The way to my heart is a big bowl of soup (with biscuits on the side, please). There’s nothing like savory meats, potatoes, vegetables and spices served in a salty broth. Soup is a type of composite meal, which means that its ingredients are served all together in one mixture. The results of this study from Cornell University demonstrate that people may eat fewer calories when eating a composite meal versus when then eat a meal made up of foods that are served separately. Not only is soup a dinnertime favorite, you eat less when you eat soup.
The greater the variety of food offered at a meal, the more calories you eat
The variety of foods offered within a meal is an important predictor of how much you’ll eat. As the number of foods within a meal increases, calorie intake within the meal increases. In other words, people will eat more calories if they are served chicken+rice+salad than if they are only served chicken+salad or chicken+rice or rice+salad. If you want to prevent weight gain, it could be helpful to eat meals with fewer side dishes, to skip the appetizer, and to do without dessert. And of course, avoid frequent trips to the buffet if you can.
Not only does the number of foods served within a meal matter, but the presentation of those foods matters. In their study, Dr. Levitsky and colleagues investigated whether serving foods separately versus serving them together would influence intake. They found that participants who were served a stir-fry (food separate) consumed significantly more calories than did participants who were served a stew (food together), even though the two meals were made of the exact same ingredients.
The term “sensory specific satiety”, or SSS, may be at play here. SSS is a phenomenon that refers to the decline in the pleasantness of the taste of a food as it is eaten. In other words, the first bite of a food is extremely satisfying, but every bite following that first one is less and less satisfying. When you introduce a new flavor to the bite, however, satisfaction can be renewed. The SSS can explain why we love dessert: after multiple bites of a savory dinner, we no longer have an appetite for savory food. The introduction of a sweet dessert renews our appetite for food, making us eat more than if we would have just stopped after the dinner.
How eating composite meals like soups is good for weight maintenance and weight loss
We can use the SSS to our advantage. When you eat composite meals like soups, you are exposed to the same flavor over and over again. Because you get “bored” with this flavor, you eat less than if you were to eat the same meal with the ingredients served separately. If you struggle with portion control, eating soups may be a helpful strategy against overeating!