KidFit Online

Year after year, we hear and read the same advice: Handle food carefully in the summer because foodborne illness — also known as “food poisoning” — is more prevalent in warmer weather. Do foodborne illnesses increase during the summer months? If so, why?

Yes, foodborne illnesses do increase during the summer, and the answer appears to be twofold. First, there are the natural causes. Bacteria are present throughout the environment in soil, air, water, and in the bodies of people and animals. These microorganisms grow faster in the warm summer months. Most foodborne bacteria grow fastest at temperatures from 90 to 110 °F. Bacteria also need moisture to flourish, and summer weather is often hot and humid.

Given the right circumstances, harmful bacteria can quickly multiply on food to large numbers. When this happens, someone eating the food can get sick.

Second, there are the “people” causes for the upswing in summertime foodborne illnesses. Outside activities increase. More people are cooking outside at picnics, barbecues, and on camping trips. The safety controls that a kitchen provides — thermostat-controlled cooking, refrigeration, and washing facilities — are usually not available.

Fortunately, people seldom get sick from contaminated food because most people have a healthy immune system that protects them not only from harmful bacteria on food, but from other harmful organisms in the environment. At the same time, FSIS, other government agencies, and food producers go to great lengths to keep food safe. And, of course, consumers can protect themselves at home with proper refrigeration and thorough cooking of perishable food.

We know foodborne illness increases in warm weather. We also know that consumers can Fight BAC!™ by following these four simple steps to safer food in the summertime.

Clean: Wash Hands and Surfaces Often.

Unwashed hands are a prime cause of foodborne illness.

• Whenever possible, wash your hands with hot, soapy water before handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and handling pets.
• When eating away from home, find out if there’s a source of clean water. If not, bring water for preparation and cleaning. Or pack clean, wet, disposable washcloths or moist towelettes and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces.

Separate: Don’t Cross-Contaminate.

Cross-contamination during preparation, grilling, and serving food 
is a prime cause of foodborne illness.

• When packing the cooler chest for an outing, wrap raw meats securely; avoid raw meat juices from coming in contact with ready-to-eat food.
• Wash plates, utensils, and cutting boards that held the raw meat or poultry before using again for cooked food.

Cook: Cook to Proper Temperatures.

Food safety experts agree that food is properly cooked when it is heated for a long enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness.

• Take your thermometer along. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside, so be sure that meats are cooked thoroughly. Check them with a food thermometer.
• Cook hamburger and other ground meats (veal, lamb, and pork) to an internal temperature of 160 °F, and ground poultry to 165 °F.
• Cook steaks and roasts that have been tenderized, boned, rolled, etc., to an internal temperature of 160 °F for medium and 170 °F for well-done. Whole steaks and roasts may be cooked to 145 °F for medium rare.
• Whole poultry should be cooked to 180 °F in the thigh; breast meat to 170 °F.
• Cook meat and poultry completely at the picnic site. Partial cooking of food ahead of time allows bacteria to survive and multiply to the point that subsequent cooking cannot destroy them.

Chill: Refrigerate Promptly.

Holding food at an unsafe temperature is a prime cause of foodborne illness.
Keep cold food cold!

• Cold refrigerated perishable food like luncheon meats, cooked meats, chicken, and potato or pasta salads should be kept in an insulated cooler packed with several inches of ice, ice packs, or containers of frozen water.
• Consider packing canned beverages in one cooler and perishable food in another cooler because the beverage cooler will probably be opened frequently.
• Keep the cooler in the coolest part of the car, and place in the shade or shelter, out of the sun, whenever possible.
• Preserve the cold temperature of the cooler by replenishing the ice as soon as it starts melting.
• If a cooler chest is not an option, consider taking fruits, vegetables, hard cheeses, canned or dried meats, dried cereal, bread, peanut butter, crackers, and a bottle of refreshing beverage.
• Take-out food: If you don’t plan to eat take-out food within 2 hours of purchase, plan ahead and chill the food in your refrigerator before packing for your outing.

Leftovers?

Food left out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours may not be safe to eat. At 90 °F or above, food should not be left out over 1 hour. Play it safe; put leftover perishables back on ice once you finish eating so they do not spoil or become unsafe to eat.

If you have any doubts, throw it out.

