Dietitians say enjoy your Easter eggs this weekend – but don’t eat them all at once
When it comes to Easter eggs and children, portion size can be hard to judge. But nutritionists are advising parents to be aware of the potential for calorie overload.
Dietitian Orla-Walsh, based in Dublin, says it is difficult to assess how many eggs are too many this Easter – but the answer is always less than we think.
“Everyone is so different and every egg is so different,” she said.
“Some people need to eat over 3,000 calories a day while some kids need little over 1,000 calories a day.
“Some eggs may provide 100 calories while some provide 3,000.
“To give you an example, the portion size of chocolate for a one- to four-yearold is about one square of chocolate.
“There is more leeway in an adult’s diet as adults require less micronutrients per kilogram than a child.
“Kids needto eat a very nutrient-dense diet.”
Ms Walsh said that chocolate should be enjoyed during Easter, and shouldn’t be seen as something “bad”.
“Having a ‘parent provides, child decides’ attitude around all food is important.
“Chocolate shouldn’t be seen as naughty, bold or bad.
“It’s a sometimes food rather than an everyday food.
“One of the most important things a parent can do is help their children have a healthy relationship towards food.
“That doesn’t occur on Easter Sunday but in the time leading up to it.
“Kids mirror what we do, so it’s important to practise what you preach when around them.
“Encouraging sharing can be helpful. So, if someone gets an egg, they could give everybody a bit.
“Eating is a social activity and behaviour after all.
“I have friends who receive over 100 eggs over the Easter period. It’s not only parents buying all the chocolate eggs but it can be friends of the family and extended family.
“It’s important for parents to speak up if concerned.
“For example, if people want to bring an Easter gift they could give Easter-themed age-appropriate presents. For young kids, small toys, stickers or colouring sets.”
Most chocolate Easter eggs contain almost 100g of sugar, with some bigger eggs reaching nearly 170g.
The majority contain 14g of sugar per 25g portion, with portions varying between six to 12, depending on egg size.
Sugar content varies from 84g to 168g between chocolate eggs, with 90g being considered the daily sugar intake.
And most Easter eggs contain approximately 1,000 calories, half of an adult’s daily allowance of 2,000 calories, and about 56pc of children’s allowance of 1,800 calories.
And as we know, most chocolate egg gifts come accompanied with more sweet treats, such as chocolate bars, bags of sweets or smaller chocolate eggs.
Cork nutritionist from Apex Nutrition, Daniel Murphy, said that the food is there to be enjoyed, ideally within moderation.
“It definitely is important to enjoy it and make it fun and just because it’s chocolate doesn’t mean you can’t have it,” Mr Murphy said.
“I will be more conservative about the rest of the year-round rather than just a holiday like this.
“It’s mainly to enjoy it and do that within moderation at the same time.
“You don’t ever want to report food as being good and bad, and therefore saying the eggs and chocolate are really bad just sends a long-term bad message to the kids.”
Dietitian Sarah Keogh, founder of Eatwell, said the point of Easter is to enjoy some chocolate, but it’s better not to have all chocolate eggs consumed on Easter Sunday – rather, eating them should be spread out through the week.
“Common sense has to apply to it. If you have a five-year-old it’s probably not a good idea to give them all five or six Easter eggs to eat on Sunday,” she said.
“One Easter egg for children is plenty, particularly for younger children. Lots of kids will get many, many more.
“But I think we have to remember the whole point of the festival of Easter eggs is to actually enjoy some chocolate and sweets.”
She also advised it’s not necessary to buy children the biggest chocolate eggs.
“It’s often the temptation these days where we just get bigger and bigger amounts of chocolate for children,” she added.
If you have any leftover chocolate eggs when Easter is over, Ms Keogh recommended spacing them out over the week.
“If there are still eggs around on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, slowly give your kids a little bit of it and let them enjoy it over the week, and maybe if they do get a huge number of eggs, you can regift them.”
“Saying the eggs and chocolate are really bad just sends a long-term bad message to the kids”