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What to pack to beat that holiday tum Last updated at 23:37pm on 4th June 2007
Every Tuesday Britain's leading nutritionist, Jane Clarke, explains how to eat your way to health. This week she discusses how to cope with gut problems while on holiday...
I am about to go on holiday and I'm worried because in previous trips abroad my gut has played up. I often find myself constipated for a few days and then have to take so many laxatives to get things moving that I then end up with diarrhoea. Karen Masterson, Kent
Gut problems on holiday are common.
Many of us end up with traveller's tum, maybe from eating something with too many spices, or because we've been seduced by a roadside food stall that hasn't the best food hygiene standards, and end up with diarrhoea from food poisoning.
If you're used to having a wholegrain, high-fibre diet and find yourself in a country where they tend to serve white bread and pasta, your gut may react and become constipated through this sudden change in fibre intake
The opposite extreme, finding our gut just won't shift stuff, can be down to a change in temperature - we lose more water through sweating in hot countries, so the gut is left with less fluid to help soften the stool and enable it to move.
If you're used to having a wholegrain, high-fibre diet and find yourself in a country where they tend to serve white bread and pasta, your gut may react and become constipated through this sudden change in fibre intake.
So what should you do when you're on holiday and find your gut being unco-operative?
First, if you find you're bunged up, make sure you're drinking plenty of fluid - and I mean a good 2.5 litres a day.
It's best to drink water, but if you're unsure about the local water, choose a sealed bottle, because in some countries they fill bottles up with tap water, which could give you a waterborne gut infection.
You can have the odd glass of fresh juice - orange, pineapple or mango can be delicious on a hot day, and if they're made fresh can contain some fibre, so they're great for a sluggish gut.
Equally, tea or coffee can contribute to your fluid total, and indeed, since caffeine can stimulate the gut to move, a coffee or two could be a much more pleasant way of getting a result than taking a laxative.
Next, you need to boost your fibre intake, which means eating plenty of vegetables and fruits.
But be aware that in some developing countries waterborne infections can be rife, so you may need to stick mainly to cooked vegetables, or fruits you have to peel to eat - such as pineapples, mangoes and bananas - rather than tucking into apples and pears, because it's frequently on the outside of fruits that the harmful bacteria stick.
You also need to include some cereal grains, because these are rich in insoluble fibre and are even more effective than fruit at getting a constipated gut moving.
We're talking wholemeal or wholewheat bread (some supermarkets stock packs of German wholemeal rye, pumpernickel-style breads, which aren't as delicious as fresh white local bread, but needs must), brown rice, wholemeal pasta, oat biscuits and wholegrain cereals such as Weetabix and Shredded Wheat.
It may be worth packing some of these to take with you, or some porridge oats.
If you're self-catering, try to find seeds such as flax, hemp, sesame and pumpkin, which all have a natural laxative action.
Beans and lentils can also help to get your gut moving.
Try to buy dried fruits (countries such as France, Italy and Greece have delicious dried prunes and figs to snack on).
Hotels often have a dried fruit compote on the buffet, and a bowl of this with some yoghurt and muesli would be a good way to shift things. Finally, since holidays for some can involve hours of relaxing by a pool, the gut may be constipated through lack of exercise, so get swimming!
I'd pack some laxatives as well, though, in your holiday first-aid kit, to avoid having to find the words for such a personal problem in your phrase book.
But you'll need a different approach if you have diarrhoea and don't have any symptoms other than food going loosely through you, and think it's just down to a change in location. If you're not feeling well, you should seek medical advice.
First, stay away from anything fatty or spicy - creamy sauces, fried pastries, chips and curries - as these will just aggravate it.
Since too much wholegrain, fruit and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, can aggravate a loose bowel, I'd ease off the local fruits and vegetables for a couple of days, although banana and papaya can be good binders, as can apples - whole, as juice or as apple puree if you can find this (try the baby puddings in supermarkets).
White rice is one of the best binders and very easy to eat if your gut is feeling uncomfortable.
Also avoid ice- cream, cheese, milk and red meat, because these aren't the easiest things to digest. Instead, choose white fish, chicken and simple cooked food.
If you want to pack something in your suitcase just in case, rice cakes would be a good option, along with the traditional medical treatment, Imodium.
Be sure you keep drinking fluids: diarrhoea can dehydrate. Fruit juice may irritate, so drink plain water.
You need tablets with one billion cultures of a probiotic bacteria, and you could also take some aloe vera capsules with you.
If you're lucky you might find local aloe vera juice - I find that 30ml, three times a day, can help settle a runny gut.
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I have recently suffered from hives, and am miserable with them - can you tell me what I can do nutritionally to treat them as I don't want to keep on taking the antihistamines. Jo Long, Northampton
The medical name for hives is urticaria, and these very itchy red spots appear for seemingly no reason.
They can often be more common in the summer - people change their diet and suddenly start eating large amounts of delicious seasonal produce, such as strawberries or shellfish, which can trigger an allergic reaction.
However, it may have had nothing to do with your diet.
You don't mention whether you have suffered more than one episode of hives - if there has been only one attack, an antihistamine tablet should calm the skin down.
If you suffer repeated attacks, however, it suggests that it could be diet-related.
The best way to check is to keep a food and symptom diary for a few days, and look back to see whether any specific food is appearing more frequently and corresponds with a hives break-out.
The length of time it takes for the body to develop hives after eating varies from half an hour to much longer, but if you keep notes you can at least start working out how you can enjoy seasonal produce without developing what can be a summer-ruining reaction.
posted
Have to say all the trips I had to Egypt I've never had problems, but I've avoided salads incase they have been washed in local water. Also ice cubes, whether its helped who knows, but my imodium and rehydration salts have been unused!
