How to Stay Healthy and Enjoy on Your Vacation to Mexico FunSunMexico.com
go to original February 4, 2022

MEXICO | How to Stay Healthy on Your Vacation! (Erik Richardson D.O.)

It is actually very easy to stay healthy on a Mexico vacation. So, I want to start this article on staying healthy by giving you a correct perspective. Any time you travel you can get mild bowel changes due to change in climate and change in water. So first of all don’t panic if you get a little out of sorts. True traveler’s diarrhea is typically accompanied by fever and feeling VERY sick.

Avoid Buffets

You can get sick from buffets in Poughkeepsie as easily as you can in Puerto Vallarta. This is one of the many reasons to avoid all inclusive resorts. Food sitting at inadequate heat or cooling for hours is a significant risk.

Water Safety

Quite simply, water is safe on resorts and in tourist areas. This includes ice. You can read our complete detailed post called “Don’t Drink the Water?”

Prevention

My wife has a more sensitive system than I do and she chooses to take a probiotic like Culturelle for a couple of weeks before and all during travel anywhere. This method has not been conclusively proven, but she swears by it. And I make it a policy to avoid contradicting my wife whenever possible. I should mention that you can take Pepto Bismol 2 tablets 4 times per day as a preventative if you are really concerned. I could not stand that wintergreen 4 times a day, but that's up to you. Just so you don’t worry, I should note that Pepto Bismol can turn your stool black, Preventative antibiotics are not recommended.

Restaurants

In general, resorts and restaurants in tourist areas (with the buffet exception mentioned earlier) are very safe. Popular street stands in tourist areas are also very safe or they wouldn’t be popular for long. On the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta the street vendors are strictly regulated as well. On a food tour, we tried sampled a delicious coconut slightly fermented drink from a slightly dicey looking street vendor. Again, since it was on the Malecon, it was totally safe.

If you decide to try restaurants or street stands in more authentic, less touristy areas, make sure you get freshly cooked food that has not been sitting for any period. Only drink bottled water in these places and ask for “no ice” which is “sin hielo” in Spanish. If you are not on a resort do not drink tap water unless it is treated or boiled. It is probably a also a good idea to dry off utensils, dishes and glasses to avoid any unnecessary water exposure.

I shouldn’t have to say this, but always trust your taste and smell and skip anything that is questionable.

Read the rest at FunSunMexico.com