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Detoxing, sickness on the road, and musings on diets

As soon as I posted about heading to Vietnam on my blog’s Facebook page, a reader wished me luck.

FireShot Screen Capture #024 - 'NZ Muse' - www_facebook_com_eemusingsEep. I didn’t want to jinx it by saying anything, but I hadn’t had any tummy troubles up to that point.

Sure enough, though, before I’d even finished my first bowl of noodles in Ho Chi Minh, I felt my guts start to roil. I was up off my stool in a flash, ready to seek out the nearest toilet. Luckily, the first stab of indigestion passed quickly, as did the momentary sweats and dizziness.

I didn’t even pause to consider it at the time, but I believe I had a pretty good detox after arriving in Asia. Existing solely on fresh, simple, real food was a treat for my tastebuds – and it also did wonders for my innards. It wasn’t until I had my first bar of chocolate or pastries that I started to experience stomach pains or gas again (TMI? Sorry). I didn’t crave sugar ONCE during this time; amazingly, I didn’t miss the absence of ice cream, cake, and cookies.

Honestly, Ho Chi Minh/Saigon was not wonderful for us. I spent a lot of it lying in bed feeling pretty crappy. It’s fairly international, so T took the chance to get in a lot of Western food. I’m pretty sure this didn’t sit too well with me, and I quickly swore to get back to noodles and rice, which seemed to help.

I wonder how the changes in diet once we hit Europe will affect me … and whether processed foods are going to be totally off limits.

11 thoughts on “Detoxing, sickness on the road, and musings on diets

  • Reply Michelle June 8, 2013 at 14:01

    Awww that really stinks! It’s no fun to be sick, especially when traveling.

  • Reply Manda June 8, 2013 at 14:24

    I threw up my first night in Hanoi. Not sure what the cause of it was as my two travel companions were fine and we all ate the same food, but it was not a good night for my stomach. 🙁 The rest of my time in Vietnam was fine, though!

  • Reply Linda June 9, 2013 at 03:35

    You don’t have to leave the comforts of your home country to have trouble with your innards, so don’t get too worried about it!

    I’m not sure where you’re going in Europe, but I found myself craving veggies really badly when I was in Germany. The cheapest food was wurst and bread at stand up places, but my insides couldn’t take that for long. I recall getting to Munich and telling my friends I had to get some veggies that day. We found a pretty cheap chain called Weinerwald (as I recall) that had on it’s menu a plate of cooked veggies with an egg on top. Delicious! And then there was the breakfast of a can of corn while sitting in the old east Berlin train station early the morning while watching some guy getting the crap beat out of him…ah, the memories! 🙂

  • Reply laura / nms June 9, 2013 at 05:47

    Sorry you got ill…..you were doing so well!

    I’m loving all your travel posts 🙂

  • Reply Revanche June 9, 2013 at 06:42

    Ooof, I’m so sorry that made you sick 🙁 Linda’s got a point about not needing to leave home to have rebellious innards… still, sucks to be sick while on the road.
    I can’t remember how we avoided getting ill in Asia other than not drinking non-bottled water. Hope you stay hale and hearty the rest of the trip!

  • Reply Stephanie June 9, 2013 at 16:04

    I have a couple Vietnamese friends who say that Vietnam is a terrible place and that one should never go there for reasons that probably include this one. Given that you are from New Zealand, I’d guess that you’ve had plenty of Western food before, so I wonder if you just had badly cooked Western food. But that aside, I hope that you get well soon! I’m sure that you can find nice non-processed food once you get to Europe.

  • Reply Funny about Money June 9, 2013 at 22:03

    Well, shoot. That’s a pain. See if you can get some Imodium (operamide hydrochloride). It will settle your stomach and plug you up (don’t overdo it or you’ll end up with the opposite problem!).

    Europe is awash in WONDERFUL fresh, real food. Stay away from the fast-food joints (which are awful) and the processed junk food, and you’ll be fine.

    One trick for avoiding the gollywobbles in countries where the water may not be as clean as your body is accustomed to is to eat and drink only hot things. Hot food, hot tea, hot water. Canned sodas, (and wash the top before opening it), bottled beer. Never drink anything with ice in it. In Mexico, we brush our teeth with beer to avoid ingesting tap water.

  • Reply Mike@WeOnlyDoThisOnce June 10, 2013 at 14:25

    That’s really the worst–sorry to hear. Feel better! Eat lots of starches.

  • Reply KC @ genxfinance June 11, 2013 at 02:32

    I hate it when I’m traveling and I’m sick.The worst feeling. You can enjoy it and oyu can’t enjoy your food.

  • Reply Budget and the Beach June 11, 2013 at 02:43

    Nothing is worse than travel sickness! I think I would prefer European food over rice and noodles all the time, but hopefully it won’t affect your stomach too much because I’m sure it’s going to be a lot richer.

  • Reply Updates: June 1 – 8 | The Outlier Model January 18, 2014 at 08:17

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