It’s easy to be a fan of the all-you-can-eat buffet concept, especially if you’ve tried the excellent deals such as the MGM Grand Buffet. You’re paying reasonable prices for excellent food, and you’re generally assured of your safety.
But not all buffets are as conscientious as Las Vegas hotels and casinos, who tend to avoid bad publicity like the plague. So, if you’re at a cheap buffet, you may want to play it safe by avoiding the following food options:
Sushi
It’s hard to resist the temptation of all-you-can-eat sushi, especially when they’re both healthy and delicious. But preparing sushi safely starts with good-quality seafood and lots of expertise, and these may not be available with the restaurant serving the cheap buffet. These cheap restaurants might not even be able to keep the buffet at the right temperature, so you’re just asking for food poisoning.
Sprouts
Lots of health experts will tell you that you should load up on veggies, instead of the high-calorie alternatives at a buffet. While it’s true that greens are great, but you might want to skip the sprouts at the buffet.
The problem with sprouts is that they grow in damp environments. That means it’s not as easy to clean them thoroughly enough for safe consumption. This is the reason why people often get sick from sprouts. You really have to handle sprouts with care.
Fried Food
It’s true that it’s easy to binge on fried food at a buffet. But at a cheap buffet, this may not be a very healthy option. Cheap restaurants often cut costs by using cheap, low-quality oils with hydrogenated oils that will just clog up your arteries.
Cream-Based Dishes
Say “no” to pasta dishes and soups that are filled with lots of cream and butter. These dishes generally come with too-high levels of saturated fat, which can then boost your cholesterol levels and do bad stuff to your heart muscle.
Instead of white sauces, go with the red stuff like marinara instead.
Potato Salads (and other Mayo-Based Salads)
These potato salads and other may-based salads are bad for several reasons. From a purely nutritional standpoint, they generally come loaded with a lot of calories.
In addition, salads that feature huge amounts of mayonnaise can sit out too long, and they’re then more susceptible to contamination and other food-borne illnesses.
Just go with a grain-based salad instead. Roasted veggies are also great alternatives.
Creamy Dressings
Like mayo-based salads, creamy dressings can turn bad very quickly, and that just leads to bad things.
But even if they’re freshly made, these dressings are usually highly processed. You can expect these dressings to come with overly high levels of sugar, sodium, and preservatives.
So, if you’re having a salad, avoid these creamy dressings and stick with olive oil and vinegar.
Tuna
Yes, tuna is generally healthy. But that might not be the case at a cheap buffet. Tuna is more susceptible to some types of bacteria, which is why it has to be kept at a much colder temperature than other types of fish. And the cheap restaurant might not be doing this at all!