Tips so your Super Bowl party doesn't make you sick Created by jzimney on 2/4/2012 10:15:59 AM Pin It As Indianapolis prepares to host Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, State health officials are encouraging Hoosiers and out-of-town guests to take some simple steps to keep fans happy and healthy.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following tips for game day:
· Eat healthy: Add healthy snacks to your menu instead of high-fat foods. Eat healthy snacks before the celebration to prevent overindulging.
· Consider food safety: Take steps to avoid serving recalled products and follow food safety guidelines to prevent illness.
· Limit alcohol: Take steps to make sure you and other guests you celebrate with avoid driving under the influence.
· Get physical activity: Physical activity doesn’t need to be hard to be beneficial. Dance around to the music during the half-time show.
· Stay warm: If you are tailgating or celebrating outdoors, dress warmly and wear loose-fitting, layered clothes.
· Stay safe: Injuries can cause pain and inconvenience, and even lead to disability, chronic pain and death. Keep a first-aid kit in your home and vehicle to handle injuries like small cuts and bruises.
“Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest food consumption day of the year following Thanksgiving,” said State Health Commissioner Gregory Larkin, M.D. “The last thing any host wants, is to be responsible for making their guests ill. By taking a few precautions, like using utensils in food bowls, covering served food and cooking meats to safe temperatures, illnesses such as salmonella can be avoided, and the risk of respiratory and other infections can be greatly reduced.”
Dr. Larkin recommends the following food safety tips:
• Always wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
• Do not handle food or utensils if you are experiencing nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or sore throat with fever.
• Have plenty of paper towels or clean cloth towels on hand for cleaning of surfaces, drying hands and for blotting dry fresh fruits and vegetables after rinsing.
• Keep shallow storage containers with lids on-hand for safely storing leftovers within two hours of serving.
• If guests offer to contribute a dish to the festivities, ask them to bring items that don't require refrigeration, such as chips, bread, beverages or cookies and cakes without a dairy filling.
• Keep a cooler of ice nearby where you can store beverages, freeing up refrigerator space and helping to avoid having guests going in and out of the refrigerator during meal preparation.
“Whether you will be hosting a party this weekend or enjoying the Super Bowl festivities in downtown Indianapolis, it’s important to keep health and safety in mind,” said Dr. Larkin. “We are all excited to show the nation what our capital city has to offer. The massive influx of out-of-town guests is even more reason than ever to practice good hand-hygiene and take those extra little steps to keep our friends and families safe and healthy while we celebrate hosting our first Super Bowl.”
For more information about ways to have a safe and healthy Super Bowl Sunday, visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov or the Indiana State Department of Health’s website at www.statehealth.in.gov.
