How to lose weight? Change the colour of your crockery!

From following fads to fasting, roughly 25 million men and 43 million women are dieting in some way in order to lose weight, according to Mirasol Recovery Centre. However, a new study suggests an alternate method of weight loss: changing the colour of your crockery.

The Journal of Consumer Research reveals that the more significant the contrast between the colour of the food on the plate, and the colour of the plate itself, the less likely a consumer is to overload the platter.

Earlier studies have shown that a variety of food and drinks appear to taste differently when the plate or glassware is changed, but according to femalefirst.co.uk, the colour of the plate may also influence your diet. The study suggests if you change the colour of your plate from white to a brighter shade, it may help in cutting down your portions. Interestingly, the research scores some actual points. A serving of white rice in a coloured plate makes you more aware of the portion, while a white plate and white rice tend to merge into each other creating an illusion of, well, just a white plate. The study published in the Journal of Consumer Research reveals exactly that: the more significant the contrast between the colour of the food on the plate and the colour of the plate itself, the less likely we will overload the platter.

The research also shows that the actual colours of the food or the plates make no difference; what matters is the difference between the two. For example, if you present pasta covered in a red tomato sauce on a red dish or plain white rice on a white dish, you’ll over-serve, however, if you serve the aforementioned pasta on a white plate and put the rice on a red plate, the portions will be smaller.

“The research is clear. From the age of about four, we eat with our eyes, not our stomachs. With these kind of visual and environmental cues that can be easily integrated in a lifestyle, people can mindlessly lose weight in a way that leads to permanent change,” Melina Jampolis, a physician nutrition specialist, told Forbes.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2014.

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