Americans are fully aware that the COVID pandemic of 2020 has changed our lives in more ways than not. So many “normals” have been forever altered and even those things that are the same still look different behind the viewpoints we now share because of this experience.
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Of all the things that are different post-pandemic, one of the things we may give the least amount of thought to is breakfast, but even our treasured eggs and bacon have not escaped some settling into the “new normal.”
How Breakfast Has Changed Post-Pandemic
One thing that has changed with the post-pandemic breakfast is who and how it’s being prepared. Although 50% of all Americans believe that breakfast is the most time consuming meal to prepare (which is why over half of us skip it entirely), the COVID pandemic forced us to face that challenge. With the sudden surge in remote working, and especially when quarantines were in full force, the number of Americans cooking from home went from 37% in 2019 to 60% in 2020. Although about the same number of people ate breakfast before and after the pandemic, consumption of breakfast items grew in 2020.
Many Americans see breakfast foods as comfort foods, and we all were reaching for a little extra comfort anywhere we could get it in 2020. It was a significantly more stressful year for the entire planet. Here in the US, we soothed some of that stress with “breakfast any time.” Our consumption of pancakes increased by 25%, waffles by 20%, sausage by 16%, bacon by 15%, and cereal by 11%.
Even though these foods aren’t necessarily healthy, nor only consumed at breakfast time, when it comes to eating actual breakfast, many of us did start making healthier breakfast choices than we did prior to the pandemic. That may be largely due to the fact that we started eating breakfast at home rather than swinging through a drive-thru.
Having A Good Breakfast
Pandemic or not, 2 out of 3 people make sure they get a good breakfast during the work week. Breakfast has been proven to be beneficial for many things, such as improving overall health, lowering risk of diabetes, increasing focus, and helping us to make healthier food choices throughout the day.
Some people do skip breakfast because it’s their preference to do so, but they only make up 29% of that group. Thirty-two percent skip breakfast because they feel they just don’t have the time, and they’d rather get a few more minutes of sleep.
To solve the issue of time, 2 out of 5 people are now interested in refrigerated heat-to-eat breakfast items since the pandemic began. These meals are convenient, taste great, and they’re at the right price. Preparing heat-to-eat breakfasts is actually much easier than taking the time and effort to go through a drive-thru. Not only that, our wallets tend to be much “healthier” with these options, and the choices are wider and often healthier for our bodies as well.
Take a look at American breakfast habits, courtesy of Bob Evans:
Source: BobEvansGrocery.com
