The results are nearly double that of Sheffield and Brighton, who came joint second place with over a quarter (26%) of their residents admitting their love of junk food. On the other end of the scale Londoners appear to be the most health conscious in the UK, with a giant 87% preferring healthier foods overall.
Making excuses for eating unhealthy comes most naturally to those living in Edinburgh, with 53% admitting they make up reasons to justify picking poor food choices. ‘I’ve earned it’, ‘I’ve had a bad day’ or ‘I’m too tired to cook’ were revealed as the most common excuses given by Brits. Southampton came second with 51%, closely followed by Belfast with 50%.
Over one fifth (22%) of UK adults aged 24-35 believe that it is simply too expensive to afford to eat healthily in Britain, while just under a quarter (24%) of 16-24 year olds admit to consistently eating unhealthy foods without any guilt.
Dr Adam Carey, nutritional health and wellness expert, said: “Having the willpower to eat healthily on a day to day basis isn’t just mind over matter, it’s also about making the right food choices to set you up for the day.
“It’s very easy to undo a week’s worth of hard work and effort with just one day of poor food choices. Recent research actually shows that people who have a protein rich breakfast and diet are more likely to resist the temptation of snacking later on.”
Mark Neville, founder of The Good Whey Co., the company behind Upbeat, said: “We know it’s not easy to always eat healthily and we can make excuses for this - some better than others. At Upbeat we believe in making it easier for people to lead a healthier lifestyle and not making it expensive or hard work, especially as life has got much more fast paced. Upbeat is there as a helping hand to help get the nation get back on track, keeping those excuses at bay, with a little bit of extra willpower in a bottle.”