Dear Abby

Are you really surprised?!

Here's something new to worry about this Sunday:  The Super Bowl is about to put you at risk for a BLADDER INFECTION.

--Dr. Jeff Kalina of Methodist Hospital in Houston says we're at more risk of getting bladder infections during the Super Bowl than any other sporting event.  And it's all because of the SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS.

--Quote, "During most sporting events, people will get up and use the restroom during the commercials and not have any problem.  However, most of the time, the commercials are the best part of the Super Bowl" . . . so people refuse to miss them.

--By holding it in too long, you put yourself at a higher risk of a bladder infection.

Last week, a nutritionist at Stanford University said  that if you wanted to eat just one thing for the rest of your life . . . and not die of malnutrition . . . it would have to be BREAST MILK.  Nothing else has all the nutrients your body needs.

--Obviously no one's gonna do that.  So here's a list from "Men's Health" of the EIGHT foods you should eat every day.  According to the article, if you only eat these eight things . . . plus a little protein . . . you'll be as healthy as possible.

#1.)  Spinach. The omega-3s and the folate reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis.  Or if you don't like spinach, have kale or romaine lettuce instead.

#2.)  Yogurt.  The fermentation process creates millions of probiotic organisms that help boost your immune system, and also protect against cancer.

--But not all yogurts are probiotic.  You have to look for one that says, "live and active cultures" on the container.  The ideal amount is one cup a day.

#3.)  Tomatoes.  The reddest ones you can find are best because they have higher levels of lycopene, which lowers your chances of bladder, lung, prostate, skin, and stomach cancers.

--If you don't like tomatoes or even tomato SAUCE, you can also get lycopene in papayas, watermelon, or grapefruit.

#4.)  Black Beans.  All beans are good for your heart.  So eating pinto, kidney, fava, or lima beans is fine too.  But black beans are best because they also have antioxidant compounds that are good for your brain.

#5.)  Carrots.  Yes, they're good for your eyes.  But they also reduce your risk of cancer, and help with inflammatory conditions like asthma and arthritis.

--If carrots aren't your thing, you can get the same benefits from sweet potatoes, pumpkins, butternut squash, yellow bell peppers, or pretty much any fruit or vegetable that's yellow or orange.

#6.)  Blueberries.  They're good for your cardiovascular system, prevent cancer, diabetes, and age-related memory loss.  And they have more antioxidants than any other North American fruit.

--Red grapes, prunes, raisins, and strawberries are decent alternatives.

#7.)  Walnuts.  They have a ton of protein, more omega-3s than salmon, and more antioxidants than red wine.  Almonds, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, and hazelnuts have one or two of those things.  But not all three like walnuts do.

#8.)  Oats.  The fiber lowers your risk of heart disease.  And even though oats have a lot of carbohydrates, the sugar from those carbs enters your bloodstream pretty slowly because of all the fiber.

--You can also get similar benefits from flaxseed and wild rice.

.....this is how you know.....

Good thing I love sushi!!!!!

Stop eating eggs, bacon, cereal, and fruit for breakfast.  Just because they're popular doesn't mean they're right.

 According to a nutritionist named Laurel House, the point of a good breakfast is to hit you with the right balance of protein, carbs, and healthy vegetables.  So here are some smarter breakfast foods . . . most of which you'd never consider eating at 7:00 A.M.

--Sushi.

--Cold pizza.

--Chicken quesadilla.

--Frozen burrito.

--Chinese food like broccoli and beef or chicken.

--Veggie corn dogs.

--Huevos Rancheros . . . which might be the best breakfast food of all.

When I read this...it made me sick to my stomach that someone would think this way!

InTouch Weekly claims LeAnn Rimes doesn't want kids at the moment because   Eddie Cibrian likes 'pretty girls'. A source says she fears gaining weight,   “She doesn’t want to gain the weight! LeAnn is afraid that when she   gets pregnant, Eddie will be turned off be her bloated body. Eddie loves petite   girls – the thinner the better. She fears that Eddie will stray or stop   having sex with her if she gains any baby weight. In fact, she’s so desperate   to come up with a solution, she’s even looking using a surrogate mother.   Everyone knows how hard LeAnn worked for her body, but it would be really selfish   and a shame if she lets that prevent her from becoming a mom.”

