With Easter Sunday falling on March 31 this year, Britons will be gearing up to enjoy a range of chocolatey treats to celebrate.
In fact, approximately 80 to 90 million Easter eggs are scoffed every single year in the UK – and it’s not uncommon for Brits to get through at least one per day.
When it comes to youngsters, studies reveal that 43 per cent of children will eat their first egg before Easter Sunday, with almost a fifth (19 per cent) admitting they will most likely make themselves ill by overeating.
However Dr Claire Merrifield, a GP at Selph, has warned that eating an Easter egg, or half an egg, every day over the festive period can lead to weight gain due to the high sugar and fat content.
With Easter Sunday falling on March 31 this year, Britons will be gearing up to stuff their faces with a range of chocolatey treats to celebrate (stock image)
Dr Claire said that cheap Easter eggs have ‘lots of artificial ingredients added to them that you wouldn’t typically find in a kitchen’ due to their low costs.
She explained: ‘In particular it will contain emulsifiers, thickening agents, gelling agents and E numbers.
‘Ultra-processed chocolates have very little cocoa in, and are mainly a mix of these other ingredients.
‘These extra ingredients are designed to make that chocolate delicious and easy to eat, so you eat it faster and eat more of it.’
Although it may taste good, this can have a damaging effect on our bodies.
She warned that binge eating chocolate regularly can contribute to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol due to the high saturated fat and sugar levels.
She explained: ‘If we constantly eat ultra-processed foods, we can eat around 500 more calories a day than if we just eat whole foods.
‘Eating a 100g Easter egg a day, or even half an egg, can result in weight gain due to the high sugar and fat content.’
When it comes to youngsters, studies reveal that 43% of children will eat their first egg before Easter Sunday, with almost a fifth admitting they will most likely make themselves ill by overreating (stock image)
Adding: ‘For example, someone who leads a largely sedentary lifestyle will easily consume more energy than they need if they regularly eat high-processed, high-sugar foods such as this kind of cheap chocolate.
‘This is dangerous because over time, the fat stores become full, and your body has to store fat in the cells of your muscles and organs such as your liver and pancreas.
‘This is the major cause of ‘insulin resistance’ which over time, can lead to type 2 diabetes.’
Although, the doctor advises: ‘This does of course vary from person to person.
‘To get a better understanding of how our blood sugar responds to our lifestyle, trying out a Continuous Glucose Monitor can be a great idea.
‘This will help to understand how exercise, stress levels and the foods we eat, impact our blood glucose levels.’
To help foodies be more mindful this Easter, Dr Merrifield has shared her tips for getting through the holiday, while being considerate of their chocolate intake.
1. SWITCH TO DARK CHOCOLATE
The GP’s number one piece of advice for navigating Easter more health-consciously is to swap out milk chocolate for dark.
She advised: ‘In small quantities, good quality dark chocolate has health-promoting properties.
‘It is delicious and can still satisfy a sweet tooth. Studies show it also reduces snacking and appetite.
‘Because dark chocolate has such an intense flavour, it’s not usually something you need more than a mouthful of.
‘It is of course more of an acquired taste, so you could experiment by starting with a lower cocoa-mass percentage, and increase this over time.’
To help foodies be more mindful this Easter, Dr Merrifield has shared her tips for getting through the holiday, while being considerate of their chocolate intake (stock image)
2. CHECK THE NUTRITION LABELS
Next, she recommends always checking the nutrition labels so you know what you’re putting into your body.
The doctor said: ‘Dark chocolate contains around 5x the amount of fibre and half the amount of sugar compared to a standard milk chocolate bar or easter egg.
‘When you’re buying Easter chocolate, it’s worth reading the nutrition labels carefully and opting for the higher fibre, lower sugar content option.’
3. ONLY HAVE CHOCOLATE AFTER A NUTRITIOUS MEAL
The expert stresses that it’s all about balance and if you’ve had a ‘nutritious, healthy savoury meal containing lots of vegetables and fibre’, then a ‘little bit of chocolate once in a while won’t do very much harm’.
She adds: ‘When an Easter egg follows an abundance of other high-fat, ultra-processed foods, it just adds to the volume of unhealthy foods you are consuming at once.
‘This can then lead to weight gain if it happens often.’
Approximately 80 to 90 million Easter eggs are scoffed every single year in the UK – and it’s not uncommon for Brits to get through at least one per day
4. EXERCISE IN BETWEEN MEALS
Finally, she advises that ‘exercising and burning calories in-between and after meals has so many benefits’.
Dr Merrfield said: ‘Not only does it burn off calories from the food you’ve eaten, but it helps you to let off steam, reduce stress and boost your metabolism.
‘This does not have to be high-intensity exercise. A simple brisk walk will do the trick, just try and get out of breath.’
The warning and advice comes after a mother issued her own urgent warning against Cadbury’s Mini Eggs after finding her son seconds from death, due to one getting lodged in his throat.
Vicky Heavey, 40, was about to perform CPR on her seven-year-old son Jacob, after he came sprinting outside with his hands clutching around his throat on Saturday March 2.
The mother-of-two, from Warrington, Cheshire, claimed her child’s face ‘turned blue’ and eyes became bloodshot when she began slapping his back to help dislodge the item blocking his airways.
After the terrifying ordeal, the mother has vowed to ban Mini Eggs in her home this Easter – and believes Cadbury should expand the age range warning on the back of the packet.
A Mondelez International spokesperson, who own Cadbury, said: ‘The safety of consumers is of the upmost importance to us and all of our Cadbury Mini Eggs products carry a very clear choking hazard warning on pack.
‘We also highlight that these products are not suitable for children under the age of four on all Mini Eggs packaging.’
