How to: avoid stomach bugs

Whether it’s food poisoning or too much alcohol in the sun, a dicky tummy on holiday is, erm, crap basically - here are some tips for keeping down your chips

Water, water everywhere

If you are heading outside of Europe, the first rule of thumb is to avoid drinking the local tap water - this includes cleaning your teeth, eating ice lollies made with local water, adding ice-cubes to your drinks or tucking into salad washed by a local tap (for the first few days at least).  While this won’t be so crucial for you, smaller stomachs are more sensitive; anything their body doesn’t recognise is likely to come back up. Lovely.

Wash, wash and wash again

We all know that we need to wash our hands after each flush but children often forget – adopt a foolproof checking process and inspect those hands every time they come back from the loo. If all else fails, buy a small hand sanitizer and take it around with you to use when toilets are scarce
- or dirty.

You are what you eat

Meat naturally carries more bacteria than fruit and vegetables and can easily cause stomach upsets in hot countries (this is particularly true of chicken which can contain salmonella and cause Typhoid ). Stick to fish or vegetables for the first few days until your stomach normalises. Never eat rice that has been pre-heated and be wary of a buffet, particularly if has been left out in the sun. Anything that looks sweaty or is attracting flies (eugh) is an absolute no no, too, and always buy children ice-cream that comes in a packet.  Adults should avoid drinking excessively for the first few days, too, particularly in tropical heat – alcohol is an anti-diuretic and will dehydrate, causing stomach upset the day after a session. Don’t worry though, a few days in and you will be able to enjoy those lunchtime wines and evening cocktails without running for the loo.

Be prepared

No matter how careful you are, stomach bugs can still strike – stock up on diarrhea tablets before heading for your holiday (making sure they are safe for children) and, once the unpleasantness has stopped, use re-hydration salts such as Dioralyte (which are safe for children and come in blackcurrant and lemon flavours) to get salt and sugar levels back to normal fast.