How Color Affects Your Perception Of Food

Sarah Rae Smith
Sarah Rae Smith
Sarah Rae Smith has lived all across the Midwest and currently calls the bratwurst-laden city of Sheboygan home. She seeks out kitchens that make the best pie and farmers with fresh eggs.
published Sep 23, 2009
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(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

Did you know that the color of your food, dishes, table linens and wall color can all have an affect on your appetite? Some colors can excite your senses and entice you to eat more, while others can actually help curb mindless snacking. We made a chart to put it all in perspective…

(Image credit: Sarah Rae Smith)

In our household there has been an ongoing war between using pretty and printed colored plates and straight white dishware. So we did a little research to see what others had to say on the issue. We made a chart above of our findings (sassy no?) and were quite surprised at some of them.

The two things that stood out at us the most where the colors white and blue. Blue is listed all across the web as a color used to suppress appetites. In fact, they go as far as to say to install a blue light bulb in your refrigerator to discourage your late night munchies or your in between meal snacks.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, white, which is used abundantly in many homes, restaurants, stores and more creates a mindless effect when it comes to your eating behaviors. Foods that are white are said to discourage your brain from caring about consumption (popcorn… we’re looking at you) and dishware that’s all white can encourage over eating and leave you feeling less satisfied.

Do you think the color theories above are true? Do they encourage you to eat or hold off till later? Let us know in the comments below!

Related: Should Food Always Be Served On A White Plate?

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