Easter Weight Loss And The Easter Bunny. Are They Both A Myth?

Millions of Americans are well into their annual spring diet program, trying to lose weight fast before summer arrives. Unfortunately, Easter can derail our weight loss efforts faster than Peter Cottontail hops down his bunny trail. With mountains of candy eggs and legions of chocolate bunnies, Easter packs enough fat and calories to obliterate even the best weight loss program. Attempting to stick with a healthy diet through Easter may leave the dieter wondering if Easter weight loss is a bigger myth than the Easter bunny.

"Easter is third in candy consumption in the United States with 940 million dollars spent on it in 1998. That's a lot of chocolate bunnies" (Source: about.com). "In 2000, Americans bought $1.9 billion of Easter candy and consumed 7.1 billion pounds to edge ahead of Christmas sales that year" (Source: Topeka Capital Journal, April, 2004).

So what's a weight watcher to do, short of filling the Easter eggs with diet pills and weight loss products? By following a few simple guidelines, it is possible to maintain a diet plan through Easter and perhaps even achieve some healthy weight loss.

All Easter Candy Is Not Created Equal:
First and foremost, it's important to be aware that all Easter candy is not created equal. While no Easter candy could properly be called a diet product, it is true that some varieties are less fattening than others. On the healthier side of the scale are marshmallow eggs and jellybeans. Palmer Marshmallow Eggs, for example, in a 47 gram serving, boast just 130 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, and 38 grams carbohydrate (13% Daily Value)

Chocolate Marshmallow Brownie

Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk together by hand until blended. Whisk in the sugar. Whisk the egg mixture into the chocolate. Add the flour and the remaining 3 oz chocolate into the batter and mix well with wooden spoon or spatula. Add walnuts and mix again.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Put the marshmallow pieces all over the top and push them in a little way down the mix with a chopstick. You should be able to see the tops of the marshmallows.

Bake on the middle shelf of your oven until the marshmallows are browned and a skewer comes out with a little batter sticking to it--not dry. About 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. When chilled, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen sides. Then slide the cake off to a cutting board and evenly divide with a sharp knife, into 16 two inch squares. Make 3 slices each way = 4x4= 16 cubes.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keeps several weeks.