Now that my belly is flat -- I never thought I'd say that -- I want to keep it that way. I know basically how to maintain my new flatland -- a clean and healthy diet and lots of good exercise -- but this AOL America Takes It Off slide show definitely helps.

I need monounsaturated fatty acid -- that's MUFA for short -- according to the AOL experts. A recent study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that eating a diet high in MUFAs can help reduce the accumulation of abdominal body fat. No other nutrient can do this. So here are the MUFA foods I ought to be eating so I can hang on to my trim tummy.

• Olive oil

• Sunflower seeds

• Almonds

• Avocado

• Dark or semi-sweet chocolate

• Flaxseed oil

• Macadamia nuts

• Natural peanut butter

• Pistachios

• Walnuts
  
  

For the run-down on exactly why these foods have such magical powers, take a peek right here.

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One more reason to be careful who you kiss! A Seattle man, Thomas J. Brummel, was making out with his ex-girlfriend, Laura Roberta Cutler, yesterday when out of the blue, she bit off his entire lower lip and spit it out! Ack! Can you believe anyone would do something so disgusting? I almost died while reading the article in my local newspaper today. Ewwwww.

Deputies found the man on his front porch as a gory mess, and one of the rescuers found his lower lip covered in cat hair on the floor inside the home. Gross. I remember refusing to kiss anyone at Mardi Gras when I was in college, because I feared contracting herpes. With weirdos like this woman out there...we apparently have greater reasons to choose our close company wisely.

Neighbors believed Ms. Cutler was drunk during the incident, and she was being held on $75,000 bail for second-degree domestic-violence assault. Doctors could not reattach the lip, and believe the man will be disfigured permanently.

How many vacation days to you get in a year? I've been at my day job for about 18 months and get 12 days a year plus 6 sick/flex days, equaling a total of about 18 paid days off. This is just about on par for North America, where the average worker receives 14 holidays a year -- a paltry amount when compared to European countries like Britain (24 days), Spain (30 days) and France (a whopping 36 days, that's 7 weeks a year!).

I don't know why North Americans are such workaholics, but I definitely think that 14 days a year is pretty pathetic and according to this piece, most people don't even use their vacation time. It's unfortunate because I think taking a break from the daily grind to relax for a week can make you generally happier at work and increase your performance.

The article even mentions a study with results that showed women who took holidays were more satisfied with their marriages and less likely to become depressed, while a separate study showed that among men who were at high risk for coronary heart disease, those who took vacations had a lower death rate. So don't feel guilty about taking a few days off. You've paid your dues so go on holiday and enjoy it.

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