Check Out That Buffet Table!

© Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed.

When were you last in front of a buffet table? With New Year festivities just round the corner many of us will find ourselves in front of one—a groaning one.

If you’re ringing in the New Year at a restaurant, chances are there will be enough food to feed an army. As you survey the mouth-watering displays think “sugars”. How many of these dishes—even the savoury ones—have added sugars? How many are re-heated versions of packaged appetizers? Then there’s the dessert table: I often wonder who thought up the portion sizes: after a full meal a one-eighth-sized piece of apple pie topped with ice cream could mean an extra 600-calorie load on your pancreas. Do you know what that means? (If not, feel free to call me). Hint: it begins with a “D”.

And before you cry “Kill-joy!” consider the amount of food people pile on at buffets. It’s no wonder there’s a worldwide Diabesity epidemic—a dangerous percentage of obese people who also have diabetes—or an overwhelming number of people who have pre-diabetes and don’t know it. Could you be one of them, by any chance?

Look at the proteins: steaks, roasts, slabs of salmon (farmed or wild?) . You actually don’t need any more than what could fit on your palm: a deck of cards is usually cited as the correct amount, but people come in different sizes. Then carbs: how many of those rolls are made of white flour? Enriched, no doubt—which means they have been stripped of all the good nutrients and had some added afterwards. What about the white flour content of the pasta, the cakes and the pie crusts? The speed at which these white ingredients convert into sugar is a story in itself. We’ll talk about the glycemic index in another blog.

Move over to the salads. If slathered with dressing they add another load while the pancreas screams “Enough!” Then we have the bread sticks, the croutons, and the bacon bits. Let’s move over to the dessert table: you won’t see it, but I’ll bet most of the offerings are made with white sugar: the meringues, the tarts, the colourful cakes, and—oh dear—the icing on the petits fours. All of these items magnificently colourful and attractive items are displayed in gorgeously uniform geometric shapes, row after row of Diabesity-inducing attractions. More work for the pancreas, and if it gets too tired, passed on to the liver. Then the kidneys, and the heart.

As you approach the groaning tables consider this: what are you looking for? What your body needs or what they eye wants. In 2006 the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution declaring diabetes an international public health issue, only the second after HIV/AIDS to attain that unenviable status. As you approach the buffet table ask yourself of you want to be part of that global epidemic.

In the right-hand column you will see an offer for my free download. It gives you ten proven reasons for looking after your weight. Are you ringing in the New Year with great resolutions? If you’re ready to, call me for a free half-hour consultation.
The very best of health to you and your loved ones in 2009.

Jacquelyn

Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health

Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.