Montezuma’s Revenge - How to Avoid Getting Sick in Mexico | Blog (2024)

FAQs

How to avoid Montezuma's revenge in Mexico? ›

However, missing out on your dream vacation due to illness is a genuine bummer. So, before we say goodbye, remember that you want to be cautious of your food choices, drink bottled water, avoid buffets, keep your hands clean, bring mosquito repellent, and check restaurant reviews.

There is no vaccine against traveler's diarrhea. Your health care provider may recommend medicines to help lower your chances of getting sick. Taking 2 tablets of Pepto-Bismol 4 times a day before you travel and while you are traveling can help prevent diarrhea. Do not take Pepto-Bismol for more than 3 weeks.

Eat only foods that are cooked and served hot. Avoid food that has been sitting on a buffet. Eat raw fruits and vegetables only if you have washed them in clean water or peeled them. Only drink beverages from factory-sealed containers, and avoid ice because it may have been made from unclean water.

Management of travelers' diarrhea starts with proper hydration and mitigating symptoms by using loperamide or bismuth subsalicylate. Antibiotic therapy is not recommended for patients with mild travelers' diarrhea that is tolerable, not distressing, and does not interfere with planned activities.

To be extra safe, stick to fruit that can be peeled, such as bananas and mangoes. Prepared fruit (such as sliced guava, papaya, and pineapple) may look delicious, but you don't know how clean the preparer's hands were or how long the fruit has been sitting out in the sun, exposed to insects and airborne bacteria.

Pasteurized, fermented or carbonated. All three processes kill bacteria, or inhibit its growth. Coffee, hot tea, canned soda and juice, beer, wine and alcohol are all a safe bet. Phew!

Salsas – Salsas that sit out, un-refrigerated, are far and away the most common cause of food poisoning across all the people of Mexico City.

Attacking Montezuma's Revenge

A dietary supplement called probiotics is now on health food store shelves, and is widely touted to provide your gastrointestinal system with Lactobacillus reuteri cells -- which might help stave off diarrhea.

What not to eat with traveler's diarrhea? ›

If you do get traveler's diarrhea, avoid caffeine, alcohol and dairy products, which may worsen symptoms or increase fluid loss. But keep drinking fluids. Drink canned fruit juices, weak tea, clear soup, decaffeinated soda or sports drinks to replace lost fluids and minerals.

Although there will be some bacteria in the water from the tap it is fine to brush your teeth with, even if you are at a place where you can't drink the tap water.

Warning labels that include “exceso azúcares,” “exceso sodio,” and “exceso calorías” are now on packaged and processed Mexican foods and beverages. These labels warn consumers about products that are high in sugar, salt, and calories.

Key Points. Traveler's diarrhea occurs within 10 days of travel to an area with poor public hygiene. It's the most common illness in travelers. It's caused by drinking water or eating foods that have bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

What happens if you accidentally drink tap water in Mexico? Drinking tap water (intentionally or by accident) carries a high risk of getting ill. Once you've realised that you have made a mistake, it's important to go to a pharmacy immediately and ask for their recommendations (to avoid getting full-on ill).

Salads and fruit.

Use the lime that comes with your salad as it will actually kill some bacteria. Peeled fruits are generally preferable to those handled a lot, or those with edible skins. Badly prepared meats – or meats that appear to have been left out or simply forgotten on some side table for too long.

Traveler's diarrhea often is treated with antibiotics. You also can take loperamide (brand name: Imodium), but don't take it without an antibiotic if you have bloody diarrhea. Children, pregnant women, older adults, and other people who get dehydrated easily should drink rehydration solutions.