Cereal ‘tastier’ in a square bowl

IF you want to feel full after breakfast try munching your cereal from a square bowl standing up, a new study says.

Using a four-sided dish instead of a round one makes the brain think the body has taken on more nutrition, according to researchers.

And standing up to eat “on the go” rather than sitting down contributes to the same effect, experiments show.

The findings come after tests in which scores of women aged between 18 and 65 were given identical servings of cereal in 10 different “eating contexts”.

These included using different-shaped bowls, standing up or sitting down and with or without coffee.

They were also asked to eat in calm, soothing surroundings after “mindfulness training” or against a noisy, distracting background.

The 78 women, who included TV personality Katie Piper, were then given detailed questionnaires about how nourished they felt, how the cereal tasted and how it had affected their mood.

Neuroscience research consultant Dr Jennifer Newson, who led the experiments over two days, concluded that “we eat with our eyes” and that the brain’s perception of nourishment alters with circumstances.

In the tests, conducted for Kellogg’s Special K, each of the women was given 30g of cereal, 125ml of cold semi-skimmed milk and a stainless steel spoon.

All of the bowls were weighed afterwards to see how much had been eaten.

Dr Newson reported: “Participants who consumed cereal from a round bowl found it less nutritious than those eating from a square-shaped bowl.

“Interviews conducted with the women suggest many of us eat with our eyes, because the cereal appeared to look more appetising in a square bowl.”

On the other findings, she added: “More than ever, people are eating ‘on the go’ and we found that eating standing up actually increased how wholesome people thought the cereal was. It could be argued that when we’re not sitting down at a table, our brain’s perception of nutrition is higher.”

TV celeb Katie, 33, said: “Whilst I think a lot about what I’m eating for breakfast I don’t really think about how I eat it.

“This has made me realise I should be more mindful, so my brain realises I’ve had a nutritious breakfast.”

PEOPLE who eat their morning cereal from a square bowl feel fuller than those who opt for a traditional round one, according to new research. It’s yet more proof of the importance of starting the day with a square meal.