Staying Healthy While You're Away on Study Abroad: Don't Drink the Water?!?

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Chances are good that your diet will change while abroad. Most likely, this change will be for the better. People in countries outside of the U.S. don't usually eat or drink as much sugar, processed foods, or caffeine as Americans do. You will probably find more grains, fresh fish, fruits, and vegetables included in your diet while abroad.

Before you leave, try to learn more about the foods and eating habits of your host country. Be open to new cuisines: These are an integral part of the culture and your abroad experience.

Making water safe to drink

In areas with poor sanitation, you can contract hepatitis or cholera if the drinking water is untreated. Use your common sense - do you see people drinking tap water or bottled water. Ask your program director or students who have visited your host country whether the water is safe to drink. Remember that you as a foreigner may not have the resistance to certain bacteria that local people do. The following beverages are usually safe to drink:

• Boiled water
• Hot beverages (coffee or tea) made with boiled water
• Canned or bottled carbonated beverages
• Beer and wine

The following tips can help you steer clear of water-borne illnesses:

• Avoid ice. It may be made from unsafe water.
• Drinking from an unopened can or bottle is safer than drinking from a glass that you cannot ensure is clean and dry.
• Don't brush your teeth or wash vegetables with tap water.
• Purify water by boiling or chemical disinfection.

If you choose to boil the water, bring it to a vigorous boil and then allow it to cool. Do not add ice. At high altitudes, allow water to stay at a vigorous boil for a few minutes or use chemical disinfectants. Adding a pinch of salt or pouring water from one container to another improves the taste.

You can use iodine or chlorine to chemically disinfect water, although iodine provides better disinfection in a wider set of circumstances. Use either tincture of iodine or tetraglycine hydroperiodide tablets. You can find these disinfectants in sporting goods stores and pharmacies in the United States. If the water appears cloudy, first strain it through a clean cloth and then double the number of disinfectant tablets added. For cold water, warm it or allow increased time for the disinfectant to work.

Eating with care

Choose your foods carefully while abroad. Remember that raw foods in particular have the potential to be contaminated. Foods that require a bit of extra caution on your part include salads, uncooked vegetables and fruit, unpasteurized milk and milk products, raw meat, and shellfish. If you peel fruit yourself, it is generally safe. Cooked food that is still hot is also generally safe.

Even after cooking, some fish may not be safe because of the presence of toxins in the flesh. Tropical reef fish, red snapper, amber jack, grouper, and sea bass are occasionally toxic if they are caught on tropical reefs rather than in the open ocean. The barracuda and puffer fish are usually toxic, and you should try to avoid eating them. The highest risk areas for fish toxicity include the islands of the West Indies and the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans.