The hostess has outdone herself. The table is beautiful and the food looks and smells too wonderful for words. Instead of eating everything on the buffet today and regretting it tomorrow, here are 3 ways to avoid the buffet bloat.
Stay Out of the Pool
Steer clear of dishes swimming in gravy, floating in cream sauce, or bathed in butter. Try to include fruits and vegetables not bobbing in an ocean of high fat sauce. Savor the deliciousness of the sweet potato without the marshmallows and just a hint of cinnamon. Starting with the healthier options will help you feel less hungry as you wade through all the choices at mealtime.
New Dishes
Try the dishes you normally wouldn’t make yourself. There are always dishes that you don’t make at home, for whatever reason. Your spouse has an allergy, your children are picky eaters, the recipe is incredibly involved and you just don’t want to go through the effort…whatever the reason, here is your opportunity to have a guilt-free bite. You can have mashed potatoes or baked beans any old time.
Family Must-Haves
You know that Aunt Emma will be crushed if you don’t have a scoop of her banana puddin’ for dessert. And, Aunt Diane, Aunt Suzanne and Aunt Joanne will be devastated if you don’t have some of their green bean casserole, corn bread stuffing, and macaroni and cheese. The best way to stay true to a healthy you while still showing love to your family is to take three to five polite bites of these comfort foods. This is after making healthy choices for a well balanced meal.
Three to five bites of comfort foods. Less of anything swimming in gravy.
When you walk in prepared with a few simple strategies, you can stay on track. You’ll avoid the bloat of hasty decisions and feel better after a meal of healthier choices.
