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What you've always been told about breakfast may be wrong
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We've always been told to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. But NPR now tell us it's not when we eat, but what we eat that matters. - photo by Jennifer Graham
Conventional wisdom says to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.

Conventional wisdom may be wrong.

So says NPR in a report on whether it's really important to eat breakfast at all. Correspondent Allison Aubrey said the prevailing idea that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" came from a mix of science, tradition and shrewd marketing by cereal manufacturers.

An oft-cited study from Alameda County, California, in the 1960s suggested that breakfast eaters were healthier and lived longer than those who skipped the morning meal.

But more recent research has found no evidence that people who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight, which was long thought to be the case. That's good news to the nearly half of Twitter users who responded to NPR's informal poll and said they either skip breakfast altogether or just have a yogurt or energy bar.

There is evidence, however, that if we do eat breakfast, what we eat matters more than when we eat it.

People who eat mostly protein in the morning avoid spikes in blood sugar and insulin that come from other standard breakfast fare, and they're more likely to eat less during the day.

"If breakfast is based on highly processed carbohydrates [such as sugary cereals or sweet rolls], it may be as bad [as], or worse than, skipping breakfast," David Ludwig, a nutrition professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, told NPR.

An ideal breakfast, Columbia University psychiatrist Drew Ramsey said, would be eggs, mixed greens and pumpkin seeds. (Pumpkin seeds, Aubrey wrote, may help ease anxiety because of their magnesium content.)

NPR noted that people who don't eat breakfast aren't unusual, because mealtimes are no longer as rigid as they used to be. And some people are trying to improve their health with mini-fasts, going 14 to 18 hours without eating. And others say we can be healthy on one meal a day, not two or three.

In its report on breakfast skippers, the UK's Daily Mail suggested that eliminating the morning meal could help people lose or maintain weight.

The newspaper quoted Bristol University psychology professor Peter Rogers, who said, "Most of us could do with eating less. Given that it's probably the easiest meal to skip, maybe skipping breakfast occasionally could be that opportunity."

But if you choose not to eat in the morning, you don't have to stop eating breakfast food, which, as fast-food companies have recently learned, is important to Americans.

McDonald's has reversed two years of slumping sales by offering all-day breakfast, and other fast-food restaurants are ramping up their offerings, USA Today says.
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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