Magda’s egg-cellent eating tips to avoid Easter temptation

Posted by Nicole Eckersley on 21st April 2011

Magda Szubanski for Jenny CraigWith the Easter bunny looming large, comedian and Jenny Craig ambassador Magda Szubanski, who has shed 25kg with the program, offered her tips this Easter for avoiding overindulging in the season’s biggest temptation – chocolate.

“The Jenny Craig program has taught me some nifty tricks which allow me to socialize and have fun but still keep the weight off,” Magda said. “Easter can still be fun. You don’t need to completely avoid sweet treats such as chocolate, just learn to consume them in smaller portions and make sure you balance the chocolate with healthy foods.”

Easter is a holiday where time is spent with friends and family, and food is aplenty, especially chocolate. Meals and snacks should be consumed as per usual; everything can be eaten, just eat in moderation. A chocolate overload can be avoided with the right attitude.

“Chocolate is not your friend. Your friends are your friends. Chocolate is just fat and sugar. You can also try to ‘harm minimize’ by substituting chocolate Easter eggs for healthy low fat versions of chocolate; hence my deep and abiding love of the Jenny Craig Choc Fudge Cookies and Choc Caramel Crisp Bar!” Magda said.

“Try and gear your social activities around being more active and having fun. For example, an Easter egg hunt with the family or getting out in the park for a picnic will help burn off those extra treats consumed over the break. Plus, at the end of the day sitting around gorging yourself on chocolate is not actually as much fun as it sounds; perhaps instead of eating the eggs you could play hacky sack with them?!! Just a thought…”

Having just celebrated her 50th birthday on 12th April, Magda said she has never looked or felt better, having maintained her goal weight for two years. She said she is determined to help other Australians keep on track with her tips to avoid piling on extra kilos this Easter.

Magda’s top five tips to have an egg-cellent Easter

  • Size does matter: Buy small individually wrapped eggs instead of the biggest egg you can find! A 100g milk chocolate egg contains about 500 calories which is almost a third of your daily intake if you are trying to lose weight. Unwrapping each egg will help you to eat less in one sitting.
  • Quality over quantity: Have a small piece of good quality chocolate instead of a large amount of basic chocolate. Choose dark chocolate over milk chocolate as it has a higher percentage of cocoa (70-85%) which will leave you satisfied with smaller portions – plus, cocoa contains antioxidants which have been shown in research, to have a positive impact on heart disease.
  • Stay active by balancing food intake with exercise: Get outdoors and arrange a healthy Easter picnic at your local park. Take some sporting equipment or organise an Easter egg hunt outdoors or start a new tradition with a backyard game of sport on the Easter long weekend. Make it an annual event and invite family and friends to participate.
  • Only buy what you need: Don’t eat with your eyes. We often tend to buy more eggs and bunnies and end up with too many in the pantry at home. Write a list of people you need to buy eggs for and stick to it. Don’t include your own name on this list!
  • Give alternative gifts: To avoid the temptation when purchasing presents for other people, remember to think Easter doesn’t have to be all about chocolate. What about a healthy hamper with fresh fruits, nuts and painted eggs? Non-edible gifts such as books, toys and flowers are great non-chocolate gift ideas.
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