By the time we reach adulthood, most of us have grown to appreciate the role color plays in our lives. From deciding which color paint to our walls, to what colors of clothing to wear and which color car to drive, color plays a definitive role in how we define ourselves, as well as in how we define our purchases.
Marketing teams have become masters of the color wheel, harnessing color’s ability to stir product interest, create brand identification and spur retail sales. Their artful efforts hep drive consumer spending, even in grocery stores. But what role does color play in the foods we consume, and how, if at all, does color control our appetites? Do the same principals of modern marketing play a role in what foods we consume and serve in our homes and bed & breakfast inns? Historically, yes.
Since the beginning of time, humans have learned to identify which foods are safe to consume by using color as guide — from determining the ripeness of fruits and vegetables to the freshness and quality of meat. Blue, a color not commonly found in food outside a limited number of fruits and vegetables, served to alert early man to foods that were rancid or spoiled. This color cue contributed in how humans learned to avoid illness and bodily harm.
Is there little wonder then, why blue is considered to act as an appetite suppressant to this day? Many researchers, dietitians and interior designers recognize the mind/body connection to color, and some even suggest painting your kitchen and/or dining room blue when trying to lose weight, as well as eating meals from blue plates. Their rationale? Eating in blue rooms or dining from blue plates will trigger a natural response to consume less food, thereby taking in fewer calories. Interestingly, blue’s appetite-suppressing connection has also been attributed to its calming effect on the mind and body.
But what about colors having the ability to enhance foods’ appeal? Does the same theory hold true in reverse as well? According to researchers, yes. Color is not only a factor in determining which foods we consume, but in determining which foods we prefer.
In Eric Schlosser’s 2001 book, Fast Food Nation, published by Houghton Mifflin, Schlosser referenced a 1970’s study which found the power of color played a significant role in determining how taste was perceived. During a taste study conducted under controlled lighting, it was discovered normal or “brightly colored foods frequently seem to taste better than bland-looking foods, even when the flavor compounds are identical. Foods that somehow look off-color often seem to have off tastes.”
More recently, researchers JoAndrea Hoegg (University of British Columbia) and Joseph Albas (University of Florida) confirmed the link between color and food perception when they co-authored an article for the University of Chicago Press Journals, Journal of Consumer Research, entitled Taste Perception: More Than Meets the Tongue in which Science Daily reported the Color of a Drink Can Fool the Taste Buds Into Thinking It Is Sweeter. While the researchers reported “color dominated taste,”in February 2007 Science Daily added:
Given two cups of the same Tropicana orange juice, with one cup darkened with food coloring, the members of the researcher’s sample group perceived differences in taste that did not exist. However, when given two cups of orange juice that were the same color, with one cup sweetened with sugar, the same people failed to perceive taste differences.
Equally fascinating is that the color opposite blue on the color wheel, orange, is commonly attributed to an increase in appetite. Less aggressive than red (which is commonly acknowledged to increase heart rate, respiration and blood pressure,) the use of orange in restaurants, public and private dining areas, markets and tablescapes is on the rise due to the belief in its more moderate ability to stimulate the appetite and digestive system, remove inhibitions and foster sociability, qualities considered vital in creating successful and memorable dining experiences.
So how does this colorful information apply to our own dining rooms and the dining areas of our favorite bed & breakfast inns? Are the colors that surround us and our guests inviting? Do they encourage us to partake in conversation while enjoying a bountiful meal? Or are do they calm and sooth our bodies and minds, to the point of suppressing our appetites and our need to connect?
I invite you to weigh in with your own opinions on this topic, sharing not only your thoughts, but the colors of your dining area and dinnerware. What do you like most about the colors surrounding your cuisine, and what, if anything, would you prefer to change?
Up next — Exploring one artist’s project to ensure you consume your “daily recommended doses of color.” Stay tuned.
Thank you for visiting Inn Cuisine! Be sure to check out the newly remodeled Recipe Index and subscribe to Inn Cuisine's free RSS feed (available via email) so you never miss a recipe. Need more ways to stay connected? Follow Inn Cuisine on Facebook & Twitter!
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Oh my, oh my…how fascinating! I have to tell you I’m not at all a fan of blue as a color for decorating any room. I’m definitely an earth-tone person…browns, tans, greens. I know a person who would dearly love to shed several pounds but alas his dining and kitchen areas are blue. I must direct him to your post and perhaps ask him just what the problem is.
All kidding aside, although the former is true, blue tones in the dining area do not make me feel comfy or cozy, but I never gave much thought to it being a suppressant to eating. Perhaps I need to paint my walls blue in my dining room. My kitchen and dining room are very neutral with greens, browns, and small touches of red scattered throughout. When I come home or simply wake up in the morning and walk through my house it gives me that cozy, comfy feeling, and when I’m cooking that special meal and the house smells of “good cooking”, well, what more could one ask for?
Thanks for such fun, informative posts once again.