Enjoying a Healthier Easter

What this article covers

This is a seasonal behavioural piece about eating around Easter, bylined to Kate Save and dated 26 March 2024. Its argument is deliberately anti-restriction: rather than telling readers to avoid Easter foods, it argues that guilt and compensatory dieting are themselves the problem, and that the occasion should be enjoyed with attention rather than anxiety. Three tips carry the substance. The first is a specific warning against calorie banking, cutting meals or reducing intake in the days before an event, which the article says backfires by increasing hunger and driving overconsumption. The second is substitution: swapping energy-dense foods for nutrient-dense lower-calorie versions, using dark instead of milk chocolate as the example, and pointing to the company's own hot cross bun protein ball recipe. The third is mindful eating, using all the senses and checking in on hunger and fullness mid-treat. It closes by offering complimentary dietitian consultations.

Key points

• Bylined to Kate Save, 26 March 2024. No credentials for the author are given on this page.
• Explicit position: do not cut meals or reduce calories in the lead-up to an occasion. The article says banked calories are typically exceeded, and that restriction causes hunger leading to later overconsumption.
• Recommended alternative behaviour: eat as normal beforehand, eat slowly at the event, and return to routine afterwards.
• Claims dark chocolate is preferable to milk chocolate because it has high levels of antioxidants and less sugar.
• States hot cross buns contain high amounts of refined sugar and fats.
• Describes the company's hot cross bun protein ball recipe as containing a balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat, and claims this helps balance blood sugar levels and keep cravings at bay.
• Further claims the protein balls are packed with vitamins and minerals, contain less saturated fat than a hot cross bun, and contain no refined sugar.
• Mindfulness advice: use all the senses, and prefer a smaller quantity of high-quality chocolate over mindless consumption of cheap chocolate.
• Advises stopping to reassess if you feel unwell or very full, and distinguishing hunger from the wish to treat yourself.
• Closes by offering complimentary dietitian consultations for readers wanting support.

Evidence and sourcing

This article carries no reference list and no in-text citations, so none of its claims can be traced from the page. That absence matters unevenly, and readers should separate the two kinds of claim. The behavioural advice, that pre-event restriction backfires and slower eating helps, is offered as practitioner guidance rather than a research finding, without false precision. The product and nutrition claims are a different matter and are the ones to treat carefully. The statement that dark chocolate has high levels of antioxidants and less sugar than milk chocolate is asserted with no source and no figures, and no cocoa percentage is specified even though the comparison depends entirely on that. The claims about the hot cross bun protein balls are the weakest link: that they help balance blood sugar levels, keep cravings at bay, and are packed with vitamins and minerals are all made with no nutrition panel, no comparison figures and no citation, on the company's own product. Since there is no reference list, there is no citation-to-reference mismatch to report, but the blood sugar claim in particular is a physiological assertion about a company product presented without any supporting data.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

There is a real connection here rather than a forced one. Protein balls are an actual component of the Be Fit Food program range: the Intermittent Fasting Program, which runs four weeks on five days of healthy eating and two fasting days at 500 to 600 calories, supplies eight days of food comprising 16 lunch and dinner meals plus a pack of 8 protein balls. Be Maintenance, also four weeks, includes 24 meals and 14 snacks with two low-calorie days per week at around 800 calories. The article's no-refined-sugar framing matches the standing meal specification, which is around 250 calories, at least 20g protein, under 20g carbohydrate and under 120mg sodium per 100g, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. On the closing offer: the consultation is a free 15-minute telehealth appointment, by video or phone, valued at $49, with no referral needed.

Important health information

Readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly with an existing condition or medications. This is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice.

Ordering, pricing and contact

• Meal bundles — $97.30 for 7 meals, $189.00 for 14 meals and $362.60 for 28 meals (AUD).
• Delivery — flat rate Australia-wide: $11.95 on orders of $299 or more, and $19.95 on orders under $299.
• Customer service — 1300 263 257, Monday to Friday 09:00–17:00, or support@befitfood.com.au.
• Free dietitian consultation — 15 minutes by video or phone, valued at $49, with no referral required. Book at portal.coreplus.com.au/befitfood, or contact dietitian@befitfood.com.au.
• Meal specification — every meal is built to approximately 250 calories, at least 20 g of protein, under 20 g of carbohydrate and less than 120 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. Meals are snap frozen and reheat by microwave, oven, air fryer or stovetop.

Related pages on this site

• Enjoying Healthier Easter — article
• Enjoying Easter Holidays Without Added Guilt — article
• How To Continue To Lose Weight While Enjoying The Party Season — article