Can contrasting coloured plates help us to lose weight?

I have just read a ‘Huffington Post’ article (by Kyrsty Hazell) which reported that the ‘Food and Brand’ Laboratory at Cornell University recently conducted a study into ‘plate size and colour suggestibility’,  to assess the effect of plate colour (relative to the food) on weight loss.

Apparently the scientists found that study participants ate more when the food blended in with the colour of the plate (a white creamy pasta sauce on a white plate),  and an average of 32grams less when there was a strong contrast between the food and the plate colour (the same white pasta sauce served on a red plate). 

The researchers concluded that dieters should use plates in contrasting colours to the food if they want to eat less, and if they want to eat more of for example,  greens,  then serve them on a green plate so the portion blends in with the same-colour background.   

My first thought was that it must be great fun to get paid for playing around with pretty coloured plates and food all day J  but to get to the point – I am quite torn on this.   One the one hand the whole thing sounds quite batty!  

However, the study also mentions an optical illusion discovered in 1865 which states that 2 circles of the same size can be perceived as different sizes when they are surrounded by a circle of a much larger size or a slightly larger size respectively.  For ‘circle’ read ‘dinner plate’,   meaning that a portion of food will look larger on a smaller plate but smaller on a larger plate.  

Now that makes complete sense to me because everything is relative, so a smaller plate will fool the brain into thinking it has eaten a larger portion, and will lead to feelings of fullness quicker than a same-sized portion on a larger plate. 

I suppose that the ‘coloured plate’ theory is just an extension of this principle, and the brain will register portion size more easily and accurately when there is a strong contrast between food colour and it’s surroundings.  So it begins to sound plausible.

I’m wondering, though, whether the study participants were aware of what was being tested by the experiment  - probably not because the researchers would want to avoid them being subconsciously swayed one way or the other.  Which leads me to doubt whether in reality the principle would have the same effect on dieters who were deliberately, therefore consciously, choosing to eat from a contrasting colour plate in order to eat less.  I’m guessing that might not work so well. 

As with most things surrounding food, it’s complicated.   And what happens if the dieter is colour-blind?

Let me know your thoughts on all this in the ‘comments’ section.   Is this theory complete bunkum, or does it have some mileage?   Have you ever tried something like this and had any success with losing weight?  Will you try to lose weight using this technique in future?  If so,  leave a comment and let me know the result!