Open Buffet… The Fastest Way to Gain Weight

Dubai: Yamama Badwan

An open buffet can be irresistible when the plate is filled with a variety of delicious dishes, but at the same time, it is also considered a source of worry for certain groups, especially those who cannot resist refilling their plates with round after round of delicious dishes as they wonder which foods are okay to eat from an open buffet and which foods are not okay to eat as they can lead to weight gain.

Nutrition experts say that for those who seek to enjoy their meals without gaining weight, the rationale for eating at an open buffet should not be a problem, as there is a wide variety of salad dishes, which are rich in vitamins and fiber. They recommend avoiding high-fat foods, which contain a lot of calories, simple carbohydrates, added sugars, fat and sodium.

They add that there is a group of foods that can cause weight gain and it is better to eat only some of them or avoid them from an open buffet, such as sausages and other processed meats, pastries, white bread, sweets, cookies and salty snacks, as these items have a psychological effect on the individual, prompting him to eat more food, which means more calories.

They said: “There are a number of nutritional tips and behaviors that dieters can follow when choosing food from an open buffet to maintain weight and not gain weight, such as focusing initially on filling your plate with vegetable salad and choosing grilled meats when staying away from the frying pan, and avoiding fat, which contains high amounts of saturated fat, if any, and eating small amounts of rice or whole-wheat bread, in addition to the importance of choosing fruit for dessert.”

They added that it is best to avoid eating pickles as they stimulate appetite and cause fluid retention in the body, leading to imagined weight gain, and that one must stop eating when one feels full, even if the food on the plate is not finished, and that it is best to engage in physical activity such as walking or exercising two hours after a meal to avoid weight gain.

They note that eating a large open buffet can lead to consuming more than twice an individual’s recommended daily calorie intake, which comes to 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 calories for men, but when eating different types of open buffet foods, excluding soft drinks, a person may consume 700 calories without realizing the risk of weight gain.