Escape Hunter Planning Tips on Preventing Food and Drinks-related Sickness

Tips on Preventing Food and Drinks-related Sickness

The most common health issue that traveling can bring is food and drinks-related sickness. Can be bacteria-caused, chemical poisoning or, simply due to bad eating and drinking habits.

Don't just stuff yourself - watch what you're eating and how you're eating!
For instance - it's a very bad idea to have warm and cold food/drink intake too close one after the other. Like eating a hot dish and drinking cold water with it. Or eating a hot sausage and then gulping up an ice cream.

#1 Avoid eating on the streets, unless good hygiene is ensured

Food sold on the streets is often contaminated with bacteria or dust, dirt.
During my trips to Southeast Asia I saw some of the most filthy-prepared "delicacies". Just by seeing how they were prepared, I felt disgusted for days!

#2 Avoid drinking tap water, drink bottled drinks instead!

It's obvious - needless to explain that bottled drinks mean better hygiene.
Perhaps one thing is essential to note: it's not just the bacterial contamination and dirt that can cause sickness when drinking tap water. It's also the chemical content that can be harmful. You might be used to the chemical content of your water back home, but in other cities, regions, countries, the composition will be different and can cause sickness.

Bottled waters are generally healthy for anyone, but even boiled tap water can contain high amounts of chloride, fluoride, arsenic even (highly toxic!) and it pretty much goes down to where the water comes from and how it's treated, distributed.

#3 Beer makes digestion more difficult

Beer can be tasty, but keep in mind that it does complicate digestion and builds up gases. Beer is not good to have with a major meal! At best - have beer with little food or nothing else.
One thing many travelers do is to drink a lot of bear "because hey, we're on vacation". Bad idea...

#4 Don't eat much at night or late in the evening

Light eating before going to bed is advised.
Avoid heavy foods (including: dairy products, steaks, eggs), don't drink much beer, don't overload yourself with anything, so that you avoid giving a hard job to your stomach during the night. The next day you will feel the effect of how you ate the previous night.

#5 Avoid drinking cold watery liquids with oil-fried foods

Fried potatoes with drinking water are a terrible combination. In fact, foods fried in oil, as well as fatty foods all create a bad mix with watery liquids. If you drink cold gassy water with such foods, then you have a high chance of feeling horrible afterwards!
Wine could be a better combination with high fat-containing foods and oil-fried foods.

#6 Never mix beer with wine or whiskey, rum...

Or you'll have a high chance of feeling awfully sick, even vomiting. Wine and beer is a terrible combination that will get you horizontal in a matter of minutes! The condition can last for over 12 hours, even if you drink moderately.
It's better not to drink other alcohol-containing drinks at all, if you're drinking beer.

#7 Avoid eating much acid-containing foods at night

Salads in the evening are fine, but a huge salad can give you spasms, pain. It's best eating such food in the morning or during the day.

#8 Some drinks will bite your empty stomach

Coffee and green tea can are just some of those drinks that can irritate an empty stomach. Have them after a meal, don't expose your bear stomach to them...

#9 Careful with the spices and onions!

They can be very irritating and can cause strong stomach pain. Again: it's the night time when it's worse eating these... Onions are among the most irritating.

#10 Mushroom poisoning

Some people are allergic to mushrooms and the variety of sub-species is wide enough so that you have a high chance of getting sick when eating a new type.
There are extreme cases of allergic outbreaks - if you're not a very well-used to multiple types of mushrooms, don't risk over-eating yourself!

#11 Sea foods can cause some of the worst sicknesses

Fish and other sea foods are extremely dangerous if they're not fresh. When you have the slightest feeling that it's not fresh, don't risk!

Oddly, if not fresh - marine food is far more dangerous than meat. Fish poisoning can lead to severe sickness and therefore you should pay extra attention to what you're eating, especially when you're visiting a place famous for its sea food delicacies.

#12 Beware of salmonella poisoning

Very common food- and water-borne disease whose conditions, symptoms can last for 2-3 weeks, even.
It's spread by bacteria and especially in situations/from sources like: infected food, poor kitchen hygiene, water (especially standing- and dirty water, where salmonella colonies thrive), reptile meat, eggs, dairy products (cheese, milk etc.).

Salmonella is more common during warm periods and in warm environments.
Among the most popular foods/drinks spreading it are: eggs, dairy products, water, pastry products (cookies, especially creamy ones, but others not excluded).

Basically - it's best being precautious, even a small bite of something infected with salmonella can cause a severe sickness (fever, headache, vomiting , diarrhea, dizziness etc.) that can easily get you into hospital!
Once you got it, it will ruin many of your days.

Take necessary precautions to minimize the salmonella poisoning risk: never eat from dirty places (but of course, you may not always know how the kitchen looks like or where the eggs for the delicious cheescake came from!).

Bon appetit!

Ha, ha, hope that wasn't too grim!
Take care of your health whever you're traveling, wherever you're traveling!

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