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Nothing ruins a vacation faster than getting sick with a stomach bug. One minute you’re enjoying your holiday abroad and the next you’re stuck in your hotel room racing.
It is very common: according to studies, up to 50 percent of people who travel abroad suffer from bed bugs.
And symptoms, such as having three or more watery bowel movements a day, stomach cramps, fever, nausea or vomiting, can lead to days of misery.
The most common trigger is harmful bacteria from contaminated food or water.
Up to 50 percent of people traveling abroad will be affected by a stomach bug
These bacteria produce toxins that the intestines try to eliminate, causing watery stools. Some bacteria, such as salmonella, invade the lining of the intestine and cause inflammation, making it difficult to absorb water and nutrients, causing diarrhea.
Whatever the cause, symptoms usually go away within two to three days without the need for medical attention (although if you have diarrhea that lasts more than a week or blood in your stool, it is best to see a doctor).
But for some, traveler’s gut becomes more than a temporary inconvenience, as it can increase the risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
In fact, a review published in the journal Gastroenterology in 2017 found that 10 percent of people who have had travelers syndrome develop long-term IBS, with symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea or constipation, and abdominal pain.
This is thought to be because the infection causes inflammation in the gut and upsets the balance of bacteria there, meaning that symptoms persist for weeks and months after the infection clears.
All of which adds weight to the merit that prevention is better than cure.
But aside from the usual advice, such as being careful with tap water and ice (in case it’s made from contaminated water) and following the “boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it” rule when it comes to fresh foods, There are other strategies to prevent traveler’s diarrhea while you are on vacation.
Here are my prevention tips, plus my advice on ways to quickly relieve symptoms if you get sick, so you can get back to enjoying your vacation sooner.
INCREASE INTESTINAL BACTERIA
THE week before your trip, think about “travel-prepping your gut”—getting your gut bacteria in good shape. This is because trillions of harmless bacteria and other microbes living in the large intestine (collectively known as the gut microbiome) can help prevent harmful invaders from colonizing the intestine and causing infections. They do it in multiple ways.
A study from the University of Oxford, published in the journal Science last year, found that having a healthy gut microbiome, with many different types of gut bacteria, blocks the growth of harmful bacteria like salmonella by consuming the nutrients they need to survive. .
Your gut microbiome also interacts with your immune system: 70 percent of your immune cells live in the lining of your gut.
And a healthy community of gut bacteria can help strengthen your immune system’s defenses, making it easier for your immune cells to identify and fight harmful bacteria before they cause an infection.
The good news is that it doesn’t take long to improve the health of your gut microbiome; It can take as little as three to four days, according to a study published in the journal Nature in 2013.
Start feeding your gut bacteria in the fifteen-day countdown to your vacation by focusing on eating more fiber, which feeds good gut bacteria. A few simple steps can help, such as making sure half your plate is full of vegetables at lunch and dinner, and snacking on nuts and seeds.
A healthy community of gut bacteria can help strengthen your immune system’s defenses
Also try adding fermented foods to your daily diet, such as kefir (fermented dairy), which forms the basis of a great healthy breakfast with wheat bran, berries, nuts and seeds.
Another fermented food you can try is kimchi, a type of cabbage fermented with other vegetables, which works well as a side dish or used to add a crunch to sandwiches.
TAKE A FIBER CAPSULE
To be safe, you may also want to take a daily supplement of a type of fiber, called galactooligosaccharide (B-GOS), that specifically feeds the “good” gut bacteria.
For one study, 81 volunteers received a daily sachet of 5.5 g of B-GOS, to take from the week before their trip and continue during their vacation. 78 were given a placebo.
According to results published in the journal Nature in 2009, those who took B-GOS were 40 percent less likely to suffer from traveler’s diarrhea than those who took a placebo.
What’s more, those who got sick had less stomach pain and recovered in half the time than the placebo group.
B-GOS is thought to create a protective barrier in the lining of the intestine, preventing harmful bacteria from sticking to the surface of the intestine and causing infections.
In addition to feeding “good” gut bacteria, B-GOS is thought to create a protective barrier in the lining of the intestine, preventing harmful bacteria from sticking to the surface of the intestine and causing infections.
Similar compounds are found in soybeans, chickpeas, and lentils, and although it is not known if eating them will have the same effects, they will add beneficial amounts of fiber to your diet.
FREEZING LEFTOVER VEGETABLES
You can buy B-GOS online or at most health food stores in powder or capsule form.
While it may seem convenient to use everything in the refrigerator before traveling, not buying fresh and perishable products, such as fruits and vegetables, can be counterproductive for your gut bacteria.
What’s more, it can make you more dependent on ultra-processed and packaged foods, which, if they make up a large part of your diet, can be bad news for the microbiome.
Instead, focus on fresh produce that will last well, such as root vegetables, or cook and freeze leftover food that doesn’t last. You can roast trays of vegetables with garlic and spices, or mix them into soup before freezing.
PACK SOME MUSHROOMS
This may seem unlikely, but yeast could help both prevent and treat stomach infections.
In addition to bacteria, the gut microbiome contains fungi, including certain yeasts, and taking a yeast capsule can help with your immune defense by boosting their numbers.
A 2019 review of studies, published in the Journal of Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, found that taking the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 (available in some supermarkets or health food stores) in the days before a vacation and while you’re away , reduces the chance of suffering from stomach infections during the holidays by 20 percent.
And if you suffer from diarrhea, a 2023 study published in BMC Gastroenterology found that taking Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 along with acetaminophen and an antispasmodic may help relieve symptoms, such as stomach pain and fever, better than a placebo.
Try taking it the week before and during your vacation.
TRY THE BANANA REMEDY
The biggest danger if traveler’s diarrhea appears is dehydration. And because you’ll not only lose fluids but also electrolyte salts, like sodium, chloride, and potassium that help your body’s fluid balance, water alone may not be enough to fully hydrate you.
Feeling weak or dizzy may be a sign that you have low fluid and salt levels. While you can buy rehydration packets or electrolyte drinks to help you, you can make your own remedy by adding six teaspoons of sugar (to help speed up the rate at which your body absorbs water) and half a teaspoon of salt (to provide sodium and chloride). ) to a liter of water. To get more potassium, eat a banana along with this.
As for fluids, try to consume between 1.5 and 2 liters of fluid per day.
DISMISS THE ICE CREAM
Your intestine is not able to fully digest lactose, the milk sugar, when you have diarrhea, and this could make your symptoms worse.
Even when you feel well enough to eat and drink normally, it’s worth being careful in the early days of your recovery until your system feels like it’s truly back to normal.
So stay away from coffee, as it can have a laxative-like effect, stimulating the intestine to move food quickly, just like decaffeinated coffee, although to a lesser extent.
The same goes for spicy food, as capsaicin, found in spices like chili powder and paprika, can speed up how quickly food passes through the intestine.
You may also want to postpone your Christmas ice cream, as your intestine cannot fully digest lactose, the sugar in milk, when you have diarrhea, and this could make your symptoms worse.