Whether youâve given up meat, alcohol or sugar: the Easter snack traditionally marks the end of the fast. But even if youâre really looking forward to it, you should still exercise moderation at your first festive meal. This is the advice of nutrition expert Sandra Holasek from the Medical University of Graz, because: âOvereating, especially after a period of fasting, can put a great strain on the body.â
What happens? Our stomach is flexible and can expand from 200 millilitres when empty to a capacity of up to 2 litres. However, such overstretching of the stomach wall is, of course, unhealthy and can lead to a feeling of fullness, digestive problems and heartburn.
Whatâs more, the delicious foods that come together on the Easter table are real nutritional powerhouses. âMeat and eggs have a very high nutrient density, provide a large amount of protein and can therefore overload the body,â says Sandra Holasek. Metabolising all these nutrients can therefore be hard work for the body.
But you can help â by spicing up your Easter platter with a few healthy ingredients. These include, for example, pickled vegetables, which act like a probiotic and âfeedâ the good bacteria in the gut. At the same time, this aids digestion. Or you could serve fresh salads and seasonal vegetables with your Easter meal: these are rich in fibre, have a filling effect and prevent the Easter meal from becoming too lavish.
Fresh salads as fibre
Seasonal salads such as dandelion or lettuce, and seasonal vegetables such as radishes and kohlrabi: these too complement the traditional Easter basket and, in addition to valuable nutrients, provide the fibre needed for smooth digestion.
Fermented vegetables for the microbiome
The nutrition expert recommends pickled vegetables on the Easter table: it is the lactic acid bacteria they contain that provide the health benefits. âPickled gherkins, for example, are an excellent probiotic,â says Sandra Holasek. This means they provide the good bacteria that ensure a healthy microbiome (gut flora) in the gut, aid digestion and keep harmful bacteria at bay. Whatâs more, these pickled gherkins also act as free radical scavengers.
Horseradish is a powerhouse of nutrients
It can rightly be called a miracle root: horseradish is a veritable powerhouse of nutrients, providing a range of phytochemicals, antibiotic substances, pungent mustard oils and minerals such as sodium, potassium and magnesium. Particularly noteworthy are the tear-inducing mustard oils, which have a protective effect against cancer. And: horseradish contains twice as much vitamin C as lemons! This means the root strengthens the immune system and keeps you healthy.
Source: Sonja Krause, Kleine Zeitung, 3 April 2026
