“I’m going to be travelling and doing a tour of India soon which I’m super excited about. However, it seems that many people suffer from unpleasant sickness and diarrhoea when travelling to India, which I of course want to avoid. My diet is fairly healthy but what should I be eating or taking in supplement form before I go and perhaps during the trip?”
Clinical Nutritionist, Suzie Sawyer, answers.
Yes, you’re quite right that tummy troubles are very common when travelling to India, and, as with everything, prevention is better than cure. But there are a number of things you can do to help support your digestive health whilst travelling.
Antimicrobial foods
There are a number of foods that have antimicrobial properties and that help either prevent invaders into the gut or see them off if they are there. These foods include good quality honey, coconut oil, garlic, turmeric, oregano, apple cider vinegar and cabbage. I would therefore be including these foods as much as possible in your diet now. All of them also help to nourish the gut microbiome by providing prebiotics, which feed the probiotic or resident good bacteria in the gut. It’s important in this context to be increasing the good and crowding out the bad bacteria in the gut.
Take probiotics
Talking of probiotics, these friendly strains that live in the gut and do so much good work for our health, need to be continually fed and nourished. We also know from lots of great research that certain strains such as lactobacillus rhamnosus and lactobacillus reuteri, together with saccharomyces boulardii help prevent and treat traveller’s diarrhoea. Therefore, I would recommend getting a good supplement, which are readily available in all good health food stores. Start taking it now and continue throughout the entire trip.
Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables
The gut microbiome also really likes to be nurtured with plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables. These not only feed the good bacteria, they help manage inflammation throughout the body and are packed with vitamins and minerals, providing plenty of essential nutrients. If the body is optimally nourished, then the immune system will be strong and better able to fight off any potential infections.
Avoid unbottled water
When you’re in India, it’s just a question of being sensible and avoiding any unbottled water, so ice is out. This also means being careful around salads and raw fruits and vegetables, that might have been washed in contaminated water. Also, remember not to brush your teeth in water from the tap (higher rated hotel water should be fine, but do check).
Go for spicy foods
Spicy curries are actually probably the healthiest and less risky choice! Plus, it makes sense to eat in a traditional Indian way whilst there. The spices in their food are also great for nurturing the gut, especially turmeric which will feature highly in most of their dishes.
Hand hygiene
Lastly, employing good hand hygiene can help prevent many issues, so wash them regularly and use an antibacterial soap. Also take antibacterial hand gel with you wherever you go. And then just enjoy the trip!
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