The Do’s And Don’ts When Eating Foreign Foods
Traveling is part of human nature and the reason why everyone loves to “get away” during their free time and holidays. Trying out different foods during your journey is an important part of anyone’s travelling experience. Some might carry some packed food or snacks, but most people nothing at all so that they can buy local food and delicatessens on their way. If so, you need to be considerate about your eating habits to avoid getting ill to make sure you have a happy & safe travel.
During the journey, unexpected diseases (such as diarrhea) might occur due to causes that could have been easily avoided by applying some simple rules when it comes to food and drinks in foreign countries. Also, your travel destination might not have the best health care so learning first aid and taking some precautions is a key factor in overcoming such situations.
5 STEPS TOWARDS A HEALTHY JOURNEY:
1. Always Wash Your Hands Before Eating Or Handling Food
Even though your hands may seem clean, it’s still advisable to wash them before you prepare any meal. Bacteria are tiny invisible micro-organisms that can be transferred from one person to another by shaking hands or by touching objects. Therefore, hands should be cleaned before handling any food substances to avoid contaminating food and hence diseases caused by bacteria such as cholera and typhoid to the travel destination.
2. Ensure Your Food Is Well Cooked
Raw foods are the best breeding places for micro-organisms. Food is not only cooked to make it taste better, but also to kill bacteria that are found in raw food. Partially cooked food could still hide some breeding places for micro-organisms.
All parts of a food substance must be heated to 70 degrees centigrade to ensure clearing of bacteria. Cold food (even when cooked) also contains micro-organism, therefore, it’s very important to warm your food before consuming.
3. Separate Raw Foods From Cooked Ones
As you continue your journey, make sure you separate raw from cooked food to avoid contamination. This will enable your food to remain safer. In addition to this, try not to eat any raw food except fruits to guarantee a healthy travel.
If you are going to eat fruit (of course you might want to try the local ones) always peel off the skin to avoid toxins that are formed on the damaged parts of the cover and other bacteria from other sources that might live on it.
4. Make Sure Food Is Stored At The Right Temperatures
As you go around buying food stuff, consider how they have been stored. Food stored at room temperatures is the best place for bacteria multiplication. You should avoid food stored at room temperature because it most likely contains a lot of bacteria.
Instead, eat those foods that are stored in refrigerators. This also applies to cooked food substances unless they warm it for you. This can be hard to check if your at a restaurant or other food place, trust your gut: if anything doesn’t feel right, don’t eat it! You can simply try a bite and wait 5-10 minutes to see how your stomach reacts.
5. Choose Wisely When Picking Foods & Drinks During Your Journey
Drinks such as yogurt, milk and any milk made drink can be easily affected by micro-organisms. Therefore, if you are not sure about the hygiene of the source avoid ingesting them.
While clear water often looks safe to drink, think twice because all that glitters is not gold. Keep a close eye on the seals because if it is tempered with, the water may not be best for consumption. In case you are much in need of it and cannot find any “safe” bottles, add iodine tablets for disinfection. All other beverages that are well sealed are normally safe for consumption.
WHAT TO DO IN CASE YOU GET DIARRHEA
Diarrhea can cause dehydration. It’s therefore advisable to increase fluid intake for the remaining part of the journey to replace excessively lost water especially if you are in a sunny, hot place (drinking enough water is of course always a good idea). Dehydration can especially be harmful to small children and you should monitor them carefully.
If a child is restless and shows continuous signs of thirst, sunken eyes and pale skin, it could be diarrhea. Avoid all drinks that might reduce water levels in the body such as sugary drinks, alcohol, and even medicinal tea. If the condition persists, always seek professional medical attention.
While you are traveling, it is important to ensure that the food you take is safe for your health & well-being. This calls for some responsibility and keenness while buying food & drinks. Always take care of hygiene standards in order avoid infection as a result of micro-organism obtained due to consumption of contaminated food. This makes your travel fun and comfortable from beginning til end.
What are your experiences with foreign foods on your travels? Maybe you can add some good advice for our readers? We’d love to have your input, so leave your comment in the section below, thank you so much!
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