i understand you need probiotics before going to India

[NoahVale]

would these be tablets you continue to take
or yakult before you go?

Yakult is a lot of sugar and a bit like pouring a thimble of water into the sea as far as probiotics go

if you want probiotics look for a very good tablet https://www.healthspan.co.uk/probiotic-5-billion/

take handgel
avoid seafood or meat

I took these

https://amzn.eu/d/09Vdx7BG

There are 20 capsules in the Amazon link for pretty much the same tablet as I linked for 60 tablets

I’ve been to India - didnt get advised to take these - what is the reasoning behind it as I’m curious

Why? I'd assume you meed more in the UK eating processed food. Than eating food in India.

i dont think 60 tablets is necessary for my needs

I was advised to get the Optibac ones, even though they are more expensive as they’re developed specifically for travel related gut issues whereas the healthspan version is a long-term probiotic for people that want to take it all the time.

However, our posts must’ve crossed and I don’t really care which one people buy everyone needs to do their own research. I was just making a recommendation that worked for me 🙂

Oh my sweet summer child

Is that a serious question? Processed food may be bad for you but it doesn't give you food poisoning / Delhi belly.

My DS went backpacking around India for 6 weeks and didn’t get any stomach issues so I don’t think it’s a given.

Can someone explain what the evidence is that probiotics protect you from stomach upsets in far flung countries?

I've been to India a few times. I make sure that my travel vaccinations are up to date but have never taken probiotics and have never been sick.

Who advised you to take them? I'd listen if it was my gp or the practice nurse who was giving me my jabs but I'm not sure that I'd take much notice of what anyone else was telling me.

the person giving the jabs but they also advised Gaviscon, i guess they saw me coming.
i will buy them anyway

I worked in India for a few weeks. We were told to drink full fat coke. I did and was ok. No idea if this had any to do with it. Only ate in our hotel though so not travelling around. Keep a supply of wet wipes and antibac on you though.

Did you get the jabs at a gp surgery or somewhere else? Sounds like a sales pitch. I've never heard of anyone being advised to take Gaviscon for a trip to India. Surely that's for indigestion, not the kind of stomach upset that some people get in India.

Goinggrey88

the coke thing is interesting, I couldn’t get coffee so stuck to full fat coke whilst travelling ( was cycling in India, so eating in many different places) and along with antibacterial hand gel - I didn’t get Delhi belly. Didn’t take any supplements but did have all my vaccinations

Eating street food or in small local restaurants (if they look clean) can be safer than eating hotel food, especially if it's the sort of hotel that does buffets, with food sitting around for a while.

I’d want to take antibiotics!
I went to India in 2010 and my guts have never really recovered. Not sure prebiotics would have helped matters.

Hi op, this is not due to a risk of food poisoning, it is due to the fact different bacteria than you’re used to will likely upset your stomach,

we were advised to do this for Mexico, I didn’t but gave my husband and daughter them, as they are more prone to upset tummies than me, and I was the only one with a dodgy tummy, it wasn’t food positioning, it was simply different bacteria upset the balance in my stomach.

so I think you’ve been given good advice I just bought some decent ones off of Amazon,

We went to India last year. Took probiotics religiously. Went on a trip which had a buffet lunch included. All of us were throwing up the next day. Sil who didnt take them was also just as sick so food poisoning will get you either way. Just be careful to only eat freshly cooked/hotel/ hot food. Nothing thats beennlying around or from street vendors.

The GP/Fully Certified Functional Medicine doctor I see says her clinic only advise people to use the Optibac range (they don’t sell them, so it’s not a sales pitch). Obtibac have a specific one for travelling abroad.

It’s not to stop food poisoning nothing does that. It is to prevent different bacteria that’s perfectly safe upsetting your stomach as it’s new. And I can say anecdotally it works.

I was so, so ill when I went to India so I’d give anything a go to avoid it. I agree with a previous poster saying watch the hotels. I’d been fine eating street food or at restaurants until we stayed at a hotel out of the city. I (and most of my group) got sick at a hotel where they’d (slightly weirdly) done a Chinese menu that night. I was sharing a room with another girl who got sick and we were up all night both trying to share one bathroom. We all had a 12 hour bus journey the next day and it was horrific and my stomach wasn’t the same again all trip. You can see from my photos I lost quite a lot of weight. So take the probiotics but also stock up on Imodium and be careful with what you’re eating.

Full fat coke and probiotics don't prevent stomach upsets. When I lived there people advised yogurt (didn't call it probiotics then) and coke when you were recovering. I always assumed the coke was for the sugar and liquid for rehydration and the yogurt was good after taking antibiotics for giardia. They used to recommend wearing a flannel belt around your stomach in my grandmother's tine. You could try that 😂

We went on a tour of India and didn’t take them, we were fine.
We made sure though to only eat in the hotel (good ones) or recommended restaurants.
Check salads are washed in bottled water and food that should be hot is piping hot - not sat on a buffet for hours.
The other thing we were told is not to drink out of cans without a straw or directly from bottles as the tops may be dirty.
Take hand gel and I took travel toilet paper with me! Not sure you can get it now though but very few toilets out of the hotels seemed to have any.
If your out and about and feeling peckish bananas are a good bet - we ate loads.