{"id":5721,"date":"2016-11-29T13:22:24","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T20:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/?p=5721"},"modified":"2016-11-29T13:40:40","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T20:40:40","slug":"avoid-travelers-diarrhea-tonsai-tummy-thailand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/avoid-travelers-diarrhea-tonsai-tummy-thailand\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Traveler&#8217;s Diarrhea and Tonsai Tummy in Thailand"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Food poisoning, Tonsai tummy, Montezuma&#8217;s Revenge, E. Coli, Salmonella, whatever you want to call it, Traveler&#8217;s Diarrhea is a\u00a0surefire way to ruin your trip. With climbers and tourists flocking to tropical locations during the coming winter months, there&#8217;s a whole lot of people about to experience explosive diarrhea and vomiting. You probably won\u2019t die but you might end up in the hospital with dehydration, and I&#8217;m here to help you avoid it.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5203\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5203\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5203 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Bangkok-Food-Cart-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Bangkok Food Cart\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5203\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">That cleaver could easily be used against you if you&#8217;re an asshat.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Tips for avoiding Traveler&#8217;s Diarrhea<\/h2>\n<p>I spent 3.5 months traveling Thailand and nearly escaped without getting Traveler&#8217;s Diarrhea, eating <a href=\"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/2015\/07\/17\/street-food-in-bangkok-chiangmai-thailand\/\" target=\"_blank\">street food<\/a> almost exclusively. (It&#8217;s the cheapest and most authentic!) It wasn\u2019t until the last 2 weeks when it finally got me and forced me to postpone my <a href=\"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/2016\/01\/19\/learn-to-dive-in-koh-tao-thailand\/\" target=\"_blank\">SCUBA diving certification<\/a> for a day.<\/p>\n<h3>Get the Immunizations on the U.S. CDC Travel Website<\/h3>\n<p>Go to the <a href=\"http:\/\/wwwnc.cdc.gov\/travel\/\" target=\"_blank\">CDC Travel website<\/a>,\u00a0and then navigate to the country you&#8217;re visiting. They&#8217;ll have all the recommended immunizations\u00a0to help keep you healthy abroad. For <a href=\"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/category\/thailand\" target=\"_blank\">Thailand<\/a>, they currently list:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>All routine immunizations for here in the U.S.<\/li>\n<li>Hepatitis A<\/li>\n<li>Typhoid<\/li>\n<li>And I&#8217;d throw Hep B in there for good measure if you need a booster. Hey, shit happens when you travel and party.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Start Eating more Variety now<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-5153\" src=\"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Thai-Street-Food-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Thai Street Food\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Thai-Street-Food.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Thai-Street-Food-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Different vegetables, different fruits, different meats,\u00a0different cooking methods.<\/p>\n<p>If you eat a relatively strict diet, your body will react poorly no matter what you eat, even in your own home. If you&#8217;re a good citizen of the Midwest, you probably eat a healthy dose of corn, carrots, and potatoes. But if that&#8217;s all you ever eat and never mix in any type of leafy greens, you&#8217;ll likely end up having a toilet explosion the first time you try.\u00a0Better to do it from the comfort of your own bathroom (though, bum guns are AWESOME!).<\/p>\n<p>This is because our body adapts to everything we do, including the things we eat. If we never eat kale or spinach or chard, our body will stop producing the enzymes needed to digest those foods. Same goes for fruits, other vegetables, meat, cooking methods, and different types of seasonings and spices.<\/p>\n<p>Bonus Education: This is also why some people claim gluten intolerance. If you stop eating gluten long enough, and then reintroduce back into your diet, of course you&#8217;re going to explode out your butt. Thus reinforcing the belief you have a gluten intolerance.<\/p>\n<h3>Find Authentic Restaurants in your Area<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_5144\" style=\"width: 827px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5144\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-5144\" src=\"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Rice-with-Pha-Loa-817x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Rice with Pha-Loa\" width=\"817\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Rice-with-Pha-Loa.jpg 817w, https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Rice-with-Pha-Loa-239x300.jpg 239w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 817px) 100vw, 817px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5144\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is rice with pha loa. I was hoping it would be a version of the Vietnamese dish: Thit Kho Trung, but sadly it was not.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This goes along with more variety, but specifically the types of food you\u2019ll encounter on your trip. It\u2019s still not going to be the same, but it will be better.<\/p>\n<h3>Strengthen your Guts<\/h3>\n<p>That is, make sure your <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gut_flora\" target=\"_blank\">gut flora<\/a> is as healthy, built-up, and strong as possible. Foods with active, live bacteria really help in this area. Anything fermented (like sauerkraut and kimchi), raw milk, some yogurts, kombucha, and kefir are good places to start.<\/p>\n<h3>Start Practicing Slightly Unsafe Food Handling Practices<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-5206\" src=\"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Street-Vendor-Doing-Dishes-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Thailand Street Vendor Doing Dishes\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This one will be the most controversial (and probably most difficult to get past mentally), but take it from someone that lives in a van: food is a lot more stable for a lot longer time than you currently believe.<\/p>\n<p>Leave cooked food out a little longer before putting it in the fridge. Leave raw food out a little longer before cooking. Eat leftovers that are a week old (or more). Expose your gut to all sorts of bacteria, but start slow and give your body time to adapt. Use common sense. i.e. Probably don&#8217;t leave raw chicken out for 4 days and only partially cook it.<\/p>\n<p>Next, you\u2019ll probably think this is gross but\u2026..wash your hands LESS. I don\u2019t want to give examples of when and why, you&#8217;ll get the ida, but again\u2026.bacteria and adaptation.<\/p>\n<h3>Politically Correct, Boring, Safe Advice<\/h3>\n<p>You&#8217;ll be told this at the travel clinic, but also use common sense while traveling. Avoid uncooked food (but don&#8217;t, you&#8217;ll miss out), make sure the restaurant is clean (even though you can&#8217;t ensure that anyways, plus <a href=\"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/2015\/07\/17\/street-food-in-bangkok-chiangmai-thailand\/\" target=\"_blank\">street food<\/a> is the fucking bomb), and make sure your drinking water is safe.