What has happened in the past 10 years for the French to gradually abandon their sandwiches and hot drinks? Despite the message constantly renewed by the health authorities declaring that breakfast is necessary in the energy distribution of the day, for a decade, the systematic intake of this meal has been in freefall.
Indeed, the recent study by Crédoc, the Research Center for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions, shows how since 2003, both among the youngest and the adults, eating breakfast is down sharply.
It is in the case of children and young adolescents that the gap is the most glaring. In 2013, 29% of in-between skipped their first meal whereas three years earlier they were only 13%. On the other hand, adults have given up breakfast more gradually, they are 10% in 2007, then 14% in 2010, to finally represent the share of 21% in 2013.
A necessary meal
Essential to start the day, breakfast meets the energy needs of the body upon waking. It is observed in individuals who tend to skip the first meal of the day that the food ration absorbed at lunchtime is greater. In addition, while skipping the morning meal becomes a habit, when consumed, it is less and less balanced according to the Crédoc. To start the day, the PNNS (National Health Nutrition Program) recommends a full breakfast based on a cereal product, a dairy product, a fruit and a drink. We no longer count the benefits of a hearty breakfast, constantly brought to light by scientific research. It helps prevent the cardiovascular illnessesto fight against weight gain because it reduces the feeling of hunger throughout the day and has many advantages, especially for people with diabetes.
