I have only been once to Goa (so far !) i did get a really bad upset tummy for a couple of days where the hotel called a doctor for us as they said any medicine from him will clear it up alot quicker than just riding it out, i can honestly say though it didnt ruin my holiday was quite nice to spend a couple of days out the hot sun resting instead of gallovanting all over, was weird though as when i was better i felt ok and really hungry but just couldnt keep food down. We were eating all sorts of sea food every day but it could just of been dehydration or anything other than food so i will keep on eating sea food.

Now i'm a bit scared of getting ill. Anyone got any tips of what to avoid eating / drinking to stay healthy while there?

I think it's best to relax and don't think about it but follow the tips on hygiene outlined here and call a doctor.

If you start thinking about it too much chances are you are going to get it, and when you get it it will be much worse than you expected because of this.

I've been slightly worried about going for a month as I developed IBS, a lot of it to with Gastritus in Goa but have solved the problem (both mind and IBS) with hypnotherapy.

An ayurvedic healer in Edinburgh told me that most gut problems not associated with a medical condition or short term (food poisoning) are stress related... he pointed to his head (brain). Very true.

Just relax and don't think about it.

This will be our 10th visit and neither of us has ever had any problems. We eat everything that is put in front of us - lots of prawns, lobster, crab, mussels, chickeh, beef - twice a day. As previous poster said, don't even think about it, just enjoy it. Drink plenty of bottled water.

same as, Brenliz
chilly

hi all,
got to say we went to goa this year for the first time,i ate in places where the locals ate and never got a thing, my hubby on the other hand,did,we went to a spice plantation and had food, after he was ill, not too bad i have to say, but sadly he got it bad 1 hour befor we flew home,and all the way home too,11 1/2 hours of him being ill,not nice,
i think some people could be more suseptiable to dheli belly than others,

to HT Adele.
that journey home must have been a nightmare

it was, im not a good flyer, we flew with going places,and the staff were very unhelpfull to say the least,there were empty seats at the bck near the loos but tey refused to move us,and he had to sit there while people were eating, at the end they had the cheack to ask us how our flight was, i tell you... well you can guess my replie...

Apart from all the previous recommendations, the only one I can add is to beware when eating prawns that the black "thread" is removed from inside before you eat it.
Evidentally that is part of the prawns digestive tract and is not very good for you!

that is entirely accurate Del949 i only found this out last year when our maid was preparing the prawns for us,
chilly

Be careful with salad and drink lots of water. A lot of stomach upsets are caused by dehydration.

Personally I wouldn't touch the mussels. I have seen them fishing for them in Baga river, the shells are split open and the mussel meat tossed into a bucket of water to keep "fresh". The water appears to be river water. Further up river it's a common sight to see people performing their morning ablutions directly into the water.
Mussels feed by seiving whatever passes them by.
In Britain mussels are put in a purification tank of clean running water to flush them through thoroughly before being prepared for eating.If you have ever prepared them at home you know the lengths you should go to to make sure that they are still OK to eat even after all this treatment.
In India each mussels is income, if they are not going to eat them I don't suppose they care too much.
I have to add though, the only time I have ever had proper food poisoning, which is totally different from an upset stomache. ( You really do think you are going to die) the cause was down to , yes you guessed it...mussels. However, not in India but in Spain in paella purchased in Madrid airport.

Davewales i had the same experience many years ago in Spain, i have NEVER been so ill it was horrendous..and it took me years to ever touch a mussell again.... have to say though I have eaten mussells in Goa in recent years at a 'locals' restaurant...on more than one occassion!! but do admit to a little trepidation when doing so, but they are just so nice how they do them, and touch wood been ok to date ... thankfully
chilly

We have eaten mussels every year for the last 9 years and never been ill but we both caught salmonella from undercooked chicken on the plane home 3 or 4 years ago. We always thoroughly examine the chicken now when given it to eat on the plane.