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Buffet the diet slayer
By WLR Dietitian
Buffets have the
potential to make or break a diet. On the one hand, there are
usually plenty of dishes to choose from, which makes it easier
to select nibbles with a lower calorie content. On the other
hand, it’s tempting to sample every single item! These tips
will help you navigate your way around the
buffet table
without ruining your diet.
- Always have a light snack a few hours before arriving
at a party. If you turn up having starved yourself all day,
you’re more likely to become a permanent fixture at the buffet
table and will almost certainly overindulge when faced with a
mountain of delicious food.
- Don’t hover, stand or constantly drift towards the
buffet table – you’ll end up constantly picking, nibbling or
munching on tasty morsels and quickly forget just how much
you’ve eaten. The easiest way to control the amount you eat is
to fill your plate just once and then move away from the food.
- Choose your nibbles carefully if you want to keep your
Christmas halo firmly in place. Avoid pastry items such as
sausage rolls, quiche, vol-au-vents, spring rolls and flans.
And steer clear of anything that’s been deep-fried, such as
crispy wontons or battered prawns. Skipping the garlic bread,
crisps and peanuts will save loads of calories – as will
avoiding anything that comes with mayo or soured cream such as
coleslaw, potato salad and creamy dips. Instead, opt for lean
beef, chicken, turkey, ham, smoked salmon, fresh prawns,
salads without mayo, French bread (without the butter),
crudités, breadsticks, salsa, tzatziki and small slices of
pizza.
- If canapés or nibbles are constantly being offered to
you while you’re chatting, avoid the temptation by keeping
your hands full. A napkin in one hand and a glass in the other
should do the trick. Alternatively, keep your hands busy by
taking plates of canapés or snacks around for other guests.
- Choose your accompaniments for cheese carefully. Chunks
of French bread and butter or a handful of cream crackers will
double the calories. Instead, go for water biscuits, crispbreads or breadsticks – and fill up on the grapes, celery
and fruit.
- If you’re tempted by the cheeseboard, make sure you
choose carefully. Brie, camembert and Edam contain fewer
calories than Cheddar, Stilton and Red Leicester. But if it’s
on offer, go for goat’s cheese – it’s the best one of all.
Check out the calorie values below of some festive cheeses.
Cheese
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Calories per 25g
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Cheddar
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103
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Blue stilton
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103
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Double Gloucester
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101
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Red Leicester
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100
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Gorgonzola
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99
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Wensleydale
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95
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Caerphilly
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94
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Danish Blue
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87
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Edam
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83
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Brie
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80
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Camembert
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74
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Goat’s cheese
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66
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