Embracing Easter Treats Without Guilt: A Guide to Intuitive Eating this Easter

Easter is around the corner, and for many (including myself), it means indulging in sweet treats. As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor, I understand the mixed emotions that holidays can bring, especially to those who have previously dieted and are now trying to reintroduce some joy back into their eating. Holidays like Easter, which seemingly revolve around food, can be daunting. You want to feel comfortable around sweets, yet you worry that you will go overboard and ultimately end up feeling guilty.

Fear not! If you're ready to explore Intuitive Eating and incorporate more foods into your diet without guilt or restriction, you're in the right place. In this blog post, I'll share practical tips on how to enjoy Easter sweets mindfully and without guilt. If you're a parent, there's also some advice about how to navigate sweet treats with your kiddos (which I know can be a real challenge in my house, so I assume it's a challenge in yours too).

The Psychology Behind Food Cravings

Many of us have experienced the guilt and shame that comes with indulging in sweets, especially during holidays. This happens more frequently while we are dieting because often while dieting we have very black and white thinking when it comes to what we eat. We have "good" foods and "bad" foods and not a whole lot in between. In addition to this, when a holiday that traditionally involves a lot of food is coming up (hello Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas), we tend to restrict in anticipation of eating more during the holiday. Check out my blog post on why that doesn't work here.

When we restrict ourselves, we ultimately get hungry, we have a hard time managing our eating because we're so hungry, and we end up overeating. This binge-restrict cycle can wreak havoc on our emotional and physical well-being. As well, when we have a lot of black-and-white thinking around food and when we label foods as "bad" or "off-limits," we actually increase our desire for them.

Has this ever happened to you? You tell yourself all day that you're going to be good today. You have a full bag of chocolate eggs in the cupboard, but you don't need them, you can control yourself. But then you're watching TV at night and you have a small craving for some chocolate. You tell yourself no, if you want something sweet you'll have an apple instead. 20 minutes later you're back in the kitchen looking for something else because the apple didn't satisfy the craving. You can hear the Easter eggs calling to you from the cupboard and you think, "I can have just one. I can limit myself. I have willpower...right?" Then you start eating, and you start thinking "I can't believe I am eating these. I was so good today and I ruined it. Well, this is the last time, tomorrow I'll be better." which then turns into "well I'm already being bad, and this is my last chance to eat these before they become off-limits again" and then lo and behold, you eat the whole bag. Then comes the guilt and shame, which often results in further restriction, followed by overeating, creating a vicious cycle.

What would it feel like instead to eat the Easter candy without that negative inner monologue?

The Intuitive Eating Approach

Intuitive Eating offers a holistic approach to eating that helps us reject diet culture and honour our body's innate wisdom. By removing the morality of foods and ditching labels of "good" and "bad", we can eat in a way that's both nourishing and satisfying. Normalizing sweets in our diet without guilt or judgment can actually reduce our cravings for these foods in a process called habituation. It doesn't mean that our cravings for sweets diminish entirely, but by reducing the novelty of having sweets in the house it allows us to control the sweets rather than the sweets controlling us.

If you're thinking that it sounds impossible, it's really not, but it does take some practice. Keep in mind that most of us are born Intuitive Eaters but we're actively taught not to trust ourselves around food. 

Tips for Practicing Intuitive Eating This Easter:

If you want to work on feeling more comfortable around sweets this Easter, here are some tips to get you started. 

Don't Try to "Save Up" Your Calories

Restricting earlier in the day to "save" calories for sweets will backfire. Your body needs regular meals to function properly, and restricting often leads to overeating later. In fact, one of the biggest predictors of binge eating is not eating enough food regularly. I wrote a whole blog post about how banking your calories doesn't work, you can check it out here.

Allow Yourself to Enjoy Easter Sweets

Give yourself permission to enjoy treats without guilt. No food is off-limits in Intuitive Eating, including chocolate bunnies and jelly beans. So often when we eat foods that are "off-limits" we eat them as quickly as possible. It's almost as if we try to eat as much as we can before our brain catches up and realizes what we're doing. If you eat really quickly, are you even enjoying your food? What does it taste like? When you allow yourself full permission to eat sweets, it changes the eating experience. Allow yourself to enjoy your food, savour it, eat slowly, and check in with yourself while you eat. 

