It’s chocolate season! Diabetes WA dietitian CHARLOTTE ROWLEY says having diabetes doesn’t have to mean you miss out at Easter. 

The supermarkets are overflowing with chocolate eggs and hot cross buns and chances are you’ll be invited to gatherings where there will be lots of treats.

If you’re living with diabetes, you have to miss out – right?

Wrong! Here are some ways to enjoy the festivities (and the Easter Bunny’s gifts) without the stress.

1. Start the day with a healthy breakfast

It’s easier to overeat if you are hungry, so start the day with a healthy breakfast, ideally with some protein. That way, when you do come across a bowl of Easter eggs, you’re less likely to overindulge. Here are some suggestions that will get you off to a good start.

• Eggs on toast
• Omelette with veggies
• Shakshuka
• Porridge or overnight oats with Greek yoghurt, chia seeds, peanut butter and perhaps some protein powder if you use it.
• Protein pancakes with fruit.

2. Pay attention to your body’s signals

Holidays like Easter tend to be about spending time with loved ones, and sharing food is meant to be enjoyed. The trick is to slow down so you can recognise when you are eating past the point of feeling full. It’s easier to overeat when there’s so much tempting food around, but try not to fall into the trap of counting calories and feeling guilty if you overdo it.

Instead, focus on enjoying the food and stopping when you’re no longer hungry – before you feel full. If you do overdo it, a walk afterwards might help with digestion.

3. Focus on quality over quantity

Chocolate is delicious, but it’s also high in calories, sugar and fat. The trick is not to avoid it altogether, but to focus on quality over quantity. Eating chocolate that isn’t your favourite can mean it isn’t as satisfying, and sometimes we can end up eating more just to get the same ‘fix.’ You might find it more satisfying to have smaller amounts of a chocolate you really enjoy.

4. Do some Easter baking

An alternative to high calorie shop-bought treats is to make healthier treats at home.

Chocolate and yogurt bark is a great way to enjoy chocolate with the added goodness and protein of fruit and yogurt.

Another option is to halve grapes, strawberries or blueberries, arrange them on a baking sheet and freeze, then cover them in melted chocolate and freeze again.

These homemade hot cross buns are lower in saturated fat and sugar but still delicious.

5. Balance your plate

One of the easiest ways to eat well is to divide your plate into three – half for vegetables, a quarter for protein and a quarter for carbs.

This idea can also be applied to Easter spreads – if you’re serving chocolate or a rich dessert, offer some fruit alongside it. Chocolate eggs can be served alongside cheese, crackers and healthier options like hummus and chopped up veggies.

6. Give treats other than chocolate

With winter on the way in the southern hemisphere, Easter here in Australia is not about celebrating the beginning of spring but the start of the cooler months. As well as some chocolate for your kids, maybe make it a tradition to give something cosy to wear for winter, new pyjamas or other small treats?

7. Set a day to get back on track

And if you do eat too much? It’s the holidays. It’s easy to slip up. Plan which day you will get back to your usual routine, because a couple of days of indulgence isn’t really a problem, unless it becomes your daily habit.

Do you want to learn more about living well with diabetes?