The review authors identified 37 experiments that changed the number of foods or sensory features and measured how much participants consumed by weight or energy. They pooled 39 comparisons from 30 of those studies.
Lower-variety and higher-variety conditions
Participants consumed more weight or energy under higher-variety conditions.
g = 0.405effect on intake by weight or energy30 studies pooled
Why a new taste can restore interest
Interest in one food can fade while appetite for a different taste or texture remains.
As people continue eating one food, its taste and aroma can become less appealing relative to other foods. Researchers call this change sensory-specific satiety. A different taste or texture may therefore prompt more eating.
The review did not directly prove the everyday idea of a separate “dessert stomach.” It measured differences in the weight or energy that participants consumed.
The type of variety changes the decision
Before reducing variety, identify which foods became more varied.
The included studies had methodological limitations, and their results varied substantially. Variety may raise total intake, but it can also expand the range of fruits and vegetables that a person eats.
Ten candy flavors and several vegetable side dishes do not call for the same response. If overeating is the concern, reduce only the number of snack or dessert flavors for one week, then compare intake and satisfaction with the previous week.
A one-week observation
Record “main and side variety” separately from “snack and dessert variety.”
This distinction can show which kind of variety accompanied more eating and which kind made meals more useful or enjoyable.
Reviewing variety with MorselFlow
A photo can show which kinds of dishes shared the table.
MorselFlow suggests staples, mains, sides, desserts, and other foods from a photo. You can review the suggestions and portions, then correct any mistakes.
Across a week of photos, compare not only the number of dishes but also which food groups became more varied.
This article explains research for a general audience. It is not individualized nutrition advice. Effects vary by food, participants and experimental conditions; variety cannot be labeled universally good or bad.