As we approach the summer months and the temperature rises, so may your urge to go outside and enjoy a lively barbecue. You may not realize it, but the contents you are toting in your picnic basket could be just as important as your company. Foods like hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, and barbecued chicken often conjure up that fuzzy nostalgia feeling, and for good reason. They are best enjoyed on warm, sunny days surrounded by people you care about. It would be an injustice to say to avoid these foods given the pleasure they can bring. However, there are tricks to consider to keep these foods from busting the buttons on your shorts, as well as safety issues to keep in mind when cooking outside.

Picnicking offers a great opportunity to incorporate a variety of foods into your meal. Bringing a summery fruit salad is a wonderful way to combine diverse fruits that offer different health benefits for the body. You can also sneak a dose or two of vegetables into a pasta salad. Foods like broccoli, tomatoes and onions add a good deal of flavor and lots of health benefits. Plants such as fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals and help increase your body's disease fighting ability.

There are other options available to improve health benefits without skimping on flavor. Both pasta and potato salads can be made using olive oil and seasonings, instead of mayonnaise. However, if the thought of a potato salad without mayo really sends shivers down your spine, using a light mayo will help to keep the calories down a bit.

As for the main course, hot dogs and hamburgers are surely on everyone's grocery list and for good reason: they scream summer. However, there are things to keep in mind when cooking these kinds of foods. Primarily, since hamburger meat gets ground up, all of the bacteria is mixed into the meat, instead of staying on the outside as with roasts and steaks. This is why it is very important to cook the burger until it is no longer pink. Also, if you have a thermometer, bring it. You can check to make sure the burger reaches 155 degrees Fahrenheit without having to overcook it. It may sound like revenge of the super geek to equip yourself with such an instrument, but you won't get any flak for having deliciously juicy burgers and you will avoid sending any of your friends to the hospital. E. coli 0157:H7, often found in ground beef, is a very dangerous strain of mutated bacteria that can cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting and kidney failure. There have also been cases in which complications such as heart attacks have occurred. And a word to the wise, it typically takes three or four days for the symptoms to appear. So just make sure you grill burgers until they are done before you chow down.

In dealing with health and safety, it is also important to remember that hot weather may provide the perfect backdrop for fun, but it also provides a viable atmosphere for bacteria to flourish. Never eat leftovers that have been left without refrigeration for four hours or longer.

Now after you have consumed much of your picnic feast your sweet tooth may still need satisfying. A great dessert that may be lighter in calories is a strawberry shortcake or angel food cake with blueberries. Take advantage of the fact that these berries are in season during the warmer months; their sweet juiciness will complement the cake.

On the next warm day in State College, go to a park and enjoy a summer feast. If you plan it right, the foods you bring can add positively to your diet. So savor the sun, your friends, and the food -- and don't forget the Frisbee.