My husband and I are about to take a trip to a very isolated place. I'm a little concerned about the cleanliness of the food. We have begun to drink or eat lots of yogurt because this is supposed to help build up the good bacteria in ones stomach to help fight off things that could make you sick. Do you have any other personal standby's that might help us protect ourselves?
Well, it would depend on where you are going. Are you taking a plane trip to get there, or driving by car. If you are driving by car you could take some food items with you. Also, there are some other precautions that can be taken for example there are products that are probitics. These can be costly but they can be taken to help promote good bacteria in the body perhaps better then yogurt does. Are you preparing food yourself, in which case make sure you clean it well. If your having someone else prepare the food don't be afriad to ask questions about the preparation, you probably wouldn't be the first person to do so. If your worried about some of the sterile conditions outside of food that can make you sick as well, you could take hand santizer with you and constantly use it.
Buy bottled water and only drink from them, brush your teeth with it too! There are also tablets you can buy to purify drinking water (I forget what they're called). Don't buy food from roadside vendors no matter how good it looks or smells, also you should be cautious when trying spicy or 'new' foods as you may invite a stomach upset.
Don't forget to pack some rehydration salts and some anti-nausea pills before you go, just in case. If there is a risk of a stomach upset, you don't want it to spoil your trip!
You can always buy purifying tablets for water. You can also buy bottled water if you want. For food make sure that the establishment you are going to eat pass the sanitary standards. I agree with yogurt. Add some banana it will help you grow more good bacteria in your stomach.
I think the best thing I could suggest is to chew your food thoroughly. It sounds like a trivial thing, but when you are in the middle of eating, sometimes you forget. It's important to make sure that the only things that go through your digestion are the things that the digestive system is ready to handle. If not impossible, make sure that you know exactly how your food is prepared before you eat them.
