meal or snack to generate energy within our trillions of hard-working brain and body cells. And when we get the timing right, there is a good chance that the occasional indulgence (be it a chocolatey or otherwise) won’t do too much damage!

Here are a few magical tips to keep up your sleeve and allow for a little guilt-free sweetness this Easter:

  • If a sweet treat is perhaps on the cards, have it somewhere between 11am and 4pm when your energy requirements are likely at their height and there is a good chance the sugars will be used to generate some of that energy rather than being stored in your fat cells.
  • Always have some protein just before or alongside a sweet treat - the protein helps to slow the release of the sugars into the blood stream and keeps you feeling fuller for longer so you don’t experience an energy dip and seek out more sugar all too soon. For example: have a small carton of natural yoghurt or a handful of unsalted mixed nuts and seeds or a protein-rich smoothie with your chocolate treat (darker the better by the way) for a mid morning or mid afternoon snack or have your sweet treat just after a protein-packed lunch (a chicken salad, a mixed vegetable omelette, a fish curry, a couple of rye, seeded crisp breads topped with avocado and smoked salmon).
  • If you exercise regularly and strenuously, your ‘cooling down’ time is perhaps the best time to sneak in a sweet treat as your metabolic rate is likely to be boosted for a couple of hours so the sugars will be used to replenish your depleted muscle glycogen levels rather than being stored as fat - but don’t forget to have some protein alongside and no, this is not an excuse to chow down a whole chocolate Easter egg!
  • And lastly… make soup your waistline-preserving friend. It’s almost impossible to get as much goodness into a small space as in a bowl of fabulously-tasty, filling and protein-rich soup. If you suspect that there may be a little too much chocolate indulgence over Easter, get the soup pot out now, make a couple of vats, bag them in portions and freeze them, have them for lunch or for a snack and be confident that a little sweetness in your life won’t cause too much drama when enjoyed just after a bowl or mug!
  • Have your tried my Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato and Chorizo Soup? - it's really, really good and seriously moreish let me tell you!