A quarter of millennials have taken bacon off the menu, says survey
Glotech's survey of 2000 Brits about their eating habits found that over 25% of people aged between 18–24 have removed bacon from breakfast, suggesting a shift towards healthier options for the most important meal of the day.
The survey also revealed that while almost a quarter of Brits (22.6%) still “go to work on an egg”, trends in egg cooking show scrambled is slowly overtaking fried as the egg of choice in a full English amongst the more health conscious millennials.
Ursula Philpot, dietitian and senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, said: “There is a link between packaged meats like bacon which are cured and wrapped and bowel cancer which is why we ask people to avoid and reduce their consumption when possible."
“We wouldn’t tell people to never eat bacon or sausages but to look at their consumption. If they’re eating it three or four times a week it might be worth reducing your intake but if it’s once a fortnight then it’s nothing to worry about.”
According to the results, women are much more likely to pick breakfast up on their way to work rather than eating before leaving the house, leading to over a quarter of women admitting to snacking throughout the morning.
However, even though women claimed to buy their breakfast during their commute more often than men, they manage to spend 55p less on breakfast foods than men do each week.
Anna Daniels, a dietitian and British Dietetic Association Spokesperson said: “With the growing emergence of social media teens and adolescents are becoming increasingly aware of their eating habits. There is a worry that this can be taken to the extreme as a little bacon in a full English occasionally as part of a balanced diet would be perfectly harmless."
“I think a slightly more concerning finding from the study is that more and more people are eating on the go. Picking up breakfast on route to work and not eating it at home. This leaves the consumer more likely to eat pre-packaged and processed breakfasts that may be higher in sugar and salt. A good breakfast will set you up for the day and ensures that you don’t reach for the biscuit time mid-morning”
The average Brit spends £6.88 a week on breakfast, which is quite low considering it is supposed to be the most important meal of the day.
The survey also found that a bowl of cereal is still the most common breakfast with 59% of people regularly choosing it. Followed by toast (51%), porridge (34.8%) and an egg (22.6%).
Click here to view the full survey results on the Glotech website.
