My friend picked up a bug on vacation and was sick to her stomach the entire trip. I’m going on a cruise next month and I don’t want to suffer the same fate. Do you have any diet advice that will protect me?
It’s likely your friend was taking an antibiotic shortly before or during her trip. These medications kill gut bacteria, both the bad kind that cause sickness and the good kind that support immunity. When levels of good bacteria are low, the body is more vulnerable to infections from food borne bacteria. So hopefully you won’t have to take an antibiotic prior to your trip. But if you do, I suggest also taking a probiotic supplement for at least two weeks to replenish friendly bacteria and restore immunity.
There’s one precaution I tell all my clients to take while on vacation: Supplement with 650 mg of betaine HCl before meals. This increases levels of bacteria-killing gastric acids in your stomach to ensure any potential pathogens in your food won’t lead to an infection.
