How to Avoid Food Poisoning in Nepal

The enthusiasm for discovering developing nations has a significant downside: the possibility for food poisoning. It is a visitor’s worst nightmare. This may feel goofy in some way, but, at the time you are traveling to a new nation, the possibilities of suffering from food poisoning are exceedingly high. This has high possibilities of happening mainly when you eat something that you have never tasted previously. But not that, this should not stop you from traveling to any nation and tasting the local delicacies.
Fortunately enough, getting food poisoning at the time of traveling isn’t unavoidable. Nepal is popular for its delicious and mouthwatering cuisines. Few of the local favorites involve Chiura (beaten rice) fried up with eggs and onions, Bara (a type of pancake), Samosa, Mo: Mo: (a dumpling of meat and veggies), noodles, etc. These local foods are commonly much safer compared to foreign foods since they are prepared on a each day basis and people are quite used to the cooking procedure.
On the other hand, the majority of these foods here are cooked in high heat to kill any kind of germs. Furthermore, in Nepal, freshly prepared cooked food is preferred over raw and undercooked ones. Nevertheless, the possibility of suffering from food poisoning cannot be disregarded. Food poisoning/illness is normally caused by eating contaminated foods which might have any kind of toxin and contagious organisms like bacteria, viruses, or even parasites.
It normally takes place at the time foods aren’t managed in an appropriate way. Generally, its symptoms differ from the source of contamination and pop up between 30 minutes to 6 hours after the consumption of the food/drink in question. Below are some of the most common signs and symptoms of food-borne illness:

1. Nausea and vomiting
2. Watery or bloody diarrhea or even dysentery
3. Cramps and upper abdominal pain
4. Fever

As a visitor, it is quite clear to have feeling of sudden happiness when finding a local delicacy. While your taste buds may go at the demented at the thought of tasting new delicacies, it is also necessary to have few restraints. Correspondingly, having a sensible perspective is uniformly necessary also. You should be exceedingly wise regarding your choices, significantly when it comes to food and tyring local cuisines for the entirety of your travel. One should always think regarding the potential results prior to trying any kind of unhealthy food.
Significantly in Nepal, the possibilities of diarrhea and dysentery are exceedingly high; so, travelers are highly advised to be a bit careful regarding eating in local street-side eateries. A mild case of agitation in the stomach is not a prospect to bother about. Hence, in worst circumstances, even such light agitation might affect the hazard of food poisoning. These approaches are exceptionally appropriate for Nepal and also speed up the recovery procedure.

AVOID

One of the best prospects you can do is avoid eating any kind of contaminated food. Raw and uncooked foods should be entirely turned aside. The chances of these containing germs is exceedingly high; so, significant precautions are to be taken. This should be taken seriously significantly at the time you are traveling with children and elderly people as their immune system is relatively weaker.
On the other hand, avoid using ice beverages in your refreshment drinks since the possibilities of tap water being used for it are exceedingly high. Dairy products can be very delicious; hence, they can go off easily and cause severe illness. Appropriately heated mike is okay to use. So, if you want to milk in your tea or coffee, make sure that it is appropriately boiled first.
Curd and yogurt are also delicacies in Nepal; so, you should be cautious of eating curd that exceeds the expiration date. Correspondingly, if you are having an ice-cream, assure to check the shape, and packaging to see if it looks to have been melted and then refrozen.

SANTISE

IN Nepal customs, people normally dine with their hands. Consuming your food with dirty hands filled with bacteria can be a significant behind stomach aches which might further lead to food poisoning. So, carrying a sanitizer is a must. You should compulsorily sanitize your hands prior to eating and even after washing it with the tap water as such water might have lots of bacteria in it. Significantly, when you are going during a long trek, it is a must to add a sanitizer in your first-aid kit. This can be supportive when you are in a pinch when traveling.

