Grocery Lists Don't Guarantee Healthy Choices

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In the study, researchers at the University of Minnesota asked half of the participants to perform a mental task but to not think of a "white bear." Then they gave the participants $10 to spend at a bookstore. The shoppers could keep any unspent money for themselves.

The result: People who had tried to stop themselves from thinking about the "white bear" spent an average of $4.05 -- nearly three times as much ($1.21) as participants who were put under no such constraint.

The finding may have lessons for people who embark on regimens involving self-denial, the researchers said. Perhaps, they wrote, "people should avoid shopping on days when they have earlier exercised great self-control or when starting a new self-improvement program, such as a new diet."

More information

There's more on healthy eating at the American Dietetic Association.