When traveling to distant countries, one should consider a few thoughts in advance about how to best nourish oneself. We have put together a few rules for you so that you don't end up experiencing stomach cramps, diarrhea, and the like during your vacation.

This English rule already says the most important thing: Cook it, boil it, peel it or forget it. This excludes a large part of intestinal or stomach problems while traveling. However, there are also certain foods and drinks that one should generally avoid.

The following are on the anti-menu.

• raw fish; only consume self-caught fish (also fried) if you have sufficient knowledge of the species, as they may be toxic
• Oysters and other raw seafood
• raw meat
• Salads and raw vegetables
• Fruit salad
• Ice - both ice cream and ice cubes
• cold buffets
• longer kept warm dishes
• Tap water
• unpasteurized milk
• Frozen products, as the cold chain is often interrupted.

When it comes to drinking, it's best to choose bottled mineral water or boiled water. Freshly brewed tea and coffee are usually risk-free beverages, as are beer and wine. However, the stomach often reacts sensitively to very cold drinks, so especially on hot days, avoid giving your heated body ice-cold beverages.

And what if travel diarrhea does occur?

Drinking plenty is the most important rule. It's best to replace the lost fluids with broth, fruit juices, or sweetened tea. Salt and glucose solutions from the pharmacy are especially beneficial for children and older people (e.g., Elotrans or Santalvt). However, sugar-salt solutions can also be easily made at home with 1 liter of juice, 1 teaspoon of table salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. This should be consumed in small sips. The enormous loss of water and salt during severe diarrhea otherwise leads to dehydration of the body.