Re: Pre-biotic...?

Hi 4H2,

I did a little research on traveling to India which I'm sure that you have already done. Water is obviously a big issue. I would be very leary of salads even in a nice restaurant. If you come in contact with a bacteria that your body is not used to you could get really sick.

Peel your own fruit and eat steamed vegi's. The grapefruit seed extract is a great idea. If you are going to be preparing your own meals, boil the water and pour over vegetables and then rinse with grapefruit seed extract and rinse that off. That extra step may be quite beneficial. Steamed rice and lentils are a good choice, safe.

I will look into it a little futher and post any other information I find helpful.

Here are some tips that I found on the internet:

Wipe out glasses and plates. Waiters may rinse them off to "help" you, but those little droplets of water can make you sick. If glasses don't look clean, drink soda straight from the bottle

As a backup, bring a plastic jar of peanut butter from the US. In small towns, it was easy to just get bread and dip it in the peanut butter. It may be tougher to bring peanut butter if you are bringing only a backpack. Otherwise, its fairly simple.

Avoid street food. Eat at places where it looks fresh and not dirty

Odomos is a mosquito repellant in India, plus the tablets, that you light up in the room, according to Suresha. Green ban seems to work. Suresha made a repellant our of essential oils: green ban, eucalyptus oil, pine oil, rosemary oil.

We were careful to wash our hands before eating and after using the bathroom with Wash and Dry's. They contain benzalkonium chloride, which is also the active ingredient in Bactine (it might be easier and cheaper to just bring a small bottle of Bactine). We met an epidemiologist who was traveling in India. She was amazed that many Indians (including those working in hospitals) "just didn't fully get" fecal-oral contamination, but they didn't. A small bottle of bactine slips easily into a backpack, and Wash and Drys are tiny enough that they are easy to stuff in to all sorts of nooks and crannies.

Bottled water should have a hard plastic seal that you have to break when you unscrew the top. We stayed away from bottles with ONLY cellophane seals / Bisleri, Bailey's, and Yes are major brands of bottled water. (Either Bailey's or Yes has both the hard plastic seal and a cellophane wrapper).

Food and Drink: Street food should NOT be consumed. Do not eat any cold (unprepared food) which has been prepared previously, such as salads, cut fruit, cut vegetables. Also do not eat any yogurts or cold milk products unless they are from an established and good quality restaurant. Feel free to eat fruit and vegetables which you peel yourself. Do not drink water from any source unless it is from a sealed water bottle purchased from a reputable shop (and NOT from a street vendor).

It is common for street vendors to re-fill discarded water bottles with normal water. Do not consume any ice.

Food And Drink

Drink only bottled water. Buy it only from respectable or known outlets. In restaurants insist that they bring a sealed bottle to your table.

Try Indian Beer - it is quite drinkable.

Beef is not served in India. Pork is also not easily available.

Eat non-vegetarian food only in good restaurants. The meat in cheaper and smaller places is generally of dubious quality.

Vegetarian food is easily available, cheap, and of excellent quality.

Curd or yoghurt is served with most meals. It is a natural aid to digestion and helps temper the spicy food.

Health Precaution

Always drink bottled water.

For the first few days it might be advisable to clean your teeth in bottled water.

Eat fruit you can peel.

Always wash fruit well before eating it.

Wash your hands before and after eating.

Always keep a tube of mosquito repellent with you.

Always carry a kit of the basic emergency medicines you might need for diarrhoea, fever, etc. Also, band aids and an antiseptic ointment.

If you do catch a bug, do not panic. It will go away in a few days - but try the following tips to keep it down:

• Drink lassi - a yoghurt drink. It will help tone down the bacteria.
• Eat plain rice, or try a simple khichdi - an easily digestible mixture of rice and lentils.
• Drink plenty of coconut water. It's cooling, and naturally sterilized!
• Drink plenty of fluids and take some electrolyte salts if the bug persists.

Health Precautions for India

Here are some health precautions for India you should follow if traveling to this country:

- Don’t drink water from tap or roadside vends. Drink only boiled or bottled water. Also, buy water from respectable and decent looking outlets. Check the seal before buying the water to make sure that it is intact.

- Never eat cut fruits sold by the roadside vendors. Always eat fruits you can peel. Wash the fruits properly with water well before eating them.

- It is advisable to keep a mosquito repellent ointment with you always.

- Always carry a kit of the basic emergency medicines you might need. Especially medicines for upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, etc. Also, keep some band-aids, antiseptic ointments, etc with you.

- Avoid fountain drinks and ice cubes.

- Avoid eating food from the roadside vends. If, by chance, you are forced to eat from there, make sure that the food is well cooked and is served hot.

- Try to avoid spicy dishes, especially in the initial stages of your travel.

- Avoid eating salads, especially at small restaurants and small hotels.

I hope you find this helpful.

Namaste,

Ask Kelley

 

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