A report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that lower prices may be the key to getting people to buy healthier foods.

According to Reuters, researchers randomly offered more than 1,100 shoppers price discounts on healthy foods, tailored nutrition education, a combination of the two or nothing at all. The participants’ purchases were recorded with handheld barcode scanners for a period of six months.

The study found that the individuals who received a 12.5 percent discount on healthier food items bought about 1.7 more pounds of healthy food each week than those who didn’t receive the randomized discounts.

"The price reductions may have provided an additional incentive over and above health to buy healthier foods," the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Cliona Ni Mhurchu, told Reuters.

Although previous studies have shown that nutrition education is helpful in influencing healthier food purchases, Ni Mhurchu says that was not the case in this analysis.

Among the healthier foods purchased by the group that received the discounts were fruits and vegetables. Researchers say an average of six extra servings of these items were purchased when they were less expensive.