1.)     More Americans are eating breakfast.   While that should be good news for nutritionists, the increase in sales of breakfast foods grew by 20 percent, mainly because of our appetite for pastries and bacon.    Sales of breakfast meats grew nearly 10% in 2011, while sweet breakfast breads and pastries gained more than 5%.    Together, the categories account for about 80% of the breakfast food market.     Although doctors and dietitians promote the morning meal as a healthy start to the day, experts say consumers aren't eating the right foods.

2.)     In the 21st century, everything is bigger, faster and longer … and that includes our showers.      According to a new study done by Unilever, the average person takes an 8 minute shower.     And, a shower that long isn’t much more efficient than taking a bath.    The average bath uses 21 gallons of hot water, while an 8 minute shower consumes 16.4 gallons.     And, as more people are taking showers rather than baths, the longer showers are consuming more energy to heat water than ever before.  

3.)     Even though they enjoy a diet high in saturated fats, women in France have the longest life expectancy in Europe, at 85.3 years.    The secret to the “French paradox” may lie not with wine, but rather in something packed with fat and salt.    Roquefort cheese can fight inflammation, which prevents cardiovascular disease.     Scientists are suggesting the anti-inflammatory components of the moldy blue cheese might be worth extracting for use in cardiovascular drugs or in anti-aging creams.