Many things can be done to prevent food poisoning. These precautions should be taken at every stage a food takes — from preparation to cooking to storing leftovers. A lot of this responsibility falls on grown-ups, but kids can help fight germs, too. One of the best ways is to wash your hands if you’re helping to prepare foods.

When should you wash? Before you start helping — so germs from your hands don’t get on the food — and after so you don’t pass along germs from the food to yourself or anyone else. If you don’t, here’s how germs can travel:

1. You help make hamburger patties.
2. You get bad bacteria from the raw ground beef on your hands.
3. You hold your little sister’s hand.
4. She uses that hand to eat a snack.
5. Now the bacteria have made it inside and can make her sick.

Other steps you can take to keep your food safe include:

• Wash fruits and vegetables well before eating them.
• Only eat foods that are properly cooked. If you cut into chicken and it looks pink and raw inside, tell a grown-up.
• Look at what you’re eating and smell it, too. If something looks or smells different from normal, check with an adult before eating or drinking it. Milk is a good example. If you’ve ever had a sip of sour milk, you know you never want to taste that again! Mold (which can be green, pink, white, or brown) is also often a sign that food has spoiled.
• If you’re going to eat leftovers, ask a grown-up for help heating them up. By heating them, you can kill bacteria that grew while it was in the fridge.
• Check the date. Lots of packaged foods have expiration dates or “sell by” dates. Don’t eat a food if today’s date is after the expiration date. Use it before it expires. Some of these dates are “sell by,” which means that the food should leave store shelves by that time. Ask an adult for help deciding if it’s past the sell by date.
• Cover and refrigerate food right away. Bacteria get a good chance to grow in foods that sit at room temperature. By putting food in the fridge, you’re putting the chill on those bad germs!

Information provided by: http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/food_poisoning.html 

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: May 2008

This 4th of July, invite your kids to turn frozen yogurt into edible, festive Uncle Sam healthy top hats. This is a healthy finale to your 4th gathering.

Ingredients:

• 1 Wafer ice cream cone
• Frozen yogurt
• Blue fruit leather
• Light ready-made whipped cream
• Blueberries
• Red and Blue decorating gel
• 1 Red m&m
• Light white frosting

Instructions:

1. Place one scoop of frozen yogurt on a plate and return it to the freezer to harden. Meanwhile, construct an Uncle Sam top hat out of a wafer ice cream cone.

2. Use light frosting to attach blue fruit leather around the base of the cone. Squirt vertical strips of red decorating gel down the sides and blue gel on the top.

3. Remove the ice cream-scoop “head” from the freezer and top with the Uncle Sam hat. Working quickly so the ice cream doesn’t melt, add blueberry eyes and a red M&M’s nose. Finally, add a light whipped cream beard. To do this, have your child hold the canister upside down while squirting on a long white beard.

4. Serve up your Uncle Sam ice cream cone immediately. Makes 1.

All information provided by http://familyfun.go.com/4th-of-july/4th-of-july-recipes/4th-of-july-dessert/uncle-sam-ice-cream-cones-686849/ 

Note: Recipe has been slightly modified to meet the nutritional goals and standards of Kid Fit.

Food Safety is a must in these hot summer months. Food poisoning can occur from eating foods that contain bad bacteria. Here are some helpful tips to ensure that you don’t spoil your summer!

• Always wash your hands with soap and hot water before eating or preparing food.
• Scrub and rinse plates and utensils after using them.
• Wrap food carefully before packing into a cooler for transportation.
• Keep cold refrigerated perishable food like luncheon meats, cooked meats, chicken, and potato or pasta salads in an insulated cooler packed with several inches of ice, or ice packs.
• Cook meats (especially poultry) thoroughly and constantly check to make sure its done before serving it.
• If the temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above, food should not be left out over 1 hour or it could risk going bad. Always discard the leftovers if this is the case.

All information provided by: http://life.familyeducation.com/safety/summer/48193.html 

As a coach, you are ultimately responsible for the safety of your athletes. Creating a safe playing environment for your students can significantly reduce the number and severity of injuries during your practices and games. The National Center for Sports Safety has outlined a few guidelines to help you create a safe playing environment.

