Research finds urban Indians have little time for healthy breakfasts

By RJ Whitehead,27-Aug-2013

Only 3% of Indians regard breakfast as an essential meal, nearly three-quarters do not eat an adequate breakfast each day and one in four skip it completely, according to a study sponsored by Kellogg’s.

Eighty-four per cent of all subjects felt that breakfast should be light and 91% preferred it to be home cooked. Seventy-nine per cent of the people surveyed felt that fruits were important for a balanced breakfast. The long-term research project by the Nirmala Niketan College of Home Science in Mumbai, began in 2009 and covered over 3,600 respondents between the ages of eight and 40 in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. It found that fears of weight gain and a lack of time in the morning fuelled Indians’ lack of focus on breakfast.

Not the most important meal of the day

"Even among those who eat breakfast, we found glaring deficits in nutrients as per the recommended dietary allowance. 

“About 72% of the subjects are having nutritionally inadequate breakfast, especially in terms of iron and fibre intake," Malathi Sivaramkrishnan, research director at the institute said.

Among adolescents, it’s worse, with one in three skipping breakfast completely to control weight, said Sivaramkrishnan. Yet nutrients missed by skipping breakfast are not being compensated through other meals in the day.  

Residents of Kolkata were the most likely to miss out on a balanced breakfast, followed by Mumbai and Delhi, while those in Chennai opted for the most nutritious morning meal.

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