IRISH children are eating breakfast cereals morning, noon and night, according to new research on eating habits. And if the "new man" exists he is staying out of the kitchen.
The report, published by the Department of Health yesterday, found that breakfast cereals represent one of the favourite foods between meals, instead of as meals and after meals.
Fewer than half the 300 mothers surveyed said their husband or partner cooked for the whole family at least once a week. A small number of farmers' families were surveyed and male farmers appeared "most resistant to cooking meals for the whole family".
Thirty one per cent of the 485 children aged between five and 12 eat breakfast cereals as an evening snack, according to their mothers. This made an evening bowl of cereal more popular than biscuits, at 27 per cent, 25 per cent eating crisps and snacks. Only 15 per cent ate chocolate in the evenings. More than a third of mothers said their children sometimes ate cereal instead of dinner or tea.
The survey was carried out by Lansdowne Market Research in March. It was published by the Minister of State for Health, Mr Brian O'Shea, to start National Healthy Eating Week.
Mr O'Shea said research showed that Irish people did not get enough fibre in their diets. "The average male intake of fibre per day is 20g, the average female's is 17g," he said. The recommended intake is at least 25g a day.
Potatoes were also a staple favourite, served once a day in 77 per cent of households.
The tomato did badly, with only 3 per cent of mothers saying it was their children's favourite vegetable. Most said carrots were their favourite. And 8 per cent of mothers said their children did not eat vegetables.
Three out of four mothers said they served white bread more than once a day, with brown bread served by half the respondents.
And the tradition of the family Sunday meal remains, according to the survey, with nine out of 10 families sitting down to meat and two veg every week.
"More than eight in 10 mothers claim to like watching cookery programmes on TV. Just over seven in 10 like to try new recipes and two in every three claim to `really' enjoy cooking."