• Develop an emergency action plan and make sure all of your assisting coaches are familiar with the emergency procedures.
• Always have an accessible, working phone at practice and at games to ensure that emergency personnel can be contacted quickly in case of an emergency.
• Make sure that your first aid kit is with you at all practices and games.
• Always have water or sports drinks available for your athletes, giving them numerous breaks to prevent dehydration.
• Examine your playing fields, courts and other surfaces before practice and games for potentially dangerous obstacles such as holes, loose tiles, buckled wood, wet spots and sharp objects.
• Regularly check the players safety equipment before practice to make sure it is put on correctly and that nothing is cracked or missing pieces. If equipment is damaged, do not let the athlete use it.
• Make sure to store unused equipment away from the playing field so that no one trips over it while playing.
• Encourage your athletes to be aware of any unsafe playing conditions and report them to you.

Summer is here and that means it is time to keep your kids fit and active.

Step one is to turn off the television. It is too easy for kids to sit passively and watch TV for hours on end.

Limit the amount of time your children can spend watching television, or eliminate it entirely.

Don’t let your children swap one electronic babysitter for another. You will also want to limit computer time, cellphone time, and video game time as well.

Encourage your children to play outdoors. Your child should have sunscreen on when playing outdoors, and should avoid playing outside during the hottest part of the day, usually 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Playing in the water, whether it is swimming or just splashing, is a wonderful way to be active and stay cool. Remember that water washes away sunscreen, so reapply as needed.

Summer is a great time for new indoor activities, like dancing or martial arts classes. Summer is also a perfect time to attending various camps that are usually filled with all types of fun activities, even new ones like canoeing or hiking tours.

When you plan your summer holiday, look for opportunities to be active. Perhaps you are visiting a place that has walking tours or hiking trails. A visit to the zoo can be a lot of fun, and it offers plenty of opportunities for walking.

Swimming, as mentioned before, is a popular activity available at most summer vacation destinations. Even a game of miniature golf or walking around an amusement park can be fun. The important thing is to find easy ways to add movement to your day.

During the summer, many communities offer sports through their recreation or parks departments. Consider signing your child up to play soccer or baseball, or even to use the community pool. Your local YMCA may also offer activities.

Many children love riding bicycles. If your child has a bicycle that is no longer the right size, you can get a new one inexpensively by trading with another family, or by checking local thrift stores. Make sure your child has a well fitting helmet and wears it whenever he is riding his bike.

Skateboards, balls, jump ropes and other toys can be inexpensive and encourage your child to play outdoors.

If there are other children in your neighborhood, encourage your child to invite them over to play. Just two people are enough for a quick game of hoops or tossing a Frisbee, and only a few people are needed for a game of kick ball or soccer.

Article featured on www.theparentszone.com

The weather is warming up, the days are longer and there’s more time to be outside doing all kinds of fun things! But if you’re going to be out in the sun, especially on a hot day, you need to stay safe. Let’s find out how.

Don’t Feel the Burn

Even though the sun is hot, it does cool things. It keeps us warm. It makes flowers and plants grow. It even gives us vitamin D so we can better absorb calcium into our bodies for strong bones.

It does all these things by sending down light, which includes invisible ultraviolet (say: ul-trah-vye-uh-lut) rays. These are also sometimes called UV rays. Some ultraviolet rays pass through air and clouds and penetrate the skin. When your skin’s been exposed to too many of these rays, you get what’s known as a sunburn. Ouch!

Some people get a sunburn faster than others because of their coloring. If you have blond or red hair, light-colored skin, and light-colored eyes, you’ll tend to get a sunburn more quickly than someone with dark eyes and skin. That’s because you have less melanin (say: meh-luh-nun). Melanin is a chemical in the skin that protects the skin from sun damage by reflecting and absorbing UV rays. People with darker skin have more melanin, but even if you have dark hair, dark eyes, or darker-toned skin, you can still get a sunburn. It will just take a little bit longer.

Sunburns look bad and feel worse. They can cause blisters on your skin. They can keep you inside feeling sore when everyone else is outside having fun. They increase your chance of getting wrinkly when you get older. And worst of all, they can lead to skin cancer when you get older. Because getting wrinkles and getting sick don’t happen right away, they can seem like things that could never happen to you. But you still need to be careful

Prime Time

You don’t need to hide from the sun completely or wrap up like a mummy to protect yourself. But you should take these two steps:

1. Always wear sunscreen.
2. Take frequent breaks from the sun by going indoors or moving into the shade.

These steps are especially important between 10:00 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon, when the sun’s rays are strongest.

