Traditional foods still top the list of favorites for breakfast — eggs were by far the first choice in a 2019 survey by market research company OnePoll. The top 10 list included sausage, toast, pancakes, bacon, cereal, fresh fruit, oatmeal, home fries and doughnuts.
But that doesn’t mean this is what everyone eats for breakfast.
In a recent social media discussion, thousands of people reported that breakfast foods were good any time of day. And there were as many comments about dinner foods making for a great breakfast. Favorite items included cold pizza, tacos, lasagna, meatloaf sandwiches, hot dogs with mustard and relish, pumpkin pie, cold chicken and fried fish, and just about anything left over from the night before.
People clearly didn’t feel compelled to follow the rules for a traditional breakfast. That’s fine, according to the philosophy of Better Breakfast Month, marked in September, as long as the emphasis for making breakfast better is to incorporate healthier foods into the diet.
The old saying goes, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
Although research does not definitively prove or disprove that statement, the International Food Information Council, which surveys the eating habits of Americans, cited studies linking breakfast to improved weight control and cardiovascular health, increased short-term memory, and better cognitive and academic performance. There are even mental health benefits to eating breakfast, including less fatigue and emotional distress, the studies indicated.
But, the group said, there is no common definition of breakfast that researchers and consumers use. Breakfast means anything from the first meal of the day to one eaten during a specific time period, to any “eating event” a consumer wants to consider as breakfast.
Defining breakfast got even blurrier when the council’s most recent surveys looked at the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, 85% of respondents, and in this year 72%, reported the pandemic caused changes in their food habits. People are cooking at home more, thinking about food more, and snacking and eating more. About 80% of respondents reported they ate a meal or snack between 5 and 9 a.m., and 80% reported the same between 9 a.m. and noon — in other words, many people, likely working or schooling from home, nibbled throughout the morning.
The pandemic also affected eating out for breakfast, according to the National Restaurant Association. Pre-pandemic, 30% of adults picked up breakfasts to-go. This dropped during the early days of sheltering in place, but has now returned to previous levels.
However, according to the restaurant group, pre-pandemic, 27% of adults went out for a sit-down breakfast weekly. This decreased sharply during the early days of pandemic restrictions and has not fully recovered.
This is the situation at the Beverly Bakery on Western Avenue, which did a thriving sit-down breakfast business in pre-pandemic days. According to owner Jean Marie Quigley, sales are still down by 25%. The Beverly Bakery has not resumed inside seating, but does offer meals in an outside courtyard.
The information council reported in 2021 that 44% of respondents said they supported local restaurants during the pandemic with takeout orders, and the Beverly Bakery did increase business this way, offering more prepared meals to go, including chicken and beef pot pies and vegan dishes. But nothing really replaces in-person diners.
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“We really miss the people who came into the neighborhood on the weekends,” said Quigley. “On Saturdays and Sundays, people came in to buy our coffee beans and have a nice, relaxed sit-down breakfast, but they are understandably still being careful because of the virus.”
As people return in-person to work and school, the old excuses for skipping breakfast will likely return. According to council, these included lack of time and convenience, not being hungry upon arising, forgetting to eat, and not being sure what to eat.
There is plenty of professional advice on how to fit a healthy breakfast into the daily routine. Some good ideas are covered in “Six Tips for Better Breakfasts” written by registered dietitians and found on the website of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at eatright.org.
From Nigerian egg stew with boiled yams to brown bags with fruit and trail mix, there’s a healthy breakfast out there for everyone.
Carol Flynn is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.