Teenagers are known for their rebellious behavior toward authority, but can this be used for their benefit? A new study shows teens may eat a healthier diet when told about manipulative practices by food companies to make their products more enticing and addictive.

If teens are consistently told about certain unethical practices by food and beverage manufacturers, such education could translate to teens losing nearly a pound of body fat every six to eight weeks, researchers told the New York Times. This study, led by Christopher Bryan from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and David Yeager from the University of Texas at Austin, was conducted at a school in New Braunfels, Texas and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“If the normal way of seeing healthy eating is that it is lame, then you don’t want to be the kind of person who is a healthy eater,” Yeager told the Guardian. “But if we make healthy eating seem like the rebellious thing that you do, you make your own choices, you fight back against injustice, then it could be seen as high status.”

Researchers randomly divided 489 eighth graders into different groups. While one group read an article about a standard, healthy diet including low amounts of sugar and fat, another group learned about how food companies make their products addictive and appear healthier than they are, the New York Times reported.

The following day, in a separate class, the students were asked what snack they would like in preparation of a long-planned celebration. Food options included Oreos, Cheetos, Doritos, fruit, baby carrots, and trail mix, and students could choose Coca-Cola, Sprite, or Hi-C to drink. Those who had read the article about the practices of food companies were 11 percent more likely to skip at least one of the unhealthy foods, and seven percent more likely to select water rather than the unhealthy drinks.

“Healthy eating was suggested as a way to take a stand against manipulative and unfair practices of the food industry,” researchers said.

A follow-up experiment is being planned for next year, where teenager’s eating habits in the cafeteria will be monitored by researchers for months after reading about the practices of food companies.

Read more:

High Protein Afternoon Snack Reduces Hunger, Improves Diet In Teens

Bryan C, Yeager D, Hinojosa C, Chabot A, Bergen H, Kawamura M, Steubing F. Harnessing adolescent values to motivate healthier eating. PNAS. 2016.