How Variety And Portion Size Can Influence Food Consumption

The Study

In this interesting crossover trial, 42 women ate a lunch once per week for 4 weeks that varied in 2 properties:

Low Variety: Consisting of 3 bowls of their favorite dish.

High Variety: Consisting of 3 different main dishes.

Small Portion: 450 grams

Large Portion: 600 grams

The results were interesting:

-When women ate the high variety lunch, they consumed significantly more food (15 more grams per meal).

-When women ate the large portion size lunch, they also consumed a significantly higher amount of food (57 more grams per meal).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.107089

Take Home Message

If you are trying to cut calories, don’t include too many kinds of food in your meals. Keep it simple.

It is also a good idea to serve yourself a reasonable portion in your kitchen and bring it out to your table rather than having a huge serving dish right in front of you.