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.)
