--- title: How Too Much Food Variety is Making Us Chubbier description: A new study suggests having so much variety may be causing us to overeat. canonical: https://time.com/3847553/the-weird-thing-that-packs-on-calories-and-pounds/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-05T20:40:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:19.132Z article:section: Health og:title: The Weird Thing That Packs on Calories—And Pounds og:description: A new study suggests having so much variety may be causing us to overeat. og:url: https://time.com/3847553/the-weird-thing-that-packs-on-calories-and-pounds/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltade140af54048173/6987ee7ee53aba4bee4dbb2d/pizza.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5100 og:image:height: 2869 og:image:alt: 141481831 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Weird Thing That Packs on Calories—And Pounds twitter:description: A new study suggests having so much variety may be causing us to overeat. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltade140af54048173/6987ee7ee53aba4bee4dbb2d/pizza.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Weird Thing That Packs on Calories—And Pounds > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=5184de08-4b6b-4a9e-89f3-3f60080ec26a&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Should I Eat Pizza? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Eat Pizza?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/NvpgAWn5.m3u8) (1:39)  _Published 2015-02-12. You might be surprised that four out of five health experts give pizza the thumbs up. But don’t be fooled: these are not greasy thumbs._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 5, 2015 8:40 PM UTC  Close up of pizza, Teen diet, UK Close up of pizza, Teen diet, UK Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 5, 2015 8:40 PM UTC A quick trip down the frozen-food aisle at the supermarket can be anxiety-ridden. Given the sheer range of options for everything from popcorn to cereal to tomato soup, it’s tough to know what to buy (if you’re not going based on cost alone). Now, a [new study](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0125869) suggests having so much variety may be wreaking havoc on our waistlines. The new study, published in the journal _PLOS ONE_, shows having so many different brands of the same food may be making us overeat. The researchers asked people nearly 200 people about their consumption of pepperoni pizza. In the study, there were over 70 different pepperoni pizza brands consumed, and the calorie content varied by well over 300%. The researchers then compared the eating habits of people who regularly ate multiple varieties of pizza to people who only regularly consumed the same brand. The researchers found that the people who ate multiple brands of pizza were more likely to view pizza as less filling compared to people who ate one brand, and they were more likely to overeat when they were eating pizza to avoid being hungry later, suggesting they were unable to accurately compensate for the calories they were consuming on a given day. “It would appear that this high variability of food items makes it more difficult for people to learn about food and manage their consumption which exposes a new feature of Western diets and which has potential public health implications,” study author Charlotte Hardman, a lecturer in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Liverpool [said in a statement](http://www.eurekalert.org/pub%5Freleases/2015-04/uol-iit043015.php). The findings suggest that having so many options may distort people’s perception of how filling a given food is. Historically, our ability to regulate our own expectations of food satiety was based on sensory experiences with that food. The researchers suggest that the influx of brands for foods that have the same taste, but not necessarily the same calories, may be throwing us off. And that might be bad news for the number on the scale. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] You might be surprised that four out five health experts are giving pizza the thumbs up. But don't be fooled. These are not greasy thumbs. Delivery is a nutritional minefield. One slice of sausage has 14 grams of fat. Pizza is the number one source. Of solid fat intake for kids. 20 % of the pizza that kids eat comes from school cafeterias. Which is pretty much equal to the fast food kind in fat finds a study by Jennifer Poti. Beware the fatty, salty topping. Things warns Lisa Powell. Here 2015 study found that on days when kids eat pizza they take in more calories, saturated fat, and sodium then usual. The trick here is rethinking the pie. Pizza can be as harmless as an open faced sandwich filled with vegetables whole grains and even fruits says Adam Drewnowski. It has a lot going for it. Tomato sauce packs more antioxidants than raw tomatoes, found one 2015 study from the University of Barcelona. In one recent study, Emily Combet developed a nutritionally perfect pizza, with less saturated fat. Less sodium and more fiber. 81 % of kids liked it as much as the regular kind, and 77 % agreed. So yes, by all means eat it, but let your love for pizza be your excuse to cook more. 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