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Have you even wanted to pick just one food and eat it all day long? That, in very basic terms, is the gimmick of the Flavor Point Diet, a new weight loss strategy by researcher Dr. David Katz of Yale University.

The diet is based on the theory that we are overloading our palates with different flavors and are consequently so interested in them that we are never satisfied. According to the analogy given in the book, if we tempt ourselves with a taste of something, we will never be satisfied until we have a lot of it. The more flavors we allow ourselves, the more flavors we will want to eat. Dr. Katz says that by focusing on one "flavor intense" food each day, cravings can be overcome.

The diet calls for having a different flavor each day - pineapple on Monday, apple day on Tuesday, thyme on Wednesday, and so on. The sample menu for Apple Day calls for such meals as a smoothie for breakfast and an apple fennel barley salad for lunch. The total calorie count of the day is under 1500 and though the diet specifically claims that it involves "No Measuring Portions" and no restrictions on what you can eat, it still calls for 1/2 cup of applesauce for the snack. Another menu calls for a "snack" of 5 crackers, with no lunch on that day. The 6 bran pretzel sticks and 1/4 cup cottage cheese that serves as a snack on thyme day is another that sounds as though it involves both counting and measuring, even if its not specifically calories.

This diet is nothing new. It's simply the common sense of not eating too much disguised with a weak attempt at flavoring.

When we eat a greater variety of flavors, we remain hungrier longer. That's the argument of David Katz's "Flavor Point Diet," which suggests sticking to a only a few flavors per day. Jumping from one flavor to the next re-stimulates the brain, says Katz in a Yale Daily News article. Supposedly, by distributing flavors and creating themed meal days, dieters can help stem their hunger.

This makes sense to me, in some ways. A varied meal is obviously exciting and anticipation of the next course can generally propel a person through a meal long after they're full. Similarly, once you're bored from eating the same foods or flavors, you'll probably stop eating.

Of course, there's much more to it than that. Katz discusses his diet in a Prevention.com article here.