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Your Ultimate Guide to Navigating Easter — No Matter Your Goal

Posted on Mar 19, 2025 by Macro Mike

Blog written by Dietitian & Nutritionist Helena

If you’re working towards a goal with your nutrition, Easter can feel like a real curveball. For many of us it means unstructured days with overflowing bowls of chocolate eggs, snacking on hot cross buns, and big family feasts. Whether you’re aiming for fat loss, muscle gain, balanced blood sugar, training for a race, or simply wanting to enjoy Easter without feeling like you’ve totally fallen off the wagon, it is possible to eat delicious food without sacrificing your progress.

Here’s your no-stress guide to making Easter work for you — no matter your vibe or goal right now.

IF YOUR GOAL IS FAT LOSS

To be very clear, you do not have to diet over Easter - or any other special occasion for that matter. But if you are in a fat loss phase, it’s okay to acknowledge that and create a plan so that you don’t feel totally lost trying to navigate times when there is a lot of extra food around. I also write this in the hope that you are already working with a dietitian, as maintaining a calorie deficit (aka eating less than you burn) whilst keeping your relationship with food intact and developing a sustainable routine is often a lot easier said than done, and I would hate for you to go about it in a destructive way. 

Nevertheless - if you are in this situation, I suggest the following:

  • Keep as much structure with your main meals as possible to make sure you are properly satisfied and getting in the key nutrients you need, especially protein. It’s easy to fall into the trap of grazing when you aren’t in your normal routine, but avoid this by prioritising meal times and fuelling up early - even set reminders in your phone if you need to. Example: start the day with protein oats, leftovers for lunch, a protein smoothie for a snack and a nice wholesome dinner.
  • Create a weekly budget for your favourite Easter treats e.g. if you really love chocolate eggs, work out how you can include them in your plan. Everyone will have a different calorie target, but let’s say you are aiming for ~1600 calories. You might aim for ~1400 calories from main meals and a high protein snack, then have a bit of room left over for 3-4 mini eggs each day, or you could skip the eggs some days and have a bigger treat on one day, like cracking into a chocolate bunny.
  • Use Easter Egg Almond protein powder to make your meals deliciously Easter themed, so that you don’t feel like you’re missing out on all the fun whilst being more calorie conscious. I mean, how delicious does white choc malt Easter egg breakfast oats sound?!

IF YOUR GOAL IS MUSCLE GAIN OR SPORTS PERFORMANCE

If you’re actively building strength or training for something like a running event or HYROX, then you’re in the perfect position to lean in and make the most of Easter. To build muscle you need to be in a slight calorie surplus (aka eating more than you burn), so it’s a great time to be surrounded by lots of delicious snacks! With a sensible strategy you can use the Easter treats to your advantage to get the most out of your workouts and fuel your recovery.

How to:

  • Pre-workout: swap in hot cross buns as the ultimate fuel - they have a solid amount of easily digested carbs to supply your muscles with energy and top up your glycogen stores to keep you powering through your session. Ideally, time this at least 30-60 minutes before your workout to minimise digestive discomfort. 
  • Post workout: the priority here is a mixture of carbs and protein to replenish what you burned, and to support muscle growth and recovery. This is truly where the gains are made so you want to get it right. While you don’t have to immediately get down a protein shake (the anabolic window theory has been long debunked), it is a good idea to eat again as soon as practical for the best results. A banana protein smoothie, overnight protein oats or overnight weet-bix would be good options if you need something quick on the go, or you can wait until your next proper meal if it’s within a couple of hours. 
  • Snacks: to build muscle you need to eat enough overall fuel, so top up your intake with snacks throughout the day. While Easter eggs and bunnies will increase your overall calories, you need to focus on upping your protein intake to give your body the right building blocks to create new muscle tissue. So be smart with your snacks - our Easter Doughnut baking mixes are an ideal choice for a protein boost that’s on brand with all the Easter fun. 

IF YOUR GOAL IS BALANCED BLOOD SUGAR

If you are monitoring your blood sugar for a condition like type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes, or even if you aren’t actively checking your blood sugar but know that you need to be mindful of minimising glucose spikes (e.g. if you have insulin resistance, pre-diabetes or PCOS), it might feel daunting going into Easter. You may think that you have to say no to all the high sugar treats to prevent blood sugar spikes, but the thing is, you don’t need to be really restrictive to achieve stable blood sugar levels. 

