May. 3, 2010 at 12:26pm
And speaking of infographics, here’s an interesting idea from two design grad students: a set of plates illustrating the ideal food portion sizes. Honestly, I’m not quite sure how I feel about this. Understanding, of course, that this is a fairly rough prototype and not necessarily accurate representation of the ideal consumption of food groups, I’m still not sure I’d want to eat off of these every day. Sure, the concept of right-sizing our portions is right on, but in the balance of function and aesthetics, this so-called “nudge” feels kind of pushy to me. Being conscious and aware of our consumption patterns, from what we eat to how much we eat is something we need to consider with every meal. But of equal consideration should be savoring and enjoying. It would seem to me that looking down at these not-so-subtle reminders begins to regiment our eating habits in a way that could detract from truly taking in what’s in front of us. Maybe these would be ok for educational purposes, or maybe instead of being printed on the plate, these same proportions could be represented in segments that could shape the right amount for plating and then be lifted off. Almost Genius: Plates Double as Nutritional Infographics | Fast Company

And speaking of infographics, here’s an interesting idea from two design grad students: a set of plates illustrating the ideal food portion sizes.

Honestly, I’m not quite sure how I feel about this. Understanding, of course, that this is a fairly rough prototype and not necessarily accurate representation of the ideal consumption of food groups, I’m still not sure I’d want to eat off of these every day. Sure, the concept of right-sizing our portions is right on, but in the balance of function and aesthetics, this so-called “nudge” feels kind of pushy to me.

Being conscious and aware of our consumption patterns, from what we eat to how much we eat is something we need to consider with every meal. But of equal consideration should be savoring and enjoying. It would seem to me that looking down at these not-so-subtle reminders begins to regiment our eating habits in a way that could detract from truly taking in what’s in front of us.

Maybe these would be ok for educational purposes, or maybe instead of being printed on the plate, these same proportions could be represented in segments that could shape the right amount for plating and then be lifted off.

Almost Genius: Plates Double as Nutritional Infographics | Fast Company