‘GMA’ Diet Behavior Lab: Is Plate Color Key to Weight Loss?

If you’re looking to shed some weight, forget fad diets. The solution may be as simple as changing what plates you’re using.

New research, published in the Journal of Consumer Research this week, suggested that the color of your plate matters when it comes to how much you eat at a meal. Studies found that it’s the contrast between the colors of foods to the plate that really makes a difference.

We wanted to put this theory to test so “ Good Morning America” and ABC News’ Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser went to the Italian restaurant Maruzzella in New York City and set up our own little experiment.

Ten unsuspecting diners were invited in for a free lunch of pasta with marinara sauce.  Half were given white plates and half red plates to see if people put more pasta with red sauce on the red plates or more on the white plates.  More....abc news

Why eating a lot feels so darn good

The brain rewards eating salt, fat and sugars by releasing feel-good chemical substances.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Food can induce feel-good chemicals in the same way as drugs and alcohol
• Evolution, competition and ingestion analgesia are factors in pleasure of eating
• Being full feels satisfying compared with gnawing, rumbling hunger pains

RELATED TOPICS

• Diet and Nutrition
• Thanksgiving
• Health and Fitness
• Cognitive Science

(CNN) -- On Thanksgiving, many of us will eat way more than normal and then waddle away contented, with a turkey and sweet potato buzz.
Having a belly stuffed with comforting food can feel like a warm hug from the inside.
Evolution has given us the instinct to eat a lot every time we can, preparing for hard times. It's the drive to survive, like puffy-cheeked squirrels storing up for the winter. It's also fueled by competition: beating the others to the food.
More....Cnn.com