The nominees are out for the "47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards", and look who's back on top: KENNY CHESNEY.  He didn't get much love last year, but he dominated this time out with NINE nominations.

--JASON ALDEAN had a huge year so I expected him to have a strong showing.  He did . . . picking up SIX nods.  And I will shake my fists in anger if his album "My Kinda Party" does not win the Top Album trophy.

--Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean are also up for Entertainer of the Year . . . along with BRAD PAISLEY, TAYLOR SWIFT and BLAKE SHELTON.  My money's on Blake or Brad.  Kenny's already won it four times, and Taylor did last year.

--LADY ANTEBELLUM had a strong showing, picking up five nominations . . . but the delectable MIRANDA LAMBERT only got two.  Bummer.  I mean, even TOBY KEITH'S "Red Solo Cup" got two nominations, and it's a novelty song, right?

--As always, they want YOU to pick the New Artist.  There are eight semi-finalists.  (--You can cast your vote, here.  You have until January 30th.)  The final three nominees will be announced March 19th, and voting closes the night of the ACMs.

--BLAKE SHELTON and REBA MCENTIRE will be your hosts and the show airs on Sunday, April 1st, on CBS.

Like a lot of the funniest Craigslist posts, we can't guarantee this one's real.  But let's hope it is, because it's fantastic.

--Yesterday afternoon, a guy in Brooklyn posted in the "For sale/wanted" section of Craigslist with the title, quote, "Please teach me about football."

--Apparently, the guy's girlfriend once dated a college football player.  So the guy LIED to impress his girlfriend, and said HE was a college football player too.  Only he wasn't.  He knows NOTHING about football.

--And now he's got to go with her to a Super Bowl party . . . at her ex's apartment.  So he's offering $500 for someone to tutor him about football every evening between now and the Super Bowl.

--The ad has some really funny lines like, quote, "Her ex played 'linebacker.'  Should I know a lot about playing 'linebacker' too?  Do quarterbacks normally know about that? . . . It might help for me to learn something from a 'linebacker' if you know one."

--He's also willing to throw in an extra $100 if his tutor can give him some good comments to say during the game.

Broncos' quarterback Tim Tebow joined Brad Paisley on stage Saturday night to help him perform “I’m Still a Guy” in Denver. Brad tweeted several photos after the show.

And Brad wrote: "Still a guy has never been so exciting. Or quite so beautifully offkey"

"me and @TimTebow, probably not gonna be nominated for musical Duo of the year, but you never know."

Ok, if I ever do this to Louis....I'll never forgive myself....the dude is even starring at the dog as the doors close! WHAT IS HE THINKING?!

Yep, I've already bought my 500 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies....let's see which one is the healthiest!

#1.)  The Healthiest Are the Trefoils . . . also called "Shortbread Cookies".  You definitely shouldn't eat a whole BOX.  But one cookie only has 30 calories, and less fat and sugar than any of the others.

#2.)  Savannah Smiles.  It's the new cookie they introduced this year, and it actually has fewer calories than Trefoils do:  28 per cookie.

--But it also has more fat, and A LOT more sugar.  In fact, four different types of sugar are listed in the ingredients.

--Shout Outs were introduced last year, and they're not THAT bad for you either.  Each cookie is 32 calories.

#3.)  Thin Mints.  Each one only has 40 calories.  But just like most of the other cookies, the box SAYS there's no trans fat . . . even though it's not really true.

--The government just lets food companies round down to zero if there's less than a half-gram of trans fat per serving.

#4.)  Dulce de Leche.  They're caramel cookies with caramel chips in them, so obviously they're not GOOD for you.  But like Thin Mints, they only have about 40 calories each.

#5.)  Do-si-dos.  They're also just called "Peanut Butter Sandwiches" in some parts of the country.  Either way, they have about 55 calories per cookie.

#6.)  Thank U Berry Munches.  They have real cranberries in them, which SOUNDS good.  But one cookie still has 60 calories and 3.5 grams of sugar.

#7.)  Tagalongs . . . or in Some Areas, "Peanut Butter Patties".  Each one has around 70 calories and contains partially hydrogenated oil . . . which means there's SOME trans fat.

#8.)  Samoas or "Caramel deLites". Some Girl Scout troops sell one or the other, but they're basically the same thing.

