You sit down to eat a meal. Your tablecloth is black and your dish is white. Does this make a difference in how much you eat?

Or your dinnerware is cream color and you are eating white pasta with cream sauce. Does the lack of a color contrast on your plate make a difference in how much you eat?

The answer to both questions is YES, according to a study in the Journal of Consumer Research involving 200 people age 18-39.

The researchers found that when the color contrast between the dinnerware and the food was low, participants served themselves more food. But when the color contrast was high–add a green sauce to the pasta–the serving sized reduced.So if you want to eat less, make the colors of the food on your plate a bright contrast to your dinnerware!

Second, when food was served on a plate that contrasted greatly with the underlying tablecloth, the opposite was found. The great contrast led participants to serve more food.  Remove the contrast and you will eat less!

Hey, if we want to eat less, these are easy fixes!

For more help to eat with intention, get a copy of Dr. Mintle’s book, Press Pause Before You Eat.