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Spotlight on Simmons

Hot Off the Grill: Summer Health & Hygiene Tips

To stay healthy this summer, whether it's in the great outdoors or in your own backyard, the Simmons Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community offers these helpful guidelines. The Center, co-founded by Simmons Biology Professor Elizabeth Scott and Nutrition Department chair Nancie Herbold, is the nation's first such resource aimed at examining ways to improve cleanliness in homes, day-care centers, schools, workplaces, restaurants, and in the community in the United States and around the world.

Transportation and storage of food

  • While traveling in the car, keep your cooler in the air-conditioned passenger compartment, if possible, and place it in the shade at the picnic site.
  • Keep all food covered, and perishable food chilled. If you pick up prepared foods at a supermarket or restaurant, eat these foods within two hours of purchasing them, or use an insulated cooler with ice or ice packs to keep it chilled at 40° F.
  • Wash fruits and vegetables before you pack them for the trip and store them in a clean container.
  • Keep flies and other insects away from the food storage, grilling, and serving areas. Cover trash containers, and do not store meat wrappers and other trash in open cardboard boxes or uncovered containers.

Avoid cross-contamination

Cross-contamination - the transfer of bacteria from raw meat to other foods via hands, chopping boards, utensils, containers, etc. - is a common cause of food poisoning.

  • Be sure to have plenty of clean utensils and containers/platters for separately handling raw meat and meat that has been cooked.
  • Wash hands (or use a hand sanitizer) and utensils immediately after coming into contact with raw meat.
  • When marinating meat, always store the food in the refrigerator, not on the counter. And do not place the cooked meat back in the marinade that was used for the raw meat.
  • Completely thaw meat and poultry before grilling so it cooks more evenly. Use the refrigerator for slow, safe thawing, or thaw sealed packages in cold water. Microwave on the "defrost" setting if the food will be placed immediately on the grill. (If using pre-cooked meats, heat food until it is piping hot all the way through and serve it hot.

Food temperature

Cook meats thoroughly to kill E-coli and salmonella bacterias and decrease the risk of food borne illness.

  • To properly check the internal temperature of the meat, use a meat thermometer. For poultry, including whole chickens, breasts, and ground meat, cook until 165° F. Cook hamburgers, beef, veal, pork, and lamb to 160° F.

Into the Wild: Camping and Hiking Tips

Campers, day hikers, and backpackers can keep bacteria and viruses at bay through personal hygiene practices and environmental cleanliness. In addition to the food preparation and handling tips listed above, check out these helpful tips.

First Aid Checklist

Be prepared for camping and hiking injuries with a well-stocked first aid kit, including, but not limited to: bandages and gauze; antiseptic creams and ointments; sterile wipes and rinse solutions; tweezers for removing thorns and splinters; zinc oxide or sunscreen of at least 30 SPF; pain relief medication; anti-diarrhea medicine; snakebite kit; and hand sanitizer.

Safe Drinking Water

Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. Carry a bottle of water with you everywhere.

  • Keep drink containers covered at all times and practice hand hygiene before handling clean water and water containers.
  • Drink water only from safe water sources, or treat the water yourself (see below). The microbe Giardia is found in 90% of untreated lakes and streams, which causes chronic diarrhea and vomiting.
  • There are several ways to treat water:
    • Boiling: Boil water for at least 15 minutes
    • Iodine tablets: Drop 2-3 tablets into the water and wait 30 minutes before drinking
    • Chlorine bleach: Use regular, unscented liquid chlorine laundry bleach. Add two drops of bleach to one quart of clear water (four drops for cloudy water). Shake/stir well, then wait 30 minutes before drinking
    • Filters and tablets: Most camping stores now sell water purification filters and tablets. Make sure they are effective in removing bacteria, viruses, parasites and some heavy metals in contaminated water

Wash Your Hands

  • If possible, wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, and hands are not visibly soiled, an alcohol based hand gel will kill germs.
  • Among the times you should wash your hands: before preparing, serving, and eating food; after using the latrine; after touching any contaminated items (uncooked meats, soiled laundry and diapers); after contact with pets/animals; after swimming and contact with natural waters.

Keep Clean

  • Prevent skin infections by washing daily and only using your own washcloths and towels. Any sores or wounds must be kept clean and covered with a bandage at all times. Wash or sanitize your hands after touching any sores or wounds.
  • Remember to brush and floss your teeth regularly, even if you don't have toothpaste. Bacteria can build up quickly in the mouth, causing infections and cavities.
  • Dispose human waste in the wilderness properly to avoid damaging contaminating the environment or and experiencing risking gastrointestinal problemsinfections. If you experience diarrhea or vomiting, seek care at the ranger station, or go to a clinic/hospital immediately.
  • For more information and tips — including protecting your family from ticks, and identifying and treating poison ivy — as well as helpful guidelines for avoiding harmful plastics and buying safe toys, visit the Simmons Center for Hygiene and Health.

Center co-founder and Biology Professor Elizabeth Scott is a national expert in hygiene practices in the home and community, the spread of infectious diseases, consumer anti-bacterial products, consumer hygiene issues, and food poisoning.

She is member of the executive board of the International Forum for Home Hygiene. She also has served as an expert witness before the Federal Food and Drug Administration on issues around infection in the community.

Scott has published numerous articles in a variety of publications, including the Journal of Food Protection, the Encyclopedia of Environmental Microbiology, and the American Journal of Infection Control. She has been widely quoted in the national media, appearing in The New York Times, The Washington Post, ABC's "Good Morning America, CNN Finance, and the Boston Globe.

Nancie Herbold, Ph.D., is the chairman of the Simmons College Department of Nutrition in the Simmons School for Health Sciences. A registered dietician and an expert in diet and eating patterns, Herbold is a former president of the Massachusetts Dietetic Association. She has worked in hospitals and as a consultant to home health agencies, corporations, and individuals. She is also a member of the Massachusetts Nutrition Board and a delegate of the American Dietetic Association.

Herbold has published articles in Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Nutrition Reviews, Current Issues in Pediatrics and co-authored a nutrition text, titled "Nutrition in Clinical Care." She has been widely quoted in national and regional press.

Currently, Scott and Herbold are working on a research project with Herbold examining the hygiene formula feeding practices of parents and child care providers of infants.