jaimemayo

Here's something I couldn't find in this forum. It concerns the infamous "Dehli belly"—I have heard of several tales telling that almost every visitor gets Dehli belly; i.e. diarrhea. I read this is because of the oil that is used in cooking. My question: Is this common? Any advice on how to avoid it? I have never visited India before and am thinking about doing the Golden Triangle in January but hesitate if I will become sick from eating the food.

LightSpeed

I don't think it's the oil that causes it, but then again, I'm no nutritionist. For your own safety, stick to bottled water, and stay away from the meats and coconut-based dishes. YMMV.

GUWonder

I've gone with -- and taken -- many people to India who have never gotten "Delhi belly". There are a few rules to abide by. Always use bottled mineral water from a good source; and use it for most everything including to brush your teeth and to clean your tootbrush. Keep your mouth closed when taking a bath/shower and wash your mouth and face with bottled water after you're done with the shower. Wash your hands with soap frequently and dry them completely or do the final rinse with bottled water. Don't eat uncooked food and avoid dairy products unless it's been boiled or is part of something that has been well-cooked. Avoid frozen foods and sweets except at the best of the best hotels. Don't eat salads. Be careful with fruit. Eat well-cooked food only, and that too only eat "hot food". All from good restaurants. Avoid street-side vendor foods, cooked or not. Wash your utensils with bottle water or wipe them down with antibiotic wipes and then wait for them to dry completely. Travel around in A/C cars with the A/C running and the windows closed. Wear appropriate clothing indoors and outdoors. Keep your hands away from your face as much as your can.

Do I follow all those things myself? Not all of the time, nor even most of the time. But those steps certainly do work.

fijaircan

100% agree with above. I go to India 3 or 4 times a year and I try to follow most of what GUWonder has said and I don't get the Delhi belly.

yosithezet

I've been following these same steps and never gotten Delhi Belly in the 15 or so trips to the subcontinent. Elsewhere I also read the rules of eating only things that were boiled, peeled and deep fried.

etch5895

I'm getting ready to take my 1st trip to India in a few months, and while all the above suggestions are good, I have a hard time thinking I'll be able to follow them all. So...

How long does it generally take the diarrhea to run its course, and would bringing an OTC anti-diarrhea medicine be allowed? I'm guessing yes.

Torsten71

I have travelled quite a lot to different countries in Asia. Never had a problem with the food, but in Delhi the infamous Delhi belly hit me. I am cautious with the food but not hysterical about it.

For me it took exactly 7 days and medicine did not help. It stopped as suddenly as it started (started on the plane back home - yuk). My doctor told me, that it is not worse than any of the small 24 hour diarrhoes that you can catch at home, too, but because our system is not used to it, it will just take longer. So I had to sit and wait....

Let me add one hint to the ones above: avoid water melons, because sometimes those are said to be made heavier by injection of (bad tap) water.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your trip!

Cheers,
Torsten

runnerwallah

I think Delhi belly is used as a general term for diarrhea in India. Diarrhea and upset stomachs can be caused by poor hygiene, new foods, or other causes.

I had a very bad case of Delhi belly a few years ago. The culprit: coconut oil. It most certainly was not poor hygeine, as the meals were prepared in a very clean kitchen.

The other people travelling with me were unaffected.

I suggest packing immodium or pepto bismol. Also, yogurts/raita have a soothing effect on my stomach. Consider eating good amounts of them if they have the same effect with you.

ttjoseph

The advice above about avoiding local tap water is good. Also, you might want to avoid salads as they would probably be washed in tap water. At hotels that cater to foreigners you might be safer but why take the chance?

I'm a medical student and travel to third world countries a couple times a year with a team of doctors. We always carry a bottle of ciprofloxacin tablets for just this purpose - taken as soon as symptoms appear, this drug can many times make a big difference. (It certainly has for me!) If your physician isn't too resistant to the idea of letting you carry around antibiotics in case you need them, he or she might be willing to write you a prescription.

TMOliver

Not bad advice, and odds are the water or poorly washed vegetables/fruit will be far more likely to cause the condition than cooking with coconut oil. Literally dozens of common products in the US and Europe are laden with coconut oil.

By whatever name, Delhi Belly, Montezuma's Revenge, the Aztec Quickstep, Green Apple Squitters, Calf Scours, Ganges Gurgle, or as spoken of the the financial world, a Liquidity Crisis not due to a poor cash position, the condition attacks some bellies more quickly and desperately than others, while other folks wander through life unaffected.

The major problem arising from the "condition" is dehydration, the same side issue that kills more infants world wide than all of mankind's infectious diseases combined. Personally, with a good bit of time in the tropics, I've always subscribed to traditional remedies, bananas and white rice, and enormous doses of tea with sugar and lemon or lime.

GUWonder

If you get diarreah, the best thing is to let it run its course and just get rehydrating fluids/salts/electrolytes (which should be consumed frequently). The packet mix can be mixed with bottle water and that's generally the recommended solution. If the diarreah doesn't come to an end after day 5, visiting a doctor is what some do. (Stomach aches are a separate matter, and if you are having those, then visiting a doctor should happen much sooner, like after day two if the pain is persistent.)

Stick to eating hot food only, drinking bottled water, and bottled water for brushing your teeth, and you'll likely be ok without falling all of the actions I mentioned above.

GUWonder

Maybe an FT DEL Do will eventually happen. Yosithezet and I are both in and out of there frequently.

ttjoseph

I want to echo the advice about consuming electrolytes as dehydration is indeed a very big concern with diarrhea. Often people with diarrhea don't realize just how dehydrated they have become. Don't just drink water - you want something with salt too, which will help water retention. Think Gatorade or similar, and drink a lot of it.

Indian hospitals are generally really bad (my family is Indian) so you don't want to get any sicker than absolutely necessary

etch5895

I'm not the OP, but thanks to all for the ideas. I got really sick a few years ago when in was in Afghanistan, and afterwords, I guess my immune system was good with the local bugs. I love Indian food, so I would be too tempted to eat it rather than shy away in fear. My trip is going to start in Delhi, move to Jaipur, jump down to Goa for a few days, and then back up to Agra, back to Delhi, and back to the states.

I look forward to the food in all those places. One thing I enjoy about travelling is enjoying the different foods, so it should be a really nice trip.

Again, thanks for the advice.

Yaatri

You certainly have a way with words.
If you are down with the runs
Let the course run.
If if it means frequent runs
To the bathroom, which is no fun.