Little-known secrets to eating less
September can be a great time to change your life for the better – and for many, the resolve to lose some weight comes top of the list. The Government’s latest health drive talks of calories and healthy food choices. But are you aware of the importance of the crockery, cutlery and glassware you use?
Plate size influences the amount we eat, according to Brian Wansink at Cornell University. In a number of studies, he’s found participants who eat from larger plates or bowls consume more than those who use smaller crockery, although bizarrely the effect is slightly reduced if the plate or bowl is similar in colour to the tablecloth.
Cutlery size also has a role to play. In another experiment, Wansink recruited 85 nutritionists – experts on food value and calories – to eat ice cream. On a random basis he offered them a large or small serving bowl and a large or small ice cream scoop, and encouraged them to serve themselves as much ice cream as they wished. Those allocated larger bowls ate 31 per cent more ice cream; those given a larger spoon ate 14.5 per cent more; and those given both a large plate and large spoon consumed 56.8 per cent more.
When interviewed, those who’d served themselves the larger portions didn’t think they’d eaten more than their colleagues. Glass shape also influences consumption. Numerous studies on glass size show those who drink from short, wide glasses, curved glasses, or outwardsloping glasses pour themselves larger amounts and drink more than those who drink from tall, slender glasses, and Koert van Ittersum at Georgia Institute of Technology and Brian Wansink found this was true for both children and adults.
In one study, adults given short, wide glasses poured and drank 19.2 per cent more than those given tall, slender ones. The effect was even more pronounced for children, who drank 76.4 per cent more. In another study they asked adult participants to pour a small but precise amount (1.5 ounces) of liquid into glasses of different shapes. The result? All participants – even experienced bartenders – over-poured by as much as 20-30 per cent when attempting in short, wide glasses compared with tall, straight vessels.
How can you apply these findings to help with your efforts to lose weight?
1 Choose smaller plates and bowls. Eating from heavier rather than lighter bowls will also help you feel more satisfied, according to Betina Piqueras-fiszman and Charles Spence at Oxford.
2 Minimise the colour contrast between your crockery and the table coverings you use.
3 Use smaller cutlery.
4 Drink from tall, slender glasses rather than curved, fluted, or short, wide vessels. 5 Finally, you might even consider buying a set of red crockery and cups. Oliver Genschow and colleagues at the Universities of Basel and Mannheim offered participants snacks on red, white or blue plates and drinks in red or blue cups. Those who ate and drank from red kitchenware consumed less.