Building a Better Easter Basket

CLEVELAND – ‘Here Comes Peter Cottontail’ could mean kids hoppin’ down the sugar rush trail.

So, how do you counteract all that Easter candy?

Jennifer Hyland, RD, registered dietitian for Cleveland Clinic Children’s, recommends choosing only a few confectionary favorites.

“Go with the regular candies but go with a smaller portion size. Maybe you get a smaller Easter bunny, or you only include a couple different items in there, rather than the whole basket is full,” said Hyland.

When it comes to chocolate bunnies, dark chocolate is the best choice. Dark chocolate has less sugar and contains more antioxidants.

Milk and white chocolate have more sugar and too much can spike blood sugar followed by a quick crash.

Hyland said it’s important to compliment an Easter basket with a protein-rich breakfast. She said colorful hard-boiled eggs are a good choice.

Eating protein and fiber with breakfast will help balance out the blood sugar spike and fill kids up more.

Another way to crack down on too much candy is to fill baskets with small toys and snacks.

“You could fill the little eggs with other things, like you could do trail mix, you could do popcorn, still giving them some candy of course. But, there might be some other alternatives that they can just snack on, and it’s not going to give them as much of the sugar rush,” she said.

If you’re wondering about sugar-free candy alternatives, Hyland doesn’t usually recommend them. Instead, she encourages focusing on smaller portions of a few favorite items.