Football season is almost here. There’s no better time to book your tickets for a game and plan a tailgating party. However, it’s important to make sure your party is safe and healthy. Here is a guide on throwing a safe, healthy and fun tailgating party:
Food Safety
Food safety is a concern when throwing any kind of outdoor get-together or celebration like a tailgating party. Making sure your food is stored and prepared properly will keep you and your friends from getting sick.
• Bring hand sanitizer or sanitizing wet towelettes to clean your hands to avoid transferring germs to food or food preparation surfaces.
• Cold items like raw meat, potato or macaroni salads, and lunch meat must be stored in an insulated cooler, not a Styrofoam one. The cooler should have ice or frozen cold packs.
• If you’re bringing chilled drinks, pack them in a cooler separate from the cold food items. Constantly opening the cooler to get drinks will increase the temperature, making it more likely that any food inside will spoil.
• Keep raw meat separate from cooked meat. When grilling, don’t put cooked hamburgers or other meat on the same plate that you had the raw meat on to avoid transferring bacteria.
• Cook or heat hot food to a temperature of at least 160 F. Meat should be cooked until there is no more pink in the middle.
Healthy Food Ideas
Tailgating food doesn’t have to be bad for you. You can prepare healthy, delicious food for your party. Eating healthy helps you lose weight and can prevent certain diseases, which will get you savings on health insurance premiums.
Here are some healthy tailgating food ideas:
• Vegetable platter with hummus, salsa or low-fat Greek yogurt
• Grilled kabobs with zucchini, peppers, onions and shrimp or chicken
• Slow-cooked turkey chili
• Turkey burgers with turkey bacon and whole grain buns
• Whole grain crackers and cheese or hummus
• Baked or grilled wings with a savory or spicy rub in place of higher-calorie wing sauces
• Deviled eggs with low-fat mayonnaise
• Avocado dip
• Fruit salad
• Strawberries, melon or berries with a dark chocolate sauce for dipping
Alcohol and Driving Safety
You and your party guests can still enjoy your favorite alcoholic beverages while staying safe. Knowing how to avoid overindulging and driving while under the influence not only keeps everyone safe, but also helps you save money on your car insurance.
Getting into an accident when you’ve been drinking can make your insurance premiums skyrocket, so here are some tips:
• If you’re driving, limit yourself to one drink with food. Don’t have another drink during or after the game to allow the alcohol to leave your system before you drive back home.
• If you have an alcoholic beverage, drink an equal amount of water. This helps you avoid dehydration, which can increase the effect of alcohol and make you hungover. It also helps you pace yourself.
• If you’ve been drinking, never go anywhere alone. If you need to go somewhere, like the bathroom or inside the stadium, bring a friend with you. Alcohol can get you into an accident or an unsafe situation you wouldn’t normally be part of.
• If your guests have consumed too much alcohol, don’t allow them to drive or walk anywhere by themselves. If they lie down, make sure they’re on their side.
By following these guidelines, you and your guests can enjoy a safe and fun tailgating party. Contact Freeway Insurance to find out more ways to save money on insurance.
