Tailgates: Tips for a winning season

Football season is upon us, and with it, tailgates.

Cindy Weston, DNP, RN, with the Texas A&M College of Nursing, offers a couple of quick tips to have a game-winning tailgate.

“The key with grilling is to make sure the food is well cooked,” Weston said. “In tailgating situations, the buffet is often left exposed. After an hour or two hours of food being out, it needs to be put away or into a cooler to be preserved, or as soon as everybody is finished, put it away into a cooler and bring it back out when people want to eat again.”

Weston also recommended bringing lots of water, hand sanitizer and another strong summer safeguard along: “Sunscreen, lots of sunscreen, for exposure to direct heat,” Weston said. “With at least an SPF of 30, but 50 is probably the best, and remember to reapply throughout the day when you’re going to be exposed to the sun and the heat.”