Our brains can be trained to prefer healthy food over unhealthy ones with a diet that doesn't leave individuals hungry.

This diet can reverse even well-established food addictions, said researchers from Tufts University in a study published in the journal, Nutrition & Diabetes. The study ran for six months.

Like Us on Facebook

As infants, we're not predisposed to liking junk food or disliking healthy food, said Prof. Susan Roberts, senior study author and behavioral nutrition scientist at Tufts. The food conditioning happens over time and we tend towards unhealthy food because of "the toxic food environment".

Roberts and her colleagues also acknowledged that once the conditioning occurs and becomes well-established, it's very difficult for people to change their eating habits and lose weight.

In order to change the conditioning, the research team suggests letting the brain undergo training.

The team studied the part of the brain related to reward and addiction.

Thirteen overweight and obese women and men participated in the study. Eight of them were part of a specially designed weight-loss program, while the remaining five were not.

The special diet plan revolved around shifting food preferences by requiring a diet high in fiber and protein but low in carbohydrates.

The diet didn't allow participants to go hungry. Researchers believe that when hunger strikes, that is when cravings for unhealthy food begins.

Before and after the six-month study, the brains of the participants were scanned with an MRI. Researchers found the reward center of the brain of those who followed the diet plan changed significantly.

For the eight that undertook the diet plan, photos of healthy and low-calorie food shown them produced an increased reaction -- an indication that the participants felt an increased enjoyment at the healthier food.

Their reward centers also revealed a drop in sensitivity to unhealthy, high-calorie food.

Scientists believe that solutions such as gastric bypass surgery can solve the problem of weight loss, but can take away the pleasure of eating instead of making healthier food alternatives more enjoyable.

"There is much more research to be done here, involving many more participants, long-term follow-up and investigating more areas of the brain," Prof. Roberts added.