Based on the old expression

"You are what you eat," America is a melting pot of cereal,

sandwiches, pizza and chocolate.

That's just a morsel of

information from Parade magazine's biennial "What America Eats"

research study. The survey of adults 18 to 65 was designed to identify

key trends in the food marketplace and the American kitchen, and the implications

for product development.

Among some of the survey's

key findings are:

- Over the past 10 years,

time spent in the kitchen for meal preparation has dropped from 49 minutes

to 29 minutes.

- Nearly one in three

American adults (31 percent) claim to be "on a diet" at any

given time.

- Italian cuisine remains

the most popular ethnic food to cook/ eat (85 percent), but Mexican is

a very close runner-up (81 percent).

- Today, 91 percent of

consumers use "convenience foods," compared to just 69 percent

of consumers in 1993.

- Compared to two years

ago, 41 percent of consumers are eating more chicken and 29 percent are

eating less beef.

Breakfast

The survey found that 66 percent

of Americans eat breakfast during the week, compared to 71 percent who

eat breakfast on Sunday. An estimated 76 percent of people eat breakfast

at home during the week, with cold cereal ranking as the top breakfast

choice, followed by a bagel, roll, muffin or toast.

Lunch

While the number of options

are plentiful, ranging from salad bars and new fast foods to gourmet wraps

and convenience foods, the sandwich remains the favorite lunch choice

among Americans-more than twice as popular as fast food, the #2 choice.

Snacking

The majority of adults snack

in the evening, while kids tend to snack in the afternoon. Chips (either

alone, or with salsa or dip) are the favorite snack of both groups-and

have been for the past 10 years. However, popcorn is close behind.

Comfort food

Not surprisingly, pizza ranks

as the #1 answer to the question "If you were stranded on a desert

island, which one food could you not live without?" However, it is

only the #3 choice for "favorite comfort food," following chocolate

and ice cream. As for guilty pleasures, more adults would head to the

bakery for a sweet treat, rather than reaching for the ice cream or chocolate.

Back

to Dining Guide Home Page | Back

to the top of the page