Part of the charm of traveling is trying all the local food. When I was in Thailand, especially, I developed a fondness for street food. It appeared that flavour was directly proportionate to how dirty the preparation area appeared to be, the dirtier it was the more delicious the meal was going to be. Often I felt like I was playing roulette with food poisoning and a few times on my trip I’ve got unlucky and found myself regretting my adventurous taste buds. Especially that time I was on a bus for 33 hours, from Vang Vieng, Laos to Hanoi, Vietnam, with food poisoning. Dealing with food poisoning is horrible, but this advice might help you minimize or at least reduce the pain.
Tips For Avoiding Food Poisoning
Eat Where The Locals Eat – I’m a sucker for eating in popular places, my theory is that if the locals are prepared to wait for something, then generally it’s worth waiting for. This proved to be true when I randomly stumbled across Mustafas Gemüse Kebab in Berlin, which had a huge line down the street, so I decided to join the queue – best kebap of my life.
Like It Hot – Some people freak out about eating street food, but I love it. I always pick things that will be cooked in front of me and heated up so much that any nasty bacteria will be burned to smithereens.
Watch Out For Ice – In Asia you know ice is safe when it’s in the shape of a cylinder with a hole right through it. When I’m traveling in countries where the tap water isn’t drinkable, I’m cautious about ice.
Brush With Bottled Water – Again, this is only really necessary in countries where the tap water isn’t drinkable. I routinely brushed my teeth with bottled water when I was in Laos and the one time I stopped I wound up with a sore stomach.
Keep Your Probiotics Up – When you can grab a yoghurt or some kefir to keep your stomach bacteria happy and balanced. You may even wish to make space for a supplement containing probiotics in your luggage, having seen a few Activated You reviews and decided that this might be something worth packing. You could also consider adding the Flawless Bloom Superfood Greens Fusion to your routine for added health benefits and vitality.
Dealing With Food Poisoning
Food poisoning is awful. Your body’s natural instinct is to remove the cause of the illness, as fast as possible. The result of this is a very upset stomach, probably paired with vomiting and diarrhea. This is one of the last things you’ll want while you’re on holiday, but the chances of falling victim to it at least once in third world countries is pretty high. Before you leave your home country, I suggest that you see a doctor and obtain a kit for dealing with food poisoning.
In your medical kit you’ll want at least:
Loperamide (or similar) – essentially a “stopper”, good for when symptoms are mild but inconvenient. Will allow you to carry on with your daily activities.
Anti giardia pill – this is the most common intestinal parasite in the world, so having some medical on hand incase you ingest it is essential. Thankfully I’ve never had this, as I’ve heard it’s really awful.
Antibiotic – Something generic such as Ciprofloxacin is good to have on hand.
Pain Killers – To help deal with the cramps or general discomfort of food poisoning.
Rehydration Packets – One of the biggest issues you’ll face when dealing with food poisoning is how to keep liquids down. It’s easy to become quickly dehydrated, which will worsen your symptoms. It’s very important to maintain your liquid consumption even if it is particularly unpleasant. Rehydration packets allow the water to be taken up much faster by your cells.
Thrush pill – For the ladies, only. Treatment of food poisoning can throw your body’s natural bacteria out of whack, leading to imbalances. Thrush can be very uncomfortable, so it is best to have a dose on hand so you can treat it immediately if necessary.
Wet Wipes – Throughout Asia these were a life saver. They’re extremely practical – if you’re in a circumstance where you can’t have a shower or need to clean yourself up quickly, they make a world of difference. Needless to say they’re good to have around when your tummy is being unpredictable.
How Long Will Treatment Take?
It depends on how severe your food poisoning is and what type it is. I would personally suggest using your body as the best gauge of how serious it is. If you are trying any of the above treatments and see no improvement within 24 hours, then I would personally suggest going to a doctor. I’m not medically trained, so my opinion is just my own. But from my own experience, my body has been well able to handle all of the food poisoning I’ve ever had except for in one circumstance. It was so bad a walk that usually took me 10 minutes took closer to 45.
It’s best to stick to a pretty simple diet when you are suffering from food poisoning. Avoid dairy products, unless it is something that is probiotic, such as yoghurt or kefir. Eat simple food that has little to no risk of giving you food poisoning again. As awful as it sounds, I chose to eat foods that I could image being easiest for my body to get rid of fast, if it needed to. Foods high in carbohydrates seemed to be the most comforting, such as bread, rice, pasta etc. Readjust your schedule so that you are not putting much strain on your body while you are dealing with food poisoning.
Do you have any bad food poisoning stories? Or advice for new travelers who might be worried about getting sick on the road?
Dealing with food poisoning can be quite serious over a prolonged period of time, so make sure that you are keeping yourself properly hydrated.
