Food Tips to Follow While Traveling in India

Traveling in India is one of the best affordable vacations you will never forget. Apart from the recreational activities, beaches, and scenic spots it offers, India is a place of rich history and culture. If you ask any traveler, they will tell you that vacationing in this ancient country revolves around 3 activities: eating good food, meditating, and doing these two altogether.

Food Tips to Follow While Traveling in India
Food Tips to Follow While Traveling in India – Photo Courtesy: GOLDINPIC @ Pixabay

Indian cuisine will offer you so many varied choices including flat breads, lentils, fresh cheese, chutneys, vegetables, fruits, and endless desserts made from wheat, sugar, and milk. If you have been eyeing on this beautiful country long enough, then you probably already know that they prefer to eat fish and chicken, rather than beef or pork.

Every city has its own specialties and unique styles when it comes to cooking. In fact, each of them has its own version of curry, a dish made out of vegetables, chicken, herbs, and spices. Since every place has its own staple ingredients and way of cooking, what makes them all similar is the use of herbs and spices.

Chilies, cumin, coriander, and turmeric are the main spicy ingredients of curry. They’re aromatic, pungent, bitter, and savory and are spices with multifaceted healing powers. Traditionally, they are used to treat various diseases like skin wounds and infections, stomach ulcers, and respiratory tract issues.

Among the main spices used in curry, turmeric is perhaps the most researched by scientists nowadays. It’s been known to effectively fight inflammation-related diseases, obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, and even Alzheimer’s disease. There are varieties of studies conducted on turmeric cancer treatment and its influence is evident in the number of Americans using it as a dietary supplement.

Indian Food Tips: Benefits of Eating Turmeric
Indian Food Tips: Benefits of Eating Turmeric – Photo Courtesy: Ayurvedic India

Aside from the famous curry, there are other authentic yet exotic dishes you can try only in India. Among those are baby shark curry, frog delicacies, eri polu – a silkworm dish, and chaprah – a chutney made out of red ants and their eggs.

When it comes to indulging in food, you need to remember one thing, and that is to avoid food sold by street vendors. Of course, there are side-walk vendors who maintain cleanliness, but you can never be too sure which of them will not cause you an upset stomach. Thus, it’s definitely wise to take this precaution.

The bottom line is, it’s inevitable to get sick because of bugs or overeating. You will most likely get sick if your immunity cannot handle this dietary change. As westerners, the usual diet found in third world countries might come as a shock to your health. So make sure to be extra careful when indulging in food.

Follow these tips below to help reduce the chances of getting ill.

1. Take Probiotics with You

Indian Food Tips: Take Probiotics with You
Indian Food Tips: Take Probiotics with You – Photo Courtesy: Ryan Snyder @ Flickr

Making sure that your stomach has all the healthy bacteria it needs will help protect you from diseases. Aside from it boosting your immune system, it also shields you from an upset stomach after eating a certain diet that is totally different from what you have grown accustomed to.

Taking probiotic supplements is the most convenient way to do it as there is no need to refrigerate these capsules, and you can just easily put them inside your backpack and always carry them with you during your journey in India.

2. Avoid Uncooked Meals like Salads

Indian Food Tips: Avoid Uncooked Meals like Salads
Indian Food Tips: Avoid Uncooked Meals like Salads – Photo Courtesy: Aline Ponce @ Pixabay

Food in India is not necessarily unsanitary. But the normal bacteria thriving on their food might not sit well with your digestive tract. As natives are immune to the local strains of bacteria in their country, yours might not be able to recover from it. So try to avoid uncooked meals like salads or fruit bowls. Opt for food that has been cooked as the heat from the fire kills disease-causing bacteria.

3. Avoid Eating Too Much Spicy Food

Indian Food Tips: Avoid Eating Too Much Spicy Food
Indian Food Tips: Avoid Eating Too Much Spicy Food – Photo Courtesy: 27707 @ Pixabay

If you are not used to regularly eating chilis, then keeping your spicy dishes in moderation will help prevent your digestive system from firing up. As you are well aware, Indian food is heavily spiced. The combination of these herbs and spices will give you an upset stomach. Unless you have been eating their local food for a week, you might want to stay away from their most spicy dishes.

There is an utmost importance in being cautious when it comes to choosing your food in India. Since the Western diet is completely different from that of the East, you need to take certain precautions and expect to be running to the bathroom many times at the beginning. But as your stomach adjusts, you will definitely enjoy more delicacies offered by this beautiful country.

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