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Nancy Dutra's trip to Mexico in December was going fine until she made a critical mistake.

The twentysomething Toronto songwriter is always cautious about eating and drinking when she travels. In Mexico, she only went to restaurants recommended by a friend. When she bought fruit at the market, she made sure to wash it with bottled water.

She did everything right - only to make a mistake after eating.

"I accidentally brushed my teeth using the tap water," she says. "I was violently ill for the next three days."

It could have been even worse. There are a host of food-borne illnesses out there, though for the most part 20 to 50 per cent of international travellers develop diarrhea,

according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Contaminated water is to blame in many of those cases.

Most of us know to stick to bottled water on the road, but doing so won't necessarily prevent illness from ruining a trip. So whether you're just looking for a safe restaurant or have specific food issues such as allergies, there are ways to help ensure that you eat safely the next time you hit the road.

CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING

Many sources that offer food and safety advice when travelling trade in absolutes. The Public Health Agency of

Canada, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health

Organization all recommend avoiding salads and uncooked vegetables, as raw food is subject to contamination.

It's a fine strategy for people who are extremely cautious, but there's no reason to give up greens on the road, says Dr. Mark Wise, director of Toronto's Travel Clinic and author of The Travel Doctor: Your Guide to Staying Healthy While You Travel. Instead, keep in mind that context is everything.

"If you're in the Four Seasons hotel, then eating the salad is probably not a great risk," he says. "But if you're in the little stall next to the youth hostel, then eating the salad probably is a great risk."

It may be easy to gauge the cleanliness at the Hilton or the grubby vendor on the bad side of town, but what about every venue in between?

"Take a look at the bathroom," says Doug Powell, scientific director of the International Food Safety Network at Kansas State University. "You want to see soap, paper towels and lots of running water. If you don't see those, you've got a problem, because those are the essentials for good hand washing."

And ask your server if the restaurant uses a sanitizer to clean the tables. "They don't need to know what its percentage of chlorine is," says Powell. "You just need to know that they're using one. Because if they're not, you have the germs from whoever was there before you sitting on the table that your silverware is on."

Aimee Goggins, the marketing manager of travel guide publisher Lonely Planet, suggests following the locals. "Pick restaurants that are popular with the locals and that are crowded," she says. "This will usually reflect high quality and that the foods there will be good."

As well, keep the geography of your destination in mind. "If you're on the coast or an island, go with seafood, because it will be the freshest," she says. "But if you're inland, get meat or vegetarian options."

GET YOUR SHOTS

People tend to plan for health and safety on a trip in proportion to how dangerous they believe the destination to be, Wise says. If they are trekking across western Africa, chances are they will visit a clinic like his prior to their departure; if they're going to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, chances are they won't bother.

(Of course, no country has a perfect record on food safety. Even quality-obsessed Japan is still reeling from last month's tainted gyoza scandal involving dumplings imported

from China.)

While it's true that some areas pose greater dangers than others, it's better to be on the safe side and get your shots, he says, especially considering how easy the process has become. "You hear things like 'You need to be at a doctor's office two months in advance,' but I think we can do most things for most travellers really a week before they go and often a day before they go." For instance, the most common immunization for travellers is for hepatitis A. "If we give that to somebody on their way to the airport, they're probably still going to have protection."

Of course, depending on your trip, it is better to see a travel doctor well before you depart. "Some people who are doing longer or riskier trips and need a series of shots like rabies vaccine or hepatitis B vaccine should see a doctor more than a month before they leave," Wise says.

The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends travellers be immunized for diphtheria, hepatitis B, measles, poliomyelitis, rubella and tetanus, many of which mean having to see a doctor weeks in advance.

HAVE ALLERGIES, WILL TRAVEL

"With allergies, there's no being off-the-cuff," says Gwen Smith, editor of Allergic Living magazine. "When you're on vacation, you don't want your allergies to be the only thing you're thinking about, but you also don't want to be sitting there wondering, 'Okay, 20 minutes from now, am I off to a hospital?' "

Travellers with food allergies can do a few simple things to stop worrying and start enjoying their vacation.

If you can, Smith says, find a place with its own kitchen, whether it's an apartment, villa, ski chalet or hotel room. "Then you can cook your own stuff."

Prior to booking, find out how far it is to the nearest hospital or clinic. "If it's three hours away, maybe that's not in my comfort zone," Smith says. Also, if you're travelling to a country where you don't speak the language, buy a set of allergy translation cards or write down a few phrases in a

notebook.

When you do go out to eat, "talk to the chef and explain what your allergies are. It brings a level of control and just peace of mind." Most restaurants should be happy to let you talk briefly to the chef or cook. If not, don't eat there, Smith says. Ask yourself, "Do the people seem attentive or are they cavalier about it? If they're cavalier, press on to the next restaurant."

Finally, "don't eat anything unless you have your EpiPen," Smith says. "I won't even do that in Toronto."

DON'T FEAR THE EXOTIC

Chefs in the Peruvian capital of Lima have turned guinea pig into a fine-dining option. Lizard is popular in the Philippines. Duck feet are considered tasty snacks in China.

Foods such as these may seem worlds away from your mom's meatloaf, but there is nothing to fear from exotic fare.

"I get people going to China and they're worried about getting snake to eat," Wise says. "I say as long as the snake is cooked, it's okay."

It doesn't matter what's on the menu, Powell says, as long as it is cooked to the right

temperature. "The basics are the same, whatever you're eating," he says. "You just have to make sure that whatever you're eating is cooked well."

Travel is a way to experience the unfamiliar, and there's no reason that experience has to end when you go out to eat.

"Food is an intrinsic part of culture, and you need to be open when you're travelling to new experiences," Goggins says. "You don't need to try the weirdest thing on the menu just for bragging rights, but trying things that are a little bit outside of your comfort zone is important. Try some new things, experiment."