I am concerned about travellers diarrhoea

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Guest

Post by Guest »

Hi again,

One of the things I am excited to experience during my travels is the food. However, I am concerned about travellers diarrhoea or general tummy trouble so I was wondering if anyone could offer some tips on how to prevent this or make it easier to deal with should it happen.

Thanks!
Chelsea

Post by Chelsea »

Not the healthiest option but have a coke before your meal - it works a charm every time. You can also get chewable tablets called colostrum, chew one or two before your meal. I was in Asia for 3 months, chewing these every time before a meal on the advice of others and never got sick. (I wasn't particularly picky about where or what I ate.) I've been travelling full time for 3 years since (unfortunately I've long run out of colostrum) and I always have a small can of coke before a meal in countries where the food is upsetting my stomach, and it's stopped it from happening every time. (This was advice that came from someone who travelled India for months using this method and never got sick - a weird one, but so far it's never let me down.)
Chris

Post by Chris »

Years ago when i was there a thai told me to eat bananas and it helped. Me and the mrs was there this year she had the same so i got he some bananas and it seemed to work for her too
Beniamin

Post by Beniamin »

General rule I follow is not to drink fresh tap water, only boiled hot water or bottled water that will keep you away from many problems. Also dont rinse or clean fruits in tap water.
Andrew

Post by Andrew »

I met an American Doctor that was also a Doctor of Chinese medicine….he told me that if you get the runs it was best to stay away from fruits and eat cheese or milk instead.I did that after and found it worked to stop it quickly
Jay

Post by Jay »

Activated charcoal if your stomach feels a little dodgey. Here in Thailand you can get it at pharmacies and even at 7-11.

Ive actually been sick more from imitation western food than local food. Save the burgers for places that are known for their burgers, not the random burger on a Thai menu. I also recommend this for pizza.

I would ease into eating the seafood- just not eat it in your first few days. Let your body get used to the new types of bacteria and such that are inevitably being introduced.

No one drinks tap water, they drink drinking water, and it's readily available everywhere. You can bring your own big capacity insolated bottle and refill all over- no plastic waste needed.

I personally think it's a bit insane that in the west, water you're flushing your poo with needed to be purified. Water for consumption and water for general use are different. You can still brush your teeth with general use water... Unless maybe you're in some city with old piping where locals specifically warn against it, but I've never heard of such a place here in Thailand at least.
Katie

Post by Katie »

I took activated charcoal every day and was fine, I’ve just come back from 3 months and wasn’t sick or ill once but I was super careful about where I ate. Would only order from street vendors if they kept ingredients in fridges and covered up other than that would always check reviews of restaurants first and would avoid any that had reviews about hygiene.
Isabella

Post by Isabella »

Carry ginger tea powder (or any tea) EVERYWHERE. I've suffered a lot because of the food and tea gives my stomach a change to relax. Also make a strict diet for 3 days after you get diarrhea. No fruits (except apple and pear) , no vegetables, no sodas, no fried things. Basically, look for rice, steam chicken and apple juice during those three days and make sure you stay hydrated
Nikki

Post by Nikki »

1. Eat in busy restaurants around the same time that locals eat.
2. Choose street food stalls with a high turnover over posher restaurants that have a trickle of people (food is likely to have been hanging around longer).
3. Eat cooked / fried food, and avoid salads.
4. Limit meat and stick to vegetable dishes in dodgier places.
5. Stay hydrated. Don't drink the tap water and buy a water purifier like Grayl or Lifestraw to make sure you're drinking safe water wherever you are.
In general the food hygiene in SE Asia is pretty good, though you will probably get sick once or twice... what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right!? 💪

Some more tips in this article: https://southeastasiabackpacker.com/avoid-getting-sick-travelling
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