Miriam is a sometime world traveler who was a customer service representative for a major insurance company and now writes articles for Good Neighbor Insurance and others. Good Neighbor Insurance represents 10 international health and travel insurance companies. Email us for more information.
You arrive in Southeast Asia after a long international trip to a new world of sights, sounds and smells. The food is unfamiliar, and bugs are everywhere. But don’t despair. You can still love food and retain your digestive health. In fact, considering the amount of antacids Americans consume each year, you might be able to improve it. Here are some tips:
Learn to love local fruits.
Many of the most palatable fruits native to Southeast Asia also promote digestive health. These include ripe papayas and mangoes. Mandarin oranges are good even if they‘re small.
You’ve never had bananas and pineapple until you’ve eaten them fresh in Southeast Asia. The apples are sour but can be baked with a little cinnamon. Star fruit make a good substitute for apples. Don’t be afraid of coconut, either the meat, oil or milk. It really is good for you. Some local fruits like durian take a long time to acquire a taste for, but they are easily avoided.
The good news is that you won’t have to deal with the wax added to many fruits in America.
Clean foods properly.
The fruits and vegetables you are going to eat raw including the skins need to be soaked in a solution of iodine and water and then washed with drinking water. This would be things like tomatoes, cucumbers and star fruit. If you are going to eat a food raw after you have skinned it, still wash it in drinking water first. This would be foods like carrots, papaya and mangoes.
Cook greens.
No amount of soaking greens can assure killing enough bacteria. The good news is that briefly cooking greens actually makes the nutrients more available to you anyway. Wash and steam just until wilted or make a stir fry. The secret to a good stir fry is to put the harder vegetables in first and the greens or bok choy in at the end. Add a drop or two of sesame oil. Cook until greens are just wilted.
Shop often.
The Southeast Asian habit of buying food every day is a healthy one. Our western lives get so busy, but go at least every two or three days. Food is best ripe and fresh.
Purchase international travel insurance in case you do get sick.
Let’s say you do all of the above, yet still get sick with a stomach bug or food poisoning. Get medical help right then and there. There are several travel insurance plans that will continue home country coverage for up to six months from the time of your initial medical treatment overseas. This is a good deal, and these plans are inexpensive.
Above all, have fun with your food, buy overseas travel insurance, and try new things once in a while.
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