I’m not exactly sure when Easter morphed from a religious holiday to becoming one centered around a giant rabbit that hides colorful eggs around the house for children to find or that leaves baskets full of goodies in his wake.
These baskets of Easter treats are typically laden with sugar and other goodness that will have kids bouncing off the walls after consuming just a few things. According to reports, Easter is now the second largest candy-consuming holiday after Halloween. That means that Easter is bigger than Christmas and Valentine’s Day when it comes to sugar consumption.
At first I did not believe that was true but after a few trips with my wife to the local stores I have become a believer. Walking down the aisles of Wal-Mart was like walking the sugar gauntlet. Everywhere you turned there were more multi-colored packages proclaiming the amazing taste of these sugary treasures.
I had very early on decided that I would refrain from any of the traditional Easter candies. That was a major milestone for me. I am perhaps the world’s biggest fan of Peeps, those marshmallow treats that are covered in colored sugar dust. Throughout my childhood I have very fond memories of sitting down with a package of sugar bunnies and chickens biting their heads off and singing about the pleasures of marshmallow.
This year I find myself remembering how great those times were yet I had absolutely no desire to open a package. Gone were the days where you sliced open the cellophane and let them sit for days until they became hard and crusty. No longer would I put a Peep in a mug of hot chocolate like some sort of confectionary hot tub or set them in the microwave and watch the bunnies grow like some sort of monster about to destroy Tokyo.
The journey towards healthy living has made me change a lot of what I once thought was natural. So while the kids each received Reese’s Peanut Butter eggs, jellybeans, and the beloved Peeps, my basket was filled with portion controlled energy bars and healthy raw almonds. Granted you’ll never see a basket like this on the Food Network but I’m fine with that. In the end I’ll feel better and not have to worry about falling into a sugar coma.
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