A look at food presentation
Photo by Adam Jaime on Unsplash
No matter how nutritious your plate of food is, it may not always look appetizing.
More often than not we have already tasted our food just by looking at it. We’re either excited to have it in our belly or have dismissed it as something that our palate may not enjoy.
What we see on our plate is our meal’s first impression.
Chefs use this to their advantage.
When I can see all the elements on the plate, it gets easier to know what I’m about to expect.
On a good looking plate I notice the textures I am going to taste and I am so so ready for them! Nothing says “eat me” better than an attractive looking meal.
We eat healthy to sustain ourselves, and if you’re all about nutrition then what looks good to you is probably really different from a yummy looking plate of samosas.
So the question is, food may look appetizing when it reaches your table but is it really what your body is craving?
I spoke to Hanoze Hoshang Malesra, a nutritionist and fitness trainer– We decided that before we get into the presentation , understanding a bit about our food consumption is essential.
“I could try to generalise it but health is subjective, and to be fair, we don’t really always know what makes up a good meal, it’s constantly changing– for so long we thought that breakfast was the most important meal of the day but turns out, for a lot of us, our body isn’t really craving food first thing in the morning. Taking the time to understand the energy intake your body needs, puts you on a path to a healthier diet plan.”
And with that in mind, take a look at your presentation.
Any piece of art that resonates with you can draw you closer to it. Correct?
The same goes for your plate of food.
I have problems with my appetite, I don’t quite get hungry easily so I try to make the process of eating a little more fun. I lay my dining table for one, I take out the food in my favourite crockery, I try to listen to music as opposed to watching TV because my eyes are at work too as I eat and sometimes I even light a candle. I try to include as many colors on my plate as I can.
Activating all your senses as you eat is part of the experience. If your plate of food tastes and smells good, that’s all you technically need, but I like to push the boundaries, and if it’s a visual delight too, then chances are you’re going to enjoy it more.
And it may even help you make better food choices– A study published in Appetite says, “How attractively food is plated can affect liking for the flavor of the food and could be used to increase acceptance of “healthy” foods.”
I can definitely imagine different and innovative ways moms have tried to make the most healthy part of a meal look exciting for their kids. From trying to create funny shapes, to adding some fun food colouring, visual aid is the oldest trick in the book.
There are other examples, too.
Many food bloggers have used chia seeds as a healthy and beautiful topping to their colourful smoothie bowl. Breakfast buffets have decorated fruits to look like flowers to get you to pick it along with your side of bacon.
Any cooking show ends the episode with a neatly laid out attractive presentation of the meal, leading you to want to pick up that spatula to begin your own creation. It is, after all, where a chef’s signature and personal style really pops out.
Like Hanoze mentions, it seems that understanding the nutritional value of your nutritious meal may be the baseline towards better choices, while food presentation gives you an extra boost towards that journey.
The result? You might end up consuming food that not only tastes great, but feels great too.
After all, food is often our one true love– might as well make sure its a healthy relationship!