Spring Break
All I love about all-you-can-eats
The right way to eat at a buffet
Maggie Canty
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Verve
For most college students, "buffet" is synonymous with "heaven."
You pay one flat rate, and then get to peruse rows and rows of food that's been left out just slightly too long, eating until you can't possibly eat anymore, and then proving yourself wrong by going back for dessert.
The beauty of the all-you-can-eat.
The problem is, it's easy to over do it when seconds are free, and unless the dessert table has all-you-can-drink Pepto Bismol, you're body is going to hate you.
But that doesn't mean you have to avoid these college student utopias all together. There are ways to eat at a buffet and still be able to leave in the same size jeans you wore in.
According to Chris Bauchman, a dietician at Hartshorn Health Center, buffets can be a great way to eat from all the food groups by getting a variety of foods -- which is key to getting all the nutrients you need.
But this doesn't mean take a plate full of each thing they offer.
Whitney Smith, also a dietician at Hartshorn Health Center, recommends using what they call "the plate method."
This includes going through the line without a plate first, eyeballing everything they offer and then deciding what you're going to get, rather then piling up a plate as you go.
You should ideally aim to cover half your plate with fruits and veggies, a fourth with grain and a fourth with protein.
That way, all your food-group bases get covered before you hit the ice cream machine.
Smith said you don't have to completely avoid any foods, as long as you're eating in moderation. She also suggests not "settling" for foods that only taste okay. When you're at a buffet, you've got the opportunity to eat what you really want, so don't feel like you've got to force down something you don't.
Another trick Smith recommends when hitting the line is not to load up your plate on the first round, but keeping in mind you can always get seconds.
You pay one flat rate, and then get to peruse rows and rows of food that's been left out just slightly too long, eating until you can't possibly eat anymore, and then proving yourself wrong by going back for dessert.
The beauty of the all-you-can-eat.
The problem is, it's easy to over do it when seconds are free, and unless the dessert table has all-you-can-drink Pepto Bismol, you're body is going to hate you.
But that doesn't mean you have to avoid these college student utopias all together. There are ways to eat at a buffet and still be able to leave in the same size jeans you wore in.
According to Chris Bauchman, a dietician at Hartshorn Health Center, buffets can be a great way to eat from all the food groups by getting a variety of foods -- which is key to getting all the nutrients you need.
But this doesn't mean take a plate full of each thing they offer.
Whitney Smith, also a dietician at Hartshorn Health Center, recommends using what they call "the plate method."
This includes going through the line without a plate first, eyeballing everything they offer and then deciding what you're going to get, rather then piling up a plate as you go.
You should ideally aim to cover half your plate with fruits and veggies, a fourth with grain and a fourth with protein.
That way, all your food-group bases get covered before you hit the ice cream machine.
Smith said you don't have to completely avoid any foods, as long as you're eating in moderation. She also suggests not "settling" for foods that only taste okay. When you're at a buffet, you've got the opportunity to eat what you really want, so don't feel like you've got to force down something you don't.
Another trick Smith recommends when hitting the line is not to load up your plate on the first round, but keeping in mind you can always get seconds.
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