3 Ridiculously healthy (and plain ridiculous) Easter treats

The Editors of Prevention

Easter is the second most candy-filled holiday (behind Halloween), and chances are you'll be faced with one of the 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies or 16 billion jelly beans made each year. So how do you enjoy these holiday treats without wrecking your diet? Marissa Lippert, RD, author of The Cheater's Diet, helps us sift through the Easter basket to hunt down the ridiculously healthy (well, as healthy as candy gets) and just plain ridiculous options.

Ridiculous: Peeps
Peeps may not be terrible if you look at just the calories (each one has about 30), but they contain one main ingredient--sugar. "They're sugar dense and you can pop several of them very quickly," Lippert says, explaining why they can be dangerous to your diet.

Ridiculously Healthy: Hollow Dark Chocolate Bunnies
Dark chocolate is a heart helper--ounce for ounce, dark chocolate has 5 times as many antioxidants as blueberries. Just be sure to ditch the solid bunnies in favor of hollow varieties, which will seriously cut down on calories

How to control your craving with chocolate


Ridiculous: Jelly Beans
Don't let these teeny tiny treats fool you--a recommended 35-bean serving adds up to more than 30 g of sugar! And since you're not getting any added nutrition from these candies, it's best to avoid them.

Ridiculously Healthy: Easter Peanut M&M's
These treats win major points because you get a little boost of nutrition in each chocolatey bite. Research shows that eating peanuts can decrease your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions. However, eating an entire bag of these will definitely put a dent in your daily calorie count, so fill a plastic Easter egg with these treats for instant portion control.

Ridiculous: Cadbury Creme Eggs
Though these are arguably the most popular Easter candy, they're not doing your waistline any favors. Each egg contains a reasonable 150 calories per serving, but you also get almost 20% of your saturated fat. And because they're made with milk chocolate, you're not getting any of the heart-smart benefits.

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Ridiculously Healthy: Homemade Easter treats
If you're really watching your figure, baking the treats yourself is the way to go. "Granola bars, homemade muffins, and trail mix are tasty, healthy options," says Lippert. Try these customizable energy bars or Banana-Chocolate Chip Macadamia Muffins, which are decadent but still full of wholesome ingredients.

Easter Eating Takeaway: Even in the right portions, all candy is still caloric. Lippert reminds us that "Easter is one day, not an entire week." She suggests you pick one or two of your favorite treats, enjoy them in the right portions, and get back to your healthy eating the next day.

What's your all time favorite-or all time least favorite-Easter treat?


More from Prevention

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10 Flat Belly Chocolate Treats

Delicious (and Mostly Organic) Easter Menu




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