But they were off the menu for Mosgiel mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Sarah Archer when she competed in the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) World Amateur Championship in Las Vegas in July.
Archer (24) finished the championships with a bronze medal in the straw-weight division, after losing by unanimous decision to an Italian fighter in the semi-finals.
Archer's weight sits around 54kg, so she worked hard to get down to the 52.2kg weight required at the registration on the Sunday.
''The first day of tournament was on the Monday but I drew the bye first up, so we weren't too sure which day I would be fighting,'' Archer said.
That meant several days of watching what she ate as she waited for her fight day to come.
''Everyone was sitting there enjoying their lovely American food - the buffets were insane - and I was sitting there having one salad and managing to spread that out across the length of the day. It was a wee bit tough in that respect.''
Archer ended up fighting on the Thursday of the championship week, where she faced Maria Vittoria Colonna, who had one fight under her belt.
Archer was unsure what to expect from the tournament and her bouts but the fact her fight went the distance proved she wasn't out of her league.
''I was quite pleasantly surprised.''
Archer described her Italian opponent as a ''good counter-striker'', so Archer tried to get in close.
''I looked to take her down in all three of the rounds.''
''I managed to maintain top position but I think she outlanded me when it came to the striking and I think that was the difference.
''I definitely held my own and I wasn't by any means disappointed with my performance.''
Heartened by her performance, Archer plans to be back in Las Vegas for the 2016 world championships.
''I'm just trying to work my way back up there next year and try and take it out,'' she said.
The obstacles are a lack of fighting options, which means Archer has to look outside MMA for live fights.
She recently had a kick-boxing fight in Wellington in a 57kg weight grade.
''We're still looking at potentially fighting in November but it's a matter of confirming who and what. I think we'll be looking to lock something in, otherwise we'll working on next year.''
Archer works part-time as a merchandiser and a gym instructor and is looking to get into personal training.
