Keep Calm And Eat Breakfast

The modern breakfast is becoming an increasingly rushed affair, so Amelia Glean looks at the health implications of hurrying what is still often called ‘the most important meal of the day’

- Amelia Glean

The American writer John Gunther is reputed to have said: “All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.” So why does the average Brit spend just six minutes and 29 seconds wolfing down their morning meal? 1

The answer, however, could be as much about the type of breakfast foods we are choosing to eat, as it is about the speed at which we are devouring them.

This is because the stereotypical Brit, sat at the breakfast table with a home cooked breakfast, is becoming a figure of the past, as convenient, on-the-go items see an increase in sales. 2

A survey by the hotel chain Travelodge found that, these days, convenience is king; with Londoners preferring to munch on instant porridge, southerners being partial to cereal options like cornflakes, and a bacon sandwich being favoured in the North East.

Breakfast al-desko

Jane Bains, a nutritional therapist at The Food Therapy Practice in Harpenden, says many of her clients tend to opt for quick and easy, on-the-go options, typically purchased from a coffee shop or a convenience store. “These include cereal bars, muffins, croissants and coffee, or instant porridge oats you can buy in pots.” What these foods have in common is that they can all be eaten when walking or sat at a desk.

But how do these choices differ from the British breakfast experience 50 years ago?

Flahavan’s, a porridge oat producer, found that a typical ‘60s breakfast would have included home-cooked food such as stove-cooked porridge, fresh boiled eggs and soldiers, and toast and jam. 3

Furthermore, says Bains: “Breakfast in the ‘60s would have seen families spending more time sitting down together.

“This would involve preparing, planning, and sitting at a table to eat and having a conversation.