Making healthy food choices isn’t a simple task and is especially challenging during the holidays.
On a typical day, a person makes over 200 decisions about food, according to Dr. Brian Wansink of Cornell University, author of “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More than We Think.” Wansink’s research was the first to show that choosing a smaller plate during a holiday buffet, for instance, would help folks think they were eating more than they really did.
Another study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, reveals that even plate color can affect how much we eat, and there’s certainly plenty of color festooning holiday tables.
Wansink says: “In a groundbreaking new study we found that the color contrast between the plate and food may have a tremendous impact on how much people serve themselves.”
Partygoers in the study were directed to buffets serving pasta with either tomato or Alfredo sauce and randomly given red or white plates. Participants who had low-contrast between the food and plates (red pasta on a red plate or white pasta on a white plate) served themselves approximately 22% more than participants with high-contrast food and plates (red pasta on white plates or white pasta on red plates).
So, to help trick yourself into eating less, choose dinnerware that contrasts with the color of your food. Whether on paper or china, the serving size of mashed potatoes, for instance, is more obvious on bright red and green holiday plates.
Holiday helpers
Where the bowls are: Don't sit so close to the buffet table. Wansink's study "Serve Here, Eat There" showed that leaving some distance between you and the food resulted in men eating 29% fewer and women 10% fewer calories.
Be sociable: Wait at least 20 minutes before eating at an event. Make at least one full lap around a party to greet people before starting in on the appetizers.
Don't go hungry: Consider it nutrition pre-gaming. By eating a pre-party snack, you won't be so ravenous that you'll hurdle past other guests to get to the artichoke cheese dip.
Give the gift of health
Here are a few bright ideas for last minute gifts in the healthy cooking category.
• Salad spinner: Create a gift basket with olive oils, mustards and vinegars.
• Slow cooker: One of the best ways to tenderize tasty cuts of lean meat and concentrate natural flavors of seasonal vegetables.
• Microplane grater: For zesting citrus, grating whole spices to add flavor without calories.
• Specialty spices: More expensive spices like cardamom, vanilla, saffron, smoked paprika and curry powders are elegant gifts to add flavor and a pinch of healthy antioxidants with no calories.
• Immersion blender: Make rich and creamy textured soups and sauces from cooked vegetables without the need for much or any cream.
