Water:
Avoid drinking tap water because it has different composition than the water you are used to drink in your Home Country.
Use boiled water (at least 5 minutes) for mixing baby formula.
For infants, breast-feeding is the best and safest food source.
Other beverages:
Drink only pasteurized milk.
Drink bottled drinks if the seal on the bottle hasn’t been broken.
Carbonated drinks are generally safe.
Hot drinks are generally safe.
Food:
Do not eat raw fruits and vegetables unless you peel them.
Do not eat raw leafy vegetables (e.g. lettuce, spinach, cabbage); they are hard to clean.
Do not eat raw or rare meats.
Avoid shellfish.
Do not buy food from street vendors.
Eat hot, well-cooked foods. Heat kills the bacteria. Hot foods left to sit may become re-contaminated.
Sanitation:
Wash hands often.
Watch children carefully. They put lots of things in their mouths or touch contaminated items and then put their hands in their mouths.
If possible, keep infants from crawling on dirty floors.
Check to see that utensil and dishes are clean.
DIETARY INSTRUCTIONS IN CASE OF DIARRHEA
☑ In some cases, milk and milk products such as milk, cheese, pudding and ice cream can make diarrhea worse. Reduce your use of these foods to see if your diarrhea gets better.
☑ Limit your use of high fat foods such as fried foods, fatty meats, high fat desserts, excess butter, margarine, higher fat milk products (homogenized milk, cream) and greasy snack foods.
☑ Try to reduce the amount of fiber in your diet. Fiber is found mostly in fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, nuts and seeds. Try a low fiber diet with Low fiber foods Canned or well-cooked fruits and vegetables may be easier to digest.
☑ Try eating several small meals throughout the day.
☑ Limit the use of dried fruits, berries, rhubarb, legumes (lentils, kidney beans, lima beans), peas, corn, broccoli, spinach and nuts. They may make diarrhea worse for some people
☑ If you have gas or cramping, you may find it helpful to avoid foods that can increase gas production. These include dried peas and beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, brussels sprouts, carbonated beverages, beer and chewing gum.
☑ When diarrhea is no longer a problem, gradually resume a normal diet.
