Planning to travel by train or bus for a change? Not a bad idea, as it gives a chance to enjoy nature on the way and your vacation begins even before you reach your destination.

However, care has to be taken while on a long journey as we are then more at risk of catching a stomach bug that can spoil all the fun.

That doesn’t mean that you stop travelling long distance by bus or train. You just have to be a bit cautious and take some measures to keep your journey safe and healthy. As the most common complaint is food-borne illnesses, let’s see what can be done to avoid that.

The rule of thumb is to go green. It’s very simple to just chop some salad vegetables and immerse them in natural vinegar and salt and pepper. This stays for up to 12 hours and if you have an ice box it will be safe for 24 hours. Avoid adding any sauces or salad dressings as it can increase the risk of food borne diseases by providing a suitable environment for germs to grow in.

You can take hard-boiled eggs with naturally fermented cheese that can be safely stored in an ice box for 18 to 20 hours and prepare sandwiches whenever needed. Packed and sealed fermented yogurt can make the journey safer and healthier as it is full of calcium, beneficial microbes and nutritional ingredients that nourish the body and at the same time help prevent it from succumbing to food-borne diseases.

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Travelling by bus or train is fun, but be mindful of what you eat on the way or risk ruining your vacation

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Avoid using beef, chicken or fish patties for making sandwiches as they increase the risk factor several fold; fish is the most sensitive and perishable commodity to handle.

Prefer to carry disposable crockery and glassware instead of plastic ware. Most of the plastic wares used in Pakistan are not food grade and hence have toxic materials. Plastic crockery has the tendency to absorb nutrients which turn to micro-organisms and affect food quality. Washing glassware with contaminated water available at bus stops and stations increases the risk of waterborne diseases on later use, whereas disposable crockery can easily be disposed of after use.

Munching on dry fruit and nuts during the journey gives a feeling of fullness for a longer time along with added benefits. Of course, if you experience food allergy on consumption of any nuts you will not add them to your snack collection.

A stock of fresh seasonal fruits always comes in handy. You can eat any fresh raw fruit or vegetable after washing it with clean water. Or you can add salt, ground sugar, black pepper and lemon juice for added taste to a mixture of chopped fruits such as apples, guava, oranges, banana or melon. It’s best to avoid grapes and papaya; grapes are rich in sugars and carry yeast in high quantity, which can spoil the taste though it cannot risk safety. Papaya is a good source of enzymes that breaks the proteins which in turn can cause adverse change in the taste on prolonged storage. Also, being a good source of fibre with protein breaking enzyme it can cause an upset stomach in some people.

Many prepared canned foods are available in the market. You can take them along with you when there is no other option available. While selecting any packed commodities, including canned food, make sure that it is used within the expiry date or the date by which it can be stored outside a refrigerator.

Another important thing is that canned foods should be heated up to boiling temperature to make it free from botulium toxin; botulium toxin is a food borne illness caused by a germ that has high chances of growing under canned conditions without considerable alteration in the taste and appearance of food.

Avoid taking fat-rich (greasy) food during the journey or little before starting it as it is comparatively difficult for the body to digest it and hence it carries a comparatively higher risk of causing indigestion.

Go light on spices; keep them within lower limits (within the lighter side of the range you are comfortable with) so you get the taste but the food is not hot enough to cause heartburn or any problems in digestion.

Most of our local dishes like fish, prawn, liver, Haleem, biryani, nihari, as well as most of the salad dressing and sauces, ice cream, cake, etc. though are rich in nutrients and have high caloric values, are not suitable for carrying while travelling as they spoil easily and hence are high risk foods.

Relying on junk food is not a good idea as it’s merely calories without the nutritional value that the body needs to cope with the stress of travelling and to adjust in a new environment after arriving at the destination.

While picking juices and milk, take sealed packets of the smallest available size, preferably not more than 250 ml each. Avoid taking tea whitener, powdered or condensed milk, instant powder juice especially in more than single serving size. Large packs run the risk of contamination on exposure to micro-organisms in the environment if not stored properly.

Most people prefer using hand sanitizers but recent studies show that they are not all too safe. Soap and water are your best choice; in addition to that you can keep wet tissues and baby wipes.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, March 8th, 2015

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