What About Second Breakfast? 3 Reasons Why You Need It and How To Get The Most Out Of It!
In the words of Lord of The Rings’ Hobbit, Pippin:
“What about second breakfast?”
Mornings are busy. And if we are lucky to get a balanced breakfast, we are typically hungry by 9:30 or 10AM. Based on biofeedback and nutrition science, I believe Pippin was on to something.
Second breakfast is a great way to boost your energy! Today I am breaking down 3 reasons second breakfast is worth adding to your routine.
1. Eating a second breakfast is in alignment with biofeedback.
It takes about 2-4 hours for your body to process a meal and snack and be ready for the next one. In other words, if you eat breakfast at 7:30, and then you are hungry again between 9:30-11:30, congrats! You did it right and it is time for a snack… aka second breakfast!
2. It prevents you from overeating at lunch.
How many of you skip breakfast, or try to keep breakfast small, in an effort to “save” your calories for later? I see so many of my clients do this. In my pre-dietitian days, I use to do this as well! Now I see the science behind having solid nutrition in the mornings and I want you to feel the benefits too! Adding in a balanced breakfast and a protein-based snack mid-morning creates beautiful blood sugar curves throughout your morning.
This keeps your cortisol in an optimal place, allows your brain to focus on the tasks at hand, and keeps you from getting hungry before noon! What isn’t to love here? Most people who “save” calories end up overeating at the next meal. I am a big believer that doing so sets us up to overeat or binge. We do our body (and our brain) a favor when we fuel consistently throughout the day.
3. It is a way to get in an extra dose of protein and color.
This is the part where I clarify that when I say second breakfast I am not talking about a pumpkin spice latte and a donut (although every once in a while that is a nice treat)! If we are thinking of using this eating opportunity as a means to nutritiously enhance our day, boost our energy, and fuel our awesome… providing the body with protein and natural color would be the best combo!
Most women don’t eat adequate protein. Therefore, adding in a mid-morning snack give you an opportunity to add in another dose of protein. This could mean the difference from taking you from eating 75% of your total protein needs to 100%!
Tune in for my favorite GO-TO second breakfast ideas!
For more on how to build your second breakfast into your fuel plan, start with Food Foundations. Here you will get the groundwork taken care of so you can listen and learn from your own biofeedback and get set up with your individualized fuel plan. I can’t wait for ya’ll to feel the energy bump when you experience the benefits of a second breakfast. For all the ladies out there squeezing more into your day than what feels possible, you need all the energy you can get.
Instead of wasting that precious energy on stressing over food— what if you invested a bit of time into your body and health? Instead of the quick fix found in every fad diet out there— what if instead, you learned about your own body and how it connects with food? Food Foundations is your all-encompassing, self-paced course to create your own, customized plan. I can’t wait to see how you will make more happen in your day with an energy-boosting fuel… and in today’s case… second breakfast.
Cheers, and happy eating!
