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Basic Rules
Food
There is an old colonial adage which says: ' if you can cook it, boil it or peel it you can eat it ... otherwise forget it'. Vegetables and fruit should be washed with purified water or peeled where possible. Beware of ice cream which is sold in the street or any where it might have been melted and refrozen; if there's any doubt (eg a power cut in the last day or two) steer well clear. Shellfish such as mussels, oysters and calms should be avoided as should undercooked meat, particularly in the form of mince. Steaming does not make shellfish safe for eating.
If a place looks clean and healthy, then the food is probably safe. In general, places that are packed with travellers or locals will be fine, while empty restaurants are questionable. The food in busy restaurants is cooked and eaten quickly with little standing around and is probably not reheated.
Nutrition
If your food is poor or limited in availability, if you're travelling hard and fast and therefore missing meals, or if you simply lose you appetite, you can soon start to lose weight and place your health at risk.
Make sure your diet is well balances. Cooked eggs, tufu, beans, lentils (dhal) and nuts are all safe ways to get protein. Fruit you can peel (eg bananas, oranges or mandarins) is usually safe (melons can harbour bacteria in their flesh and are best avoided) and a good source of vitamins. Try to eat plenty of grains (including rice) and bread.
Remember that although food is generally safer if it is cooked well, overcooked food loses much of its nutritional value. If your diet isn't well balanced or if your food intake is insufficient, it's a good idea to take vitamin and iron pills.
In hot climates make sure you drink enough - don't rely on feeling thirsty to indicate when you should drink. Not needing to urinate or small amounts of very dark yellow urine is a danger sign of dehydration. Always carry a water bottle with you on long trips. Excessive sweating can lead to loss of salt and therefore muscle cramping. Salt tablets are not a good idea as a preventative, but in places where salt is not used much adding it to food can help.
Water
The Number-one rule is be careful of water and especially ice. If you don't know for certain that the water is safe assume the worst. Reputable brands of bottled water or soft drinks are generally fine, although in some places bottles may be refilled with tap water. Only use water from containers with a serrated seal-not tops or corks. Take care with fruit juice, particularly if water may have been added. Milk is fine if it is kept hygienically. Tea or coffee should also be OK, since the water should have been boiled.
Water Purification
The simplest way of purifying water is to boil it thoroughly. Vigorous boilings should be satisfactory; however, at high altitude water boils at a lower temperature, so germs are less likely to be killed. Boil for longer in these environments.
Consider purchasing a water filter for a long trip. there are two main kinds of filter. Total filters take out all parasites, bacteria and viruses, and make water safe to drink. They are often expensive, but they can be more cost effective than buying bottled water. Simple filters (which can even be a nylon mesh bag) take out dirt and larger foreign bodies from the water so that chemical solutions work much more effectively; if water is dirty, chemical solutions may not work at all. It's very important when buying a filter to read the specifications so that you know exactly what it removes from the water and what it doesn't.
Simple filtering will not remove all dangerous organisms, so if you cannot boil water it should be treated chemically. Chlorine tablets (eg Puritabs, Seritabs or other brands) will kill many pathogens, but not some parasites like girdia and amoebic cysts. Iodine is more effective in purifying water and is available in tablet form (such as Portable Aqua). Follow the directions carefully and remember that too much iodine can be harmful.
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