i understand you need probiotics before going to India

[NoahVale]

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

Yes, there are bacteria there that we're not used to but MrsTerryPratchett is getting a hard time. Ultra processed foods (emulsifiers in particular) have wiped our our gut bacteria which is why we have so little variety and could all do with replenishing them.

Yes! I travelled to a developing country a couple of years ago and came back with diarrhoea like I've never had before - one or two doses of this sorted it out completely.

Luckily it was cooked to order. Food was amazing everyday.

@watchingthishtread I think we all know that. Doesn’t mean whatever we would consume in India wouldn’t be very hard on our guts. The faux naivety was funny though.

they give others a hard time often so they should be able to handle it don’t worry.

I’ve been three times. Never taken anything ( except travel vaccinations). I’ve eaten meat and fish there , never had any problems.

The most important piece of advice about travelling in India was given to us by our tour manager. That is, use hand sanitizer after every time that you touch money, Plain and simple and none of us on the tour got ill.

I’ve not read the full thread but wanted to add that when we went to India an Indian friend said buy some O2 tablets at the pharmacy when you get there. When we got d and v they cleared it up in hours. No idea what they were?

They are an antibiotic tablet so if your D and V was bacterial then they would help.
I’m rather shocked you took something without knowing what it was.

I wasn't a big fan of India because I don't like crowds, but the nature and culture was stunning and the food was amazing. It was the trip of a lifetime. Regarding food, 30 years on and I still remember several of the little restaurants and street food stalls, including a fruit smoothie from a street cart, a meal on a small boat, I could go on. Getting ill isn't a given, I didn't take any precautions and I was fine, but I was really unsettled when a monk in a monastery, who was creating a statue out of ghee by hand, just popped a bit of ghee into my mouth. I was young and just didn't expect it. I was really disgusted whilst trying to come over as polite - I'm not rigious but I was traveling with a buddhist who made all the right sounds and gestures so probably drew distraction away from me whilst I contemplated my fate... But even that was fine.

I've been to India countless times over a period of many years and have never taken probiotics, been told that I should, or met anyone while travelling India who has mentioned to me that they're taking them!

I have also never got sick while travelling and I ate in small local restaurants or at food stalls all the time.

Our tour guide said most cases of upset tummies (mild not constant d&v) were people getting dehydrated. She was keen on us keeping liquid and salt and sugar levels up. Also washing hands after touching money. Seemed to work.

Washing hands with soap and water whenever possible is better than using hand sanitiser. Hand sanitisers are not that effective against some bugs that commonly cause food posioning.

We used Optibac before we went.

It was 15 years ago so I am sure I knew at the time.

Ah, I understand.
On one of my trips I wasn’t unwell, but food was passing too quickly. Eventually I did take antibiotics - killed ALL the gut bacteria and I went the other way!

I was in India with a group last November. I have a pretty good diet already generally including probiotics naturally in food. I took loperamide and rehydration sachets with me just in case. We stayed in pretty good hotels with buffets breakfast and supper and when out lunch stop restaurants selected by our guide. I had Bircher muesli every breakfast with fruit, at supper ate chicken, fish, salads, ice cream etc from the buffet, stayed off anything rich. When eating lunch out I had Lentil Dahl, naan bread and a beer. I had a bite of street food veg bhaji (delicious). I brushed my teeth in the filtered tapwater in the hotel. Drank loads of bottled water provided.

I wasn’t poorly, however, some others in my group were. It was a fabulous trip.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-super-healthy-probiotic-foods

@over50andfab The water for washing the salads isn’t always the best. Buffets can mean food hanging around - cooked to order is better. It’s great eating in India though.

I was never as ill as I was in India. Make sure the water bottles you purchase are definitely sealed, sometimes they repurpose them. I took As others said avoid salad, ice and only eat fruit you can peel. Wash your hands with soap and water or use sanitiser before you go anywhere near your face and mouth or eat. If a restaurant is busy, it's probably okay. The empty ones - avoid. If you are ill you can get amoxicillin a broad-spectrum antibiotic at most pharmacies which take them 3 times a day and it will kill most bacterial infections. Metronidazole is good for Giardia again over the counter or at least both were when I was there.
Enjoy! There is nowhere like it!

Drink bottled water (lots) - I prefer room temperature rather than chilled as it's absorbed quicker because the gut blood vessels don't contract, keep your mouth shut when you shower, lay off the booze, don't eat European unless you're in a 5* hotel (even then be wary), vegetarian is good, use common sense about what and where to eat. It's worth carrying imodium for emergencies, rehydration tablets are good to have as well. I spent a lot of time in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, probably 2 years in total, but not in one stretch and had the squits for 24 hours once. In my experience, my insides have been rather more unstable when I returned to the UK, I suspect the water - though the 2 people who drank it before me said it was OK. If you're traveling away from the main cities it may be worth somebody carrying a "travel sharps" kit.

I've been to India many times and have never been sick:

• no salad
• no meat
• bottled water
• only vegetarian curry

T he variety of vegetarian food is amazing, meat was not needed!

I was never as ill as I was in India. Make sure the water bottles you purchase are definitely sealed, sometimes they repurpose them.

Ditto. I was being very very careful about what I ate, drank, did but still got terribly ill - I suspected the bottled water had been re-sealed in the end. It's no fun being on a drip in a hotel room!

😂😂

What a carry on. You’re supposed to be on holiday. I went to India about 28 years ago, I knew it was iffy but I couldn’t believe how filthy it was. Never again.

We just eat at top class places now in India. No manky back street places. Meat is fine if you choose the restaurant wisely.