Browse: Home / Obesity / A buffet doesn’t have to be fattening if you approach is sagaciously

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
  • Better Body Chemistry School
  • Book a health conversation
  • Speaking query
  • The “Big” Spoons
  • Donate
Header image

BBC

Small things can make a big difference to your health

advertisement

Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
  • START HERE
  • Free Resources
    • 31 days to Better Body Chemistry
    • Willpower Report
    • Better Body Chemistry for Expecting Moms
    • The ups and downs of insulin resistance
    • Candy Floss Boards
  • Meet the Team
  • Library
  • Lucky dip
  • Better Body Chemistry TV
    • Video gallery for Expecting Moms
    • Video gallery for people with metabolic syndrome
    • Video gallery of how to survive flu season
  • Sound bites
  • Contact

A buffet doesn’t have to be fattening if you approach is sagaciously

Posted by Dr Sandy on in Obesity | 245 Views | Leave a response

scoping out the buffet tableIt’s eating season…. Clubs, companies and cool people, are celebrating the Christmas season / end of the calendar year, with special outings, which typically include food, usually lots of it. Usually served in the form of, a buffet.

Spoiled for choice

The value of a buffet is you get to CHOOSE. This is what makes it attractive to organizers of events, because they don’t have to worry about accommodating “PICKIE” eaters and a firm favourite of eaters. You get to sample a wide range of foodie items, unfortunately variety is the spice of obesity. Oh dear ! By definition, a “successful” buffet provides lots and lots of options. You join the line, grab a plate and begin filing past the dishes of mouth watering food – choosing YOUR favourites. But YOU might not be CHOOSING quite as much as YOU thought.

Your choices are being ordered

Not by the borg or anything. Turns out, the order the food is served in, determines what you spoon on your plate. The foods you see first, shape you dining experience, because you spoon a hefty portion of these foods on your plate, to get things started. You then pick and choose other items that “work” with these foods. As the plate fills up, the amount of “free space” on your plate is seriously diminished, so you skip the items at the end of the food line. This is the finding of a group of researchers from Cornell Food & Brand Lab.

Breakfast is an orderly affair

The researchers “crashed” the breakfast session at a Human Resources management conference. The study was done surreptitiously, so the conference attendees did not know their breakfast selection was being scrutinized, but they were told, they only had ONE opportunity to fill up their plate i.e. there was not going to be seconds. On the breakfast menu there was seven items

  • Cheesy eggs
  • Fried potatoes
  • Bacon
  • Cinnamon rolls
  • Low-fat granola
  • Low-fat yoghurt
  • Fruit

65 conference attendees, started at the cheesy egg side of the line and progressed past the fried potatoes, bacon, cinnamon rolls, granola, yoghurt, ending with the fruit and 59 began with the fruit, continuing towards the cheesy eggs. A SPY at the end of each line, recorded what items had been loaded onto the plate.

First things first

The people who started at the cheesy-egg side of the line, took cheesy-eggs 75.4 % of the time. Only 54.8 % took any fruit. 86.4 % of people who started on the fruity side of the line, ended up with fruit on the plate. They largely skipped the eggs, only 28.8 % added a helping of eggs to their plate. On average, the first three items occupied two-thirds of the plate – definitely a case of first things first. Does it matter ? If you’re “watching what you eat” – you bet.

Buffet meals don’t just happen at Christmas

Memorable buffets are special occasions, but eating buffet style is happening more often than you think. The following dining experiences are more often than not, BUFFET STYLE eating arrangements

  • Hotel dining
  • Conference dining
  • Canteen dining
  • Even tea parties

So YOU’RE being ORDERED frequently. This means, OTHER PEOPLE, are choosing what you eat, potentially sabotaging you diet.

Take back control

If you must buffet, buffet sagaciously to avoid overindulging and regretting the calorie overload and its widening consequences. START where you want to begin, don’t FOLLOW the herd.

A buffet battle plan

If you’re really serious, you may want to employ a few appetite suppression tricks, upon arrival. Two effective strategies I can recommend, chug down a lot of water or take a REALLY strong cup of coffee, shortly before you start going down the line. Next don’t join the line until you have done a little reconnaissance – investigate what is on offer. You can do this by walking it, peering over people’s shoulders. Then CHOOSE where to START.

