8 Buffet Tips That Restaurant Owners Don’t Want You to Know
8 Tips for Eating Buffet
To avoid any negative effects on your health, it's important to choose tasty, well-balanced dishes that leave you feeling energized without gaining weight after multiple buffet sessions.
Don’t Overload Your Stomach When entering the buffet room, don’t rush to grab a plate. Instead, take a quick tour to see what’s on the menu and where the dishes are located. This way, you can mentally plan which dishes to try and which ones to sample.
After your tour, you’ll likely be hungry. Grab a plate and start with appetizers. Keep in mind the following tips when selecting your dishes.
Steamed, Boiled, and Soup Dishes Are Better Limit dishes that are high in fat, like fatty meats, fried foods, especially deep-fried battered dishes, as they are high in energy.
You’ll need to engage in intense physical activity for several days to burn off the energy from these foods. Eating too many fatty foods can also lead to indigestion. Make sure to include a variety of vegetables to reduce fat absorption.
However, be cautious with creamy dressings (like mayonnaise) used in salads, as they are also high in energy.
Choose Lean Meats, Poultry (without skin), Fish, and Seafood in Moderation Eating too much protein can also lead to bloating and indigestion. Grilled dishes are tempting but choose those that aren’t charred or smoky. Burnt meats, especially fatty cuts, contain harmful substances.
Foods high in salt, such as bacon, salted pickles, salted stews, and sauces, should only be eaten in moderation.
Try Unfamiliar Dishes in Small Portions If you like the taste after trying, go ahead and enjoy more. Don’t take large amounts of visually appealing dishes without trying them first, as it might not match your taste. Those with allergies should be careful with unfamiliar foods.
It's always a good idea to ask the restaurant staff about the ingredients in certain dishes before trying them. For example, if you’re having sushi, try a little wasabi to see if you can handle its intense heat.
Leave Filling Foods for Last After you’ve tried most of your favorite dishes and still have room in your stomach, then go for filling foods like fried rice, plain rice, sticky rice, or noodles.
Don’t Drink Too Much While Eating Drinking too much can make you feel overly full and dilute your stomach acid, making digestion harder. Opt for fruit juices and sip slowly. The vitamins from fruit juices are beneficial. Pineapple juice, for example, contains enzymes that help with protein digestion, making it ideal for a heavy meal.
Have Fruit for Dessert Instead of Sweet Pastries Desserts like sweet soups and pastries may catch your eye, but by the time you reach this point, you’re probably already full, and these desserts are high in energy. Be mindful when selecting additional dishes.
Eating some fresh fruit for dessert can be a good option if you’re full. Don’t punish your stomach; it won’t be able to handle more heavy food.
Eat Slowly and Stop When Full Take your time to savor the food, and chat with friends to gauge when you’re full. Eating too quickly might cause you to overeat, as your brain won’t receive the "full" signal from your stomach in time.
Even though a buffet offers a wide variety of food, your stomach has limits. Take only small portions of each dish, even if it’s something you really like. You can always go back for more if you still have room.
Don’t worry about dishes running out—staff will refill them. Don’t feel obligated to get food for your friends at a buffet; everyone has their own tastes and preferences. You can’t measure someone else’s appetite, and you might not even know if you’re full yet.
The "buffet culture" allows you to choose what and how much to eat. For those with chronic conditions like high blood pressure, obesity, gout, diabetes, high cholesterol, or lipid disorders, it’s essential to be mindful when enjoying a buffet.
A buffet meal can be very beneficial if you know how to select dishes that suit your health needs and remember to stop when you’re full!
