Mornings got a little busier for Jodi Anasta once she became a mum to gorgeous little Aleeia. And like it does for most of us, breakfast became kind of optional.
“Oh I’ve done the whole standing up to eat, or grabbing her crusts and leftover banana as my own breakfast,” laughs Anasta. “There’s just so much to get done in the mornings now.”
And she’s not alone. A new survey, conducted by Pauls, found that Australian families are so busy in the morning that they don’t have time to eat breakfast together with only one in five families sitting down to eat breakfast every day.
“There’s just so much to get done in the mornings now.”
But Anasta knows that ‘business’ is a good problem to have when there are many Australian families who struggle to get breakfast on the table at all, which is why she’s teamed up with teamed up with Aussie milk brand Pauls to encourage people to support Foodbank, who distribute much needed to families across the country.
Research from Foodbank has revealed that one in five children in Australia have experienced food insecurity in the last year, with 18 percent going to school without eating breakfast at least once a week.
“So many elements of this campaign resonate with me,”
Anasta and Pauls are encouraging Aussies to share a picture of their own breakfast moments enjoyed with friends, family or housemates – on social media with #BreakfastWithPauls.
For every image shared using the #BreakfastWithPauls hashtag, Pauls will donate an incredible $1 to Foodbank. How great is that?!
“It’s heartbreaking to know there are Australians who are struggling to put food on the table each day, which is why organisations like Foodbank are so important.” says Anasta.
What Anasta didn’t expect when she joined the campaign was how the focus on breakfast would affect her own home.
“Making the time to sit with Aleeia has opened up some great conversations.”
“The statistics around families not eating together really hit home when I realised I wasn’t doing that either,” says Anasta.
“Since becoming involved with this campaign, I’m trying to be more efficient in the mornings so that I can sit with Aleeia and not take those moments for granted.
“Making the time to sit with Aleeia has opened up some great conversations. It’s been an opportunity to talk about how fortunate we are, and the value there is in helping others while being appreciative for everything we have … even breakfast isn’t to be taken for granted.”
Mornings are much more chaotic than evenings in Australian homes
The research discovered that mornings are tough for most of us, and it’s breakfast that takes the brunt of that chaos.
37 percent of parents spend less than five minutes each weekday sitting down to eat breakfast and 10 percent are so busy they eat standing up.
Many parents are distracted in the mornings and eat their breakfast while packing lunchboxes (32 percent), scrolling social media (28 percent), watching TV (45 percent) or getting dressed (21 percent).
As many as one in five parents say breakfast is being eaten while family members are getting dressed and 11 percent while commuting to work or school. Perhaps unsurprisingly, an overwhelming majority of parents (80 percent) agree that mornings are more chaotic than evenings.
Mornings are so chaotic that parents and kids are becoming forgetful; almost two thirds of parents (64 percent) admit that they sometimes forget to pack essential items for school for their kids. On average, parents who forget to pack essential items for their kids do so at least twice a week.
Jodi Anasta will be sharing images of her breakfast moments throughout the campaign.
“Morning nutrition is so important”
For Anasta, finding quick, healthy breakfast options has been key for helping her make time in the mornings.
“Porridge, pancakes, cereal … they’re all pretty quick and really make sure that we’ve got the best start to the day,” says Anasta.
“Aleeia is also obsessed with making smoothies at the moment, which is really fun.”
Anasta will be sharing images of her breakfast moments throughout the campaign.
“I knew the minute I heard about the campaign that I wanted to be a part of it,” says Anasta. “Last year, Pauls donated 378,750 litres of fresh milk to Foodbank – enough to provide 682,430 meals for people in need. I feel fortunate to have been asked to help.
Pauls will donate $1 to Foodbank on behalf on behalf of families for every #BreakfastWithPauls image shared during July and August 2018.
