Watching ourselves eat makes food taste better says study
- Eating in front of an image of ourselves munching down has the same impact
- Previous research has shown eating with company makes food more enjoyable
- Researchers believe the findings could particularly benefit lonely elderly people
- Enjoying food improves quality of life; eating alone is associated with depression
Alexandra Thompson Health Reporter For Mailonline
View
comments
Eating in front of a mirror makes food taste significantly better and increases the amount we consume, new research reveals.
Munching down in front of an image of ourselves eating has the same impact, a study found.
This may draw on previous research that demonstrated eating with company makes food significantly more enjoyable than having a meal alone.
Researchers believe their findings could particularly benefit elderly people, who frequently eat alone.
Lead author Ryuzaburo Nakata from Nagoya University in Japan, said: ‘Our findings suggest a possible approach to improving the appeal of food, and quality of life, for older people who do not have company when they eat — for example, those who have suffered loss or are far away from their loved ones.’
Eating in front of a mirror makes food taste significantly better and causes us to consume more
-
Could AI soon diagnose cancer? New system that ‘doctors can…
When is it safe to leave children home alone? Revealed:…
‘We can no longer justify risking boys’ lives’: Campaigners…
Don’t take painkillers – try meditation instead: Just 10…
WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT? EAT OFF A RED PLATE
Eating less may be as simple as changing the colour of your plates, an expert said back in April.
Red plates are thought to trigger a danger signal that reduces the amount we eat.
While white plates make food taste sweeter, allowing you to enjoy your dessert just as much but with less sugar.
Back in 2011 researchers from the University of Valencia asked 51 participants to eat the same strawberry mousse off a white and black plate, alternating the order of which plate was used first.
The results revealed that eating the mousse off a white plate made it taste seven per cent sweeter, 13 per cent more flavourful and nine per cent more enjoyable than the black plate.
Dr Spence told MailOnline: ‘White plates generally have a contrasting colour to the food, so people are better able to judge the colour of the food itself rather than being influenced by the background.’
How the study was carried out
Researchers from Nagoya University asked 16 healthy people with an average age of 68 to eat salt or caramel-flavoured popcorn in front of a mirror or a blank wall.
This was repeated in 16 healthy participants with an average age of 21.
In a second stage of the study, 12 healthy elderly participants ate caramel-flavoured popcorn in front of an image of themselves eating soybeans or in front of a blank wall.
All participants completed a questionnaire that rated their enjoyment of the popcorn after they had finished eating.
Key findings
Results, published in the journal Physiology Behavior, revealed that both elderly and younger adults who ate the popcorn in front of a mirror rated it as significantly better quality and more enjoyable.
Eating in front of a mirror also made the younger group of people eat significantly more.
Those who ate popcorn in front of an image of themselves eating also rated it as significantly nicer and ate more.
Previous research has shown eating with company makes food taste better, as well as causing people to eat more of it, than eating alone.
Previous research has shown food is more enjoyable when we have a meal with company
How the research can be used
The researchers believe their findings could particularly benefit older people, who frequently eat alone.
Mr Nakata said: ‘Studies have shown that for older adults, enjoying food is associated with quality of life, and frequently eating alone is associated with depression and loss of appetite.
‘Our findings therefore suggest a possible approach to improving the appeal of food, and quality of life, for older people who do not have company when they eat — for example, those who have suffered loss or are far away from their loved ones.’
Share or comment on this article
-
Nursery worker is left with broken ribs and needing… -
Heart-stopping video shows moment armed police gunned… -
Wife desperate for a divorce sets up her husband to cheat… -
Alex Rodriguez cheats on J. Lo and is not sexually… -
Shameless parking wardens slap tickets on cars left… -
Four-year-old boy tragically drowns ONE WEEK after going… -
Scattered chairs and half-finished pints: Haunting… -
Bomb squad carry out two controlled explosions outside… -
EXCLUSIVE – ‘I was dumped by text for London Bridge… -
Donald Trump told James Comey ‘I need loyalty, I EXPECT… -
PIERS MORGAN: Theresa May’s savage police cuts and… -
‘It looked like they pulled a toddler out of my belly!’:… -
Heart-stopping moment woman, 19, is hit by a train but… -
Stunning colorized pictures show the brutal conditions… -
‘They have George’s nose’: Proud grandfather Nick Clooney… -
Military plane carrying 120 people – soldiers and their… -
‘It’s my fault’: Woman accused of encouraging her teen… -
Pictured: Mute autistic boy, four, who starved to death…
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.
Close
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual.
Close
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual
We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook.
You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.