In general, kids would rather have a pizza slice than a carrot stick; for years, schools have tried to figure out ways to get their elementary-age charges to eat more fruits and veggies. We’ve seen them institute comprehensive educational programs, eliminate junk food from menus, and forbid students from bringing their own lunches from home. Nothing ever seems to work…unless you count a little experiment going on in Utah.

Elementary kids in Orem, Utah, have been eating lunch after recess rather than before. Researchers from Brigham Young and Cornell universities thought it might be a great opportunity to see how that switch might impact eating habits. Sure enough, researchers found the average kid increased fruit-and-veggie consumption by 54 percent. In fact, about 45 percent of students who never ate greenery during lunch started doing so.

Researchers believe kids are more likely to eat more good stuff if they’re not feeling quite so rushed and are pretty hungry after burning off some calories. “It’s not always what’s on the tray that matters,” he says. “Sometimes it’s what you were doing before or after lunch that makes the difference.” (USA Today)