Crinkly plate could trick you to eat less, lose weight

Riga, May 20: A plate with ridges that reduce the amount of food it holds may hold the key to cutting obesity for those who are concerned about putting on weight and eating less.

Latvian graphic designer Nauris Cinovics who created the crinkly plate, is working with the a Latvian government agency to develop the idea.

The arty plate is intended to play tricks with the mind. Cinovics says his idea is to make food appear bigger than it is.

“If you make the plate 3D — with ridges and troughs — it actually looks like there is the same amount of food as on a normal plate – but there is less of it,” he said.

Cinovics has also designed heavy cutlery, with the idea of making eating more of a labour – that therefore lasts longer. His knife, fork and spoon weigh 1.3kg each.

“It takes at least 20 minutes for the brain to receive the message that we should feel full. If we eat really fast we think we need more food, if we eat slowly the message gets through sooner so we eat less,” he added.

Cinovics unveiled his idea at the European Congress on Obesity in Porto, Portugal, where experts said they were interested in the notion.

“This seems like a good idea,” said Dr Paul Christiansen from the University of Liverpool’s school of psychology. “If people think they have eaten a full plate of food they feel more satisfied.

“For ‘plate clearers’ if you can feed the perception that you have a reasonable amount of food here they may eat less.”

More than 2.1 billion people – 30% of the world’s population – are obese or overweight, Cinovics pointed out in his poster presentation at the conference.

— Agencies