It’s not just what’s on your plate
- ciaralitchfield
- Nov 6, 2014
- 4 min read
We all know the power of what we eat on how much weight we gain. Research shows that it isn’t just what we put on our plates that influence weight but the plate itself.
The size of your plate
The average size of a dinner plate has grown 36% in the last 50 years as our perceptions of a ‘normal’ portion have increased. In some cases our usual 9 inch plate has stretched to 10 or 12 inches in Europe and as far as 13 inches in America.
Some of us are better at eating everything on our plates than others. This often comes down to parenting which enforces the ‘you can’t get down till you have cleared your plate’ or ‘no dessert unless you eat everything’ which teaches children to ignore natural hunger cues and continue eating until everything has gone. Generally we will eat 92% of the food on our plates regardless of the portion size. Reducing your 12 inch dinner plate down to 10 inches will obviously mean you can fit less food on it. An average adult meal of around 800 calories will automatically be reduced by 22% by making this size reduction.
But won’t you still be hungry after this smaller portion? Research suggests not! A study by Dr David Lewis found that when offered free ice cream refills those using a smaller bowl were just as satisfied as those using a larger bowl. The group with a larger bowl ate 44% more than the smaller bowl group. Obviously the smaller bowl group could fit less ice cream in each serving but that didn’t mean they went back for seconds. They mentally told themselves that one bowl was enough so were satisfied with their serving. The larger bowl group managed to fit more ice cream in the first time resulting in a consumption of around 300 extra calories.
Mentally you are still eating the same proportion of food as before the starting portion was just smaller. You are likely to be just as satisfied after this small meal. Cutting back on the portion by 22%, by using a 10 inch plate rather than 12, would result in an average weight loss of around 15lbs a year! Without having to change the foods you are eating.
The shape of your plate
Using a bowl can sometimes increase your portion size without you knowing. The Delboeuf illusion states that we can ‘misjudge the size of identical circles surrounded by circles of varying sizes– if a circle is surrounded by a large outer circle, we perceive it as smaller, but if that same circle is surrounded by a small outer circle, we perceive it as larger’. This basically means, when we apply it to bowls, a bowl with a wider rim makes the contents look smaller e.g. a pasta bowl. A bowl with a smaller rim for example a normal cereal bowl makes the contacts look larges so you’re less likely to overfill it.
Try to eat your main meals from a flat plate to reduce portions and also lowers your ability to pile food on. When using a bowl go for a smaller rim or check your portion sizing before pouring the contents into the bowl.
The colour of your plate
Another piece of research by Dr Lewis investigates the impact of contrast and colour on portion sizes. He gives half the study group a white plate and the other half a red one. He then asks them to serve themselves pasta which is in a red sauce. He found that the group with the white plate, and therefore the greatest contrast in colour, served themselves around 300g of pasta. The group with the red plates served themselves around 470g of pasta, a huge 60% more! By reducing the contrast in colour between the plate and the food we reduce our ability to judge how much we are putting on it. Picking plates that are either white or black helps to make portions clearer as they are likely to contract with the food you are serving (and then eating 92% of)!
How much should be on your plate
Portion size is different for everyone. Having the same plates and portions for the whole family can be a mistake as they all start to blend into the same size. Children often eat too much as their portions become more similar to that of the adults eating.
Half of your plate should be made up of vegetables; this excludes starchy veg such as squash, potatoes and chickpeas. This should equate to about 2 cupped handfuls of the person eating from that plate. Try to serve your veg first to ensure enough is put on and it’s not cut down to make room for bigger portions of protein or carbohydrate.
Carbohydrate should be equivalent to what can fit in a curled fist, much less than what most of us serve! We tend to eat more carbohydrate when having paste and rice based meals to be especially careful here. Your starchy veg is included in this section. This should cover about a quarter of your plate.
Protein size can be modelled on your hand, so will again vary for everyone. This includes meat, fish and eggs. Red meat tends to be thicker so should be around the size of your palm. Portions of fish and poultry should be equivalent to the size of your hand as they are often thinner. 2 eggs is equal to one portion and boiling or poaching them is best. The Department of Health advises that you should eat red meat a maximum of twice a week so rotate your protein to get the full range of vitamins and minerals available.