Posts: 4476 | From: Scotland | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
Immodium wouldn't be any good anyway. If you have gram negative and gram positive bacteria in your gut, it has to come out!
Immodium is bad for you in a way because it blocks you up, or tries to, and the bacteria remains and will be worse - as it has to come out eventually, but the longer it stays there the worse it gets.
Immodium is only good for 'nerve' diahhrea (spelling?) such as on the TV adverts where the man is nervous doing his daughters wedding speech and doesnt want to keep running to the loo.
the Pharmacies in egypt stock excellent medication - as I found out on one trip last year.
Posts: 1056 | From: UK, Middle East & Europe | Registered: Jun 2006
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Here in Egypt I discovered a "wonder drug" called Entocid. Works great for me - stops any diarrhea problems in 15 minutes. Also I heard that lemon is great for bacteria, which is why its used over here I think, although I find when I ask an egyptian relative about why they use it, they just say that they just like it. Use it on salads, fuul, coke, soups.
Posts: 1103 | From: 6th of October | Registered: Jun 2007
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Ah, jean-bean and chiselmonkey, just what I was trying to think of, Entocid. Batman's got the trots today. Posts: 95 | From: New York, New York, so good you have to say it twice! | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
Pharmacies in Maadi have not been able to get Immodium for about 3 years now. So if you use it take it as other forms of similar drugs they stock are not so effective for conditions such as coeliac disease etc.
Posts: 854 | Registered: Aug 2006
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hope you all are doing better today, and back to visiting that bathroom on a more normal schedule (rather than every 5 minues). it ain't fun !
Posts: 1103 | From: 6th of October | Registered: Jun 2007
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posted
another thought that popped into my brain after reading that whole big article above. concerns fresh fruits/veggies. I always wash my stuff first, and then get a big bowl or a pan, put water in it, and add some vinegar - someone told me that vinegar kills those creepy cruddy germ buggies that can cause ya some probs. Dunno if its true or not...but figure that it couldn't hurt. oh...and I gave up on drinking tap water way back in 2001 after having major problems on a visit here. Now I am older & wiser....well Older, anyways..lol
Posts: 1103 | From: 6th of October | Registered: Jun 2007
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Shokran Jean_bean, and chislemonkey, we always have this problem in Egypt and what makes it worse, ma fee waraq towaaleet, in the hotel!!! Posts: 95 | From: New York, New York, so good you have to say it twice! | Registered: Apr 2007
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quote:Originally posted by Batman's Robin: Shokran Jean_bean, and chislemonkey, we always have this problem in Egypt and what makes it worse, ma fee waraq towaaleet, in the hotel!!!
can I ask how the rest of you deal with the knocking on the toilet door when you are using the colonic irrigator? I got interested in it when I heard that all the celebs were doing it. I was amazed to find these irrigators in the toilets in Egypt. Cool!
Considering you have to squirt the water into your rectum and out again, I was wondering how you guys manage to control the flow. Sometimes the flow is so weak, just a trickle. Then when you are supposed to hold it in for 5 mins before letting it go someone always knocks on the door to hurry you up.
Also how regularly does the hose get cleaned I always use a wet wipe before and after to be sure, and how do you do the thin pipe one in the actual toilet bowl. It is too low for me to reach.
Posts: 102 | Registered: Jun 2007
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The water pipes are for external washing. NOT INTERNAL.
Oh god now I feel totally sick, and whilst I only use a public Egyptian loo if truly desperate, I swear I am not going in another one now. YUK YUK YUK
Posts: 3809 | From: Paradise | Registered: Mar 2003
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are you serious? all this time I thought it was a colonic irrigator I have used it though sometimes to wash the floor when it's been covered in urine or to clean the toilet seat before I sit down and then wipe it dry with some tissue. I was wondering why it was so difficult to get the thin one up the rectum?? because it was all bent I was just adjusting it upwards to fit.
quote:Originally posted by chiselmonkey: are you serious? all this time I thought it was a colonic irrigator I have used it though sometimes to wash the floor when it's been covered in urine or to clean the toilet seat before I sit down and then wipe it dry with some tissue. I was wondering why it was so difficult to get the thin one up the rectum?? because it was all bent I was just adjusting it upwards to fit.
oh well
OMG I just totally spewed my diet coke out laughing at this...sorry!!!!!!!!!!
Posts: 1808 | From: USA | Registered: Aug 2006
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There is also another medicine which I have used called Antinal and it makes wonders.
I have had 2 severe gastroenterites, from the 1st one i lost 12Kg in 3 weeks as it was so bad, the last one lasted 3 days after i took anti-biotics.
I agree on washing fruit and veg well as my Dr even told me that you can get it from begetables cause of chemicals, bugs etc
-------------------- " The virtue of true love is not finding the perfect person but loving the imperfect person perfectly, love doesn`t have happy ending, because it simply doesn`t end " Posts: 38 | From: Cairo- Heliopolis | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Originally posted by jean_bean: I always wash my stuff first, and then get a big bowl or a pan, put water in it, and add some vinegar - someone told me that vinegar kills those creepy cruddy germ buggies that can cause ya some probs. Dunno if its true or not...but figure that it couldn't hurt.
Washing fruit and vegetables with vinegar water is the best way to kill the dysentery amoebas that live on their skins. You can also use a good squirt of lemon juice on your salad too, as it's the acid that kills the amoebas.
As there is a huge percentage of Egyptians who reportedly have latent dysentery and it is passed on from poorly/unwashed hands after using the bathroom, this is a wise precaution for anyone to take.
Posts: 4576 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2002
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