Eating healthy is an important part of maintaining overall health and wellbeing. However, it can often feel like a challenge to consistently make nutritious food choices. Using color psychology to make healthy foods more visually appealing may help motivate healthier eating habits.
How Does Color Impact Food Choices?
Research has shown that color can have a significant influence on people’s perception of food. The visual appearance of food impacts taste expectations, flavor identification, and food enjoyment. Color even plays a role in how much someone chooses to eat. This is because color provides visual cues that lead to certain taste associations and flavor expectations before the food has even been tried.
For example, taste expectations and flavor identification are impacted by the following color associations:
- Red – sweet, sugary
- Green – sour, acidic
- Yellow – sweet, salty
- Blue – salty
- Purple – sweet
- Orange – citrusy, tangy
Researchers have found that controlling for flavor, foods served on blue plates were perceived as tasting saltier versus when served on white plates. While foods served on red plates were perceived as tasting sweeter than the same foods served on white plates.
Colors that Increase Appetite
Certain colors seem to increase appetite more than others. Bold, bright, warm colors like red, yellow, and orange have been shown to stimulate hunger and excite the senses. For example, researchers found that when adults were shown red, yellow, and orange smoothies, they rated them as more appetizing versus cool-colored blue and green smoothies.
Colors found to stimulate appetite include:
- Red
- Orange
- Yellow
The color red, in particular, has been shown to increase excitement levels and speed up metabolism. One study found that participants consumed up to 200 more calories when food and drink were served on red plates versus on blue or white plates.
Colors that Suppress Appetite
While warm colors stimulate hunger, cool colors like blue, green, and purple have the opposite effect. These cool tones have been found to visually suppress appetite and slow down eating. For example, researchers found that study participants snacked less when eating from blue plates versus white plates.
Colors shown to suppress appetite include:
- Blue
- Green
- Purple
The color blue seems to have the strongest appetite-suppressing effect. In one study, people ate 33% less snack food when served in a blue bowl versus when served in a red, yellow, or white bowl.
Using Color to Make Healthy Foods More Appealing
Because color strongly impacts food enjoyment, visually enhancing healthy foods with appetite-stimulating colors can make them more crave-worthy and motivating to eat. Here are some ways to use color to increase the visual appeal of nutritious foods:
Add Colorful Fruits and Vegetables
Fill plates and meals with a rainbow of colorful fruits and veggies. Bright reds, oranges, greens, purples, and yellows not only add appetizing colors but also provide essential vitamins and minerals.
Use Vibrant Herbs and Spices
Sprinkle meals with fresh herbs like parsley, basil, cilantro, and mint or incorporate warming spices like paprika, turmeric, and cumin. Their bold colors and flavors can help make healthy foods more exciting.
Drizzle with Dressings and Sauces
Make staple foods pop with colorful drizzles and dips. For example, try topping fish or chicken with a vibrant citrus salsa, lemon herb sauce, or zesty chimichurri. Or serve vegetables with a creamy avocado, yogurt, or tahini-based ranch dip.
Incorporate Colorful Plates
Ditch plain white plates in favor of vibrant colored dishes. Reds, oranges, and yellows may enhance appetite, while blues can help control portions. Just avoid color combinations that create too much visual contrast between the plate and food.
What Colors Increase Appetite for Healthy Foods?
While research shows that red, orange, and yellow hues tend to stimulate appetite in general, preferences can vary based on gender, age, culture, and the specific food item.
In one study that looked at color preferences for fruits and vegetables, warm colors were generally found to increase appetite for healthier produce options:
| Produce Item | Color Preference |
|---|---|
| Tomatoes | Red |
| Peppers | Red/orange |
| Broccoli | Green |
| Blueberries | Blue/purple |
| Corn | Yellow |
However, individual preferences can vary. You may find a love for green grapes, orange sweet potatoes, or purple cauliflower. Focus on color combinations you find appetizing.
What Colors Decrease Appetite for Unhealthy Foods?
Just as presenting healthy foods in warm, appetizing colors can increase their appeal, presenting less nutritious foods in appetite-suppressing colors may help curb cravings for them. Cool-toned blue, green, and purple hues tend to have the strongest effect.
For example, in one study researchers dyed popcorn different colors. Participants ate less when popcorn was dyed green versus red, yellow, or uncolored.
Other examples of how blue, green, and purple can help decrease appetite for unhealthy foods include:
- Serving soda or sugary drinks in a blue glass
- Choosing blue, green or purple bags or bowls for chips or candy
- Plating sweets on blue, green, or lavender dishes
Should Color Be Used to Deceive?
While manipulating food color can influence flavor perception and intake, some argue against using color to deceive. Purposefully dying or coloring foods to change their visual appeal could be considered unethical, even if the intention is to promote healthier eating.
However, using color naturally through fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices offers visual appeal without deception. Emphasizing naturally vibrant ingredients can provide an appetizing array of colors that excites the senses and promotes health.
Conclusion
Research strongly supports the role of color in influencing food enjoyment and choices. Warm colors like red, orange, and yellow tend to stimulate appetite, while cool blues, greens, and purples suppress hunger. Strategically using color in food presentation can encourage appetite for nutritious foods and help decrease cravings for less healthy options. With mindfulness, vibrant, flavorful foods can be plated in colors that are naturally appetizing.