Not every weight loss idea that comes along makes sense.
If life made sense there would be no reason for research, or diet books. This
idea, though, is seductive because it is easy, yet challenging because it flies
in the face of common experience. So here it goes: the color red makes you eat
less. Boom, mind blown?
This idea has some science backing it up. Researchers at
the University of Parma in Italy studied the effect of color on consumption.
They measured the impact of using plates that were red, white or blue. On each
plate was placed hand cream, popcorn or chocolate, and the volunteers were asked to
complete a survey about the product. The survey was something of a smoke-screen, because the
researchers were actually interested in how much chocolate, popcorn or hand
cream was used by the volunteer while completing the survey.
The results were consistent and surprising. The red
plates correlated with volunteers taking about half as much of the product,
compared to when the product was placed on blue or white plates. The volunteers were not
aware of the true focus of the study, so this research measured unconscious reactions
to color.
Could red plates solve your diet woes? Maybe, or maybe
not. This research was done without the volunteers being aware of the true issue
being tested. It could be that merely knowing about the red plate effect is
enough to render it useless. Besides, isn't red the color of love? Shouldn't we be trying to reduce our love for our food? At least a little?
On the other hand, who doesn't like getting new plates
once in a while?
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