How Many Calories Are on Our Plate? Expected Fullness, Not Liking, Determines Meal‐size Selection

TLDR

Highly palatable food is thought to drive larger meal selection, contributing to weight gain and obesity. This article examines whether palatable foods indeed lead to larger portions. The authors assessed 17 common foods with 28 normal‑weight participants, measuring food reward and expected satiation using equicaloric portion comparisons to test the assumptions that palatable, energy‑dense foods are more rewarding and chosen in larger portions. Results show that food reward and ideal portion size correlate with expected satiation, not expected liking, and low expected satiation predicts larger caloric portions, challenging the role of palatability and underscoring expected satiation’s importance.

Abstract

The availability of highly palatable food is thought to stimulate the selection of larger meals (leading to weight gain and obesity). In this article, we explore aspects of this proposition. Specifically, we scrutinize two basic assumptions: (i) palatable energy-dense foods are more rewarding (desired), and (ii) these palatable foods are selected in relatively larger portions. In combination with palatability, we also consider the relative role for "expected satiation"-the extent to which a food is expected to deliver satiation. A total of 17 commonly consumed foods were assessed by 28 normal-weight participants at lunchtime. Critically, our measure of food reward and expected satiation involves comparisons between foods based on equicaloric portions. When assessed in this way, we find that food reward and ideal portion sizes (in kcal) are both closely associated with expected satiation, but not with "expected liking." Low expected satiation (not expected liking) predicts the selection of large portion sizes (in kcal) and foods with this characteristic tend to be more energy dense and are regarded as less (not more) rewarding (when compared calorie for calorie). Together, these findings challenge the role of palatability in meal-size selection and they highlight the importance of expected satiation, a "nonaffective" component of food reward.