Don’t crack open chocolate eggs all at once, doctor warns

AN NHS doctor has urged the public not to eat Easter eggs in one go this weekend.

Dr Andrew Kelso urged the public to eat Easter eggs “in moderation” as the NHS braces for a busy Bank Holiday weekend. Giving out health advice for Easter in a blog for a local NHS website, the doctor said people should “resist the urge to eat a whole egg in one go”.

The advice received a backlash from social media users, as well as Nigel Farage, who said he was “sick to death of this nannying state”.

In his advice, Dr Kelso, the medical director at NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, said most people do not realise that the average Easter egg contains about three quarters of an adult’s recommended daily calorie intake.

If eggs are combined with cakes and biscuits it “all adds up to a lot of extra sugar and calories”, Dr Kelso said, and that “doesn’t do our bodies any good”.

He added: “At time like this when we are seeing significant increases in cases of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, as well as tooth decay, I urge people to enjoy their Easter eggs in moderation and resist the urge to eat a whole egg in one go. Enjoy your sweet treats, but please don’t overdo it.”

He asked the public to make sure they are stocked up on “paracetamol, sticking plasters, indigestion remedy and antidiarrheal medicine” with Easter set to be a “busy period for NHS staff and services”.

The webpage with the comments has since been taken down by the local NHS organisation.

Mr Farage told GB News viewers: “I am sick to death of being told we can’t do this, we can’t do that, it’s Easter for goodness sake. I’m sorry, Dr Kelso, but you really bore the pants off me, it’s Easter, I don’t eat chocolate everyday, but I’m going to scoff all of this [egg].”

Members of the public took to social media to air their frustrations.

One user wrote: “I can confirm that I will be listening to the advice from NHS Dr Andrew Kelso. I will be eating 3 whole Easter eggs in one go instead.”

One woman said it was typically British to “take this advice as a challenge”.

Another user asked whether the NHS board in question was “a parody account”, while someone else said: “You’re not my mum.”

One man asked for “more specific instructions” on which eggs were included and whether Creme Eggs were.