First Med Urgent Care: Summer fun
To continue with our Fun in the Sun Safety tips series, let’s take a look at a few activities of summer.
Fun in the Sun Safety tips: COOK-OUT, SWIMMING, AND MORE
3) Summer cook-outs are great, but make sure not to slack on healthy food handling and preparation. Listed below are a few of the guidelines outlined by the CDC to practice food safety in the summer.
Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before handling food.
If marinating food, keep it in the refrigerator while it is marinating and never use the same marinate on cooked food that was used on the raw meat.
Preheat the grill for up to 30 minutes before use.
Hamburgers should be cooked to 160 ºF,
Large cuts of beef such as roasts and steaks may be cooked to 145 ºF for medium rare or to 160 ºF for medium.
Poultry must reach a temperature of 165 °F. Fish should be opaque and flake easily.
Separate your plates: NEVER use a plate to hold cooked food that held raw food.
Eat or refrigerate food within an hour of preparing in weather above 90°F
When using a cooler to store food and beverages, store the beverages in a separate cooler since this will be opened more. The fuller the cooler, the colder the items inside will remain. If a cooler has less items, make sure to fill it with more ice.
4). Practice water safety: Swimming at the pool, the lake, and the ocean are at the top of many lists of summer activities. This leisure activity can be one of the best ways to get that cardiovascular exercise that is beneficial to overall health, especially heart health. To ensure the safety of your loved ones, especially children, make sure that those who will be around water know how to swim and if not, that those in supervisory roles do.
If you are one of those who does not know how to swim, there is no time like the present. Sports facilities such as the YMCA have ongoing swimming lessons for all ages.