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A post by Chhavi

Chhavi1hHealth & Food

Delhi belly is mostly a water story, not a food story

The caution most people arrive with is aimed at the wrong target. They spend the trip avoiding food, which is most of what India has to offer, and then drink a glass of water without thinking about it.

Water is the thing to be strict about, and strict is easy: sealed bottles, and check the seal. Most good hotels now filter and refill in glass, which is better for everyone, and that is fine — it is the hotel's own system, not the tap.

The part people miss is the water that is not in a glass. Ice in a drink from a stall. Salad rinsed and not dried. A fresh juice with water added. Brushing your teeth on the first night without thinking.

Cooked food, served hot, is rarely the problem, and that includes a great deal of street food.

One more thing worth knowing: a lot of what gets called food poisoning on a first trip is actually chilli, oil and quantity hitting a digestive system that is not used to any of them. Eat less at each meal for the first two days. That alone solves most of it.

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