If you're planning a buffet at home
This makes life easier, because you're in charge! Remember, just because it's Christmas it doesn't mean you have to stick to traditional fare. Your guests will probably be relieved to be offered something fresh and light to make a change from heavy festive foods.
When choosing the dishes for your buffet, a simple rule of thumb is to go by colour - brown foods, such as baked products like sausage rolls and crisps, tend to be higher in SmartPoints®, while colourful foods tend to be lower - and they'll make your table look more attractive too! So make sure to include tasty dishes built around ZeroPoint™ fruit and veggies. Crudites with garlicky white bean dip, fattoush salad, veggie samosas, mixed bean salad, skinny coleslaw, and our fabulous Asian platter are all great choices for sharing. You can find all these recipes in the WW app.
Balance your buffet by including plates of lean protein, such as ready-cooked chicken, salmon, prawns, and baked potatoes for extra substance.
If you're attending a buffet elsewhere
Try not to turn up super hungry - eat a light meal based on ZeroPoint foods beforehand and make sure you're well hydrated.
Once you arrive, take a good look at everything that's available before picking your plate. Walk around a couple of times, looking out for lower SmartPoint foods that will fill you up, and selecting the treats that you feel are really worth indulging in. That way, you'll appraoch the buffet in a more considered way, rather than just starting at one end and piling your plate from there. Again, the colour rule comes into play. Make sure the colourful veggie-based choices on your plate outweigh the brown baked options.
Another great tip is to choose a smaller plate if you have the option to do so and if the buffet is in a restaurant, don't be afraid to ask the kitchen to prepare something a little bit differently (without sauce, for example).