Erin asks, "How do you adjust to different foods than what your "home-culture" eats? Did you experience a lot of sickness at first? Any tips or tricks for this?"
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I had tummy trouble with this when we travelled to Turkey last year. One of the best things you can do is eat the local yogurt. It has a lot of the local bacteria in it that will help your tummy adjust to the local food. I think that would apply to whether you've just moved to a country or you're just visiting. I made certain to eat lots of yogurt when we got back from Turkey, too!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I never would have thought of yogurt that way!
DeleteThis does not happen to me much, but when I go some place new, I'm a bit cautious at first. If I can, I try to change my eating slowly. Of course sometimes as a guest I have no control over what I eat, but I try to eat less of what I think will make me sick (In my case, really greasy food.) We're always careful about salad in restaurants in tropical countries.
ReplyDeleteMy husband gets a bit sick when he goes back to his HOME COUNTRY, El Salvador.
Chrysti's yogurt idea is a great one. We live in Turkey, but never got sick here that I can remember. (My son did drink FERMENTED HORSE MILK at a Kazak festival last weekend and said he felt queasy, and I said, "What did you expect???"
I will keep the salad idea in mind! I read somewhere that when in a jungle/tropical area, it is best to boil the veggies first!?
DeleteHa! Love the horse milk story!
papya!!! There are good enezmes in it that help with the gut stuff. We buy supplements, but eating it (if you can stand the taste) works too :)
ReplyDeleteI had no idea! I'll try out the taste first! :)
DeleteI had lots of stomach issues when we moved to El Salvador. Betsy, turns out your husband isn't the only one! Yogurt is a good tip, as well as taking probiotic supplements. I also found that listening to the locals helps tremendously. Everyone kept telling me to eat papaya if I felt sick, and it is still my go-to food if my tummy is upset! After 4 1/2 years we still get sick occasionally, and I usually avoid fresh salads outside of my house since that typically is the most likely to make me sick. Now we all get sick when we visit the U.S.!
ReplyDeleteDanielle, I remember laughing to myself when my Salvadoran pediatrician was alarmed about our going to Turkey, thinking the kids would get sick. I remember thinking, "Ma'am, we're moving from a tropical, humid hot-bed of fungi and parasites to a semi-arid place...." Of course she thought was was less familiar would be more dangerous! I feel for you getting sick. I got sick sometimes when we lived there...
DeleteGreat advice! When I can't get yogurt I will definitely get probiotic supplements!
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