The most common lie told is ‘It was only a small portion’ followed by ‘I’ll have a big lunch so I won’t eat much after this.’ Sound familiar?
Apparently chocolate is the food that’s most likely to compel women to fib. After this it’s crisps and cake. But what other ‘white’ lies are women most likely tell when it comes to the food they eat?
Top 20 most common food lies told by British women
1. It was only a small portion |
2. I’ll have a big lunch so I won’t eat much after this |
3. I treat myself only once in a while |
4. I always eat my five-a-day |
5. I didn’t touch any of the biscuits |
6. I had only one glass |
7. I didn’t eat the last one |
8. I won’t eat again today after this |
9. I was too busy to have lunch |
10. I might as well polish them off now or they’ll go bad |
11. I had a healthy salad |
12. I never touch fast food |
13. Red wine is good for you |
14. I have only half a sugar |
15. I limit my carb intake |
16. I’m testing the dinner |
17. I had a drink only because we were toasting an occasion |
18. I drink only diet fizzy drinks |
19. I just finished off the kids’ leftovers |
20. I don’t drink tea after 5pm |
This study, as reported in the Daily Mail and the Telegraph today, says the survey commissioned 3,000 Britons. Judging by these results, it would seem the survey was conducted among 3,000 British women. It would certainly be interesting to see a further breakdown of the ‘women’ questioned. For example, were these ‘lies’ told equally by all women, ie slim and overweight? Or were they told by those who were worried about their weight or on a diet? And who are they telling these lies to?
What about men? Do they have a similar love/hate/guilt relationship with food as women? I suspect the results might be quite different.
Dr Cassandra Maximenko, a chiropractor and athlete, said “This study proves we live in a nation of denial where image takes a higher priority than honesty and no one wants to be seen eating food they shouldn’t.”
The fact that women feel the need to lie about what they eat, is a sad indictment of the complex relationship with food many of us have today. We know that eating cakes, burgers and chocolate is unhealthy and can lead to weight gain. But these are the foods that we love to eat. They’ve become our guilty pleasure. And if we slip up in public, we feel we’ve been caught out. Hence the excuse or ‘lie’.
However, such ‘lies’ are sometimes told in good faith. We really do mean it when we say things like ‘I won’t eat again today after this’ but fail at the first sign of hunger (or food)! Also, many people, men and women, have a selective memory when it comes to what they eat. This often becomes apparent when they start filling in a food diary.
Maybe this denial of what we are really eating has its own part to play with the weight problems faced by much of the population today.
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