On Jan 29, 11:05 am, "Caleb" wrote:
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/132/12/3830S.pdf

Pretty neat little study discussing variety of foods, portion size,
etc., on overeating. Sure makes sense to me! The greater the variety
of foods, the greater the likelihood to overeat. True for animals
(short-term animal studies show about 25% increase in calories) and
also in a group of younger men (not true for a group of older men who
may have been consciously limiting their food intake).

Also snacking, restaurant eating, liquid calories are discussed.

This is one of the reasons I don't want to try a variety of new foods
-- I will find many I want to eat more of than I should.

Yours,

Caleb

Here's another neat study from WebMD:

Why We Eat So Much at Buffet Tables

We succumb to food variety, toss weight loss out the window

By Jeanie Lerche Davis
WebMD Medical News

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

May 14, 2004 -- Heard of the "see-food diet?" In fact, visual aspects
of food -- not just willpower -- figure into how much we eat, a new
study shows. It's why, at potlucks and buffet lines, our weight-loss
plans go out the window.

It's why mom always said: "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach."

Face it; a buffet table can lure us into eating more than normal.
Really, that's what research has shown. The visual aspect of it all --
how food is displayed and the variety of colors -- is the subject of a
new study appearing in the Journal of Consumer Research.

These little-understood cues can lead people to overindulge (and
forget weight loss) without realizing why they are, writes researcher
Barbara E. Kahn, PhD, with the University of Pennsylvania.

"Indeed, unless one is physically stuffed with food, he or she can
always make room for more," she writes. "While physiological factors
(such as hunger) can account for some differences in consumption, it
is becoming increasingly evident that environmental contextual cues
can also influence consumption."

Food packaging, shape, volume -- they all contribute to how much we
eat, she explains. Variety also plays a big role. If we're given three
flavors of yogurt to eat, we'll eat 23% more yogurt than if given one
flavor, research has shown.

Because of it, we're a nation of overweight people trying to figure
out a magic weight-loss secret.

Jelly Beans, M&Ms, and You

To further investigate how variety affects food intake, Kahn and her
colleague conducted six experiments. Among them:

The jelly bean experiment: The 91 adults in this study were offered
jelly beans as a thank you for participating in a PTA project. Each
was randomly offered four different assortments of jelly beans --
composed of six, colored flavors.

When the six flavors were organized in bowls, either as single-
flavored jelly beans or combined. The researchers found that the
parents tended to eat more of the jelly beans as the variety of the
jelly beans increase in the bowls.

The M&M experiment: A group of 105 adults were given 16-ounce bowls of
M&Ms to eat while watching a television pilot show. They were told to
eat as many as they wanted. Some bowls contained 10 different colors
of M&Ms; some bowls had seven colors. The participants that had M&M
bowls with 10-colors ate more M&Ms than the group that had bowls that
contained only seven colors of M&Ms.

All six experiments showed researchers that not just variety -- but
the perception of variety -- affects how much we eat.

The Eyes Are Tricksters
"People eat with their eyes, and their eyes trick their stomachs," co-
researcher Brian Wansink, PhD, with the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. "If we think there's more variety in a candy dish or
on a buffet table, we will eat more. The more colors we see, the more
we eat," he says in a news release.

In a previous study, Wansink found that moviegoers given an extra-
large bucket of popcorn will eat up to 50% more than if given a
smaller container -- even if the popcorn is stale.

Office employees will eat more if food is nearby, if a package is
open, or if a container is clear rather than opaque.

"Many of us are reasonably diligent about what we eat, but we don't
put that much thought into how much we eat," says Wansink. "People may
decide to eat grapes instead of potato chips because it's healthier.
Once they make that initial choice, they tend not to monitor how much
they eat. And a pound of grapes isn't calorie-free."

Eating 100 fewer calories in a day might help us lose 10 pounds by
year's end -- rather than gaining that much weight, he explains.
"Small factors, like the type of candy bowl in your office, might add
five more Hershey's kisses a day to your diet." That's 125 calories a
day -- but it adds up over time.

If weight loss is the goal:

* At buffets and potlucks, keep no more than two foods on your
plate at one time.
* If you're setting up a buffet line, give dieters a break: Don't
put out multiple bowls of the same food.
* Don't cram buffet tables with too many different items.
* Arrange fruits and vegetables in less-organized patterns -- to
stimulate appetites.

SOURCES: Kahn, B. Journal of Consumer Research, March 2004; vol. 30:
pp 519-533. News release, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

©1996-2005 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.

So, for me no more than two foods on plate at buffets, potlucks, etc.

Yours,

Caleb