Farmers Are Not the Only Ones Who Crave Second Breakfast

Second breakfast, a meal between breakfast and lunch, is traditionally eaten at 10 a.m. in parts of Germany, Poland, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. The menu varies slightly in each country but typically consists of coffee with pretzels and sausages (Germany), fruit and sandwiches (Hungary) or pastries with chocolate pudding (Poland). In France, “petit-dejeuner” is a light snack or meal around 10 a.m.

Farmers across the world have long eaten second breakfast. They consume a small breakfast before morning chores and eat a heartier, savorier second breakfast after the earliest morning’s chores.

Second breakfast has been growing in popularity among Americans. In 2019, 62% of 2,000 poll respondents said they wanted second breakfast to be widely adopted in the United States. And 70% said they felt more energized after a second breakfast.

3 Reasons to Eat Second Breakfast

The benefits of eating a nutritious second breakfast are clear:

1. It can boost your energy levels. Most people’s bodies will metabolize a meal in two to four hours, meaning you can be hungry again between 9 and 11 in the morning if you last ate at 7 a.m.

2. You will not be hungry like a wolf at lunch. Eating a second breakfast typically results in eating less at lunch and dinner.

3. Achieve the daily recommendation for protein. Second breakfast is a great time to capitalize on your protein intake. Use this calculator to determine the right protein amount based on your body type and activity level (hint: most of us do not eat enough protein).

Second Breakfast in Pop Culture

“What about second breakfast?” hobbit Pippin unabashedly exclaims during the epic trek to Mordor in “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” His brother Merry responds, “I don’t think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.” But maybe more people, including Aragon, should know about this energy-boosting midmorning meal.

The hobbits also refer to a meal called elevenses — a legitimate 11 a.m. British meal, complete with coffee, tea and biscuits.

It’s interesting that Americans feel they cannot have breakfast foods after 10:30 a.m., the time some fast food chains typically stop serving breakfast items.

What Farmers Eat

Eggs are a second-breakfast favorite.

Organic Valley farmer Cosette Henthorne is a fan of second breakfast. A granola bar and a glass of organic milk fuel her for a busy morning. After milking the cows and chores, around 9 or 10 a.m., she’ll cook up some tasty eggs and toast. She prefers her eggs fried, but moms must compromise. Henthorne typically scrambles them so she can share them with her boys, ages 1, 3 and 5.

Organic Valley farmer Tyler Webb of Vermont wakes up at 4:45 a.m. with a strong cup of instant coffee that includes lion’s mane mushrooms and a few dietary supplements before heading to the barn to get the milking system ready for the cows. “Great energy for the morning when my body is in ketosis.”

After the morning milking, he’ll have a large breakfast of three to four pastured organic eggs, half an avocado and a breakfast sausage patty or steak, plus yogurt with coconut flakes and walnuts, “so I’m fueled up with protein.” Breakfast dessert consists of pitted dates stuffed with butter and pecans, topped with raw honey.

“The running joke among farmers is,” Webb says, ‘but what did you have for second breakfast?’ We all have first breakfast and second breakfast.”

Second Breakfast Ideas and Recipes

If you are asking, “What should I eat for second breakfast?” there are many healthy options, including tasty organic breakfast foods. If you’re looking for something sweet but packed with protein, try these chocolate chip cookie dough overnight oats. A strawberry smoothie made with Organic Valley® Cottage Cheese or vanilla yogurt can also do the trick. A yogurt parfait with granola, banana and honey is a sweet way to get your protein, vitamins and calcium.

Eggs reign supreme on the list of Americans’ favorite breakfast foods. Many people opt for the classic scrambled eggs and buttered toast (green or not green, with or without avocado) or eggs and sausage. These egg bake recipes (think strata, frittata, quiche, oh my!) are perfect for your heartier organic breakfast (or second breakfast) cravings.

Pair your organic second breakfast with an Earl Grey tea latte, coffee with a splash of Organic Valley® Creamer, or a dark chocolate mocha for a cozy drink on a winter’s day.

Whether you’re a farmer or an office worker, unite around a second breakfast — a sweet or savory late-morning meal that boosts energy when we need it.