Health Issues from Food & Environmental [+ Prevention]

While exploring and adventure opens the door to enriching life experiences, they also open the door to health risks.

Exploring the food, the beaches, the backstreet alleyways, and outdoor recreation activities are what gets the blood pumping, and pins fond memories in our mind of being in a foreign land.  Is exploring & adventure synonymous with danger?  Well, life does throw things in our way, sometimes.  Some of which is preventable!

Health issues are always to be avoided – nobody wants them.  Even more so while in a foreign land, and with wide ranges of healthcare quality!  Fortunately; Bangkok (aka the Big Mango), Chiang Mai, and Kuala Lumpur are a hop, skip, and a jump away when very serious health issues occur.

You can minimize your risk by taking proper steps before you go.  Guard yourself against food and environmental issues.

Shots & Vaccines

It is not required, but certainly good to have your vaccination records.  Storing a digital copy, and having a print-out might be useful for you.

Get your shots, either before you leave your home country or while in Southeast Asia.  You can get them in SE Asia at a much cheaper price (MUCH MUCH CHEAPER than the USA)!

Here is a quick list.  It is non-comprehensive, nor is it tailored for your specific needs.  Do consult a doctor.

– Hepatitis A
– Hepatitis B
– Typhoid
– Cholera
– Yellow fever
– Tetanus
– Meningitis
… and more

Rabies:  We have heard that you only need to get a rabies shot after a risky occurrence.  This includes after a bite form a stray dog or scratched by a monkey.  Therefore, it was not recommended to us to get rabies shot until we needed one, if we ever did.

Covid:  Due to the historic COVID 19 ordeal that unfolded globally, Covid vaccinations and boosters are options on that are available to you.

Food & Ingredients

A grumbling tummy and traveler’s diarrhea is often simply due to not being used to the local bacterias.  These bacterias are referred to as the gut microbiome in your tummy.  Yes, even home has bacterias, but your body is used to them.  So, it’s less about food poisoning or rotten food, and more about being used to the bacterias.

Drink a probiotic (your body’s “friendly bacteria”) or yogurt when you have tummy and digestive issues – you can buy them at nearly any convenience store in Southeast Asia.  No prescription is needed.  If you are concerned, then drink one a day as a precautionary measure.  They’re tasty and come in many flavors, so drink them for fun if you want.  While they may or may not be “scientifically proven to help”, they definitely have helped us in times of sickness.  And, they are not harmful in any way.

Food allergies can be very serious!  Carry an EpiPen (epinephrine injection) for your safety.  If you have a food allergy, then you certainly should have already consulted a doctor on how to prevent and treat it.

In Southeast Asia, from our experience, locals are not aware of what food allergies are.  So, you have to investigate the foods on your own to learn what to avoid.

Before you go, consult online forums and websites about food allergies in Southeast Asia.  Experienced travelers/nomads/expats/retirees should give insight and tips & tricks.  A doctor certainly has educated knowledge, but they may not have practical experience while on the ground in SE Asia.

Crustacean & Shellfish : These are common ingredients in Asian dishes.  Simply avoid them.  The issue is that the sauces are “tainted” with shellfish/crustacean ingredients such as fish oil sauce and some of the hot sauces.  These are much trickier to avoid!  Furthermore, (oh, no there’s more!?) cooking oils and broths may contain crustaceans/shellfish, too!  Please refrain from Tom Yom Gun, the famous soup in Thailand with giant prawns.  The truth is, you may not have a bad reaction… it’s a game of try-and-find-out.

Peanut Allergy : Palm oil seems to be used frequently.  We are not sure about peanut oil usage in Southeast Asia.  Having a translation ready that says “No peanuts.  I cannot eat them, I will die.” is recommended – it is simple and communicates the seriousness… even if you won’t really die from peanuts.  Peanuts are not that common, but common enough in Vietnam.

Whether diabetic, counting calories, or just don’t like the sweetness flavor; sugar in food is a real concern.  Rice is a staple, and is known to raise a body’s blood sugar index.  Don’t forget about rice noodles, too.

Thai food is well known for using copious amounts of sugar in Thai dishes.  “Mmmm tastes so good!”  Wonder why it tastes so good?  A: The sugar is one of the reasons.  You may not even notice it, but it’s there!  It’s allll there! There’s even sugar on the tables as a condiment for people to add even more sugar to their food!  Thai’s like sugar, and they don’t hold back.

Many of the milk teas are loaded with sugar.  If sugar is your nemesis, then you’ll constantly be on the lookout to keep it out of your diet.

Liver flukes and parasitic worms make GemsOfTravel squirm (squirm like a worm… sorry, had to say it lol).  Undercooked freshwater fish and snails are prone to liver fluke in Southeast Asia.

Intestinal worms, apparently, can be caused by almost any unsanitary reason.  Locals in SE Asia take a de-worming pill once or twice a year.  GemsOfTravel is not a doctor, but you should look into taking one after your trip or while you live in Southeast Asia.

Mosquitos Carrying Diseases

Mosquitos – gecko food … and also infamous for spreading dengue viral infections amongst humans.  Geckos are safe though!  Ignore them if they are in your room.

Anyway, it’s never a bad idea to use bug spray if you have concerns.  You can find it at the local 7/11 convenience store.  We’ve never heard of anyone getting dengue, and it does not seem to be all that common.  But, that’s neither-here-nor-there.

Sunlight can give skin cancer, mosquitos can give dengue, food can give food poisoning – it does not mean that it will happen, but it’s possible.

Sand flies are a pain!  They are similar to mosquitos and can be found near the beach.  The bites are described as more aggressive mosquito bites, that don’t go away quickly.  You might mistake them for bed bugs, which are less problematic just more of a nuisance.  Not sure if anything can deter and repel them away.  Maybe mosquito spray works?  After hammock camping along a beach, not inside a tent, we’ve been bitten aggressively by these little bugs.