<\/p>\n<h2>What to do if you get Traveler&#8217;s Diarrhea<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5017\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5017\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5017 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/HQ-Hostel-Private-Bathroom-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"HQ Hostel Private Bathroom\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5017\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This will be your favorite room, and the bum gun will be your favorite thing ever. Way better than toilet paper under these circumstances.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>And if you get traveler&#8217;s diarrhea\u00a0anyways? Come armed with prescribed Traveler\u2019s Diarrhea antibiotics, Pepto Bismol, Imodium AD, and Dramamine. Accept how much it sucks. Treat yourself to a private room with AirCon for the day. Drink as many fluids as you can keep down.<\/p>\n<p>Before I realized I had Tonsai Tummy, I was in a room without A\/C. Once I figured out what was happening, I all but crawled to the front desk to change rooms (it was a whopping $15 upgrade for the night). I then spent the better part of a day curled up in the fetal position on the bed, making trips to the toilet about every 10 minutes. I took Pepto Bismol and Immodium AD to try calm my stomach and guts at the suggested dosage intervals, and I took Dramamine to try suppress the anxiety and relax.<\/p>\n<p>If you know anyone traveling to some far off country this year, feel free to share this article with them!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Food poisoning, Tonsai tummy, Montezuma&#8217;s Revenge, E. Coli, Salmonella, whatever you want to call it, Traveler&#8217;s Diarrhea is a\u00a0surefire way to ruin your trip. With climbers and tourists flocking to tropical locations during the coming winter months, there&#8217;s a whole lot of people about to experience explosive diarrhea and vomiting. You probably won\u2019t die but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[255],"tags":[306,267,256,305],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Thailand-Longtail.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1tPL2-1uh","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5537,"url":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/the-gripping-fear-of-reality\/","url_meta":{"origin":5721,"position":0},"title":"The Gripping Fear of Reality","author":"David Sandel","date":"September 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Escape to Thailand When I left for Thailand, I made no secret about the fact it was a one-way trip with no end date in mind. That wasn\u2019t meant to say that I was going to stay here forever, though I think some people thought that. Who am I kidding?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lifestyle&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lifestyle","link":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/category\/lifestyle\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tonsai Longtail","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Thailand-Longtail.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Thailand-Longtail.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Thailand-Longtail.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Thailand-Longtail.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5604,"url":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/learn-to-dive-in-koh-tao-thailand\/","url_meta":{"origin":5721,"position":1},"title":"Learn to Dive in Koh Tao, Thailand","author":"David Sandel","date":"January 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"**Disclaimer: I received this Open Water dive package for free through a partnership with Go Beyond Asia. 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Scuba Diving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Thailand&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Thailand","link":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/category\/travel\/thailand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Scuba Diving Koh Tao Fish","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Scuba-Fish.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Scuba-Fish.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Scuba-Fish.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Scuba-Fish.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5135,"url":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/street-food-in-bangkok-chiangmai-thailand\/","url_meta":{"origin":5721,"position":2},"title":"The Street Food of Thailand","author":"David Sandel","date":"July 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Thailand Street Food F I N A L L Y the post you've all been waiting for... STREET FOOD IN THAILAND! The Bangkok and Chiang Mai edition. You can bet your ass there will be follow-up posts about food. It's so damn amazing, and I know I haven't eaten everything\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Food&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Food","link":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/category\/nutrition-and-food\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Insects on Khaosan road Thailand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Insects-on-Khaosan-road.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Insects-on-Khaosan-road.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Insects-on-Khaosan-road.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Insects-on-Khaosan-road.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5199,"url":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/3-important-tips-for-new-travelers\/","url_meta":{"origin":5721,"position":3},"title":"3 Important Tips for New Travelers","author":"David Sandel","date":"July 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Tips for First-Time Travelers When it comes to traveling, I still don't consider myself a well-seasoned globetrotter. I have still only been to 3 different countries (not including a 2-hour layover in Japan), and I only speak the language of one of them (Mexico). 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But while this is fresh in my head, I want to update you on getting from Bangkok to Chiang\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Thailand&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Thailand","link":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/category\/travel\/thailand\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hua Lamphong Featured","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Hua-Lamphong-Featured.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Hua-Lamphong-Featured.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Hua-Lamphong-Featured.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lowgravityascents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Hua-Lamphong-Featured.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5436,"url":"https:\/\/lowgravityascents.com\/quick-visa-run-to-singapore\/","url_meta":{"origin":5721,"position":5},"title":"Quick Visa Run to Singapore","author":"David Sandel","date":"August 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It's hard to believe I've been here for two months already. 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