[Kelly_S]

RICHARD’S BUFFET SURVIVAL GUIDE (Or, how to get the best of temptation)

You walk into the room and there it is: the buffet table in all its magnificence. It’s sagging under the weight of steaming chafing dishes…crowded with baskets of bread and rolls and muffins…groaning with platters of yummy favorite foods…and each one has a serving utensil stuck in it with the handle pointed right at you! All I can is, arrgggh! If there was ever a way to picture the word “temptation,” a buffet table is it, don’tcha think? And I don’t just mean the kind of buffet tables they have at fancy parties and restaurants. Any all-you-can-eat situation is a kind of buffet, including:

1) a salad bar
2) the pancake breakfast at the firehouse where they flip ‘em as long as you can eat ‘em
3) the church pot-luck luncheon
4) the spaghetti dinner at your kid’s school, and…

There’s food, food, food everywhere, and so much of it too! But whoa! It’s time to take a break and take a breath before you sli-i-i-i-ide on over there with your plate again and again. See, the problem with buffets that that you really do get a lot for your money. Yep, it’s all about the budget, that’s what I think You figure that you got in, you paid, now you might as well load up! It’s practically free food, for gosh sakes! And do I see a halo glowing over your head? Are you telling me, “Richard, I promise to eat less at dinner later!” Or, “Richard, I’ll make up for it tomorrow at breakfast, honest!” well, I know that’s how you feel right now, but guess what! The “eat now, pay later” strategy almost never works, cuz by the time dinner or breakfast rolls around, you’re almost always gonna eat again, whether you’re hungry or not. Then your plans go right out the window.

The time to put your buffet survival plan into action is the minute you lay your eyes on that tempting spread! And I’m gonna help you. Next time you’re staring down a glorious buffet table, here are three thoughts to keep in mind: Buffet vs. Budgets. I know, I know, I just said a buffet is a bargain. That’s why there are buffets all over the place! People love ‘em cuz you get a lot of stuff for a little price! But just cuz something is cheap doesn’t mean it’s good for you, right? Buffets may help the grocery budget, but they can wreck your calorie, fat and sodium budgets, can’t they? Those are the budgets to think about when the buffet beckons.

As you approach the buffet, pretend that you’re looking at a menu. Mmmmmmmmm! By selecting carefully, you can create a beautifully balanced plate. A little protein here…a little carbo there…something leafy and green in this corner….

You hate the too-full feeling, remember? Another thing to think about with buffets is how you’ll fell later on. I don’t know why, but when we’re hungry and there’s lots of food right in front of our face, we tend to conveniently forget how much it hurts to eat too much. Before you over do it, thing about that discomfort we all know so well!

Think quality, not quantity. Choose the right goodies from the buffet and it’s just like getting a free multivitamin! How about helping yourself to a plateful of power-packed vitamin C, bone-building calcium and healthful fiber? Lemme tell you, you should be able to find lots of good stuff like this at a buffet since everyone else will be scraping the bottom of the chocolate pudding tub. You, on the other hand, are thinking of yourself as someone who deserves only the highest-quality nutrition. Have you ever heard anyone say that the body is a temple? A buffet is a way to show your body the respect it deserves.

So, y’see, a buffer is a bargain table after all.

QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY

Okay, you headed back to the buffet table anyway and you can’t ‘zactly explain why. Well, it’s not too late to get the best of temptation and get your real money’s worth with some quality eats!

TAKE IT

crunchy fresh vegetables
a plain breadstick or two
bean salad
sunflower seeds
cottage cheese
pineapple chunks

LEAVE IT

salad with creamy dressing
bread and butter
cheesy potatoes
fried onion ring topping
chocolate pudding
jello

From Richard Simmons & Friends, Vol. 6, No.7, April 2000