Eating Healthy at a Party

Nutrition expert Jay Kerwin explains how to make healthy choices at the buffet table.

• Try eating a little something before the party so you don't arrive starving and binge on junk food. A handful of almonds is a good choice because the fat in them takes the edge off your hunger.

• You should eat only as much as will fit into your cupped hands. Portion control is essential.

• Serve a proper portion while going through the line, and eat from your plate rather than constantly returning to the table so you can keep track of how much you have had.

• At a breakfast buffet, try one pancake with applesauce instead of a stack of cakes with butter and syrup. This cuts the calories in half. A regular cheese-and-bacon omelet has 250 calories. An egg white omelet with veggies has only 76 calories. If you do have a regular omelet, eat only half.

• If you are served chicken at a restaurant, remove the skin before eating to save a significant number of calories.

• A single chicken wing has 200 calories and a single Swedish meatball has 85 calories. Fill up instead on veggies and dip.

• Choose wisely with chicken. Dark meat with gravy is about 208 calories per piece. Skinless white meat without gravy is only 117 calories.

• Spinach dip has about 338 calories, while plain sautéed spinach has 106. If you face something creamy or fried, just have a little bit. Don't eat the whole portion.

• Try and drink plenty of water so you'll feel full.