Tips for avoiding food sickness in South East Asia

[LampStack]

Let me say that "food poisoning" may be over stating it, but I am wondering if there are any general tips for staying clear of all the food borne illnesses while traveling to SE Asia. I have not really had any problems on previous trips, but I may have been lucky.

I would appreciate any tips that other SQ Talk board members may have.

Thanks.

fclass

[jhm]

It really depends which country you visit and even what hotel you stay in. For maximum protection (although depending on the circumstances this may be OTT):

* avoid ice in drinks unless you know the ice was made from clean water

* brush your teeth with bottled water (OTOH, I've never had any problem anywhere, e.g. China)

* don't eat fruit unless you peel the skin off yourself

* obviously don't eat raw food or food which doesn't appear fully cooked

* don't eat street food (again, this isn't something I practise)

* eat only at restaurants which appear to have good business

* be wary of seafood - it may have come from polluted water (hard to tell of course)

* for longhaul trips, I always take along just in case (i) imodium tablets; and (ii) charcoal tablets (to absorb toxins) - thankfully I've never used either so far...

[KeithMEL]

Street food can be ok so long as they're thoroughly cooked I suppose, never had a problem with street food in Thailand.

Agree with the importance of bringing medication along, just in case. I bought these all-purpose pills in Barcelona for hangovers, but they also work for tummy aches, indigestion, food poisoning and a good few other things. Will put up the name here when I remember, but they're the type that fizzles out in water.

[Kiwi]

Berocca?

[HUGE AL]

I bought these all-purpose pills in Barcelona for hangovers, but they also work for tummy aches, indigestion, food poisoning and a good few other things. Will put up the name here when I remember, but they're the type that fizzles out in water.

KeithMEL just LOVES these pills. He's quite an easy sell for the elixirs.


Another tip: if you like your food spicy, ease into the hot peppers. I never do this and always feel ill my first two days.

[KeithMEL]

Berocca?

I think that's the one! Will confirm when I get home.

[slacker]

Berocca?

Berocca is multivitamin supplement. It is an effervescence tablet that dissolves in water.

[SuperJonJon]

Always drink alcohol with every meal! The alcohol keeps the germs and bacterias at bay. The only time i had Cholera was when I didn't drink any alochol on that trip.

It has nothing to do with the fact that my biggest customer is in that industry.

[impresta]

Here's a few tips from a more scientific perspective.
-eat yogurt before and during the flight if offered (the lactic acid bacteria will colonize your gut thus impeding the colonization of bad bacteria)
-take probiotic and prebiotic pills (will cause flatulence for the 1st few days) (lactic acid bacteria are probiotics)
-when you get to the destination eat deep fried food first (FRESHLY DEEP FRIED) this is the safest food you can find oils are at 200'C most of everything dies above 140'C
-um...alcohol is always good
-drink clean water like bottled waters

hope this helps

[KeithMEL]

I think that's the one! Will confirm when I get home.

Nope not berocca. It's alka-seltzer.

Worked a treat for hangovers and indigestions.

[Lobster]

A bit of an upset stomach is an occupational hazard when you travel and most minor bouts is just your system getting used to new food.

JHM has given a good list of the do's and don'ts of travel to help avoid food poisoning. My number one bit of advice would be to eat where the locals eat (and then only eat cooked food there even if they are tucking into salads etc).

I am a big fan of street food over hotel food. Hotel food you have no idea how long the food has been sitting around, how fresh it and how well it has been kept. With street food you can ask the person to cook it for you freshly in front of your eyes.

[jhm]

I am a big fan of street food over hotel food. Hotel food you have no idea how long the food has been sitting around, how fresh it and how well it has been kept. With street food you can ask the person to cook it for you freshly in front of your eyes.

Agreed - local/street food is part of the whole holiday experience and usually much tastier/nicer than more formal fare!

My only caveat about street food is that (similar to what impresta mentioned above) I'd be wary about anything which isn't (preferably deep) fried which comes from a street vendor (as opposed to a shop by the side of the road). Anything which is cooked in water is suspect because you don't know where the water has come from (e.g. it could be the local river) and how hot (or not) the water is.

I learnt this lesson years ago the hard way by buying something from an illegal street vendor in a Hong Kong night market (i.e. the type who wheel a cart around and who disappear before the police walk by) and ended up feeling like death the following day. (OTOH, I've also eaten steamed items many times from the illegal (I think) vendors who set up outside some Hong Kong MTR stations late at night and never had any problems - cheap and very tasty, e.g. siew mai. Unlike the illegals at the night market, the difference there may be that they're more permanent and also do a brisk trade with the locals.)

[jhm]

for longhaul trips, I always take along just in case (i) imodium tablets; and (ii) charcoal tablets (to absorb toxins)

Just to say that I understand from a pharmacist friend that unless you have to go out (i.e. you won't be near a loo), imodium isn't that good for you because it means you keep all the cr*p inside. You really want to take a handful of charcoal tablets (to neutralise/absorb toxins) and expel whatever it is which is causing your insides grief.

(If it's really bad, watch out that you don't become dehydrated - there are packets which you buy to mix with water; or you can make your own with salt and sugar (I forget the exact proportions now).)

[SQFAN]

fclasspax, go and get hold of Travellers Health by R.Dawood. It's a good ref guide that you can use over and over again.

[jjpb3]

Nope not berocca. It's alka-seltzer.

Worked a treat for hangovers and indigestions.

In all my years in the US, I don't think I ever saw alka-seltzer advertised as a cure for hangovers. Glad to see an efficacious off-label use, though. (oops, wrong emoticon?)