Food Safety

The last thing you expect after an evening of great food and entertainment is to get food poisoning. Food safety is very important, especially in the fast pace college setting. Getting sick will make it difficult to attend class and even more difficult to complete homework assignments on time.

The Fight Bac campaign was designed to prevent the spread of bacteria through four basic steps: clean, separate, cook and chill. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention posted these basic food safety guidelines in light of holiday cooking. As the holidays approach it is especially important to remember to practice safe food handling.

I’ve also found that FoodSafety.gov is a wonderful resource for questions regarding food safety. You can ask their experts specific questions and even watch videos.

Here are some of their basic guidelines

• Clean

Wash hands and food-contact surfaces often. Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get onto cutting boards, knives, sponges, and counter tops.

This doesn’t mean simply running your hands briefly under water. Use both soap and warm water to prevent the growth of any bacteria.

• Separate

Don’t cross-contaminate–don’t let bacteria spread from one food product to another. This is especially true for raw meat, poultry and seafood. Keep these foods and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods.

If you enjoy cooking, you possibly have a favorite knife you work with. It sounds silly but it’s true. The temptation to use that knife to prepare all your ingredients is tempting, but should be treated with caution. Wash your utensils when switching from raw foods, to ready to eat foods such as lettuce.

• Cook

Cook to proper temperatures. Foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause food borne illness.

• Chill

Refrigerate promptly. By refrigerating foods quickly, you can keep most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. Refrigerators should be set at 40 F and the freezer at 0 F.  This should be checked occasionally with a thermometer.

Alcohol

The social aspect of college plays a huge part in a student’s life. Nothing is better then getting together with your friends to blow off some steam after a hectic week of class. One of the joys of being at college is the knowledge that you are an adult now. You can make your own choices, do whatever you want to do at the pace you want to go. Partying at all hours of the night can present much temptation and become a distractions from that homework you should be doing.

Drinking can become a problem as you may find yourself confronted with an unlimited amount of alcohol. Without some self-restraint you may fall victim to the many negative effects of alcohol consumption which have become a major problem among college campuses.

According to statistics found at collegedrinkingprevention.gov the following facts will give you a snapshot of annual high-risk college drinking consequences.

• -1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 died each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes
• - More than 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking
• -About 25% of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall
• -More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem
• -2.1 million students between the ages of 18 and 24 drove under the influence of alcohol
• -About 11% of college student drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol
• -31% of college students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6% for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the past 12 month

A lot of misconception about your ability to handle alcohol can lull you into a false sense of security. These facts regarding alcohol myths come from both collegedrinkingprevention.gov and the United States Department of Labor where many more facts about alcohol impairment can be found. Knowing the facts about the negative effects alcohol has on you could help save your life.

Myth: Alcohol is a stimulant.

• Fact: Alcohol is a depressant. It acts on the central nervous system like an anesthetic to lower or depress the activity of the brain.

Myth: Drinking isn’t at all dangerous.

• Fact: Drinking impairs your judgment and increases the likelihood that you’ll do something you’ll later regret. 1 in 3 18 to 24-year-olds- are admitted to emergency rooms for serious injuries while intoxicated. Alcohol is also associated with homicides, suicides and drownings.

Myth: Drinking coffee helps to sobers you up.

• Fact: Coffee cannot rid your system of alcohol, only time reverses the impairment. It takes about 3 hours to eliminate the alcohol contents of two drinks depending on your weight. Coffee will just make you a nervous, wide-awake drunk.

Myth: You can just drive slower after drinking.

• Fact: Many people believe that by driving more slowly, they can compensate for being impaired. The truth is, drunk drivers are dangerous at any speed.

Myth: If you roll down the car window it’s okay to drive.

• Fact: No amount of fresh, chilly air can reverse impairment. You gain nothing by rolling down a window or turning on the air conditioner.

Myth: All you have to do is splash your face with cold water.”

• Fact: Cold water or even a cold shower will not sober you up or make you a safer driver.

