The 'variety effect' is anticipated in meal planning

Area of Science:

• Food science
• Behavioral science
• Nutritional science

Background:

• The 'variety effect' leads to increased food consumption with diverse sensory characteristics.
• Laboratory studies show variety increases intake during ad libitum feeding.
• Pre-meal planning differs from ad libitum intake, necessitating investigation into anticipated variety effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the variety effect is anticipated during pre-meal planning.
• To determine if individuals plan for greater consumption when anticipating meal variety.
• To explore how sensory differences in planned meal courses influence expected liking and portion size.

Main Methods:

• Participants viewed pairs of food images representing hypothetical meal courses (same, similar sensory category, or different sensory category).
• Studies 1 (main meals) and 2 (snacks) assessed expected liking and ideal portion sizes for second courses and combined meals.
• Participants rated expected liking and selected portion sizes for hypothetical meal courses.

Main Results:

• Increased sensory difference between meal courses led to larger selected portions for the second course.
• More diverse meal courses were rated as more pleasant.
• The variety effect was evident in the energy content of self-selected meals, influencing portion size and expected liking.

Conclusions:

• The variety effect is evident in pre-meal planning, not just during consumption.
• Individuals anticipate and plan for increased consumption based on meal variety.
• Variety's influence on food intake is a learned and anticipated process, extending beyond passive consumption effects.