Why the Color of Your Dinner Plate Matters

(Credit: left, Tom Schierlitz; right, Melissa Finkelstein)

 

  We've already told you that the color of the foods on your plate matters. Turns out that the color of your actual plate matters, too--at least when it comes to how much you eat. A recent study showed that people served themselves more food if there was little color contrast between the food and the plate it was served on. (Think "white on rice", or vice-versa.)

See, the color similarity can cause people to misjudge the amount of food on their plates. (This is a culinary twist on what's known as the Delboeuf Illusion.)

To test the effect, two Cornell University researchers turned a college reunion into a research lab. Half the attendees were sent to a buffet serving pasta with Alfredo sauce. The other half was served pasta with tomato sauce. Attendees were randomly given red or white plates. Those who had Alfredo sauce on a white plate or tomato sauce on a red plate served themselves 22% more pasta than those who had a strong color contrast between the pasta sauce and the plate.

So heads up, those of you who happen to own a wide variety of dishware. Start serving meals on plates that contrast whatever you're serving.

Unless, of course, you're eating vegetables. --Meryl Rothstein

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/ Posted by Meryl Rothstein in

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