We all love a wide selection of food. The problem is when faced with a wide variety and no limit to the quantity of food available, we tend to over eat. While we all LOVE Buffets, they can be the enemy of anyone watching their weight. Wide selections tend to equal a wider… Us!

Research shows that:

• We eat according to plate size – the bigger the plate, the more we eat.
• We also eat according to the visual perceptions of serving size. The colour contrast between your food and the plate can create an optical illusion, so that the serving size appears either larger or smaller than it actually is (called the Delboeuf Illusion). For example, we eat 18% less when the food is the same colour as the plate, because the serving size looks larger.

So how do you control your brain and beat the buffet? Here are a few ideas:

• Fill your plate with salad and vegetables first and ensure at least 50% of your plate is always filled with low starch vegetables or salads;
• At the buffet use small side plates as your serving plates
• When choosing protein, fill up on fish, chicken and lean meats
• Avoid sauces or dressings and limit the bread rolls
• Drink water and avoid sugary drinks

Christmas tends to be about indulgence and enjoying food, so this year how can you focus on enjoying the quality of the food you eat, rather than the quantity?