Try this approach:

  • Pair Easter treats with a balanced meal or snack, as protein, fats and fibre act to slow digestion, meaning that sugar molecules are released into the bloodstream more gradually, and glucose levels stay balanced rather than rising and falling quickly.
    Example: chocolate protein porridge with a mini Easter egg or two melted on top - a delicious way to get the best of both worlds.
  • Space your treats across the day so that your system isn’t getting a big hit of carbohydrates all at once. For example, instead of eating an Easter bunny all at once, make a plan: a couple of mini eggs mixed into your breakfast oats, a big spread of peanut butter powder and cottage cheese on a hot cross bun for a snack, and a bit of a chocolate bunny after dinner, or crushed onto a yoghurt bowl. 
  • Keep moving so that the extra glucose can be soaked up by the muscles to use as fuel, rather than sticking around in the bloodstream. Plus, exercise can make your insulin function better 12-24 hours afterwards, so it’s a game changer when it comes to keeping your blood sugar levels stable. It doesn’t have to be anything too strenuous but make use of the extra time over the public holidays to do whatever kind of movement works for you - whether that be a quick 10-15 minute walk after meals, or a gym class, home workout, run club or dance party. 

IF YOUR GOAL IS IMPROVING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD

Are you worried that once you get started on the mini Easter eggs you just won’t be able to stop? Do you tend to eat all the chocolate at once so that you can get rid of it, only to wind up feeling guilty, and swearing off all sugar … until you inevitably crack and go through the whole cycle again? If that’s you, then it’s time to break up with food rules, guilt and all that exhausting inner dialogue. Easter is a great time to practise food freedom and master the art of all things in moderation. 

How?

  • Do NOT skip meals. It might be tempting to save room for big family feasts and chocolate, but this almost always backfires. You’ll end up over hungry and way more likely to overdo it when the treats come out, which further reinforces the feeling of being out of control. Instead, focus on getting in quality meals with a good balance of protein, carbs, healthy fats and fibre at regular times throughout the day so that you can make more rational choices around the Easter treats. Ensuring you’re eating ENOUGH daily is truly the biggest game changer in reducing the food noise and cravings from even occurring in the first place. Trust me!
  • Don’t ban yourself from any foods. Similarly to the first point, maybe you think it’s easier to just say no to all the chocolate so that you don’t open the floodgates, but this is honestly a bad plan. Chances are, you’ll just end up with a forbidden fruit mentality, where the chocolate ends up on a pedestal in your mind and you’ll always feel like it’s something you have to avoid for fear that you’ll end up eating far more than you intended. It’s a lot smarter to factor it into your day (and repeat) so that you reduce the novelty of it. Once your brain knows that you can have chocolate literally every day, you’ll find yourself relaxing around it because it no longer feels so urgent to eat it all before it's gone again. 
  • Enjoy mindfully and socially. Pick a few times when you want to include Easter treats and set yourself up for success with this quick checklist: 
    1. Ensure you’re not reaching for treats out of hunger, so line up a balanced meal or snack, like a protein granola bowl.
    2. Pick your favourite treat, and plate it up nicely either with your snack e.g. Easter egg chunks mixed into your granola, or to have afterwards.
    3. Sit down and create a nice atmosphere in a room separate from the kitchen (do NOT stand at the bench in the kitchen eating frantically!) - it’s even better if you have friends or family joining in with you.
    4. Slow down, take at least two mindful mouthfuls to slowly chew and savour everything.
    5. Move on - get up and go do something else non-food related.
    6. Most importantly, keep repeating this process so that the chocolate just becomes a normal part of your life, and not something that you have to be anxious about.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Easter is the best. It’s about enjoying good food, good company, and a well-deserved break. It doesn’t have to be stressful, and no matter what your goals, all food can fit. 

The secret? Always prioritising regular balanced meals, giving yourself permission to enjoy soul foods, and understanding how to tailor your plan to suit your unique needs. 

Need some delicious and nutritious Easter inspo? Check out the recipes on our website and Instagram page for lots of delectable ideas! 

 

Hi, I'm Helena! Dietitian, nutritionist and plant-forward eater providing tailored nutrition services to women navigating their gestational diabetes and postpartum journey.

Instagram: @nutrition.by.helena
Website: https://nutritionbyhelena.com/