How do you stay healthy while enjoying Sri Lankan foods?
After airline ticket and accommodation, food is the most expensive requirement for most travellers, while travelling in foreign countries. In fact, you tend to get tired and hungry more often than usual due to the activities such as walking and travelling. You have the freedom to pack some canned food, biscuits etc and live on it, but being a traveller, thousands of kilometres away from home in a foreign nation, it does not add much travel spirit into your plate. After all, trying local food is part of the holiday. However, on the other hand, food is one of the main reasons for being sick for most people during the holidays. Then, how do you stay healthy while enjoying the local food in Sri Lanka? This article may help you to find the answer for you.
Avoid the peeled fruits
Sri Lanka is a country in the tropics; therefore it is warm and humid in most part of the country, the most microorganism can thrive well with the environmental conditions that prevail on the island. It is advisable to avoid peeled fruits during your short holidays. Peeled fruits are one of the few methods that transmitting microorganism to the human body. The fruits are peeled and then open to the air in most cases, making it possible for the germs to anchor on the fruits. Some people wash them before eating however you can’t guarantee that it is totally free of germs, because of water itself can be contaminated with harmful bacteria. If the fruits are sold without peeling, it is quite safe while the natural skin keeps the foreign particles away from the fruits. Sri Lanka is a country with a large number of tasty tropical fruit varieties, so try to buy fruits with their natural protective skin and don’t leave it in the open air for a long time.
Stick to mineral water
Water is the most common method of transmitting harmful bacteria and viruses that cause diseases such as diarrhoea. Waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea spread fast and can be dangerous. Drinking mineral water is the best way to avoid most of the waterborne diseases. Mineral water is sold all around the island and can be bought at a very reasonable price. Running water is safe to drink once they treated properly by boiling and filtering.
Cooking your meals
Food poisoning is another way that makes you suffer during the holidays in foreign countries. The hygiene of local restaurants is not up to a satisfactory level on some occasions in the country. The foods may be very cheap in those places but there is a doubt about their quality. If you are a foreigner, it may be a good idea to avoid the local eating places, when it comes to consuming foods in Sri Lanka.
Avoid the wayside food stalls
There is a large number of wayside food stalls in most of the cities in Sri Lanka. They are small huts fixed onto wheels. They are usually anchoring near the main roads, where lots of people are gathering. Foods are prepared at the same spot and sold at hot. The vendor cooks the food and sells the foods. These foods are usually varieties of short eats such as wade (deeply fried dhal). Usually, these cooked items are exposed to the surrounding area for several hours. Since they are kept in crowded, busy places and near the main roads, chances of being contaminated with germs are very high and consuming these foods can make your tummy sick.
Take meals in a quality restaurant
It is a very healthy practice to consume foods in quality restaurants. Restaurants are categorized into many categories on the island; tourist board registered and so-called A-grade restaurants are the best places to buy quality and hygienic foods in the country. Prices may higher than the other restaurants but it is worthwhile, due to the high quality and hygiene.
Eating in a tourist area
There are good quality restaurants in tourist resorts such as Bentota, Beruwala and Kalutara. Most of these restaurants are registered with the national tourist board of Sri Lanka. These places are being monitored by the government authorities often and monitor for the high standard of foods. Therefore consuming foods in these places is very safe against the cheap foods sold at very low in other places.