Myth: It’s okay for you to drink to keep up with your boyfriend.

• Fact: Women process alcohol differently. No matter how much he drinks, if you drink the same amount as your boyfriend, you will become more intoxicated and more impaired. When it comes to alcohol, size and weight matters.

Myth: If you’re bigger you can handle your liquor better than other people.

• Fact: Size is only one factor in how much you can drink. Metabolism, amount of rest and food intake all play a part in how you handle liquor. Impairment in motor reflexes and judgment can begin with the first drink.

Myth: You’d be better off if you could learn to “hold your liquor.”

• Fact: If you have to drink increasingly larger amounts of alcohol to get a “buzz” or get “high,” you’re developing tolerance. Tolerance is actually a warning sign that you’re developing more serious problems with alcohol.

Myth: Beer doesn’t have as much alcohol as hard liquor.

• Fact: A 12-ounce bottle of beer has the same amount of alcohol as a 1.5-ounce shot of whiskey or a 5-ounce glass of wine. Alcohol is alcohol no matter what form it is in.

Energy Drinks

A great source for nutrition and medical information is Mayo Clinic. Their on-line nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. answers tons of questions regarding health and nutrition.

“Energy drinks may give you a temporary energy boost. However, this “boost” — which may last as long as a few hours — typically results from the large amount of sugar and caffeine these drinks contain. (Sugar-free versions of many energy drinks still contain large amounts of caffeine.)

Although the various sugars used to sweeten energy drinks can briefly increase energy, consuming large quantities of sugar is likely to cause weight gain. Caffeine is a stimulant, which also can temporarily perk you up. But too much caffeine can cause adverse side effects, such as nervousness, irritability, increased blood pressure and insomnia. Caffeine can also make your heart beat faster and trigger abnormal heart rhythms, which is especially dangerous if you have any type of heart disease

If you’re consuming energy drinks because you’re frequently tired or run-down, consider a better — and healthier — way to boost your energy. Get adequate sleep, exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. These strategies not only will increase your energy in the short run, but also will help you maintain your overall physical and mental fitness in the long run.”

~Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D

It’s pretty crazy how much caffeine is in what we drink.  Mayo clinic also displays caffeine content for coffee, teas, sodas and more. Some of it is pretty surprising.

Coffee                                                                        Caffeine (milligrams)
Dunkin’ Donuts, brewed, 16 oz (480 mL)                   143-206
Starbucks Espresso, 1 oz (30 mL)                                   58-75
Starbucks Vanilla Latte, 16 oz (480 mL)                        150
Generic brewed, 8 oz (240 mL)                                      95-200
Generic instant or decaffeinated, 8 oz (240 mL)         2-12

Energy Drinks                             Caffeine (milligrams)
AMP, 8.4 oz (250 mL)                                 74
Enviga, 12 oz (355 mL)                               100
Full Throttle, 16 oz (480 mL)                    144
Monster Energy, 16 oz (480 mL)              160
No Fear, 8 oz (240 mL)                                83
Red Bull, 8.3 oz (250 mL)                            76
Rockstar, 8 oz (240 mL)                              80

Soft Drinks                                       Caffeine (milligrams)
7Up, regular or diet                                              0
Barq’s Root Beer, regular or diet                      23
Coca-Cola Cherry, classic, Zero or diet          35
Diet Coke and Diet Coke With Lime               47
Dr Pepper, regular or diet                              42-44
Mello Yello                                                            53
Mountain Dew Code Red, regular or diet      54
Sprite, regular or diet                                           0
Wild Cherry Pepsi, regular or diet                   38

Other                                                                               Caffeine (milligrams)
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar, 1.55 oz (43 g)                        9
Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate bar, 1.45 oz (41 g)        31

While many rely on that extra boost to get us through the day, it’s unhealthy to rely entirely on caffeinated beverages to keep on running. Once that caffeine kick dies off, your energy plummets with it.