Use a sunscreen with an SPF rating of 15 or higher. Put on sunscreen 15 to 20 minutes before going out in the sun. If you are fair skinned, you should use a sunscreen with a higher SPF rating such as SPF 30. The letters SPF stand for sun protection factor, and the number rating tells you how much longer you can stay in the sun without getting sunburned. So if you normally burn after 20 minutes and you put on a sunscreen with an SPF rating of 15, this sunscreen may give you 15 times the protection. That’s 15 times 20 minutes, or 300 minutes (5 hours).

But this isn’t always true, so reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours, just to be safe. Do this more often if you’ve been swimming or sweating a lot – even if the sunscreen is waterproof. And remember that you can get sunburned more quickly when you’re swimming or boating because the reflection from the water intensifies the sun’s rays.

Be sure to put sunscreen all over your body. This includes some places you might not think of, like the tops of your ears, the back of your neck, the part in your hair, your face, and the tops of your feet. If you want to block the sun’s rays, wear clothing that you can’t see your hand through. You may still get burned through sheerer fabrics. Wear a baseball cap or other fun hat to block your face from the sun.

Don’t forget that your eyes need protection from ultraviolet rays, too. Always wear sunglasses in the bright sun, and make sure they have a label saying that they block UV rays.

Updated and reviewed by: Kate Cronan, MD
Featured on kidshealth.org

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an estimated 260 children under five years of age drown each year in residential swimming pools and spas. The Commission estimates that another 3,000 children under age five are treated in hospital emergency rooms following submersion accidents each year. Some of these submersion accidents result in permanent brain damage.

Nationally, drowning is the fourth leading cause of death to children under five. In some states such as California, Florida and Arizona, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death to children under five.

CPSC offers the following tips for pool owners:

• Never leave a child unsupervised near a pool.
• Instruct babysitters about potential hazards to young children in and around swimming pools and the need for constant supervision.
• Completely fence the pool. Install self-closing and self-latching gates. Position latches out of reach of young children. Keep all doors and windows leading to the pool area secure to prevent small children from getting to the pool. Effective barriers and locks are necessary preventive measures, but there is no substitute for supervision.Do not consider young children “drown proof” because they have had swimming lessons; young children should always be watched carefully while swimming.
• Do not use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.
• Never use a pool with its pool cover partially in place, since children may become entrapped under it. Remove the cover completely.
• Place tables and chairs well away from the pool fence to prevent children from climbing into the pool area.
• Keep toys away from the pool area because a young child playing with the toys could accidentally fall in the water.
• Remove steps to above ground pools when not in use.
• Have a telephone at poolside to avoid having to leave children unattended in or near the pool to answer a telephone elsewhere. Keep emergency numbers at the poolside telephone.
• Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
• Keep rescue equipment by the pool.

PARENTS AND GUARDIANS: ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT A DROWNING. WATCH YOUR CHILD CLOSELY AT ALL TIMES. MAKE SURE DOORS LEADING TO THE POOL AREA ARECLOSED AND LOCKED. YOUNG CHILDREN CAN QUICKLY SLIP AWAY AND INTO THE POOL.

CPSC requests that consumers report incidents of drowning or “near drowning” by calling the Commission toll-free at 1-800-638-2772.

Article featured on keepkidshealthy.com a Pediatrician’s guide to your children’s health and safety

With the warm weather here to stay, don’t miss out on these lifesaving tips for a safe summer by the pool!  Check with your local American Red Cross to see when CPR classes are being offered.

• Always have an adult watching the kids while they’re swimming.
• Have a phone and rescue equipment by your pool at all times.
• Childproof all entrances to the pool area of your house.
• If your child is ever out of your sight, the first place you should check is the pool area.
• Learn CPR in case of an emergency.
• Do not allow kids to run near the pool.
• If your child is new to swimming, make sure they wear a lifejacket or other flotation devices.

(http://pediatrics.about.com/od/safety/a/509_drownng_prv.htm)

(Vincent Iannelli, M.D. About.com)