Change The Color Of Your Plate To Eat Less

Diets are difficult, there’s too many temptations and the feeling of being hungry is just awful. No wonder so many fail. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were some type of trick, a handy little secret that?could drive a more successful diet plan? Turn’s out there might be such a thing.

In a post by Davey Wavey over on his website, he points out some research on the effects of our plate size and color. The size is something we might be more familiar with, you’ve probably seen one of those illusions where lines and shapes look different simply because of their surroundings. Perspective is important, having a large plate with a small meal in the center looks like less food than the same amount on a smaller plate. The ratio of food to plate is just as important as the actual amount of food.

But there’s a more unusual partner to this effect, the difference in color.

As it turns out, color is important, too. A few years back, researchers expanded on this idea by exploring the impact of plate color. What they found was pretty amazing. When there was a high color contrast between plate color and food (for example, pasta with red sauce on a white plate), participants served themselves less. When there was a low color contrast between plate color and food (for example, pasta with Alfredo sauce on a white plate), participants served themselves 22% more.

So to be truly successful at eating less, and to make the whole ordeal much easier on yourself, it pays to be aware of what you’re serving your food on. Go with high contrasting colors and smaller plates. Check out the full article for more on the studies.