The shelves are full of colourful Easter eggs, delicious chocolate bunnies, tempting eggnog and many other nibbles. This can only mean one thing: Easter is just around the corner and with it, lots of sweets on the menu again. Whether you like it or not, you can't avoid a chocolate egg or two, or can you? We have 5 tips on how you can make Easter not only more sustainable, but also healthier.
What is it about the colourful Easter eggs?
In many cultures around the world, holidays are marked by traditions that are often based on millennia-old customs. One example is the Easter egg, which has also been part of Easter celebrations here for a long time.
In Christianity, the Easter egg is a symbol of the death and rebirth of Christ. The shell used to be dyed red to symbolise the blood of Jesus. The Easter egg thus became a sign of rebirth and life. During Lent, which originated in Christianity, people were not allowed to eat eggs or meat. To prevent the eggs from spoiling, people boiled them hard and coloured them to distinguish between boiled and raw eggs.
Until Easter Sunday, eggs were not allowed to be eaten because of Lent. However, because so many eggs accumulated during that time, they were finally given in kind or as a blessing in church in the Middle Ages. To distinguish the consecrated from the unconsecrated eggs, the eggs were coloured.
The custom of looking for Easter eggs at Easter probably developed in Alsace in the 17th century and is now an integral part of traditional Easter celebrations in many parts of the world.
5 tips for a healthy and sustainable Easter
Aside from the beautiful Easter traditions, family gatherings and warm spring sunshine, all the sweets and treats are really tempting and look incredibly inviting. One chocolate egg suddenly turns into two, then three and so on... To make sure we feel as good after Easter as we did before, we have some tips for you on how to make the Easter holidays a little healthier and more sustainable this year:
- Healthy baking: Easter is also the time for Easter bread, carrot cake and Gugelhupf. Many recipes can be quickly and easily transformed into healthier recipes with only minor changes. Better alternatives to refined sugar are, for example, natural sugars such as Date sugar or Coconut blossom sugar. And wheat flour can also be well replaced by Spelt flour replace. If you would like to try something completely new, you can, for example, start with just 5 ingredients for a delicious and healthy muesli bar make. They also make a great Easter gift.
- Dyeing Easter eggs: To make dyeing Easter eggs not only fun but also "sustainable", buy natural food dyes or make them yourself. This can be done quite easily with the help of real food, such as beetroot or turmeric. This way, two events take place at once that increase the anticipation of the egg hunt.
- The somewhat different Easter nests: Probably the coolest and most exciting thing about Easter is the Easter egg hunt. I would even say that it is just as much fun for the adults as it is for the little ones 😊 But who says that only sweets can be hidden and found? Instead of hiding mostly chocolate, which can melt quickly anyway in the warm spring sun, dried fruit, Homemade Energy Balls or energy eggs and nuts are a great alternative. If they are nicely packaged, both young and old will love them!
- Get outside: If the weather is good, there is hardly anything better than going for an Easter walk or a bike ride. Exercise is good for you and the fresh spring air is just great!
- Everything in moderation: We can, but don't have to, aim to do without all treats at Easter, and it also takes some of the joy out of the festivities. It's perfectly fine if the odd chocolate egg or eggnog ends up in your stomach. It's usually a question of moderation. Instead of giving up everything, try to pace yourself with your snacks and sweets. If it's eggnog today, it's better to skip the two or three chocolate eggs in the afternoon. If the carrot cake appeals to you so much that you want to eat half the cake, take a piece, enjoy it and eat slowly.
Ingredients
- 250 g Wacker Sprouted Buckwheat Flour Organic
- 45 g Almonds, ground
- 100 g Wacker date sugar organic
- 1 TL Baking soda
- 2 EL Chia seeds
- 2-3 Carrots, grated
- 120 ml Coconut milk
- 28 g Coconut oil, melted
- 6 EL Water
Topping
- Vegan cream
- something Mint
- 2 EL Wacker date sugar organic
- 1 EL Plant milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C top and bottom heat.
- Mix the chia seeds with water and allow to swell.
- Mix all the ingredients except the carrots in a bowl. Then fold in the grated carrot with a dough scraper. Pour the batter into a greased or parchment-lined tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, allow to cool, toppings of choice & enjoy.
Topping
- Mix all ingredients with a blender until smooth.
Easter without Easter eggs and treats?
It can, but it doesn't have to. When you give up all the delicious things that are available around Easter, you also lose some of the joy of the celebration and everything that goes with it. Therefore, don't set your limit and your standards too high for the Easter holidays and rather orientate yourself on a few tips as we have listed them above.
Sources: NDR
Image Easter eggs: Adobe Stock, Robert Kneschke, #196011610
Image Easter Chocolate: Adobe Stock, Sarah, #558786652
