Ask the Experts Blog

Did you know Americans buy more than 120 million pounds of candy for Easter? That’s equivalent to more than 4,600 dump trucks full of sweets.

As Easter weekend approaches, Registered Dietitian, Katelyn Dinkgrave, recommends incorporating these healthy alternatives to chocolates, jellybeans, and other treats into your family's holiday traditions:

• Use hard boiled eggs and fresh vegetables such as peppers, broccoli, green onion, or carrot to make fun Easter critters like bunnies and chicks.
• Make “carrots” by filling a pastry bag with whole grain Annie’s Bunny Grahams, available at most grocery stores, and tie the bag shut with green ribbon.
• Use plastic Easter eggs as Jell-O® molds. Make it even more fun by using an egg stand (like you’d use for egg dying) to keep the mold upright in the refrigerator and add one color at a time to create a fun rainbow appearance.
• Use your favorite fruits such as kiwis, strawberries, grapes, and blueberries to make an egg-shaped fruit pizza or fruit plate.

“Not only are these treats fun for the family to make, they encourage your children to replace candy, and some of the less-healthy traditional Easter foods, with a wide variety of bright, colorful fruits and vegetables,” said Katelyn. “As an added bonus, the more color you incorporate into your diet, the wider variety of nutrients you are getting.”

You can also avoid stuffing those Easter baskets full of sweet treats by including fun and inexpensive options that will get kids up and moving such as:

• Bubbles
• Sidewalk chalk 
• Jump rope 
• Building blocks 

What is your family's favorite healthy Easter tradition?