The majority of Brits (61 percent) are in complete denial about their health, according to new research.
A new study into the nation’s attitudes towards their wellbeing has revealed we tell on average 20 fibs a week regarding our lifestyles – that’s 1,020 every year.
And it isn’t only our friends we try to deceive, it is also partners, doctors – and even ourselves, according to the research by KP Nuts.
In fact, a staggering 61 percent of the adults who took part in the study admitted they were in denial about their health – with 16 percent claiming they “always” paint a healthier picture of their lives to others.
Fifteen percent have told acquaintances that they are a non-smoker when it wasn’t the case – and further a 13 percent routinely play down the level of alcohol they consume.
A further 12 percent claim they are “gym-goer” - regardless of how often they actually frequent the gym.
However, the biggest fib to emerge from the poll was how much water we drink – with 18 percent claiming they drink more than one litre of it every day.
Other regular fibs to emerge from the research included “I never eat take-aways” (7 percent), “I don’t watch television” (14 percent) and “my children aren’t allowed sweets” (6 percent)
But regardless of age, mums are the people we are most likely to lie to about our health to - with 19 percent of adults STILL pulling the wool over their mother’s eyes about how healthy they are.
16 percent tell lies to their other half about their lifestyle – and a further 16 percent admitted going to the school playground in their gym gear to give off a healthy vibe to the other mums and dads.
More worryingly – 19 percent of us routinely lie to our GP about our lifestyles with 41 percent filling medical forms in inaccurately to give off a better impression.
36 percent exaggerate how healthy they are on social media –and men are the worst culprits (43 percent)
When asked why, 26 percent of those polled said it was because of peer pressure – and 14 percent said it was because of celebrity influences.
51 percent said they felt pressure to keep up with the Jones’s in terms of their health.
A spokesperson for KP Nuts who commissioned the research says, “We’re all a little guilty of fibbing about what we’ve really been snacking on, but the truth is, we don’t have to take supplements and pump iron at the gym to be healthy.
"Some foods that we write off in a bid to eat well, can be far more nutritious than we give them credit for. It’s not about following food fads, it’s about knowing which foods taste good and still give you the nutrients you need. A handful of peanuts for example (or 25g) can provide around 7g of protein, and tastes great too.”
But despite the trend for healthy living – real or fake – millions of Brits believe many of their friends are also not being entirely honest about their lifestyles.
Around one in four (23 percent) said ‘everyone does it’, while 35 percent agreed because ‘no-one can be super-healthy all the time’.
Another one in five (20 percent) confessed their ‘crime’ but added: ‘I am nowhere near the worst culprit’.
