Wonderful that holiday. But that extensive breakfast buffet that you always looked forward to, is less pleasant now that you want to watch your weight. How do you survive such an all you can eat buffet in a hotel?
Of course you give yourself something delicious every now and then while on holiday. At home you are good with your breakfast shake, sandwich or homemade muesli, but now you can enjoy, right? And that ranges from a croissant (or two) to a full English breakfast of a shocking 800 kilocalories. British research shows that both men and women on holiday burn between 3,000 and 5,000 kilocalories a day. Of course, that’s not just in that breakfast buffet, but it’s something you want to avoid.
Portion Control
So don’t go for the fried eggs with bacon and sweet rolls every morning. Plus, portion control is everything. Agree with yourself that you will only serve once and in normal amounts (or twice a smaller portion). Of course you want to taste as much as possible, but that buffet will be there again tomorrow. Also try to alternate during the holidays; take bread with toppings one day and go for yogurt or cottage cheese with muesli and fresh fruit the next day. Remember that fresh fruit juice contains the sugars and calories, but not the fiber of fresh fruit. So preferably do not drink this every day.
The advantage of vacation is of course that you often have extensive time to have breakfast. Make use of that. Eat slowly and chew well, so you notice that you have had enough and you feel full for longer. It takes about twenty minutes from the time you start eating before your brain can tell the rest of your body that you are full.
Other tips
- Whole-wheat sandwiches or whole-wheat crackers are preferable to luxury sandwiches. The latter contain more calories and less dietary fiber. Croissants, chocolate rolls and coffee rolls in particular are real calorie bombs.
- Are you going for yogurt or cottage cheese? Then choose the natural variant without flavour. Fruit yogurt or cottage cheese contain a lot of sugar.
- Fresh fruit is almost always available at such a breakfast buffet. Delicious with your yogurt. Be careful with canned fruit, because this often contains syrup, which contains a lot of sugar.
- Try – if it is available – to eat something made of vegetables with your breakfast. Tomatoes or cucumber on bread is always a good idea.
- For breakfast cereals, choose normal muesli, not crispy muesli. The latter contains more sugar and more saturated fat. In addition, normal muesli contains more fiber, which keeps you feeling full for longer. Cornflakes are also low in fiber and often high in sugar. At a very extensive buffet there are sometimes nuts, kernels or seeds. Mix one or two spoonfuls with your yogurt or cottage cheese for a nice bite (and the healthy fats).
- Choose lean types of toppings such as chicken breast, turkey breast, ham, roast beef, fricandeau, filet americain or boiled egg. Rather avoid the sausages and bacon.
- Pancakes or waffles are tasty once in a while, but not as a daily breakfast. It often contains a lot of sugar and/or fat.
- A boiled egg for your breakfast is very filling because of the proteins it contains. A fried egg can also be fine, if not a lot of fat is used. The same goes for scrambled eggs. If you see them dripping in the grease, it’s best to skip them.
- Preferably drink coffee, tea or water. If you do go for fresh fruit juice, take a small glass or dilute it with water or yogurt. If the orange juice comes from a machine, it’s best to skip it. This often contains a lot of sugar. Usually there is also milk or buttermilk at the buffet, take a glass of that too to meet your dairy needs.
