Avoiding Delhi Belly
Discussion
I’ve spent a number of months in India without ever really suffering Delhi belly.
Don’t be afraid to eat outside of your hotel, I found that as long as you ate where it was busy – be that a street vendor or restaurant, it was generally ok and added to the experience.
Obviously avoid ice and only drink bottled water – of course watch the seals, it’s by no means fool proof as they can clearly re-fill the bottles, but at least give yourself a fighting chance.
Going vegetarian also helps, although I wouldn’t touch a salad, as does avoiding western foods – try and eat what the natives eat!
Never felt comfortable with lassi, tried a few but always felt that it was asking for trouble so didn’t make a habit of drinking them.
At the first sign of any “rumble” I took an Imodium, no idea if that’s a sensible precaution but it seemed to do the trick.
It’s also sensible to carry a bottle of hand gel and use it regularly, but you don’t need to get OCD with it.
India is a great country to visit and the food is part of the appeal, I will certainly go back again.
Don’t be afraid to eat outside of your hotel, I found that as long as you ate where it was busy – be that a street vendor or restaurant, it was generally ok and added to the experience.
Obviously avoid ice and only drink bottled water – of course watch the seals, it’s by no means fool proof as they can clearly re-fill the bottles, but at least give yourself a fighting chance.
Going vegetarian also helps, although I wouldn’t touch a salad, as does avoiding western foods – try and eat what the natives eat!
Never felt comfortable with lassi, tried a few but always felt that it was asking for trouble so didn’t make a habit of drinking them.
At the first sign of any “rumble” I took an Imodium, no idea if that’s a sensible precaution but it seemed to do the trick.
It’s also sensible to carry a bottle of hand gel and use it regularly, but you don’t need to get OCD with it.
India is a great country to visit and the food is part of the appeal, I will certainly go back again.
BigBen said:
just back from two weeks in India and spend the first ten days eating local food for breakfast, lunch and dinner with no ill effects. Spent the last five days in a posh hotel eating high end 'Western' food and have been sick as a dog since arriving home. Not Delhi belly as such but a terrible fever and temperature swings.
Today is the first day I have eaten anything in a week.
Interestingly I was in India about the same time for a fortnight, also eating local food for nearly every meal, and also came back with a fever and temperature swings, along with a horrible cough from the pollution! Also took just over a week for the temperature to settle down and the hunger to come back.... hmmmm.Today is the first day I have eaten anything in a week.
A colleague there at the same time, but spent the second week somewhere different to me, also had the same.
This was first week posh hotel, but only breakfast at hotel, second week travelling about eating wherever looked good!
Must be something in the water...
The trots nearly killed me in India, 3 bouts of them, all tremendous, I lost 20 kilo's in six weeks and the last bout was in a remote area where the only toilet was a tiny shared shed where you crapped on a ramp that fed the pigs outside, when the pigs saw you you go in they'd all come running over and if you squatted too low you could feel their noses on your arse.
I was in that toilet 25 times a day for 5 days straight.
Here it is:
And what was left of me after 6 weeks of trots:
I was in that toilet 25 times a day for 5 days straight.
Here it is:
And what was left of me after 6 weeks of trots:
Edited by cheddar on Monday 8th December 21:01
t. What else happens when more than a billion people take a dump in the outdoors everyday?I was in India for a week in the mid 90's stayed with a local and ate/drank whatever they had, including ice cream in the street in an open pot. No problems.
Went to Singapore for a week after, was bad for 3 days - both ends, due to a big Mac meal and vanilla milkshake! Lived on peanut butter sandwiches the rest of the week.
Went to Singapore for a week after, was bad for 3 days - both ends, due to a big Mac meal and vanilla milkshake! Lived on peanut butter sandwiches the rest of the week.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff