Saveur: Is Travel Actually Bad for Your Gut?
Saveur recently interviewed Mark Pimentel, MD, professor of Medicine and executive director of the Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program at Cedars-Sinai, about how to avoid travel-related digestive issues.
Pimentel told Saveur that drinking tap water is unsafe in some countries because it contains bacteria and other contaminants that travelers may not be used to.
“It also has to do with regulations,” he said. “Some countries don’t have inspection systems.”
Pimentel told Saveur that even if hotels in those countries use a water filtration system, it’s still not a guarantee that the water is safe to drink.
“Reverse osmosis does remove pathogenic bacteria, but all water treatments require maintenance,” he said. “This is where things can go wrong.”
He noted that while drinking bottled water is usually a safe bet, traveling with a purifying water bottle is more environmentally friendly because “you can use it over and over.”
Pimentel told Saveur that airplane travel can cause bloating and gas due to low cabin pressure.
“You expand because the pressure outside your body is lower than the pressure inside,” he said. “If you’re eating things that have or make gas, that’s just a whole lot more fun. The flight attendant gives you hummus, chips and soda, and you’re bloated out of your mind because soda is gas, and hummus gives gas to everybody.”
Pimentel cautioned that foodborne illnesses caused by contamination or spoilage can strike anywhere—even at home.
“The all-you-can-eat buffet is the worst,” he told Saveur. “Potato salad is particularly problematic.”
Click here to read the complete article in Saveur.