With the Easter holiday right around the corner, many people are looking to make and enjoy traditional Easter foods with family and friends. But as with many holidays, Easter foods have a reputation of being not exactly the healthiest options if you are trying to live a natural lifestyle and focus on your health.
Here are some ways to have a healthier Easter with alternative foods and ways to celebrate that are still festive, delicious, and fun.
What Are Traditional Easter Foods?
In America, traditional Easter foods include ham, potatoes, side dishes, bread, and dessert. Many families serve mashed, scalloped, or cheesy potatoes, while traditional desserts are fruit pies and cakes. Meanwhile, other families may serve lamb for Easter dinner and make casseroles that contain vegetables and other ingredients. Of course, eggs and chocolate are Easter staples and commonly enjoyed for both holiday games and eating.
Healthier Twists on Easter Favorites
Some health-related problems with traditional Easter meals are the high sodium in ham, high cholesterol in eggs, high calorie and fat content in chocolate, and high carbs in bread and casseroles. Eating a healthy diet is all about moderation, so it’s perfectly fine to indulge in a few favorite foods over the holidays and reminisce about the traditions they bring to mind. But you can also make your Easter festivities a bit healthier and more natural with some easy ingredient swaps in the kitchen.
For breakfast, you can keep the protein-rich eggs and mix them with vegetables to make a frittata. Some great vegetables for frittatas are artichoke, spinach, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, and bell peppers. Breakfast can also be served with crepes filled with fresh berries, lemon zest, and ricotta cheese.
To control the amount of sodium in your Easter dinner you can swap out the ham for herb roasted chicken or honey orange salmon. Fish is an excellent healthy swap for Easter meals and will give your guests a boost of omega-3s and healthy fats. As an alternative to potatoes, you can serve mashed cauliflower with a mushroom gravy, roasted Brussels sprouts, or honey-glazed carrots. For your Easter dessert, consider brightly colored fruit and yogurt parfaits, layered fruit salads, or a fruit pizza with a wheat flour or old-fashioned oats-based crust.
A More Natural Approach to Easter
In addition to eating healthier this Easter, you can take a more natural approach to the holiday but keeping eco-friendly and sustainable ideas in mind. For example, instead of using store-bought dye for Easter eggs, make your own natural dyes with beets, cranberries, turmeric, spinach, blueberries, coffee, and grapes.
Instead of buying throw-away, plastic decorations, you could shop at thrift stores for second-hand Easter décor or make your own craft projects with recyclable paper instead. Reuse shredded pieces of paper instead of fake plastic grass in your Easter baskets, and shop for organic and fair trade chocolates to fill them with. Rather than focusing on gifts and unhealthy food options, you can also spend Easter with the ones you love by watching the sunrise, going for a nature walk on a local trail, or planting flowers around your home.