Looking for a Cleaner Eating Easter? We’ve Got the Hacks
Chocolate: most love it, some swerve it, others are allergic to it, but we’re all in a situationship with it. But, at Easter, we’re ambushed by it!
Looking for a cleaner eating Easter? We’ve got 6 Go-To Hacks to summon the spirit of the Easter Bunny, even if it’s not his full-blown fluffy ears.
1. Go Dark
Chocolate ban? Let’s not be hasty! When we talk about chocolate being bad for us, we really mean added sugar does us no good. You know the drill: gut-wrecking, blood sugar-spiking, metabolic syndrome inducing. Not future proofing at all! But, take most or all sugar out and we’re eating functional food. Hurrah!
We admit, in its pure form, 100% dark chocolate’s an acquired taste. Remember, dark chocolate contains more caffeine than your regular milk chocolate, so, if caffeine gives you jitters, offset with L-Theanine and pop a couple of Calm. If 100% all in is a sensory overwhelm, try its sister blends, 70-90% dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate offers:
- One of the best sources for micronutrients: iron, potassium, and zinc plus you’ll get magnesium, copper and manganese, too - keep your stardust up!
- High in phosphorus and selenium
- No trans fats
- Heart healthy fats: oleic acid, stearic acid and palmitic acid
- Eating to reduce weight? Eat some almonds with your dark chocolate and you could positively impact cardiovascular risks
- Eating cocoa is also good for the skin, potentially improving blood flow, increasing skin density and hydration - who knew?! Break me off a square.
- Plus, let’s face it, Easter is the only time of year when it’s acceptable to eat chocolate for breakfast. Move over blueberries, dark chocolate may have more antioxidant properties!
Bought 100% dark chocolate but found a trip to the dark side isn’t you? Grated into a Chilli with a Collagen Boost, it deepens the flavours, so nothing’s lost, hey? In fact, it’s a case of chef’s kiss! Oo-la-la!
All in all, dark chocolate could be just the thing to contribute to an overall sense of well-being as you settle down to watch Hop for the zillionth time with the nippers.
2. Go Hormones
Hack it! We’re jumping off the wagon for Easter. But, we’re hacking our hormones. If you choose to throw caution to the wind, protect your liver with Rise & Shine Indulgence Recovery supplement. Three capsules with water before you chow down on the Easter Bunny’s goodies, so to speak, and three twelve hours later means you’ve offered the best shield possible for your liver. These bad boys will also help out if Good Friday turns out to be Good Wine day.
Taking Insulin Support is also an easy hack to support blood sugars. Our dihydro-berberine’s bioavailability is second to none. If it’s the kid’s super sugary chocolate eggs you keep scoffing behind their backs (we’ve all been there), then this precursor is the leg-up your insulin needs. To learn more about how these hero supplements can aid your body’s detox, check out our Love Your Liver, Rise and Shine from Hangover Hell and Sugar and Spikes and All Things Insulin Resistance blogs. All there to help when you’ve been seduced by the celebratory atmosphere. No judgment here.
3. Go Hardcore
WillPowders is willpower, just in powder form! If you’re a WillPowders veteran, you know MCT has saved many from a chocolate faceplant. Have trusty MCT Oil on hand for those, can’t survive another second without Mr. Cadbury, moments. You can. You will.
MCT calms the food chatter in your brain. In no time at all, you won’t be bothered by fantasies of a sickly chocolate egg. Those MCT ketones get to your brain faster than you can say, Mr. Nestle can do one! Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and whizz some MCT oil through. Now, you’re talking (or doing whatever you want to do - we leave that up to you) but your brain’s definitely no longer a chocolate chattering chimp!
4. Go Online Shopping
Looking for good eggs? Hop along early to online shops. It’s totally possible to find eggs with fewer nasties, but you have to know where to hunt. Believe us, you’re about as likely to find good chocolate eggs from a supermarket chain as you are a dozen square eggs of the Oooh-Arghh bird! Yup, the trick is to get organised and plan ahead. Satisfy your chocolate desires at Hotel Chocolat and plump for dark chocolate with between 70 and 100% cocoa solids. Since dark chocolate is rich in flavour, people tend to eat less. And it’s packed with antioxidant flavanols, polyphenols and catechins which may lower LDL cholesterol.
In addition, your brain will thank you as regular nomming of dark chocolate may enhance memory, increase focus, and even help protect the brain from age-related decline. A delicious way to stay sharp and smart! Rich in cacao, Cocoloco’s Dark Chocolate Bunny is so cute you won’t know whether to nom him or give him pride of place on your mantelpiece! (Do both, he’ll look just as cute missing one ear, right?).
5. Go Bake
Get your bake on! Let’s face it, Easter is feast time after the ‘famine’ of Lent. When the family lands, you’ve got to rustle up a feast. Set the trend and opt for puds and desserts that shun chocolate altogether. It’s perfectly possible to go cupcake cute without death by caster sugar, too. Try these Apple and Cinnamon Cupcakes for a protein punch and an Easter yellow hue. Plus, there is something about a cake-come-bread that you’ve baked yourself that kicks chocolate’s ass any day of the week. We’ve got a Keto High Protein Banana Bread recipe that will earn you ultimate smug points. Now, no one ever felt that about a bought egg!
6. Go Mean …
… or overcompensate elsewhere! When it comes to eating clean when the Easter Bunny comes to town, it can feel like you’re literally stealing candy from a baby. Tell the kids they’re not getting eggs and they’ll look like you’ve ripped up their Golden Ticket to the Wonka factory. Remember, it’s not the chocolate, but the sugar that’s the problem. If their taste’s high street chocolate (and let’s face it, which child’s isn’t?) there’re a couple of things you can do.
If there’s no way of putting off Great Auntie Edna and she’s insisting she buys your children an egg each, suggest she buys eggs that are either just an egg or, if it’s got ‘bonus’ items hidden within, that they’re also chocolate, rather than sweets that are nothing but sugar. It’s the tiniest of wins, admittedly. But, getting little Freddie a Freddo egg means at least his metabolism wrecking Easter treat will have had least seen some milk somewhere along the (production) line. If his egg’s full of Jelly Spots, then pound for pound, he’s eating a greater proportion of sugar and probably a handful of weird colourants too.
If your kids are corruptible, exploit that trait! If they’ll accept V Bucks, buy those instead. Whatever their latest fad and whatever the latest marketing trend designed to pick your pocket, now is the time to give it full rein. The deal is, they won’t be getting a chocolate egg. Most children are open to a good deal! Think of it as part of their training for business …
And, whatever Easter brings, remember, you too will rise again.
Happy Easter, WillPowderers!
Recipes
Fruity Sourdough Tea Bread
A gorgeous member of our FFS group has taken our sourdough recipe and pimped it using clean, polyphenol rich ingredients!
Roasted Vegetables in Cumin
Roasting your veg is the only way to do Christmas. This quick and simple recipe will ensure your veggies give your turkey and Christmas pud a run for their money!