Buffet line dancing

For example, if you want to ensure you’re eating your green veggies (and you should, they’re good for you), consider starting here. If you’re the kind of person who does not mind being disruptive, grab your plate and insert yourself at this spot in the line and START helping yourself. If you’re shy or can’t handle the dirty looks and mumblings, that can happen when you jump a line, then start at the beginning. But hold tightly onto your plate keeping it in an upright position, as you pass by the other items, until you arrive in front of your designated START point. Now START loading. As you choose – strive to obey the RULE OF THIRDS, this will help keep your appetite in check. I know this is not always easy, since often you have no idea about just what ingredients have been used to prepare the meal, but you can usually spot protein and carbs quite easily.

Sagaciously buffeting

If you think while buffeting – you can CHOOSE and be healthy. PS. If you’re lined up for a buffet breakfast – this might just be the time to cheat.

Share Button

Slim by design: How the presentation order of buffet food biases selection. PLOS ONE (2013). Wansink, B., & Hanks, A.S 

Further reading

the dish ran away with the spoon tn temptation and the voices the dinner race
Why did the dish run away with the spoon ?   The voice left standing wins the should I eat it debate To fit in your clothes, forgo FITTING IN at the dinner table 
Share Button

Better body chemistry for weight conscious

Got a few extra pounds ?
* indicates required

Close

Posted in Obesity | Tagged appetite suppression, buffet, canteen, dining, food, hotel, plate

Sugar gremlins are REAL

Connect with us

facebook you tube pinterest 40 google plus 40 Linkedin

willpower report
 
Got a sugar gremlin ?yellow trick or treat your sugar gremlin
Read more.....
* indicates required
Close
  • Popular
  • Featured
  • Recent
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    17164 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    16714 views / Posted
  • chewing gum relieving postoperative ileus

    A stick of chewing gum gets the gut going after surgery

    16194 views / Posted
  • carbonated water bubbles fill you up

    Fizzing up the water flattens your appetite

    14425 views / Posted
  • a see food diet

    It might be time to try the TRF see food diet – it works

    11547 views / Posted
  • sun extracting cholesterol

    Make sure you have your “annual” check-up in the summer time

    / Dr Sandy
  • sending your kid to bootcamp won't stop childhood obesity

    Moving more won’t stop your kid from getting fat

    / Dr Sandy
  • cholesterol at the scene of the accident

    Bone cells are stiffening up your arteries not cholesterol

    / Dr Sandy
  • brain size the problem in ADHD

    Are kids with ADHD just acting according to their brain age

    / Dr Sandy
  • plastering the blood vessel with calcium

    Calcium supplements are building bones and breaking hearts

    / Dr Sandy
  • thinking about ice cream

    Stop “exercising” and lose more weight

    / Dr Sandy
  • serve up dinner in bite size chunks

    The secret to eating less is to serve up a little more

    / Dr Sandy
  • take the itch out

    Histidine is an effective dietary work around for a bad filaggrin gene

    / Dr Sandy
  • compression stocking helping relieve sleep apnea

    A cheap way to breathe easier if you suffer from sleep apnea

    / Dr Sandy
  • fat cells creeping out while women is sleeping

    If you don’t include sleep in your diet – you won’t lose fat

    / Dr Sandy

RSS Recent posts

Dr Sandy Dr Sandy Evans, PhD

Located in Johannesburg, South Africa

Book an appointment with Spoonful of Science using SetMore
Disclaimer : The stories and articles are provided as a service. Dr Sandy's opinions are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
 
 

Connect with Dr Sandy

facebook 40
you tube 40
pinterest 40
google plus 40
linkedin 40
meetup 40
 

Categories

Featured posts

  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    17164 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    16714 views / Posted
  • chewing gum relieving postoperative ileus

    A stick of chewing gum gets the gut going after surgery

    16194 views / Posted
 

©2011-2019 Spoonful of Science

Menu

  • Meet Dr Sandy
  • Disclosure/disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Comment policy
  • Contact
Redirect Stakk
Thank You

Beat your SUGAR CRAVINGS, using biology, NOT psychology

Download our FREE REPORT entitled, "How to get the Willpower you Need to Trump Sugar's Power"

  • Do you have a sugar gremlin ?
  • Discover the biology behind sugar gremlins
  • Learn about the 10 weapons you can use to TAME YOUR SUGAR GREMLIN

Get instant access