--Each one is 70 calories per cookie, and according to "Eating Well" magazine, they're the worst choice if you're trying to lose weight.

--Lemonades and Thanks-a-Lots actually have five more calories per cookie.  But Samoas earn the "least healthy" label because they have more saturated fat than any other Girl Scout cookie.

Alrighty ladies, are you having issues finding the right guy? According to recent surveys, this is what the men of today are looking for in a woman!

“She needs to be attractive”
Washingtonian Tim, 36, is quite blunt about what he’s looking for: “She needs to be attractive. For most guys, I bet it’s the same. At first glance, I definitely notice a woman’s looks. That’s the initial spark… and after we’ve been together awhile — even when the initial spark wears off and we’re used to each other — I still like it when she makes an effort for me.” True, this supports the stereotype of men primarily being drawn to a woman’s good looks, but the new twist lies in how that might play out over a longer-term relationship. Tim himself said that good looks are tied to making an effort for your partner; in other words, it’s not necessarily about resembling a supermodel or looking exactly as you did the night you met but the effort itself that counts.

A study published in a recent issue of the Journal of Family Psychology supports this idea of how looks continue to matter beyond that initial attraction stage, though in a different way. The same study suggests that the physical attractiveness of men isn’t as paramount to women, who zero in on a guy’s ability to offer support and stability, especially in a partner.

“I want to be loved for who I am, not what I can provide”
Marylander Sam, 34, says: “I want a woman who wants me, not one who needs me. I want her to love me for me. I can tell [when] a woman is just interested in the externals, which in my book are the equivalent of being in love for money, appearances, or out of desperation. I’ve dated women who were more into those three [things] than into [who I am as a person]. I don’t want to be looked at like I’m a bank, a daddy on demand, or a means to an end of any kind.” The takeaway lesson here is that men are looking for an authentic connection and really notice its absence. “I’d rather have a real woman who is into me than some idealized version… who wants me to be Ken to her Barbie,” explains Sam.

“For me, physical affection is essential”
Sometimes there’s a misperception that men just want to jump into bed. While it’s definitely important (an understatement, perhaps?), men also want to share everyday simple, physical connections — a hug, a touch, a kiss — with their partners. “My friends couldn’t understand when I broke up with my last girlfriend, who I dated for a year before realizing that this was not it,” says Bostonian Anthony, 31. “She was hot, smart and had a lot of good qualities, but I really ended up craving affection. After an initial couple of months that were very touchy-feely, she became a little cold. It was all about my missing feeling the physical connection in regular, daily ways.” Warmth and touch really count in forming romantic bonds.

“She has to get my jokes and sense of humor”
Dare I say that humor is an oft-unrecognized but key element of male-centric flirting? That may be a new way of expressing it, but it does exist. “I really like to laugh and have fun,” says Washingtonian Mike, 28. “Life is heavy enough. I work really hard. At the end of the day, yes, I want her to be sexy and for us to have things in common, but I want to laugh, too. It’s been hard to find a woman who laughs with me as much as I want. I’ve dated women who just didn’t get my sense of humor and the relationships always fizzled. I cite that as a big reason.” Laughter stokes a man’s ego when he’s trying to entertain, makes him feel understood, and puts him at ease in a way that few other expressions do, because it makes a man feel powerful. What’s a bigger turn-on than that for any man?

“My next girlfriend has got to be straightforward and patient”
“If you’d asked me this question 10 years ago, I would have responded with ‘good-looking’ or maybe ‘passionate’ for my answer,” says Floridian Peter, 39. “But after a string of failed relationships, I know better what really matters now. When I’m dating a woman, I care about physical attraction and excitement, but in the back of my mind, I’m definitely seeing how she responds to challenges. Does she wig out over small things? Do I constantly have to calm her down or reassure her when things don’t go her way? Does she approach our differences straightforwardly by telling me how she feels in a fairly rational way, or is she a passive-aggressive pouter? I don’t care how beautiful she is; if a woman frustrates me, acts out irrationally or makes me feel like I need to be a mind-reader, I’m outta there. My next girlfriend has got to be chilled out and patient.”

Any guy who’s been out there dating for a while (and maybe had a few bad breakups along the way) is going to have his own set of red flags. And, like Peter, many men want a woman who won’t play minds games with them in relationships.