How To Stay Healthy(ish) Over Easter

In 2015, we posted these top tips from the CSIRO on how to keep your diet healthy over the food-filled Easter long weekend, so here’s a timely reminder on just a few of the ways you can keep yourself from piling on the kilos.

Bunny picture from Shutterstock

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the seasonal treats that Easter brings, but you should also enjoy them responsibly in order to keep your diet on track. As far as food goes, here are the CSIRO’s top treats to be careful of (and the ones you can indulge in):

• Stick to dark chocolate
Dark chocolate is both better for you ad more flavoursome — meaning you won’t feel the need to eat so much of it. Dark chocolate is also a good source of polyphenols, which the CSIRO says are good for our health and wellbeing.

• Don’t go crazy on the hot cross buns
With refined flour and plenty of sugar (not to mention whatever butter you might add on top), hot cross buns aren’t the best for you. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one while these seasonal treats are available — just make sure it’s only one, and preferably one with fruit instead of chocolate.

• Keep your drinking moderate
The long weekend is great for catching up with friends and family, and inevitably you’ll end up having a few drinks from there. If you’re watching your weight, however, remember that alcohol is loaded with calories and can often lead to more binge eating when consumed to excess. Space out alcoholic drinks with glasses of water, and try to limit yourself to only a couple in one night.

• Indulge in seafood
Out of all the foods that the Easter long weekend are known for, seafood is by far the healthiest. Many still choose to abstain from red meat on Good Friday, and even if you’re not religious it can still be a good excuse to up your fish and seafood intake — something that most people don’t eat enough of.

• Stay active
The long weekend is a good excuse to eat, drink and be merry, but it also gives you the time to get outdoors — go camping, hiking or just out around the neighbourhood for a bike ride or a jog. We promise it’ll make you feel less guilty about all those creme eggs you ate the day before.

Lifehacker’s Classic Hacks is a regular segment where we dig up the most popular, useful and offbeat advice from our archives and update it for your modern lifestyle.

This post originally appeared in March 2016 but we think it’s still pretty relevant now! Take care this Easter break!