What the NZ breakfast survey reveals

Kiwis love breakfast and while we know it’s the most important meal of the day, according to new research our busy lives are affecting the nutritional value of our breakfast choices.

The Eggs Inc New Zealand Breakfast Survey, conducted in August by Horizon Research showed that only 11% of people surveyed don’t eat breakfast. Despite this, the majority of Kiwis are selling themselves short when it comes to choosing the most nutritious breakfast option to eat daily.

The research showed that during the week at breakfast time, 50 per cent of Kiwis choose to start the day with toast.

“While toast is a better option than some of the sugar laden cereals out there, adding eggs would further improve the nutritional value to provide essential protein and vitamins and minerals that are so readily available in eggs,” says Dietitian MaryRose Spence.

“Adding two eggs to toast at breakfast time, provides over 20 per cent of the daily recommended intake of protein alone,” she adds.

The New Zealand Breakfast Survey indicated that perceived lack of time was the biggest obstacle to considering breakfast options with a higher nutrient content.

“Most New Zealanders are taking between 5 to 10 minutes to prepare and eat breakfast,” says Eggs Inc Marketing Manager Kate McHardy. “We are launching a new campaign to change perceptions and convince Kiwi’s that if they’ve got time for toast, they’ve got time for eggs.”

The New Zealand Breakfast Survey also revealed:

• Women are more likely to eat breakfast than men

• Men spend more time preparing breakfast than women

• People 45 years and older spend a third longer preparing and eating breakfast then younger people

• Kiwis are experts at cooking eggs, only 0.3% of survey respondents said they didn’t know how to cook an egg

• Men are more likely to stick to the same routine when it comes to breakfast, women on the other hand are more likely to vary what they eat each day by including fruit, porridge and yoghurt as part of their breakfast repertoire

• New Zealand is a nation of egg lovers, Only 4.5% of the survey respondents said they didn’t like eggs

During New Zealand Nutrition Week (September 23-28), breakfast eaters around New Zealand are encouraged to take the Egg and Toast Challenge by challenging themselves to cook their eggs in the time it takes for the toast to pop.

“As life has sped up we have stopped seeing eggs as a breakfast option during the week because we think they take too long to prepare,” says McHardy. “The reality is that whichever way you like your eggs, they take just minutes to prepare and the nutritional benefits are long lasting. It’s a time investment we are encouraging kiwis to make.”

As well as containing over 11 essential vitamins and minerals, it is well documented that the high quality protein in eggs boosts satiety. A recent study in America has shown that people who ate eggs for breakfast were less likely to eat a high calorie lunch than people who ate cereal for breakfast.[1]

“A healthy diet could consist of six eggs a week,” says Spence. “The easiest way to include more eggs in your diet is to start the day with them; a breakfast of eggs is healthy, simple, fast and delicious.”

[1] Vander Wal JS, Gupta A, Khosla P, Dhurandhar NV. Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. Int J Obes 2008;32:1545-51