It’s inevitable. I’m going to catch a cold. I won’t be alone. Most of us will catch a cold some time during the upcoming months.
Lately, I’ve been surrounded by sniffling, coughing and sneezing people. I’ve tried to keep my distance, but sometimes you can’t easily escape germs.
Germs are all around us. Besides residing in people, germs thrive in bathrooms, kitchens, cafeterias, gyms and locker rooms. Others hide on pencils, doorknobs, computer keys, railings and video game controllers.
Germs even lurk on purses. According to a study by microbiologist Chuck Gerba, the outside bottoms of women’s purses are treasure troves for germs, including bacteria and viruses. He referred to purses as germ “public transportation.” Germs can hitch a ride on a purse to the nearest table or hand.
Purses are kind of like shoes. No, you don’t wear purses on your feet, but purses spend time on floors, including bathroom floors. Unlike most shoes, however, purses often are set on kitchen tables and counters where they can spread germs to food and people.
If you carry a purse, consider where you put it. Try to keep it off the floor. Keep it away from meat juices in your grocery cart.
If you store your purse in the grocery cart child seat, consider that some of the prior occupants of the child seat may not have been wearing leak-proof diapers. For these reasons and many others, researchers suggest wiping purses regularly with disinfectant cloths.
Wash your hands regularly, too. The results of hand-washing research are rather grim. Unfortunately, one in three adults skips washing his or her hands after using the restroom, and one in four adults skips hand washing after changing a baby’s diaper.
Fewer than half wash their hands after handling pets or cleaning up after them. Fewer than one in five washes his or her hands after handling money.
All these missed opportunities for hand washing can add up to the increased risk of getting sick. Frequent hand washing can reduce the risk of colds, foodborne illnesses and many other “catchy” illnesses.
In a study of 305 school children, researchers found that youngsters who washed their hands four times a day had 24 percent fewer sick days due to respiratory illness and 51 percent fewer sick days due to upset stomach.
Here’s a chance to practice something that is good for your health. You get to sing, too.
- Wet your hands, add soap and lather your hands for at least 20 seconds. Use a watch or clock with a second hand to time yourself.
- Scrub the backs of your hands, between fingers and under fingernails. Sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice.
- Rinse well with running, warm water.
- Dry your hands thoroughly with a clean paper towel. In public restrooms, use a paper towel to open the door as you leave the restroom. Not everyone washes his or her hands!
To fend off germs and resulting illnesses, fuel your body with good nutrition, such as a steaming bowl of vegetable soup. Note that canned vegetables tend to be higher in sodium, so using home-canned (no salt added) tomatoes would reduce the sodium in this recipe.
Vegetable Soup in a Snap
1 pound extra lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 (15-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce with onions, peppers, celery (etc.)
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 (14-ounce) can beef broth (with no added salt)
1 can water
1 (16-ounce) package frozen, mixed vegetables
Brown the beef in a large pot. Add extra ingredients and cook over medium-low heat for one hour.
Alternatively, in a slow cooker, mix all the ingredients and cook on low for seven to nine hours.
Makes eight servings. Each serving has 210 calories, 10 grams (g) of fat, 14 g protein, 16 g of carbohydrate, 4 g fiber and 570 milligrams sodium.
