20 Ways to Avoid Food Poisoning This Summer

Warmer weather means outdoor get-togethers and an increase in food-borne illnesses. According to the United States Department of Agriculture website, we're more apt to get food poisoning in the summer, because increased temps allow bacteria to multiply faster (and we tend to get lax about food safety when preparing and cooking meals outdoors). To keep the belly bugs at bay, we've assembled an easy-to-follow list of what you should and shouldn't be doing with your food this summer.

How often do you pull frozen meat from the freezer and set it to thaw on your counter or in your kitchen sink? The federal food safety website explains that even though meat is frozen, bacteria can grow rapidly in a room temperature environment. In fact, they say this is one of the riskiest things we do when cooking for our family. Plan ahead and thaw meat safely in the fridge. It may be slower but it will keep your family healthier.

If you're diligent about throwing away foods that reach or pass their posted date of freshness, you're likely throwing away perfectly safe food. According to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service website, these dates merely indicate the window of peak quality, not safety. Even milk that has started to sour is technically not bad for you. It turns out the dates are far less important than the stored temperature and how sanitary you keep your kitchen.

While smell is wildly subjective to the person, our noses know more than we give them credit for. If food smells bad, it probably is. Since yeast, mold and bacteria that contribute to food decay create a smell while they're going to work, your nose can help you identify if the food in front of you is too far past its prime and, potentially, unsafe to eat. If you're unsure, it's safer to toss it than second guess your bacteria-sniffing skills.

This is the easiest tip to follow and takes literally no scientific research. If you aren't sure about the safety of a particular food, throw it away. It's better to err on the side of caution, especially when guessing wrong could mean days spent on the porcelain throne (or in the hospital).

Tailgating, heading to friends' or family members' homes and even spending the day at the beach can all take a toll on the safety of our food. When planning out your summer menu, consider how long food will be in transport, without refrigeration and what the outdoor temperature will be. Then plan accordingly. Make pit stops along the way to add ice or wait until you're close to your destination to buy last-minute perishable items to limit the exposure to potential bacteria.

Opening and closing an ice chest is a quick way to raise the internal temperature, making safe food storage difficult. Since bottled drinks are less likely to pose a health threat if their temperature isn't stable, it makes sense to keep them in a separate cooler from your food. Pro tip: the U.S. Food Safety website recommends packing perishable foods in the cooler first and then covering with ice. Since cold air sits low, it will help keep your food safely chilled longer.

It's hard to believe that our summer hydration staple is, by all accounts, seriously bad for us. Not only are garden hoses left in the dirt (which could carry the same bacteria that causes food poisoning), but a study from the Ann Arbor Ecology Center found that 100 percent of the garden hoses tested exceeded the legal limit for lead and 20 times the limit of hormone-disrupting BPA. While flooding our mouths with hose water is fun, it's probably best to just go inside and get a cup.

Or maybe just skip sponges altogether, since they're one of the most concentrated spots for bacteria in your kitchen. If you're reusing dirty dishcloths to dry clean dishes and freshly washed hands, you're really just playing a gross game of germ tag. Don't believe us? The U.K.-based Global Hygiene Council actually did a study and found upwards of 60 percent of dishcloths around the world have deadly bacteria like E. coli.

We're not saying you can't cut a big slab of raw meat on your wood cutting board, but please use a different one to cut your fruits and veggies. This will cut down on your risk of cross contamination that can lead to serious sickness. Make sure to wash whatever board you use with hot, soapy water when you're done and completely dry it, since moisture is your biggest enemy.

Please tell us you already know this. Whenever raw meat touches anything, it leaves traces of whatever bacteria is microscopically wriggling around its surface, meaning there's a good chance it can make you sick. Use one plate for raw meat and another for cooked (this includes seafood). Always.

If you're new to grilling or you haven't quite developed the sense to know when your meat is properly cooked, invest in a thermometer. The U.S. Food Safety website states that 145 degrees Fahrenheit is the minimum temperature for whole cuts of veal, lamb, beef and pork, with a recommended 3-minute rest time to ensure adequate doneness. For ground meats, the recommended temp is 160 degrees Fahrenheit and for poultry, 165 degrees.

We almost didn't include this in the list because who wants to live in a world where our steaks and burgers are well done and our sushi is actually cooked fish? Not us, that's for sure. But, with food safety comes the understanding that raw meats are more likely to have dangerous bacteria like salmonella or campylobacter, which will make you ridiculously sick. Be cautious, but don't char your meat to a burnt crisp, either, since high-heat grilling makes meat carcinogenic.

Cooked foods served buffet-style need to be kept at a constant temp of at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Why? Because bacteria that causes food poisoning works remarkably fast to turn perfectly delicious burgers, sausages and more into carriers of stomach-churning disease. Heat keeps the bad guys at bay and ensures your food is as delicious as it is safe.

The biggest culprit here is any chilled dish that has an animal-derived product like egg-based mayonnaise (sorry potato salad). These foods must be kept at a steady 40 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure they remain safe to eat. Bacteria move quickly to colonize, and allowing these foods to sit at room temperature (and then eating them) is nothing more than a game of gastric-roulette.

If you love paté on toast or crackers, and consider it a staple for when you entertain, please keep it on ice. Just because the spread is processed doesn't mean it's protected from disease causing pathogens that love to come out and party when the temperature gets a little warmer. Or, you could join the modern world and just stop eating paté because it's not 1960 anymore.

You may have heard that regular consumption of unpasteurized milk and other dairy products can cure common ailments like allergies and eczema. Science tells us another story. Raw dairy products may contain bacteria like campylobacter, listeria, and E. coli, which can cause kidney damage, miscarriage and even death (all of which pasteurization prevents). The Food and Drug Administration makes it clear, raw milk products aren't safe for us and shouldn't be consumed.

Pasteurization doesn't just keep dairy products safe, it ensures that some of our favorite healthy treats (like fruit juice) don't come with a dose of deadly bacteria. Fresh squeezed juices or chilled juices often are not pasteurized and therefore could be potentially dangerous. Since we know it would be a dark, sad world without our daily bottles of kale-infused green juice, just exercise caution and understand your risks before you take a swig.

Yes, fruits and veggies are healthy, but when they're processed for our convenience, the chances that they're carrying salmonella is exponentially higher. Mainly because we often have a false sense of food-security with prepackaged foods and may not wash them the same way we wash unprocessed items. So wash your packaged convenience produce and keep it chilled when not eating to prevent the growth of any bacteria.

Sprouts are crisp, grassy and fresh and make our wraps, salads and sandwiches yummy. Unfortunately, when uncooked, they can also make us sick. To trick a seed or bean into sprouting, it needs to be stored in a moist, warm environment, which is exactly the breeding grounds bacteria like salmonella and E. coli love. The good news? The FDA has worked with sprout producers to find ways to limit the danger of contamination, meaning you don't have to completely forego this fun summer food.

Another no-brainer here folks. Cleanliness is the No. 1 way to prevent food-borne illness, because we're not giving dangerous bacteria a place to linger. Dishes may be the bane of our existence, but cleaning up diarrhea and vomit is totally worse, we promise.