Variety-seeking behavioral markers in an immersive virtual reality food buffet are associated with greater food and energy intake in laboratory meals

Food variety promotes intake, and the propensity to seek a greater variety, measured by the number of unique foods selected for a meal, may predict increased food consumption. We explored whether variety-seeking in a validated immersive virtual reality (iVR) food buffet was related to measured intake in lab meals. Adults (n = 91; 18-71y; 64 female) were asked to select foods for a meal in an iVR buffet before consuming a standard lab meal once a week for 2 weeks. The iVR buffet contained 30 foods, 15 lower energy-dense (LED) and 15 higher energy-dense (HED), including entrees, sides, soups, and desserts. The lab meal consisted of 3 LED foods (broccoli, grapes, chicken) and 3 HED foods (pasta, rolls, cookies). Food selection in the iVR buffet was operationalized into 3 variety-seeking behavioral markers based on the unique foods selected: (1) total, (2) HED, and (3) LED. Seeking a greater total variety in iVR was a significant predictor of intake in lab meals, with each additional unique food selected in iVR relating to an additional 7.4 g of food consumed in lab meals (p = 0.01). These associations demonstrate specificity: (1) seeking a greater variety of HED foods in iVR was associated with increased intake of HED foods in lab meals, and (2) seeking a greater variety of LED foods in iVR was associated with increased intake of LED foods in lab meals. These preliminary findings indicate that variety-seeking behavioral markers measured in an iVR buffet are related to measured food intake.