If you’re counting calories or looking
to stay trim during the holidays, consider using the research
findings of Koert van Ittersum, associate professor of marketing in
Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business. He’s conducted several
studies validating techniques that could help you eat less throughout the
holiday season when you’re barraged by a seemingly endless parade of
treats.
Smaller bowls, plates and spoons are the keys to eating less
People
eat 92 percent of what they serve themselves. Eliminate the urge before
heading to the table by grabbing a small bowl. Human perceptual
tendency is to judge object sizes based on comparisons with neighboring
items, van Ittersum says. So having a smaller bowl helps people control
the impulse to over-serve food. Using smaller serving spoons also helps
prevent us from piling too much food on our plate.
This proved true in his 2006 study
with colleagues at Cornell University and Eastern Illinois University,
which included a group one might expect to exhibit moderation in food
serving and consumption: 85 nutritional experts. But at an ice cream
social for a colleague, study participants served themselves 31 percent
more ice cream when they were given a 34-ounce bowl versus a 17-ounce
bowl. And they scooped nearly 60 percent more when given a large bowl
and a large serving spoon, while being unaware of the greater ice cream
quantities.
Bottom line: "If you want to lose weight, use smaller
china and flatware," van Ittersum advises. "While 4 ounces of food on
an 8-ounce plate might look like a good helping, 4 ounces on a 10-ounce
plate could seem skimpy."
Why do we tend to over-serve ourselves
when given larger plates and bowls? Blame it on the Delboeuf illusion,
the optical illusion that leads people to think two identical circles
are different in size if one of them is surrounded by a larger circle.
Click here
to see the illusion. In food terms, the inner circle (what you put on
your plate/bowl) looks smaller when the outside circle (the plate/bowl)
is larger, causing you to overserve.
How color determines portion sizes
Color can also help control portion sizes. In a 2011 study,
people served themselves considerably more white-sauce pasta on white
plates than red-sauce pasta on white plates. Again, it’s because of the
Delboeuf illusion. White on white or red on red doesn't provide enough
visual contrast between the target serving area and the outer edge of
the plate, increasing one's tendency to over-serve on large plates, van
Ittersum explains.
His advice? If you own dinnerware in
different colors, make sure the plate highly contrasts with the color of
the main course. You’ll serve yourself less.
You can also go one
step further with the color of your tablecloth or placemat. “If you
place a white plate on a white tablecloth, the Delboeuf illusion is
lessened because the outside circle essentially disappears and you only
focus on the inside circle, which is the target food area,” says van
Ittersum.
He admits the illusion can be hard to understand, but explains it in this video. The bottom line: use plates that contrast with your food. And use plates that are the same color as the tablecloth.
Grab a tall slender glass to drink less
When
pouring drinks, your eyes can play tricks on you as well. Most people,
including professional bartenders, inadvertently pour 20 to 30 percent
more alcohol into short, wide glasses than tall, slender ones, van
Ittersum says. In his 2005 study,
bartenders and students of legal drinking age poured mock mixed drinks
into both tall and short glasses from liquor bottles filled with water
or tea. Even after 10 rounds of practice, the college students
overpoured into shorter glasses. The career bartenders did slightly
better, pouring less into the shorter glasses, but they still
overpoured.
"This tendency is not sufficiently reduced by
education, practice, concentration or experience," van Ittersum says.
He suggests two possible solutions to this phenomenon: use a tall glass
or select one with alcohol-level marks etched on it.
Music, lighting affect eating patterns
Once
you’re finally sitting at the dinner table, you can create an
environment that helps increase the enjoyment of your meal and cuts
calories. In a 2012 study
with Brian Wansink at Cornell University, van Ittersum modified the
dining area of a fast food restaurant. One half of the seating area was
untouched, complete with the loud noise and bright lights typically
found in a fast food restaurant. The other half was transformed into a
soundproof, fine dining area with indirect lighting, tablecloths and
jazz music piped through speakers.
People in the quieter area ate
an average of 18 percent less of their meals, even though they spent
more time at the table. They also rated the food as tasting better than
those who sat in the traditional section.
Van Ittersum isn’t
suggesting that every homeowner should rush out and hire a contractor to
rebuild their dining room. But he says paying attention to your
environment can make a difference.
“The more relaxed the
environment, the less a person tends to eat,” said van Ittersum. “Use
tablecloths or nice placemats. Turn off the TV. Flip on the radio and
play soft music. Relax and enjoy your food and the people at the table.”
So
this holiday season, remember to use smaller plates, smaller serving
spoons and taller glasses to exercise portion control and consume fewer
calories. Also, to eat less, make sure your plate color contrasts with
the color of the main course. Put on some easy listening music and dim
the lights for your holiday meal so you and your guests can relax, slow
down and enjoy each others’ company rather than speed through your meal.
It may help prevent you from having to add “losing weight” to your list
of New Year’s resolutions.
