What Are We Going to Eat? Colors Will Make a Decision for Us!

Colors and food are connected – it affect our feelings and moods. Colors help us make a decision what will we eat, believe it or not. Also, do you know which plate color you should pick?

Look around you - what is it that you see first? Of course, the colors. Colors affect our brains, shopping choices, mood and even food. We believe that everyone knew about the impact of colors, but did you know how intense that impact was? Even the color of the plate affects what we put on it, how we perceive the food and how much we eat. 

Color is the characteristic of human visual perception described through color categories, with names such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple. This perception of color derivatives from the stimulation of cone cells in the human eye by electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum. You will be surprised to hear the impact color creates in us, and we are here to teach you, especially the impact of food and color. We will also touch on the impact of colors on the biscuit industry. Keep focused and learn! 

"You look at the world through pink glasses," "Everything is black to me," "He turned green with jealousy," these are all expressions we often hear and are related by colors. Everyone knows that colors are important, but what are they? Why is blueberry fruit purple, not yellow? The reason is hidden in the human eye.

Color psychology is widely use din medicine, industry, traffic and so is in the marketing communication – colors can be used as a marketing tool. In communication with market, colors are one of the most powerful mechanisms for attracting attention and creating consumer affection. Colors operate on the subconscious segment and are therefore currently attracting attention, according to some research, after thirty seconds we decide whether we like it product or not.

In the practical world of advertising, color is also a variable by which manipulates daily, most intuitively. It's the same with food.

Colors have a physical impact on us, emotional potentital and the valences they affect our feelings, moods, evoke the existence or absence of emotions.

Colors and food

Color and appearance affect the appeal of food – that is a well-known fact today. Products such as juices and sweets generally have no color but are subsequently added to them. The color of the food can tell us how fresh it is, how it is processed, and even what nutrients it contains. This is especially true for fruits and vegetables. 

Do you know what the color of a particular food means? Decorated food on a plate can only awaken us when we are not hungry at all. Still, did you know this? Food ''feeds'' us with its color.

Meaning of particular colors

Green has a calming effect, which is why nutritionists recommend it to those who are quick eaters. To eat more slowly, eat zucchini, pesto, broccoli, asparagus, basil, cucumbers, spinach and various lettuces. For a fruit and vegetable-based diet to be healthy, it must be varied not only by species but by color.

Green also has a positive effect on our psyche, calms and relaxes and reduces nervousness and irritability. In addition, green alleviates the pain of love and gives you strength and hope for new beginnings.

The natural colors of fruits and vegetables are not only a decoration on our plate and an experience for our eyes, they have a beneficial effect on our body, but also on our psyche.

Orange fruits and vegetables, with their stimulant color, work against depression. Just because natural plant pigments have different positive effects on our health, experts recommend that fruits and vegetables should be selected by color.

Red varieties of fruits and vegetables, tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries, cherries and apples (thanks to red plant pigments – carotenoids, especially lycopene) are powerful antioxidants that neutralize harmful free radicals that destroy our body's cells, protecting against cancerous diseases. In addition, red fruits and vegetables lower cholesterol and stimulate blood circulation, reducing the risk of heart disease and blood vessels.

The purple and blue color of juicy and ripe fruits and vegetables (grapes, blueberries, fresh figs, currants and plums) relaxes and promotes internal balance and soothes, especially in the case of aggression and irritability.

Yellow promotes digestion

Yellow food restores strength and energy to the body and is therefore especially appropriate if you feel stressed. For this reason, it is a good idea to supply yourself with bananas and pineapples during stressful times.

As yellow color has a positive effect on digestion, experts say it is also good for equipping the area we eat. Lastly, yellow foods have a positive effect on the elasticity and freshness of the skin.

A common feature of red and orange foods is that they reduce the chance of tumor formation and prevent cardiovascular disease.

Red and green fruits are full of potassium and magnesium, which are important for the metabolism of our cells. Potassium is a particular mineral in plant origin foods. In our body, it is the major cation ofthe cellular space, which determines the water content of the cells. In combination with magnesium and calcium ions, potassium acts synergistically and has anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Many nutritional products are supplemented with various additives, which may be of natural or synthetic origin, and are used to extend their durability, increase nutritional value, improve taste, color, smell and appearance. Color is one of the most important sensory qualities and properties of foods, and it is added to enhance the visual appearance. 

Red is very often used in the food industry

Psychological Properties: Red is known to stimulate and excite and relates closely to passion and energy. 

In relation to food: Enhances the appetite, when we see red we get and energy boost, similarly this happens when we are ready to feast and neurons fire up in the hypothalamus part of the brain. Also known to heighten nerve impulses and increase heart rate.Examples: Red is the most common and effective colour used in the food industry.

Food coloring

Since ancient times, colors have played an important symbolic and emotional role, so already ancient Romans considered people "eating with their own eyes." At that time, saffron, which gives intense yellow color and flavor, was widely grown and used in the diet, therefore it has remained an integral part of many traditional dishes in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. 

But nowadays, cheaper artificial colors are often used instead of saffron. Colors are indicated by E-numbers on product declarations, as well as other food supplements.

The e-number serves as a confirmation of the toxicological evaluation and classification of each supplement. The colors bear the markings E-100 to E-180, some of which are of natural origin, for example, chlorophyll (E-141) and carotene (E-160), while other synthesized chemical compounds are of exactly known structure, eg green S (E- 142) and Brown FK (E-154).

