How to eat well in a buffet

Are you soon to attend a buffet? Read on to know the golden rules for healthy buffet eating!

Table of Contents Show

Know What Is Available
Rely More On Proteins
Begin With Soups
Be Mindful About Fried Food
Drink Lots Of Water
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2 Grilled Meat
4 Steamed Veggies
5 Baked Potato
6 Pasta with Tomato Sauce
7 Appetizers
How do I prepare to eat more at a buffet?
How do you not overeat at a buffet?

No matter what the occasion is, there has to be a buffet whenever there is a gathering. There are several varieties of foods, and drinks available, which at times feel more than enough to satisfy our taste buds. While the variety of dishes are certainly a treat to our eyes and our taste buds, it can also take a toll on our health. Thus, it is very important to make informed and healthy choices at these buffets.

Many people tend to fill up their plates with each and everything available. Just because there are different kinds of dishes available, you shouldn’t get overwhelmed and compromise on your health. Being smart about your choices is the key to enjoy such affairs.

If you are soon to hit a buffet with family and friends, remember these tips to make healthy choices at a buffet.

Know What Is Available

Many just pick the plate from the counter and start filling it up with whatever is handy. Not only does this look messy to others, but you will also get confused about different specialties. The best thing to do is to check all the stands. Make a note of what is available at each counter and things that you should and can eat from them. Even if you decide on consuming more than 4-5 dishes, try only 2-3 at a time. This will keep the flavours from mixing in the plate and you will be able to appreciate all to the fullest.

Rely More On Proteins

When at a buffet, eating carbs such as rice and chapatis doesn’t make much sense. While carbohydrate is very important in your daily diet, try to keep their quantity very low when at a buffet. You must focus more on proteins, such as chicken, fish, paneer, dal, etc. These do not tend to increase your weight, affect your blood sugar level, or have any major impact on any of your body organs.

Begin With Soups

As you enter a buffet, you must always start from something as light as soup or salad and not fried starters or sugary drinks. Soup will keep you from feeling way too hungry and the veggies in it will provide you fibre, known to maintain the health of your digestive tract. If you don’t want to get bloated the next day, soup is the best thing to begin your meal with.

Read More- Some Healthy Foods That Are Actually Junk

Be Mindful About Fried Food

It’s not a hidden fact that fried food is not salutary. It has way too many calories and saturated fat to let you stay healthy. Go for tandoori dishes (health benefits of tandoori dishes) instead of the fried ones. They have less oil and grease. Even if you crave fried starters, mind the quantity. You must never fill your stomach with fried foods.

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Drink Lots Of Water

Last but by no means the least, drinking water is a must at buffets. No matter what you eat, if you keep having a fair amount of water (tips to drink more water in winters), you will not feel bloated, exhausted, and dehydrated. Experiencing all these at a buffet after filling your stomach is common. Therefore, mind your fluid intake. You can go for flavoured water or fresh juice if you don’t feel like just having plain water.

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No one loves a buffet more than I do, but buffet items that won’t ruin your diet aren’t always plentiful. While I’d be perfectly happy chowing down on nachos, hot wings and potato skins for dinner, I know that’s not healthy and I’ll just feel yucky later. There’s nothing wrong with the occasional indulgence, but if you eat from buffets often, it pays to know which choices are better for your health. Check out these buffet items that won’t ruin your diet and eat them in moderate portions so you can fill up without filling out.

Table of contents:

Salad
Grilled Meat
Soup
Steamed Veggies
Baked Potato
Pasta with Tomato Sauce
Appetizers

1 Salad

Most buffets have a salad bar, whether it spans half the restaurant or takes up just a small space. Salad is one of the top buffet items that won’t ruin your diet, provided you make healthy choices. Start with leafy greens and pile on as many raw vegetables as you want. Stay away from fatty cheese, cold cuts and dressing. Go for the low-fat dressing or drizzle your salad with lemon juice. Start with a salad and it’ll take the edge off your hunger so you aren’t so tempted by all the diet bombs on the rest of the buffet line.

2 Grilled Meat

Most buffets have a wide selection of meats. Your best bet is to stay away from the ones smothered in gravy and anything that’s fried. Instead, choose a small grilled chicken breast, filet of fish or sirloin steak. Ask that your choice isn’t smothered in butter and season it simply at the table with salt and pepper.

3 Soup

Soup is another great appetizer because you can often find choices that are pretty healthy and they can keep you from getting so hungry that you go nuts when you get to the buffet line. Avoid creamy soups, but opt for broth-based choices. They are ideal because they’re often low in fat and calories. Look at the broth – if you see tons of oil floating on it, choose something else. In general, bean and vegetable soups are good choices.

4 Steamed Veggies

Because steamed veggies are easy to prepare and inexpensive, you’ll find them on many buffet lines. Fill half your plate with a heap of steamed broccoli, carrots, cauliflower or green beans and you won’t have so much room on your plate for the fatty stuff. Pair your veggies with grilled chicken or fish and you’ll have a satisfying, but delicious meal you can feel good about eating.

5 Baked Potato

I don’t know about you, but a baked potato is one of my favorites. You should stay away from butter and sour cream as toppings since they are loaded with fat and calories, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy other toppings. Many buffets have a baked potato bar, so go ahead and fill your spud with a bit of low-fat cheese and salsa or pile on beans, green onions and a dab of low-fat cheese. You’ll be full in no time without ruining your health goals.

6 Pasta with Tomato Sauce

No, filling up on pasta isn’t a good idea. It does contain calories and it’s so easy to go overboard. However, you can enjoy it without wrecking your healthy meal plan. Have just one scoop and top it with tomato or vegetable sauce. You want to stay away from cheesy, white sauces, which are diet bombs.

7 Appetizers

If you simply can’t find any entrees that fit the bill, consider eating a couple of small appetizers. Shrimp cocktail, chicken skewers, fruit salad and crudités are items you might be able to find. They load you up on nutrients, but won’t overload you on fat and calories.

I love all you can eat buffets. When else can I eat everything I love at one meal? How do you stay healthy when you have so many choices in front of you?

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