Written by Courtney Human RD(SA)                

With the upcoming Easter long weekend, Midline Dieticians is here to help you mentally prepare for all those temptations coming your way from cocktail hour every hour to overflowing sweet cupboards. We are also here to remind you that sweet treats and alcohol in moderation can be guilt free! But while we subtract the worries it is challenging to not mindlessly add the calories.

Whether you are going away or staying home when the responsibility is less one tends to drink a little more. Well, at least I know I do because if I am winding down, I tend to “wine up” which is balance right? Not quite. Especially during festivities revolving around sweet treats like Easter we need to choose wisely where we spend our calories and what is worth it to us. Would you rather have that glass of wine or a mini-Lindt chocolate bunny? Personally, that is a choice I could never make. So, I wanted to explore how we can enjoy both of these long weekend treats the dietitian approved way!

Try to rethink your drink with these 5 easy guidelines:

1. Limit sugar loaded cocktails.
2. Order singles instead of doubles.
3. Hard liquors accompany by a sugar free side.
4. Avoid extra calories in cordials.
5. Drink water in between!

When drinking the whole day, we want little alcohol to last as long as possible so try our other party tricks by adding loads of ice, soda water or the zero carbonated beverages to the mix. Why spend 64kcal on a quick tequila shot when you can spend 58kcal on a prolonged wine spritzer? (75ml white wine + 75ml soda water). For the hubby maybe a light beer or even a beer spritzer (light beer with sprite zero) and for us ladies maybe a glass of champers or Loxtonia cider. We have got a egg-cellent low calorie champers spritzer recipe below that maybe you can try and a visual comparison of a few alcoholic beverages so you can decide what you think is worth a shot!

Now for the non-alcoholic treats. Yes, believe it or not there is a right way of eating desserts. By completely depriving our sweet tooth it leads to either binge eating or constant mindless snacking whereby a small block of chocolate every few hours leads to the whole slab being finished by the end of the day. When we have a sweet treat in isolation it causes a sudden increase in blood sugar levels and poor blood sugar control by insulin. Insulin is the key that unlocks our bodies cells to use this blood sugar as energy. Hence, studies have shown that the glucose and insulin response is more stable when enjoying a sweet treat after a healthy or wholesome meal as it lowers this rise in blood sugar enabling better blood sugar control. I know in my family when it comes to dessert, sometimes there is pressure to not be rude during a family occasion or to dish up with somebody as a “group effort” to avoid feeling guilty. But why eat something for the sake of eating it when you can rather save those calories and choose something that you really enjoy and savour it?

On a smaller scale when its not quite dessert but rather a sweet snack that you are craving trying to pair it with a protein and vegetable is advised. I don’t mean mixing chocolate with carrots and cream cheese but rather have a plate that has these 3 items on it and eating the protein and vegetables before the chocolate, nutrient order counts even on a smaller scale. Stay tuned on our Instagram page (@midline_dieticians) for our easter inspired snack pairing for your long weekend cravings. Another tendency adopted by most is to starve oneself before a sweet treat or even restrict your future intake by cutting out main meals or your next snack, but we want you to do the opposite. Don’t punish yourself if you overindulge on occasion as we are all human, and some occasions call for a spoil.  If binging is a common occasion rather identify the triggers and try the above solutions for preventing subsequent occasions and continue with your wholesome next meal or snack to regain that blood sugar control.

We are wishing you a happy wholesome Easter that is not all revolved around delicious food but also is filled with joy, family fun and abundant blessings. Let’s try long weekend liquor and easter treats in moderation together, the Midline Dietician way.

Written by                                           

Courtney Human RD(SA)