2/3 of Americans Are Obese and Yet Believe They Are Eating Healthy

There is an amazing disconnect between people’s perceptions of what they eat, and what they actually eat. In a new survey, held  from 2/4/14 to 7/14/14, Meetville.com (dating app to find the right person) posed the question “Do you try to eat healthy meals?”.

The results show that 71% of Americans describe their diet as healthy. However, heart disease and stroke remain two of the top killers and pose a significant threat to millions of people, according to the American Heart Association’s Statistical Update 2014.

Obesity Expert Kelly Brownell, believes  that  partly the conflicting information comes from the way foods are marketed to people. “The fact that people eat less food doesn’t necessarily mean they're not eating a lot of other unhealthy things,” observes  Kelly. Yet she is sure the clash of research data and public opinion is a good sign. “While the high level of obesity hasn’t fallen, Americans are more cognizant now of what they eat and are trying to adopt somewhat healthier diets. These are not huge shifts, but they are positive ones," says Kelly.

The total number of respondents was 139,454. From the USA - 74%, from Canada - 2%, from Britain - 7%, from Australia - 4% and from other countries - 13%.

Alex Cusper, Meetville service analyst, reflects that nowadays the problem of poor eating habits is at a minimum an American problem, but more widespread than this. He reckons that a range of trends may be contributing to modest yet promising shifts in behavior, including greater public awareness and pressure on food manufacturers and the restaurant industry to produce more healthful offerings.

Meetville, a leading mobile dating service, regularly conducts research among its users. Millions of people from the U.S., Canada, Britain and Australia answer hundreds of questions every month. You can find the results of the poll here. If you are interested in research on a particular topic, please contact us. Any reprint of the material should be followed by clickable links to the survey.