The Best Plate Color for Your Diet

Black is slimming, and not just when it comes to clothes. The color of your plate can influence how much you enjoy your food, according to a new study.

Spanish researchers served study participants strawberry mousse on both a black and white plate. Although the desserts were exactly the same, the tasters thought the flavor of the mousse served on a white plate was 15 to 20 percent sweeter, more intense, and more enjoyable.

What explains your taste buds' gullibility? It has to do with complementary colors, explains Betina Piqueras-Fiszman, Ph.D., a researcher at the Universitat Politècnica de València in Spain and the study's lead author. "A food that is situated on a different background color may take on some of the background color's hue," she says. In the study, the whiteness of the plate accentuated the pinkness of the mousse and increased the perception that the dessert was both light and sweet.

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But a white plate doesn't automatically make any food more appealing, says Piqueras-Fiszman. Studies have shown that different foods are complemented by different colors. Reds look redder when set against a green background, which is why meat is often placed on top of lettuce at your butcher counter, she adds.

Make the color trick work for you: Place healthy food on a white or complementary-colored plate to boost its flavor. Piqueras-Fiszman's research also shows that heavier dishes can trick your brain into thinking that food is more dense and filling.

Another genius weight loss tip: Eating from a smaller plate has also been shown to cut food consumption by more than 20 percent, says David Neal, Ph.D., Director at Empirica Research, a social and consumer research firm.

More from MensHealth.com: To Eat Less, Eat Left-Handed

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