Color and Appetite
Color and Appetite
Does the color of our food, dishes and environment affect our appetite? Do some colors make us want to eat more and encourage us to overeat?
What food researchers and color psychologists have found
Researches have found that certain colors suppress your appetite and other colors stimulate it. This seems to be universal worldwide and probably stems from the fact that certain colors in nature are associated with spoiled, rotten or poisonous foods.
Red, yellow and orange are appetite stimulating colors
Red, yellow and orange are the most appetite stimulating colors, with red topping that list. This is why you see these colors used in restaurants, especially fast food places. Not only do those colors stimulate appetites, but they tend to speed up how fast we eat (get us out of the restaurant faster to make room for the next group). These warm colors are commonly recommended as good decorating colors for dining rooms, kitchens and restaurants.
Blue is the most appetite suppressing color
Blue, purple and black are the most appetite suppressing colors, with blue winning this category. When food dyed blue was served to subjects in a study, they lost their appetite. These are the colors in nature most closely associated with toxic foods.
Practical tips to make use of this information
If you are trying to lose weight or suppress your appetite, you could buy a set of blue dishes and eat off of them. You could buy blue place mats or a blue tablecloth or decorate your whole dining area in blues. You could put a blue light bulb in your refrigerator or in your dining area. You could dye your food blue, even add a little black.
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(c) 2011 Cheryl Cope
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