healthier than Dora fruity-snacks: delicious gobs of dirt!

Germs don't get good press. Nothing summons a pack of CNN health correspondents faster than an E. Coli outbreak. But besides (extremely) rare E. Coli, we've also been taught to fear other, more common germs: salmonella, head colds, flu viruses, etc. I remember educational films in elementary school featuring mean-looking cartoon germ creatures laughing sinisterly from toilet seats and trash cans, flailing into comical, dramatic deaths during a good old hand washing.
Unfortunately that heroic image of soap and water has been replaced by Mom's new germ-fighting weapon of mass destruction: antibacterial cleansers. Those educational films have been translated into TV ads-- cartoon germ monsters included-- except now instead of the kid washing hands with soap, Mom is fighting an epic battle against germ monsters with a scorched earth strategy of antibacterial room spray, disposable antibacterial wipes, and antibacterial hand soap at every sink. Apparently, good moms kill 99.9% of icky germs!
Thing is, antibacterial cleansers do kill 99.9% of germs, including harmless ones, in fact including some that are good for us. And what about those remaining 0.1% of germs that survived Mom's antibacterial onslaught? They reproduce and take over their new, uncompetitive digs, leading to the possible development of "supergerms."
That's a pretty risky gamble considering that antibacterial cleansers don't do any better at killing germs that cause colds, flus, and food poisoning, than plain soap & water. And growing evidence supports the "hygiene hypothesis" suggesting that exposure to dirt, germs, and allergens, especially as children, actually helps prevent chronic respiratory illnesses such as asthma and allergies.
So how do we avoid exposure to bad germs, like cold viruses or salmonella, without antibacterial cleansers? With plain old soap and water. Use soap and warm water to wash your hands (20 seconds is recommended) and to wash surfaces. That's it! Wash as often as you want-- that's even better, especially during cold season.
Besides hand washing, keeping your nose warm when it's chilly outside may help prevent catching cold viruses. Viruses are most common on doorknobs, urinal flush handles, public phones, elevator buttons, wet surfaces like sinks, and hands (especially kids' hands), so wash your hands with soap and warm water after touching these things, and don't touch your nose, mouth, or eyes until you do. Interestingly, the bathroom door on the way out is not the risk my mother thinks it is.
To avoid salmonella, keep raw meat separate from other foods during preparation, and freeze it if you plan on storing it for more than 5 days. Defrost it in the fridge or the microwave instead of at room temperature (and cook it right away if using the microwave). Wash your hands with plain soap and warm water after handling raw meat, which has a higher salmonella risk than raw eggs.
Also, washing your hands with soap and water will get more germs off your hands than using liquid sanitizers, so only depend on that little bottle if there's no sink or soap.
And cheer on all those kids eating dirt!