We're having bacon and eggs for breakfast -- again
Thu Sep 26, 9:59 AM ET

Nanci Hellmich USA TODAY

Americans are eating bacon and eggs for breakfast at home more often now than they did a few years ago, according to a report from the NPD Group in Port Washington, N.Y.

For its annual eating trends survey, the marketing information company has one person in each of 2,000 U.S. households keep a daily diary of what people eat during a two-week period.

The latest survey revealed:

* Eggs and egg dishes were eaten 33 times per person on average for breakfast at home in 2002, compared with 27 times in 1998. Fifteen of those 33 dishes eaten in 2002 were in the form of scrambled eggs.

* Bacon was eaten 13 times per person for breakfast at home in 2002, compared with 12 times in 1998. Sausages were consumed 10 times a year in 2002, up from seven times in 1998.

* The top breakfast foods in 2002, in order, were ready-to-eat cereal, bread/toast, fruit, eggs/omelets, hot cereal, pancakes/waffles/French toast, bacon, bagels, sausage and sandwiches.

* Breakfast was skipped 50 times in 2002, compared with the high of 51 in 1998 and low of 41 in 1996. Adults ages 18 to 34 are the mostly likely to skip breakfast.

* 77% of breakfasts are still eaten at home, 13% of breakfasts are skipped, 7% come from restaurants, and 3% are carried from home.

''When we do make breakfast at home, we are going back to things like eggs and sausage,'' NPD's Arnie Schwartz says. ''But there is an increasing need for speed in the morning.''

Bacon and egg consumption might be up at least in part because of the popularity of high-protein diets such as the Atkins diet, Schwartz says.

If people are eating more eggs, then maybe they know ''the sunny side of eggs,'' says Keith Ayoob, a spokesman for the American Dietetic Association.

''Eggs are nutritional powerhouses, but too often they are paired with bacon, which is high in saturated fat,'' he says.

''I'd like to see the eggs eaten with whole-wheat toast and fresh fruit,'' he says. ''Eggs are low in saturated fat and provide some of the highest-quality protein of any food. They are one of the few non-dairy sources of vitamin D. They are cheap, kids love them, and they are fast food.''

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