Why Two Breakfasts Are Better Than None For Kids

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Mar 23, 2016

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You’ve probably heard the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But, what if you have it twice? A new study suggests that kids who eat two breakfasts are actually healthier than those who skip their morning meal all together.

NPR reports about the study published in the journal Pediatric Obesity that suggests middle school aged kids who eat breakfast at home and then again at school have a much lower risk of obesity than kids who skip breakfast or eat it only sometimes. Eating two breakfasts also seems to be no different than eating one breakfast for kids at this age. Researchers found that those who ate two breakfasts did not gain any more weight than those who only ate one.

After analyzing the data of almost 600 children in grades 5 - 7, researchers found that the obesity risk is doubled when kids skip breakfast or don’t eat it on a consistent basis. It makes sense that skipping breakfast can lead to weight gain since it often leads to overeating later in the day. Duke Storen, who helps run a nutrition programs for children, explains how the study helps to disspell the myth that breakfast leads to obesity. Storen says, “This study ... debunks an important misconception that school breakfast contributes to childhood obesity.”

Though eating double-breakfast was found to be healthier than skipping it, the study does not go into why eating the extra calories is better. One possible reason is that breakfast foods offered at school tends to be somewhat healthy. One of the study’s authors Marlene Schwartz explains, “they weren't eating doughnuts or Denny's Grand Slam.” She also explains that since growing children require lots of food and energy, the extra calories from a double breakfast probably won’t make them gain weight.

What do you think of the new study that suggests eating two breakfasts is better than skipping your morning meal?

Do your kids eat breakfast every day?