Watch what you eat | HealthyLife

1. Eat where the locals eat

In India the best indicator for safe food is a big crowd waiting in front of a food stall to take their turn for a delicious steaming hot snack or dish. Make sure that wherever you eat most tables are occupied with locals – it doesn’t matter if the place looks not so fancy or even a bit grim – Indians are used to great food at home, so having satisfied customers filling the restaurant up is the best indicator that great food is waiting for you.

2. Eat what the locals eat

Eat Indian – it is like when you are in Rome be a Roman. No matter how tempting the menu will sound or how much you might be missing a certain dish from home, do not try to eat something that is not familiar for you and furthermore a dish might be depending on imported ingredients and would less fresh.

3. Stay veggie  

Be careful if you are a non-vegetarian. Many times eating non -veg food can cause sickness. Go Veggie. Order for fresh food. Be familiar about locally grown vegetables. Do your homework and get to know about the place before visiting the place. Eat in a vegetarian restaurant that serves hot veggie dishes.

4. Go east with spicy and oily food

Avoid spicy food.  When you are traveling due to variation in climate (hot and cold) body may has to acclimatize. Eating too much spicy food may still result in gastroenteritis. Try to slowly pick up when it comes to spices or even oily food.

5. Peel and eat

Eat cooked food. If you are having fruits, wash them and peel and eat. Do not eat cucumber that is available on road side or tomatoes as such. Wash and then eat. Do not drink juice on road side or in small stalls. Enquire and confirm about the filter water they might be using. Better is drinking coconut water. Coconut water is safe and good for health.

6. Have a family dining:

If you have friends and families in the area where you are visiting make sure to dine at their house. Don’t forget to inform them and take gifts. It is always good to have home food while traveling. This a real treat and reflects the Indian proverb that “guest is god”.  But do not over eat.

7. Using your hands

Use your hand to eat food.This can actually be more hygienic than using utensils because you know where your hands have been and whether or not they’re clean. Plates and utensils at restaurants are often times not clean even though they may appear to be because they have been wiped with a dirty dish cloth.  Sometimes the spoons and forks are just dipped in hot water and if you observe they may not be clean at all.

8. Carry hand sanitizer and water

Always carry a bottle of hand sanitizer to clean your hands. And carry bottled water or water from home. This will reduce the risk of getting infected by non-hygenic means and unknown (source) water.