Over the past 50 years, the eating habits of the French have changed a lot. The reason? The new rhythm of life of young people.
Is breakfast the most important meal of the day? The affirmation was popularized by the dietician Lenna F. Cooper in the pages of an American health magazine, named Good healthabout thirty years ago. But its origin is much older. It is indeed in the midst of an industrial revolution that this meal ritualized. Previously, “the foods that are now associated with breakfast have not yet been widespread”, explains Alain Drouard, historian and sociologist of food, to Release.
If many studies link regular breakfast to good health, weight loss or even more Low risk of heart problems Or diabetes, the methods they use are not always convincing. In addition, there are so many variants of this meal that it is difficult to associate with real health effects on health.
Faced with this observation, the ONEPOLL survey institute for Kellogg’s asked a sample of 2000 people, representative of the adult French population, if breakfast was always a sacred meal. In total, 77% of them still consider it a major component of their daily nutritional balance. For 31% of French people, it is also “an exclusive parenthesis”. “This morning break structures their day and offers a precious respite before facing their obligations,” said the study.
But this privileged moment for some is rather a productivity opportunity for others. This is why, 24% combine their breakfast daily with other activities: consult their emails, navigate social networks, prepare children for school etc.
These different lifestyles reveal a generational fracture. 19% of 18-24 year olds indeed favor morning multitasking against just 4.5% of the over 65s. The latter are almost 57% to consider breakfast as a moment of relaxation before starting their day. “This evolution testifies to a remarkable adaptability of this ritual with contemporary lifestyles”, underlines the study.
For very young generations, however, skipping breakfast can be dangerous for health. According to Dr. Arnaud Cocaul, this meal is “essential” for adolescent girls who have strong “energy needs”. With one in seven college girl who does not have breakfast every day, the young generation risks a deficit of calcium, normally compensated by dairy products. “This could lead to a generation at 50 or 60 years of osteoporotics,” warns the specialist on Mouv ‘.