***Question of the day: What do you do when you go to the Chinese BUFFET???

Going to a Chinese buffet, or a buffet of any sorts for that matter can be pretty daunting. After all, you are faced with an endless array of all you can eat foods, which could also include desserts! Here are some tips in conquering buffets:

1. Start your meal off with a broth based soup and a salad. This will help fill you up and ensure you do not consume too many calories
2. When at a Chinese Buffet, pick food from the top. The sauce and oils tend to fall down on the bottom of the pile of food. If you pick food from the top of the pile, you will atleast get the least amount of oil and sauce
3. WATCH FOR PORTION DISTORTION. People, I cannot say this enough, if you are going to eat all that food, atleast watch for your portion sizes. Remember, you just want to taste the food, not overload and gorge on it!
4. Mix your food with steamed veggies or chicken. This way you will get all the flavor for half the calories
5. Go for the steamed dumplings vs. the fried dumplings. You'll be saving yourself a whole lot of saturated fat
6. Try to stay away from anything deep fried, such as egg rolls or fried dumplings
7. If there is brown rice, go for this over white rice, again watch for portion distortion
8. Go ahead and have your fortune cookie. These satisfying, sweet treats are about 25 calories

I hope this has been helpful, but please remember, these rules can apply for any buffet. Enjoy!