Are buffets making us big?

I feel like such a pig! I just got back from Las Vegas, which is a fun city about five hours from Los Angeles. A lot of people go there to gamble, party, shop – and eat. That’s because Las Vegas has some of the best buffet restaurants in the world.

A buffet restaurant is a place where you pay one price and can eat as much as you like. You get a plate, walk through aisles of food and take whatever you want to take. I went to the dinner buffet at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel, which costs about $28 and has the most delicious food you can imagine. I especially love the fresh fish, French cheese and pastries. Everything looks so good that you want to try it all. And that’s the problem.

I filled up my plate three times and ate way too much. It’s the next day now and I still feel too full. It’s a good thing I don’t go to buffets all the time or I’d get really fat. I’m sure you know that obesity is a big problem here in the US. More than eleven million US teens are overweight or obese. Experts say people often become overweight because they don’t stop eating when they’re full. And I wonder if buffets are part of the problem.

It’s hard to stop eating when there’s so much good food to try. That’s why I’ll be having bread and water for dinner tonight ;-)!