World Tour: Food, travel and staying healthy

[ 0 ] December 3, 2010 | Archele

Picture via Psychedelictara

As the fall winds down and winter prepares to make its grand appearance, and the holiday season take form, people are traveling more, eating more and less excitedly- getting sick more.

I feel as though it is quite important and relevant to acknowledge the fact that it is the “sick” season. People are joyously vacationing, dining out, preparing dinner for themselves and others, attending holiday parties and exchanging handshakes, hugs and kisses, that may carry more than a warm welcome. You can never be too sure of the health of the person that prepared your food, nor can you be sure that the person that sat beside you on your flight back from your home in the islands ONLY had a sniffle.

Don’t get me wrong, I encourage you all to continue celebrating, eating and traveling; however, I do encourage you to go the extra step to ensure that you’re not stuck in bed this beautiful holiday season. Here are a few suggestions.

WASH YOUR HANDS! – I cannot reiterate how important it is to have clean hands, ESPECIALLY before eating and preparing food. Common practice is for gentlemen to stand and greet the members of their party as they arrive at restaurants before dining. You have no idea how many germs may pass during the course of a couple of handshakes before you eat your dinner. I also prefer to know that my turkey is only stuffed with stuffing, thus the importance of washing your hands before preparing food.

COVER YOUR MOUTH- and not with your hands! When sneezing and coughing, it is recommended to do so on your upper sleeve or elbow. Nothing is worse than sitting on a plane or other small space and having a person spew his or her germs out into the air that you have to breathe- especially when you’re headed on vacation or about to eat.

DO YOUR RESEARCH- If traveling to a new place – especially if that place is in a different country, take a minute to find out about any bugs that may be common or that may be currently circulating. Small bugs and viruses lead to epidemics when people carry them from one place to another. You may also want to find out what types of food and drink you should handle differently or stay away from- people in different countries have different immune systems. Doing a little research can help prepare you and allow you to take the necessary precautions before traveling.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF- You do not want to be at home and sick in bed while everyone else is enjoying winter, family and friends. Follow doctor’s orders to get rid of any bugs that you already have ASAP. Take your vitamins and make smart decisions to help prevent you from getting sick and moreover, from getting others sick. When traveling, be prepared with any medicine or aid that you might need- especially allergy medicine for possible food allergy reactions.

Spend this holiday enjoying all that food that you’ve been anticipating, all the people and places that you’ve missed, and lastly, spend it healthy!