The texture of food could influence how caloric the item is perceived to be.
New research suggests people often perceive hard food to be lower in calories, a University of Chicago Press Journals news release reported.
"We studied the link between how a food feels in your mouth and the amount we eat, the types of food we choose, and how many calories we think we are consuming," authors Dipayan Biswas, Courtney Szocs (both University of South Florida), Aradhna Krishna (University of Michigan), and Donald R. Lehmann (Columbia University), said in the news release.
The researchers conducted five laboratory studies to make their findings. In these studies participants were asked to sample "soft, rough, or smooth" food items and rate how high in calories they perceived them to be.In another study the participants were asked to watch and evaluate a series of Television ads.
While the participants were watching the ad they were given cups filled with brownie bits as a "reward" for participating in the study. Half of the participants were asked to assess the calorie content of the brownies while the other half were not. In each of the two groups half of the study subjects were given soft brownie bits and the other half were given harder ones.
The participants who were not asked about the calorie content of the brownies tended to consume more of the treats when they were soft. The group that was asked about the brownies' calorie content tended to consume more of them when they were hard.
The research suggests that brands can use textures to help market the health quality of their products.
"Understanding how the texture of food can influence calorie perceptions, food choice, and consumption amount can help nudge consumers towards making healthier choices," the authors said, the news release reported.
