The Consumer Reports National Research Center recently surveyed a national sample of 1,234 U.S. adults about their eating habits and how they maintained a healthy diet. The results? We think we’re eating healthier than we are, and we’re in denial about our own obesity.

We found that Americans are making an effort to practice good nutrition and weight control, with 90 percent describing their diet as “somewhat,” “very,” or “extremely” healthy. But they have a tendency to give themselves more credit than they perhaps deserve. They drink more sweetened beverages than they should, for example, and sometimes undercut their own efforts at weight control by not limiting their intake of sweets and fats.

More worrisome:

Overall, 50 percent said they were overweight or obese, compared with about six in 10 who actually were. About one in three people who said they were at a healthy weight actually had BMIs in the overweight range. And less than 1 in 10 made an error in the other direction–they said they were overweight or obese when their BMIs suggested they were not.

You can see the full article on our sister-website, Consumer Reports Health.

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