My grandmother is fortunate enough to live within an easy drive of the Shady Maple Smorgasbord, a Pennsylvania Dutch-style dining extravaganza in Lancaster County. It's the size of a large auditorium, packed with tables and two gigantic buffet lines. It's the biggest restaurant, serving the most food, to the most people, that I've ever seen.
For dinner, each day the buffet includes: "46 salad bar items, 3 soups, 8 homemade breads & rolls, 4 cheeses, 8 meats, 14 vegetables, 10 cold desserts, 3 hot desserts, 8 pies, 6 cakes, sundae bar & many beverages." Plus the daily specials. On Tuesday, for example, there's also: "salmon, Cajun catfish, cod, oyster stew, beef brisket, New York strip steak and baked potatoes." A surfeit of tastiness, abundance beyond words — mmmm, mmmm, let's go!
Not so fast, Stanford-based dietician, Maya Adam, MD, would say. "Size matters. We can enjoy absolutely any food, as long as its consumed in moderation," she writes in a Healthier, Happy Lives Blog post, published today by Stanford Children's Health.
That means no King Size KitKat and no seconds at the smorgasbord dessert line, either. Try using smaller dishes, Adam suggests. Cut servings in half, eat half, save some for later or share with a friend. And pay attention to the food. No texting, TV watching or mindlessly shoveling food into your mouth. Savor each bite, Adam writes:
The truth is, when we eat real, fresh food in modest amounts (even if it's cooked with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of salt) it doesn't take much to leave us feeling completely satisfied.
Don't flip out if you just can't resist that smorgasbord. But practice moderation — that's the real way to think big about food.
Previously: Diabetes and nutrition: Healthy holiday eating tips, red meat and disease risk, and going vegetarian, Where is the love? A discussion of nutrition, health and repairing our relationship with food and "Less is more": Eating wisely, with delight, during the holidays
Photo by Hans
