Eating Smart at a Buffet!

A buffet may seem like a dream for some – it’s “economical”, there’s an array of different delicious foods and well, “you can eat as much as you want”. But getting through a buffet without consuming copious amounts of calories and unnecessary food can be a difficult task. It’s important to keep a smart mind when you’re faced with a buffet situation and because we know it’s hard, we’ve created a list of simple tips and strategies for you to use on your next buffet outing.

1.     Before you even touch your plate, take a look at your options

While you’re being led to your table or perhaps after you’ve been seated, take a short walk around the buffet table and survey what’s available. Take a note of the things that look really good and the things that you definitely want to try. The great benefit of the buffet style of eating is that you can choose what you want to eat, so be real with it and treat your body to things that look great and taste amazing, and are nourishing at the same time. By looking over the options before you make your choices you avoid the dilemma of filling your plate with, just say, potato bake and chicken parmigiana before you realise that there was a tasty looking Thai beef and glass noodle salad or fresh oysters over in the corner!

2.     Go green

Try and choose some healthy options such as salad and vegetables that make up the ‘bulk’ of your meal or serving on your plate, or choose these for any ‘returns or seconds’ to ‘fill you up’ and ‘get your values worth’. For example, your first plate could be a delicious leafy salad with some colourful vegetables and a light dressing such as vinaigrette.  For some extra texture you could add some feta, olives or even nuts. Having a salad plate as your entrée is a good ideas as it will help keep you from overeating on some of the other high-calorie, nutrient-low options available.  Choose fresh fruit, a small piece of cheese or nuts or one choice and a modest serve of desert like a scoop of ice cream with your fruit salad instead a huge bowl of cake, sickening custard, chocolate mousse or other sugar and cream laden treats that will tip you over the edge and make you feel bloated, over-full, guilty and give you indigestion.

3.     Treat it as you would a sit down meal

Visit the buffet table only once or twice, chew slowly and when you have finished eating, if there is still food on your plate, get rid of you so you don’t keep nibbling at it.  Eat slowly so that when others are eating you are not feeling self conscious that you are sitting there with nothing in front of you to avoid extra trips to the table.

4.     Don’t go overboard with the beverages

Try and stay away from the fizzy drinks and juices, instead drink water or tea. If you feel that you really want a glass of fizzy, have one glass then drink water for the rest of the meal. You could also choose soda water or sparkling water with a slice of lemon, which is naturally sugar free but refreshing and bubbly.  Juices, iced tea and fizzy drinks are usually full of sugar and offer next to no nutritional value.

5.     Trust your stomach

Your eyes are bound to be in heaven when you’re at a buffet; however it’s important to listen to what your stomach is saying rather than what your eyes are telling you that you want. When you’re surveying the area at the start of the meal, look at the different options and imagine how each would taste. Would those deep-fried potato chips really taste that great compared to those roast sweet potato gems? How about the battered and fried fish compared to the delicious complicated flavour of the Thai beef salad, both have crunch, yet one is going to make your cells sing and the other your cells sick?  Is it really worth it? Also remember your stomach knows when it’s full and it will give you signals to show you so, especially if you choose carefully, eat slowly and enjoy each bite. Try and listen to your body and stop eating when you know you have eaten enough.

Other strategies:

If you’ve tried the above tips and they just don’t seem to be working, you could try:

·      Asking someone else to bring you some food, and tell them what you would like.

·      Asking your waiter to seat you far from the buffet (a study showed that the farther away you sit from the buffet table, the less you will eat) [1].

·      Use a side plate for your meal rather than a full-size dinner plate

References:

[1] Wansink, B., & Payne, C. (2008). Eating behaviour and obesity at Chinese buffets. Obesity, 16(8):1957-60.