How to survive an all-you-can-eat buffet without remorse or indulgence
The promise of the free buffet is enticing: you can eat as much as you want. And, of course, we do. Unlimited food, infinite variety and the pleasure of serving yourself what you want, when you want it. A paradise. But what starts out as a feast for the palate ends up, more often than not, with a chaotic mix of food on our plates: poorly (or not at all) balanced choices, binge eating and, many times, binge eating, cold sweats and the (false) promise of "tomorrow only salad".
A buffet doesn't have to be the prelude to a hellish digestion, if you know your way around. And no, there's no need to go with the calorie calculator: with a little common sense and some strategy, you can come out unscathed. Satisfied, even happy. It's not a matter of prohibiting yourself anything, but of eating judiciously and not as a response to the euphoria of the "all-inclusive".
Take a walk before you jump in as if they were going to close it.
Don't be anxious. Don't make the first mistake: see the cannelloni and pounce. Nor the second: arrive at the end of the tour with your plate already full. The right thing to do is to do a reconnaissance tour without serving yourself anything. Look first, study the offer, then decide. Planning with your eyes before filling your plate is a way to make more conscious and less impulsive decisions.
Start with green
And by starting with green we don't mean hiding the slice of bacon with fried egg under a lettuce leaf. We know that vegetables are not the most tempting thing at a buffet. But if you start there, you get satiated sooner with few calories, eat fiber, make room for what you really want and stop that anxiety of proving to yourself how much lasagna fits in your body.
Of course, be careful: avoid false "light", such as salads with lots of mayonnaise, fried bread croutons, fatty cheeses or bacon.
Choose a single protein and a main side dish
Putting chops, paella, croquettes and chicken fingers on the same plate is not gastronomic eclecticism: it is chaos. Choose a main dish and its side dish; for example, a baked fish accompanied by some baked potatoes. Then, if you get hungry (hint: you probably won't), you can repeat.
Beware of bread, sauces and fried foods
Bread is tempting, we know. But if you're already carrying rice, pasta or empanada, you don't need it. You already have enough carbohydrate. Thick sauces and dripping fried foods are often the most appetizing foods... and some of the most indigestible. Limit them or reserve them as a one-time indulgence.
Dessert is not mandatory. But if you are going to "sin", sin with common sense.
A piece of fruit or a natural yogurt can be enough. But if you really feel like a sweet, take the one you like the most and eat it with pleasure. There is no need to serve six "to taste". Don't fill your plate with "a little bit of everything". It is better to consciously enjoy a cake than to finish five spoonfuls of different desserts without paying attention.
Be careful with beverages
Soft drinks, industrial juices disguised as "natural" or even beers in excess can provide more calories than a second course. Water is better. And if you opt for something else, do it as a decision and not by inertia. Remember: What you drink counts too, even if you don't chew it.
Eat slowly, listen to your satiety
You are not "losing money" if you leave without having tried the 14 types of croquettes. The message "since it's paid for, you have to eat everything" is the great enemy of digestive wellness. If you eat slowly, chew, talk and listen to your stomach, you will feel better. It is key to not finish the meal with a feeling of fullness or guilt.
A buffet is to enjoy, not to punish the body.
You can leave happy, satisfied and without having to discreetly undo your trouser button. Just don't confuse freedom with gastronomic debauchery. Eat with desire, yes, but also with head. Healthy is not incompatible with pleasure.
Because yes: you can enjoy a buffet without ending up ordering a manzanilla and swearing not to repeat. And you? Do you have any infallible trick to survive the "all inclusive"? Tell us how you do it.
Patricia González
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