Research Shows Women Choose Vanity Over Health

Research released today indicates 34 percent of New Zealand women aged 18 to 39 years of age forgo breakfast to spend more time in the shower, putting on make-up and deciding what to wear in the mornings.

Commissioned by Sanitarium Health Foods Company the research found on average females spend 5.3 minutes deciding what to wear, 6.6 minutes dressing, 4.5 doing their hair, and 5.9 minutes making a hot drink in the morning.

Sanitarium’s nutritionist, Kim Stirling says the new information is concerning and shows young kiwi women are ill-informed about the effects eating breakfast can have on physical appearance.

“Eating a balanced diet is one of the best known beauty secrets, depriving yourself of breakfast means you lack energy in the morning and can look withdrawn and tired,” Ms Stirling says.

“Going without breakfast means you are more likely to crave foods high in fat and sugar which can lead to malnutrition and the loss of important vitamins and minerals resulting in a number of physical effects such as hair thinning, (and sometimes loss) and brittle nails.”

Ms Stirling believes breakfast has become a low priority and low involvement eating occasion for busy young females.

“Although they know they should be eating breakfast they won’t if it takes up too much time,” Ms Stirling says.

In light of this new research, Sanitarium Health Foods Company has launched a new liquid breakfast offering females a healthy option for on-the-run breakfast consumption.

Fastbreak is a 99 percent fat-free fruit smoothie packed with iron, fibre and calcium, contains 15 percent real fruit juice and is the ideal way for busy females to fit breakfast into their lives.

“FastBreak is the perfect, convenient breakfast solution for the image and health conscious young woman (18 to 39 years), who is busy finding her independence in the world and who wants to look good and feel good, but also wants easy answers,” Ms Stirling says.

Conducted by AC Nielsen the research also shows women who eat breakfast everyday are more likely to be healthier than their non-breakfast eating counterparts, are more likely to receive their recommended daily intake of iron and are likely to visit their GP less often.

HABITS OF KIWI WOMEN 18 TO 39 YEARS

 Forty five percent of NZ women aged 18 to 39 years of age go to bed between 9.30pm and 10.30pm on weeknights.

 Christchurch women (18 to 39 years) more likely to go to bed earlier than their Auckland and Wellington counterparts.

 Twice the number of Wellingtonian females burn the midnight oil during weeknights than women residing in Auckland and Christchurch during the week not going to bed until midnight.

 South Islanders’ slower to rise in the mornings than North Island women.

 Majority of females aged 18 to 39 years spend the majority of their time in the mornings showering.

 Having breakfast also takes up a large amount of females’ time in the mornings. On average they spend 13 minutes making and eating breakfast as opposed to 5.3 deciding what to wear, 6.6 minutes to dress, 4.5 to do hair, and 5.9 minutes making a hot drink.

 33 percent of Kiwi women want more time in the mornings to do things for themselves.

CHARACTERISTICS OF BREAKFAST EATERS AND NON-BREAKFAST EATERS

 Women who eat breakfast are more likely to be healthier than their non-eating counterparts. They are also more likely to be earlier risers, will eat lunch, receive their recommended daily iron intake everyday, get all the fibre necessary from food and their low fat diets is a way of life. They exercise regularly 2 – 6 times a week, visit their GP at least once a year.

 Breakfast – eaters tend to come from larger households 5 people plus; are young couples with children and have high household incomes of $100K plus.

 While the non-breakfast-eaters tend to eat lunch either, they lack calcium, energy and are often tired during the day, they are less likely to go to the GP at all, come from smaller households (1 – 2 people) with lower household incomes ($50K) – more likely to have slept in than have had breakfast.

WOMEN, WORK AND BREAKFAST

 32 percent of New Zealand women say they are too busy and do not have time to have breakfast in the mornings. 34 percent say this is due to having to organise others as well as self in the mornings.

 22 percent say they don’t have breakfast because they wake up too late while 23 percent say it id because they don’t manage their time well.

 43 percent of Australasian women show interest in the Breakfast Drink Concept. And are more likely to be NZ Women who have less than an hour between waking and leaving for work; who skip breakfast; are conscious about weight, health and are family jugglers. They also think they don’t get enough calcium in their diets, often lack energy in the mornings and know breakfast is important.

 60 percent of NZ women who don’t eat breakfast say their first meal of the day is a hot drink.

ATTITUDES TO HEALTH AND NUTRITION

 More breakfast skippers disagree that they receive all the fibre they need from their diets.

 Breakfast skippers agree they lack iron, calcium and are not as fit and healthy as they could be.

 Skippers more likely to put others’ needs before their own.

 42 percent of Kiwi women get their nutritional information from magazines and the newspaper.

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