Price increases in junk foods lead to lower weight, energy intake and diabetes risk.

A 20 year study has revealed that when junk food prices rise, people eat less of it. A 10% increase in the price of soda or pizza was associated with a 7% drop in buying soda and 11.5% drop in eating pizza. A $1.00 increase in the price of both soda and pizza led to lowered energy intake, weight loss, and an improvement in insulin resistance.

PositiveTip: Maybe for our health we should support increased taxes on unhealthy, fattening foods.

Reprogram your brain's reward centers to love healthy food by restricting access to fatty foods.

One study found that when rats were given unrestricted access to tasty, calorie-rich food they ate twice as much and gained substantial weight.

Measurements in their brains indicated that the threshold for experiencing reward was elevated (in other words, they worked harder for the brain stimulus) and their overeating was not diminished by electrical shock to their feet. Eating too much rich food seems to trigger addiction-like responses in the brain circuits and most likely causes the development of compulsive eating habits. 

PositiveTip: In humans, restricted access to fattening foods for prolonged periods can help the brain reactivate its reward centers to respond to healthier foods.