Check In With Yourself

Pay attention to your body's signals while you eat. What do you notice? Are you still hungry, or are you full? Are you enjoying what you're eating? Does this bite taste as good as the last one? Can you slow down and practice eating mindfully and really savour the experience of eating? If you have a hard time checking in while you eat, you may need to eat in a way that limits distractions. Can you find a comfortable place in your house to simply sit and eat without watching TV, reading a book, or listening to someone else talk? How does this change the eating experience for you?

Challenge Food Rules and Guilt

As you eat, start to notice what comes up for you. Can you challenge the internalized food rules and beliefs that lead to guilt and shame around eating? It's important to remember that there are no "good" or "bad" foods and all foods bring something different to the table. Some foods are more for pleasure, some foods are more nutrient-dense, and some foods we eat simply for comfort. There is a place for a wide variety of foods in a healthy diet and I would argue that any stress caused by the need to eat "perfectly" is more harmful than any chocolate bunny you may decide to eat.

Be Patient With Yourself

It's normal to feel uncertain when starting Intuitive Eating. There may even be a lot of fear around letting go of certain food rules that you've been holding onto. And trust me, even though the tips above seem simple, it doesn't mean that they are easy. With time and practice, you can feel more in control when you're eating, but change won't happen overnight. 

Seek Support if Needed

If you're struggling with Intuitive Eating, seek support from a Registered Dietitian or Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor. They can help you navigate your relationship with food in a way that feels balanced and sustainable. They can also help you work at your own pace, so you don't feel like you're jumping into the deep end without knowing how to swim. If you're in Ontario, Canada, I'm happy to jump on a call with you to see if we can work together to rediscover the joy in eating. You can book a free call with me here.

Navigating Eater Treats with Your Kids

As parents, watching your kids amass a large amount of chocolate can feel scary. It's important to remind ourselves, that we want our kids to be Intuitive Eaters and to feel comfortable around all foods. Practice makes perfect and just like us, our kids need practice, so if you never allow your kids to have sweets, you will never teach your kids how to self-regulate. That means that the same advice that I wrote above, applies to feeding our kids too.

• Continue to serve nourishing meals for the whole family throughout the day.
• Include candy and sweets at meals and snacks alongside other foods and allow your kids to eat what they want. Remember that you don't need to include sweets at all meals but it's good to have a plan so that if your kids ask, they know when it will be on the menu.
• Encourage your kids to savour their food and check in with themselves. This is actually easier if you are eating the candy alongside them so that you can all check in together. You can even narrate what you're feeling and what you're noticing in your own body.
• Challenge any food rules that come up for you internally. If you're noticing that your kids are only eating candy at meals and that makes you uncomfortable, that's something that you need to address in private. You don't want your kids to feel anxious about what they're eating. Remind yourself that if your kid eats too much and then feels sick, that's a great learning opportunity for them. It's more important for them to learn their limits than it is for you to tell them what their limits should be.
• Be patient. If chocolate and candy is a novelty in your house, it's likely that your kids will be fixated on it. This is normal. Only regular consumption of these foods will reduce the novelty over time.

Remember that holidays are supposed to be fun and having fun foods around the house is a big part of that. If we can actively work on giving ourselves permission to eat and enjoy food as a family, we may slowly start to notice that sweets and treats have less control over us than they once did.

The Bottom Line

This Easter, give yourself and your kids permission to enjoy treats without guilt. Embrace Intuitive Eating and listen to your body's innate inner wisdom. Remember, that it may be challenging at first, but by practicing Intuitive Eating, you can improve your relationship with food and find a healthier, more balanced approach to eating. If you're interested in learning more about Intuitive Eating or need support, book a free 15-minute call with me. Let's chat about how you can find food freedom and feel more comfortable around all foods.

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