PURIFY

One cannot drink tap water treatment if appropriately in Nepal. Use water purification, refinement tablets, or fluids when you head out to rural regions. While local people may be fine drinking tap water, you are highly advised not to take the risk. It’s better to make use of chlorine since it assures that the water you are taking is safe to drink. Boiling the water is another effective option to purify it at the time you are heading on a trek.
Chlorine-sterilized water isn’t tasty; yet, it is better than spending hours in the toilet. Piyush drops (chlorine package) can be found effectively in Kathmandu and Pokhara. If, unluckily, you suffer from water-borne diseases, be sure to drink a lot of water and take oral rehydration salts (ORS), also called electrolytes.
These can be bought at any pharmacy. (Tip: the orange parcel brands with the formula provided by medical centres are better than others!) On the other hand, take a few ORS parcels together with you on your journeys. These will support you with hydration and also assist you to limit altitude sickness from further getting worse when trekking in mountainous regions.

STERILIZE

It’s another effective option to decrease any kind of agitation in the stomach. In case you want to eat something raw, it’s ideal to sterilize it prior to consumption. First, you should scrub the food item appropriately to remove any kind of dirt and after that soak it in warm water with iodine or chlorine to kill any bacteria/viruses on its skin.
Correspondingly, you should also sterilize any portable utensils at the time you have to use them. Milk should be boiled appropriately to pasteurize it; significantly, when you are in village parts. To wrap things up, in the situation in which you are confused or you don’t know where to eat, or what to eat, you should refrain from eating at closeby local eateries.
Any negligence can cause you to come up short of completing your travel aims in Nepal. On the other hand, make sure to visit a pharmacy or your local medical consultants, for any basic vaccines, like hepatitis A. Such food-borne disease and illnesses can spread through water or contaminated food.

How to Treat Food Poisoning While Traveling?

Remember that: Prevention is everytime better than cure; hence, if you suffer from mild or serious cases of food poisoning then, counter medicines like Pepto-Bismol or Imodium can be quite supportive. It decreases nausea and diarrhea, and support you to reclaim your strength also. Correspondingly, in a situation where there aren’t any pharmacies or comfortable places to purchase medicines (at the time of trek to mountainous region), you can use some low-tech remedies.
The first steps is to begin rehydrating. At the time of food poisoning, there is a high possibility of dehydration as you lose a lot of fluids when you have diarrhea and vomiting. So, the first prospect you should do is begin rehydrating. Always stick to boiled or bottled water in such conditions.
Taking electrolytes is also mandatory. Add 6 teaspoons of sugar and one teaspoon of salt in boiled water. Allow it to cool down for a few minutes and start drinking it slowly. Keep up with the fluids and skip any kind of heavy food/drinks which might disturb your intestine. Meat beverages should be entirely avoided for a minimum of 6 days. Consume warm and healthy food like soup, toast, rice, and crackers. They also comprise a high amount of sodium, that might support our body reloading the electrolytes.
Nevertheless, in serious cases, it’s mandatory to visit the doctor. If you seek any of the following symptoms then quickly seek medical attention.

1. Bloody vomit and stool.
2. Lack of ability to take liquids and consistent vomiting.
3. Diarrhea for more than 36 hours.
4. Any kind of neurological symptoms like weakening of muscle, blurry vision or tingling in the arms.
5. Excessive thirst, little or no urination, dizziness or vertiginous.
6. Serious fever (above 100.4 F).

Regardless of following the safety measures, occasionally, one can get infected with food poisoning, and water and foodborne diseases. These circumstances demand a quick reaction to assure that your health and travel schedule are not adversely affected by it. Hospitals are simply available in cities but villages also provide health posts and clinics to look after such illnesses.
It cannot be stressed enough in which pharmaceuticals should be the last but a compulsory resort for food poisoning and similar illnesses. Therefore, food poisoning is something that you should be exceedingly cautious regarding while you are traveling through the rural parts of Nepal.

Hence, it should not be a reason to back out from your journey and travel aims and everytime remember that prevention is better than cure. The more you concentrate on your health, the more you enjoy your journeys. Travel without hesitation and enjoy Nepali foods with sufficient precautions.