Colors can tell a taste?

Color can also affect the perception of sweet, bitter and sour. For example, red fluid is estimated to be sweeter than green or translucent. It is easier for people to experience the taste of a liquid if its color is consistent with the taste, so red cherry flavored liquid is immediately perceived as cherry flavored, and green cherry flavored liquid is more experienced as apple or Chinese gooseberry flavor.

For example, if an adult tastes a mint-flavored orange drink, the difference in the expected and experienced taste will be large, that is, they will rate the drink less delicious.

The connection between the color of the plate and food

Everyone loves to see a beautifully decorated plate - as if we were immediately drawn to take something from it, right? Most often we look at how we can put food on a plate - for example, we bake a pan full of biscuits and look at how to decorate and put them on a plate. Still, are you looking at which color to choose? We believe you did not know the impact of this, so let's learn.

The greater the contrast between the color of the plate and the food, the more the flavors are experienced and the portions are smaller, so enjoying in your meal is more relaxed.

How to pick a plate?

• Yellow plates are for salads, pastas and other dishes with plenty of green and leafy vegetables
• Black and brown plates are the most suitable for chicken, fries and white sauces
• Food with neutral colors looks for contrast so they don't seem pale (don't choose a white plate)
• White plates – they are suitable for everything, and they are inevitable for beef, red sauces and all tomato dishes
• Red dishes are difficult to combine with other colors
• Blue plates are the best for eggs, curry, corn and orange sauces
• The warm bright blue color will accentuate the warmth of the yellow and orange dishes
• Blue plates, however, are the worst choices for desserts  (they reduce the impression of sweetness).

Cookies and colors

Cookie colors provide endless possibilities for creativity in making desserts. Cookie colors are good for anyone who wants to give their desserts an imaginative and unique look and express their creativity when decorating desserts.

The most famous colored cookies are french macarons, which you can read more about at the link. Also, chocolate chip cookies are often made in the colored version. The recipe is not difficult - in the cookie dough, you add color to the food, divide the dough into several smaller piles and then combine when shaping.

Cookie colors

Cookies are mostly brown, meaning they are baked well. Golden-brown cookies are the most attractive because they exude freshness, indicate that they are well-baked and by the shade of brown we can determine how crispy they are.

In terms of color psychology, it “is believed to help create a wholesome feeling, a connection with the earth, and a sense of orderliness and convention. ... Brown is often used in food packaging because it can signify the food is natural, earthy, or eco-friendly. 
Color cookies are most likely to attract children because they find them interesting, different and creative. Adults, however, can sometimes reject the unusual colors of biscuits because they will find them unnatural, with a strange taste. The color of the biscuits also makes it easy to tell what the flavor is - for example, whether it is chocolate or fruit.

Secrets of decorating cookies on a plate

1. Pick Your Serving Tray

The initial step to sorting out a treat plate is choosing a serving dish. Think about what number of treats you have to show. Too enormous a plate and the introduction will look disappointing. However, excessively little of a plate will prompt a clumsy heap of treats. In a perfect world, the treats ought to be in either a solitary or twofold layer. On the off chance that space permits, consider utilizing a few plate as opposed to a solitary huge one. This will likewise make it simpler for visitors to grab the treats as opposed to swarming around a solitary dish.

2. Use Geometry to Your Advantage

Round treats loan well to concentric (think snail shell) courses of action. Put a solitary treat in the focal point of the plate, at that point organize the remainder of the treats in circles around the focal treat. Square or rectangular treats are perfect for level or vertical line game plans. Layer one treat somewhat over the by make surface in your presentation.

3. Incorporate a Wide Variety of Cookies

You may have heard the colloquialism that individuals eat with their eyes first, so you need your treat plate to be as alluring as could be expected under the circumstances. A wide assortment of treats is vital to making an enticing treat plate. You don't have to make each treat in the book, be that as it may. Stick with around five to seven assortments to keep things fascinating, yet not overpowering.

4. Orchestrate Similar Textures and Flavors Next to Each Other

To keep your treats at their best, it sorts out comparable kinds together. For instance, unequivocally enhanced treats, for example, mint or molasses treats, can move their flavor to milder treats, for example, sugar treats. Delicate treats can move a portion of their dampness to crisper treats, influencing their surface.

5. Make sure you've appropriately bundled or shown them

Since you have your treats all set, the wonderful finish is the manner by which you present said treats. Try not to have a madly adorable occasion plate or a merry platter? That is alright! Cake stands, wood cutting sheets, and shallow wooden boxes work superbly, as well! Or on the other hand, you can include a touch of je ne sais quoi to any vessel by fixing it with darker material or butcher paper. In the event that utilizing a rectangular platter, stack the treats by sort in straight lines. In the event that you have a round platter close by, stack from the middle out like beams of daylight.

Cookies and cake food coloring

1. Natural

Natural colorings are made from plant sources with no added synthetic ingredients.

2. Gel

Some of the time called "icing shading," gels are made of water, glycerin, and corn syrup. They come in two structures: gel glue, accessible in little containers (simpler to discover) and fluid gel (sold in little jugs).

3. Liquid

This is what you may think of when it comes to food color – the small plastic squeeze bottles sold in grocery stores. Liquid coloring is water-based and less concentrated than other kinds. That makes it a good choice if you want light coloring for dough or icing. 

4. Powder

Powdered food color is made from synthetic ingredients with no added water, glycerin, or corn syrup. They are ideal for recipes like meringues or melted chocolate