Exploring Breakfast Food and The Nutrient Density: An International Perspective

Breakfast is generally considered the most important meal of the day. Several studies have shown that there is a relationship between eating breakfast and chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and metabolic syndrome However, there is no scientific consensus on what constitutes a quality or nutritious breakfast, nor is there a consensus on what constitutes a breakfast meal. While people are consuming breakfast goods more quickly to adapt to the changing lifestyles of today, traditional and incredibly nutritious breakfasts are still enjoyed in many nations. Different cultures, geographical regions, and times have developed diverse eating patterns and conventional meal compositions, including breakfast. Therefore, this research aims to fill this knowledge gap by providing insight into the traditional breakfast cuisines and current breakfast habits of some selected countries. Moreover, the present study also evaluated the nutrient density of a general breakfast meal in each country. In this context, we organized a breakfast meal that included the greatest consumption of food and beverages among the breakfasts belonging to the countries and then calculated Nutrient Rich Food Index (NRF) 9.3. As a result, the NRF score of counties ranged between 25.49 and 42.59, Western-style breakfast including breakfast cereals with whole-cow milk, had an NRF score of 11.37. Consequently, there is a clear need for the preservation and promotion of traditional breakfast practices, even as the food industry is urged to focus on improving the nutritional quality of Western-style breakfast options.