WASHINGTON – The good news: More Americans are eating breakfast.
The bad news: It’s not the right kind of breakfast.
Sales of breakfast foods are up nearly 20 percent, with a 7 percent increase last year alone. But SmartMoney reports sweet breads, pastries and bacon and sausages are at the top of consumers’ breakfast lists.
While doctors and dietitians promote the morning meal as the most important of the day, not everyone is eating a breakfast of champions.
And what makes bacon, danishes and breakfast sausages so unhealthy is lots of saturated fat, sodium and sugar. And it also makes them irresistible, says SmartMoney.
More than half of people eat breakfast food for dinner and some even eat it as dessert. Also, people are drinking less milk.
Apparently there’s a tug of war going on in America, folks want to eat healthy but taste is so important.
Some fast-food places and restaurants are trying to respond with healthy alternatives. McDonald’s has added breakfast options that are under-300 calories, and the number of menu items using turkey bacon more than tripled between 2009 and 2012.
But still, regular bacon remains the top choice. In fact, menu items with bacon increased nearly 20 percent between 2009 and 2012. Between 2009 and 2011 bacon sales rose 62 percent.
WTOP’s Veronica Robinson contributed to this report. Follow VRobWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.
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