Hi, if this helps ive been to Goa around 6 times, and ive only had delhi belly once.

I'd say don't eat salad unless you know its been washed in bottled water, make sure you only drink bottled water, and make sure when you buy bottled water that the top is properly on, so you know its not been opened before.

Also, i tend to stay away from prawns, and other seafood, but this is only because im not a fan of seafood, and i think theres plenty of people on this forum who have seafood in Goa and arent ill.

When brushing my teeth i always use bottled water, even to rinse my toothbrush with, but then again im sure some people use tap water for this, it might be just me being too cautious.

I'd recommend carrying around with you some of that antibacterial hand gel, so you can use it during the day, and you can get it in most shops in Goa.

Try not to be too worried about it, if you follow the advice off this forum you will be ok.

Have a nice holiday

i took some >>>>bifidous tablets from the health shop i cant remember the name of them!! i am sure someone else can though, they give your tummy the "good" bacteria. they seem to work well
J

Avoid too much spicy food especially if you are not used to it.
Don't buy any icecreams off beach sellers.

Squigs - thats a good point about the icecream sellers.
Am i right in thinking they sometimes refreeze their produce?

If you want an icecream id recommend going to an icecream shop. Theres quite a few in the north, something beginning with Baskins ?

If you are not wanting spicy food, then most beach shacks and restaurants do european meals, and there is also a Subway in Baga and Calangute, and a couple of Domino's pizzas in the north.
We go to Subway and dominos a couple of times during our 2weeks holiday, as our little boy loves subway, and its a change to eating out, we just take it back to our hotel.

Hope this helps

Yes yummymummy, I have heard that the ice cream is refrozen!
Another thing that can upset some peoples stomachs is Kingfisher beer as it has alot of glycerine in it.
My stomach certainly doesn't like it!!
Eat at beach shacks and restaurants that are busy because they probably have a fast turnover of food so nothing is left lingering around for any length of time.

Sorry it this comes out twice!

We have never had any problems with that in Goa before. You just have to be sensible. As said above with ice and salad (if you can't peel it, we don't eat it!). Even when lettuice is washed with boiled water there are so many nooks and crannies!

Meals should be hot when thry arrive not luke warm (the only time we did have a problem was when one of our party ate a lukewarm noodle dish and didn't like to create a fuss and send it back!).

We have eaten ice creams off the beach (1 every day!) and peanuts, tried wonderful food from street sellers (samosa man on the bicycle is fab!). We have been to local friends houses for dinner (beautiful) and the main thing they are ever worried about is making sure we have bottled water as they say we wouldn't be used to the water from the well. That's what going on holiday is all about - trying local foods and giving everything a try - you might like it!

Enjoy :-)

Yes,i agree with the shack comment, and id also say don't eat in a shack with lots of flies.

If i were to drink kingfisher, id find a draught beer, as ive heard theres some sort of chemicals at the bottom of the bottles that makes it horrible,

Im more of a juice and soft drink person during the day, and i like a couple of vodka and mango juices in the evening

Be very careful with Chicken dishes, especially if they are cooked Tandoori.

Make sure they are well cooked through as sometimes they look cooked but only on outside. I've been to Goa 6 times and had to call the doctor twice. I know once it was bad chicken... remember Delhi Belly is actually food poisoning; Campylobacter, Salmonella, Ecoli.

I think a lot of the problem is in the kitchen, food preparation by unclean assistants/chefs, chicken left out in heat or next to vegetables etc.

I would say that all of the previous advice is useful, but I would add to be wary of rice especially in the beach shacks. Personally I never eat rice in the shacks, but do in the busy restaurants, and I never eat it at lunchtime. Rice is a high risk food if it has not been stored properly after cooking, and I once was vey ill after eating rice in a beach shack at lunchtime. I am sure you will have very little in the way of problems if you are sensible.

All good advice - I'd just add to be wary of buffets. Food needs to prepared, cooked and eaten in as short a time as possible. Food standing around in Goan temperatures is a breeding ground for unfriendly bacteria.

We regularly eat samosas and bread from the bike man and not only are they superb, they are ridiculously cheap.

General rule - eat where it's busy and if in doubt - leave it out.

If the worst happens and you do get an upset stomach, head to the nearest chemist who will gladly give advice and provide rehydrating sachets and tablets similar to immodium. If you get a severe upset stomach, it is very easy and also cheap to get a doctors visit, but hopefully if you follow all the good advice from all the above posts you won't have any problems!

I agree, doctors visits are cheap. A few years ago my father was very sick, he had Delhi Belly, and was vomiting, so reception phoned for a doctor, he came very fast, within 30minuties. I think it cost less than £5 for the visit plus his medicine.

On a bad note, make sure you travel with holiday isurance, it is absolutely essential, and i say this speaking from experience.

This year my son fell off a bench and cut his ear, it needed stitches, but as hes so young the doctor needed to put him to sleep to stitch it up, and we were hit with a huge bill of £250.
we claimed it back when we got home though.

And, as said by a previous poster, make sure you get appropriate medicine if you do have Delhi Belly, as you can easily become dehydrated and weak, then you may have to be hospitalised.

Most of that £250 bill was for the room.

Common sense is the answer - we have all had it from something different - I honestly thought I was going to die after eating a samosa from one of the boys in Baga - he still turns away when he sees me. Lots of people love the Plantain Leaf because it is veggie and "safe" - I would not step foot in the place every again after having the worst case of food poisoning known to me.
If they don't wash their hands after the toilet, don't cook or re-heat food properly - don't wash utensils properly they are all causes of food poisoning. Food storage is a problem in Goa especially in the shacks as there are frequent power cuts and lots of them turn off equipment over night.
Try and have a look in the kitchen before you choose your shack - go to the loo at the back and look in the kitchen on the way - make up your own mind. Restaurants - you can judge if they are clean by the looks of the staff presentation and the state of the tablecloths etc.
Bread from the bread boy is brilliant - better than the shop bought sliced muck.
After that I must say we have not had much of a problem in Goa except for the above and that is staying the winter for many years although we are not great "eaters out"
Whilst in Goa go to the chemist and buy some re-hydration sachets - about 15rps and put one in a ltr bottle of water and drink it over the course of the day ( they come in different flavours) We have one every day we are there and force our guests to do the same.

I have been to going Goa and various other places in India for a number of years now but the worst case of food poisoning I have had I got at a holiday resort in the u.k.!!

I agree,we have been coming to Goa for the past 14 years,and living here for the past 2 years.If i was a first timer to Goa,reading all this i would never dream of coming here.
I have only been ill 3 times in all the years i've been coming here,back in the Uk or the rest of europe probably 10 times that number.We constantly eat at the shacks,small cafe's,peoples houses and roadside stalls.Ok be sensible regards drinking the water,ice salads etc,but don't let it worry you...

John

Let's be honest - loads of people who come to Goa get Delhi Belly - you just have to listen to conversations on the beach people asking each other if they have had it or sit outside Johnny's chemist on the high street to see the number of people waiting to get their medicine.
We may be ok but others are not so lucky.

I think in alot of cases it isn't true Delhi belly but just a combination of too much alcohol, spicy foods and sun.

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/understanding-diarrhea-basics

Don't see spicy food, beer and sun in this list.

If this was the case everybody in India would have it.

Hi Narial,
it probably won't be listed in any medical reasons but I have seen it for myself where someone sits on the beach all day in the hot sun drinking copious amounts of beer, then has a few cocktails whilst watching the sunset and then goes out for a meal, and more cheap drinks, and then chooses the spiciest curry they can find because they are in India. They wonder why the next day they have an upset stomach!!