Have a clear conscience and eat your chocolate too this Easter!

The Easter season was once the most important, and still is the oldest festival in Christian tradition. If you arn't coming to the end of a 40-day fast, or attending a church service this weekend, you probably associate Easter as a celebration of a four-day weekend, and of course copious amounts of chocolate.

It's hard to name a holiday which isn’t marked by consumerism. Easter is no different, with Australian’s predicted to spend over $3 billion on chocolate during the four-day holiday.

We all deserve to allow our inner chocoholic to indulge this Easter. However, before the celebrations begin, let's take a moment to be mindful of some of the impacts that our modern customs may have on others this Easter.

The Cacao Industry: The cold truth behind chocolate is that many big brands are sourced from cacao farms in West Africa, where their harvest is produced in part by children and in large by women who are subjected to unfair incomes. Because of the lack of working standards in cacao farming, children often get caught up in the chaos. Approximately 1.8 million children in West Africa are used for the cacao industry. On top of this, women are paid almost half as much as their male counterparts for long shifts of labour, amounting to as little as $2 a day.

Solution - Buy Fairtrade. There are so many great and convenient ways to buy fairtrade this Easter. Check out the Oxfam shop for some eggcellent options. Or source local and try out Pana Chocolates delicious range of organic, fairtrade chocolate.

Palm oil: Many of the treats we consume over Easter such as chocolate eggs or hot cross buns, unfortunately, contain palm oil. In fact 50% of food products in Australian suppermarkets contain palm oil. Although pressured over the past few years, big brands such as Lindtt and Cadbury are still poor performers when it comes to sustainable palm oil use and ethical supply chains.

Solution - To avoid this hidden surprise this Easter, you can check out the Orang-utan Projects palm oil free sources. These include favourites such a Toblerone and Guylians. You can also compare chocolate products via the ethical consumer guide.

Excess Packaging: As soon as you walk into a supermarket, you can see the shelves stacked with packages of Easter eggs. A cardboard box houses plastic cases, and the easter eggs inside are covered in foil and more packaging. Let’s stop the holiday season from becoming a time of excess wastage and avoid unnecessary packaging.

Solution - Simply say no to anything that is over-wrapped in non-recyclable packaging. Make your own treats this Easter to avoid unneccessary packaging. Follow in World Vision’s footsteps and get creative in the kitchen with ethical Easter egg recipes. Or feed your family some great healthy alternatives such as Loving Earth's bliss balls recipe.

It is definatley possible to enjoy your Easter break with these simple, good-karma options, which still allow you to splurge on the things you love. Spend this Easter enjoying an extended weekend with your loved ones, re-focusing on what really matters and know that your consumer choices are also being kind to our Earth and fellow beings.

If you have any great Easter recipe ideas, please share them with us! Send them over to omologist@omologyyoga.com and we'll share them with our community.

#YogiLifestyle #Nourish #EthicalLiving