Eating at a buffet is the perfect opportunity to try new dishes and enjoy a good meal with friends, colleagues or family. With all these dishes available it is easy to be tempted by a second or third portion and it is very difficult to make healthy choices. The next time you're at a conference, wedding, or dining with friends at a buffet restaurant, take some time to plan your meal and avoid high-calorie and unhealthy dishes. If you look at all the foods on offer, choose the very nutritious ones and commit to portion control, you can enjoy a good healthy meal even at a buffet.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Inspect the Zone
Step 1. Find a table away from the buffet
An average person goes to the tables on which dishes are presented three times, but if you sit far away, you are less likely to be tempted to get up to take more portions. If you are dining in a restaurant with this kind of service, ask the waiter if you can sit away from the buffet; if you are attending an event or wedding reception where you can sit wherever you want, opt for a table on the other side of the room.
Step 2. Turn your back to the serving table
If you can't sit far away, try looking the other way; if you are not attracted to dishes or sweets, the chances are less that you will succumb to the temptation of all that food available. This simple strategy may be effective enough to keep you from getting up and grabbing another plate and to keep your "throat" at bay.
Step 3. Look at everything on offer before filling the plate
Before grabbing your plate and launching yourself on the buffet, take a few minutes to explore the various options. By knowing in advance the available dishes, you can stifle the urge to take various samples and small bites of any food that seems appetizing to you.
- During the "inspection tour" take note of the arrangement of the food; first, pay attention to the area where fruits and vegetables are located; then, focus on lean proteins of animal or plant origin.
- Then look at the whole grains that are offered, such as steamed brown rice, quinoa, or wholemeal pasta.
Part 2 of 3: Check the Portions
Step 1. Decide how much to eat before looking at the buffet
The eyes are much hungrier than the stomach, so evaluate the portion of food before looking at the various options and impose a limit on the number of "trips" you intend to make to the serving table. Make a plan and stick to it before queuing.
Maybe you want to indulge in a small appetizer, a healthy main course and a small dessert, or you can consider eating two main dishes, but in moderate quantities
Step 2. Imagine the plate is divided into quadrants
When you start filling it at the buffet, think of it as having four sections; this way, you can visualize what a healthy meal looks like. You should fill half the plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with lean proteins, and the last quadrant is reserved for whole grains.
Step 3. Start with fruits and vegetables
Make a commitment to fill at least half or even three quarters of the space with these foods; try to take plenty of nutritious, hearty, low-calorie plant foods to monitor energy intake.
Step 4. Measure the proteins
Peruse the buffet and look for lean, healthy sources, such as fish, turkey, or chicken; Make sure you limit your consumption of red meats and avoid processed ones such as bacon or cold cuts in general. To control portions, take a piece of meat that is the size of a deck of cards; in doing so, you should fill about a quarter of the plate.
Step 5. Eat several whole grains
Look for whole ones like quinoa, dark pasta or rice to fill the last quadrant of the plate, avoiding processed products like white rice, bread or pasta. At this point, the dish should be complete with a serving of cereal the size of a hockey puck.
Step 6. Eat slowly to manage the amount of food
Observing the delicious dishes that are available makes you feel hungry and causes you to get up again to stuff yourself with an "encore"; however, you need to be careful and not eat too fast. When you have satisfied your hunger, wait 20 minutes to give your brain time to register the satiety signal. When you eat slowly, you consume fewer calories and avoid getting up too many times to take other foods.
Part 3 of 3: Choose the Healthy Way
Step 1. Start your meal with a small salad or bowl of soup
Enjoy a low-calorie soup or small salad at the start of dinner to satiate hunger and control calorie intake for the rest of the meal. Dishes based on vegetables and broths are low in calories, while a salad of fresh, raw vegetables makes for a very nutritious appetizer.
- Avoid versions with cream, such as clam or lobster bisque, because they are very fat and high in calories. Go to the section of the buffet where the soups are served and opt for a tomato cream or a Chinese soup with egg.
- If there are salads, choose dark green leafy vegetables as a base, then add other raw or steamed vegetables (such as broccoli or peas) and avoid cheeses, croutons and heavy or cream-based dressings.
- Return to your seat and enjoy the appetizer before placing the main course on the plate.
Step 2. Opt for grilled, steamed or broiled dishes
Forgo fried chicken legs and fish and chips, instead opt for herb-flavored grilled chicken breast or grilled fish with vegetables as both are healthier alternatives. If you find yourself at a Chinese restaurant buffet, don't get the fried vegetables, but steamed broccoli, snow peas and carrots; do not fill the plate with a "mountain" of spaghetti or pasta sautéed or fried.
- Fried foods absorb a lot of calories and fat from hot oil; over time their consumption leads you to gain weight and exposes you to diseases.
- Dishes cooked in the oven and on the grill are less fat and low in calories; they also retain most of the nutritional properties during cooking.
Step 3. Avoid dishes covered with marinades, creamy sauces and dressings
All these extra ingredients are syrupy, heavy, high in calories, fat, sodium and added sugars, even if at first glance it would not seem like it. Instead, opt for those flavored with herbs or mixed with steamed vegetables and steer clear of salads already dressed with sauces.
- A serving of pasta alla carbonara, for example, contains about 400 calories and more than 400 mg of sodium; choose pasta lightly topped with a tomato-based sauce.
- One tablespoon (about 15ml) of ranch sauce contains up to 16g of fat and 143 calories. Take a vinaigrette or sprinkle the salad with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Step 4. Avoid sodas
A glass of these drinks provides on average 300 calories and 19 g of sugar; lemonade and other fruit-based drinks are also high in sugar and energy. Get a glass of water or unsweetened iced tea to minimize calorie intake.
Step 5. Harmonize the flavors
A meal with many different flavors stimulates your appetite by causing you to eat more. Instead, try to combine and simplify them to feel full and satisfied. For example, instead of having broccoli au gratin with cheese, a salad with ranch dressing and some beef with red wine reduction, opt for a salad with a citrus-based dressing and fish with lemon or a similar marinade.
The food you eat doesn't always have to taste the same at every meal; varying the foods for lunch and dinner is perfect, but try to maintain organoleptic harmony within the same meal
Step 6. Ignore the waffle or pancake table when having a breakfast buffet
They are often served for breakfast in hotels, and although they are tasty, they are very sugary, high in carbohydrates and have little nutritional value; garnishing them with a tablespoon (15 ml) of maple syrup provides another 52 calories.
- Instead, opt for an egg white omelette or a cup of oatmeal to increase your intake of protein and fiber that keep you feeling full throughout the day.
- If you want to indulge yourself, but without overdoing the sugar and calories, take a waffle or pancake wholemeal or with multigrain flour and minimize the amount of syrup.
