Job Discussion Forums

[joe beets]

Hi all; kicking a dying thread.

Feel free to correct me if my reasoning is errant, but as far as foodstuffs are concerned, aren't flies mostly attracted to meats annd sweets? It would then stand to reason that a vegetarian diet, with an occasionnal splash of curds or a lassi, would be the way to go to maintain optimum digestive health. Just wander around town, as I did in Darjeeling, and notice the massive swarms of flies that gather at the local butcher shop. Eew. Once I saw that, going veg was about the easiest decision I ever made.

Only eat where they will cook fresh food on the spot. Avoid buffets! The only instance of Delhi belly I endured in India coincided with the cracking of my willpower at a western breakfast buffet in Pushkar. Lesson learned.

Cheers -

jb

[travelingirl68]

I have not been to India yet, but the only time I ever had really really bad food poisoning was when I ate a dish with bad ghee. That was the worst 4 days of my life... Does anyone know how to tell if the ghee has gone bad when it is in a dish???

[junkmail]

[Hector_Lector]

Ice lassies... dirty water... the mind boggles!

[Teacher in Rome]

I have a constitution of the proverbial ox, but was floored by the western buffet at the Lake Palace Hotel.... I'd been dreaming of cauliflower cheese for months, but it returned take its revenge for days afterwards at rather inopportune times...

On the other hand, I regularly ate the vegetarian meals on the trains. The food was always freshly cooked and very, very tasty. Why does it get such a bad press?

[seaoflove]

A daily yoga routine will keep your blood circulating and help keep your body healthy. There are actually a few postures specific to your stomach and digestive system.

[oxi]

As this thread started about two and a half years ago, I'd just like to ask Denver - did you get sick then?

My technique was to just come here, eat lots, get sick, and build a resistance. I was only put onto a drip in hospital once and the treatment was very cheap. My mother repeated this technique when she came to visit.

[travelingirl68]

I have now been sick for the third time in 3 years - and always due to my own cooking (or lack thereof!) or power failures letting things go bad and forgetting... I have never been sick eating at restaurants, food stalls, etc. I don't ever drink tap water - many Indians don't either, but I do brush my teeth with it... Sometimes I wash fruits/veggies with tap, sometimes with purified... I have eaten plenty of veg and non-veg foods from a wide variety of Indian cuisines, but it is those little things like mayonaise that get me. My Dad is convinced it was the ketchup at a 5 star hotel that got him! In Kazakstan, I seemed to get a stomach bug once a month, either my stomach lining is getting tougher, or it just isn't that bad here!

[oxi]

I did travelling girl's experience the other way round. After a year continually expelling lots of food from either end in Chennai, I went to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan - no problems at all. In Baku I went to a big barbeque party - everyone except me was floored with food poisoning the next day. Since then I can even cope with India, was only that first year that caused trouble.

[japanman]

The best advice I can give for keeping well is,
1) Wash with Dettol soap, this will keep your skin very clear of bacteria. Make sure you wash under your nails well too. It smells a bit odd at first but you soon get used to it.
2) I can't remember the name of the powder, maybe it's called Electra. It contains salts that are needed to keep your body well hydrated. Every three days or so, mix one pack into a bottle of water and drink it slowly. If your body is well hydrated then you're half way there to maintaining good health.
3) Just being vegetarian isn't enough. I've been vegetarian since I was a kid but still got sick once when I was in India but I think one time in six months is pretty good going. Make sure the food is freshly cooked etc, common sense things like that.
4) if you feel a little trouble in your tummy, seek advice quickly. Don't let it build up into something more serious. The only negative of that though is that Indian doctors give out far too many anti-biotics.

Hope this advice was helpful.

[japanman]

Also, mosquitos don't like the smell of Dettol soap, from my experience anyway.

[Haft]

I know this is two years a little late, but how the hell do you shower or take a bath without achieving the same ill effects as washing your fruits and vegetables? If you cut your hand, for instance, is the last place you go the kitchen sink? Maybe I'm asking this in ignorance of the processes involved in getting sick one way as opposed to another. But still, never ingest anything from the tap? I'd forget in the first week...

[jwbhomer]

You mean you drink your shower/bath water? If you're really afraid of germs in the tap water when you wash/bathe, you can add a capful of Dettol to a bathtubful. I don't know what you do to treat shower water.

As for what to do when you cut your hand, first you wash it, then you apply some disinfectant.

[Stephen Jones]

Tap water is quite safe in most Indian cities. It has been treated. It is the pure mountain spring water you should be careful of.

[squindia]