Enjoy Easter the Nutracheck way

Happy Easter! High days and holidays can sometimes feel like an overload of temptation if you're trying to lose weight. But the good news about calorie counting is that you can celebrate AND keep your goal on track.

We thought it would be useful to review the huge range of Easter eggs out there to see if they are all the same, or if any healthier options do exist.

Size matters!

In general, the calorie and fat content of an Easter egg are directly related to how big it is - and the size and weight of eggs varies hugely! From a small child's size Chocolate Buttons egg (101g) with around 530 calories and 30g of fat, to a giant Lindt Milk Chocolate egg with Truffles (285g) containing around 1,500 calories and over 80g of fat – and that's just the chocolate egg not the truffles! Of course we're not suggesting that anyone would eat a giant egg in one sitting, but that's a lot of chocolate hanging around to provide temptation.

At the other end of the scale, there are mini eggs! Individually they're great if you just want to enjoy a little taster. But it can be hard to stop at just one, and the calories soon add up! That said, keeping count of how many mini eggs you've eaten is much easier portion control than breaking off chunks of chocolate from a larger egg.

Is it really a big deal?

No-one likes a party pooper, and I'm a firm believer that at special times of the year – birthdays, holidays, Christmas, Easter – it is important to enjoy the occasion. But lapsing back into old habits (even just for a day) can become the slippery slope to undoing all your hard work. Relax and enjoy, but then get back to your 'normal' routine as soon as possible after. The quicker you're back on track, the less damage done!

The great thing about Nutracheck is that no food is banned – so if you want to have a Crème Egg, that's fine! Just make sure that you record everything in your diary.

My top 6 Easter chocolate choices

When it comes to chocolate Easter eggs, aside from choosing dark chocolate over milk or white, there aren't really any healthier options, it just about portion control. So I've shortlisted my top 6 best 'treat size' chocolate Easter options this year. All come in at under 200 calories per portion, so they won't break the calorie bank.

When only the real deal will do...

Of course, you might just prefer cracking into a a traditional Easter Egg. And that's fine – just remember portion control. As a child I always broke up my egg into pieces to make it last longer! I'd keep it in a plastic container in the fridge and take a piece out when I fancied it (out of sight out of mind definitely helps to put the brakes on eating). The best bit was still having chocolate left days after my sister had eaten all of hers!

So to answer the classic Easter Egg advertising slogan 'How Do You Eat Yours'?... My advice would be 'not all in one go'!

Happy Easter everyone – enjoy!