Living In Thailand And Staying Healthy

[popshirt]

I used to get stomach/intestinal upsets often when I first started traveling in third world countries. The first time was in Burgos, Spain in 1964! Maybe it didn't qualify as a 3rd world country, but Franco's Spain was not exactly 1st world either. I was so sick, I lived in the bathroom for days. Then after many trips to Mexico, and also living there and in Panama for a while, then Thailand, I seem to have been blessed with an immunity. I eat from the "street" here from time to time, all kinds of food, stay on farms in Isaan, etc. and am never sick.

But, I am careful, especially about the look and temperature of street food.

I am a fanatic about washing my hands, it is the first thing I do when I arrive back home. Always. Soap and hot water is not so important as SCRUBBING the hands. I try to do this when I am away from home also but it is not always possible.

I sterilize the kitchen sink sponge in the microwave for 2 minutes every night, same with any other dishcloth.

Sometimes I will soak vegetables of questional provenance in a little sodium bicarbonate and water before eating or cooking, especially cabbage and lettuce.

I also agree that preparing food and eating at home is the safest. I had terrible food poisoning in Toronto once, it can happen anywhere.

Edited February 17, 2007 by popshirt

[Upcountry]

When it comes down to it the safest thing to do is to make your own food here if you can cook. Homecooked Thai meals are the best too because you know what's going in.

Yes, I agree. I'm lucky to have a Thai wife (whom I met in the US, before moving here with her) who loves to cook at home (picking better ingredients). That is a good thing to look for if you are in the market for a Thai partner. As they say, the quickest way to a man's heart his through is stomach!

[Jookster]

My stomach is till ok, my lungs though are full of all the polution in this country...

Getting out of Bangkok would help.

As for the original question, I have come and gone since 95 and lived here steadily for 6 years - I still often get stomach problems. So the doctors are right that some people never fully adjust.

I could of course stick to Western food all the time, but it would be a lot to ask of my spouse, plus my mouth really likes Thai food, it's just the digestive tract that has a problem with it sometimes.

The only time I have had serious food poisoning was from the Pepsi in Pizza Company in Pata Pinklao.

How you know it was the Pepsi?

As for the previously discussed oil issue, reusing oil causes the build up of free radicals which are in short very bad for you.

And indeed home cooking is the best option.

[katana]

Hi,

I recently lived 6 months in Bkk. Within this time I frequently felt nauseous, had diarrhea several time, and vomited, fever, officially diagnosed with food poisoning about 4 times and so on.

As it happens I suspect that I did have food poisoning and was misdiagnosed on some occasions when I actually was suffering with IBS/ low stomach acid brought on by food poisoning. Which in turn made be more susceptible to food poisoning. I also think going out too much, sleeping too little and placing undue stress on myself was all part of the equation.

But I digress....

Who here found it took their stomachs a long time to get accustomed to living in Thailand. Am I particularly unlucky? Or as I suspect do a fair number of people take quite a while of being ill before then beginning to become ok?

Since I would like to live in Bangkok for a long time, I would like to do some long term experiences.

Thanks!

I get most of those symptoms too while in LOS. I think its all about resistance to the slightly different bacteria and bugs there. Plus, due to the heat and other factors, there's more bacteria in the food than people in the West are accustomed to with their stricter food hygiene standards.

Some farang seem to have a natural immunity to these bugs, so the same dish can give one person problems and leave another person unaffected.

[ThaiGoon]

Thailand has a high rate of heart disease and diabetes because of this type of eating.

But not according to this: http://www.cureresearch.com/h/heart_diseas...ats-country.htm. Thailand has about an average rate of heart disease compared to other countries.

I don't understand why some people have to state their own opinions as facts when they rarely bother to go check their them.

[ThaiGoon]

That is correct, diabetes is horrendously high here. Thais eat like children; they have to have loads of sugar or salt on everything.

Yeah, but not as high as what it is in the "healthy" West apparently:

"Conclusions: ....The rise to Western levels in the prevalence of diabetes and associated cardiovascular risk factors in Thailand (16–18) and other newly industrializing countries of the Asia-Pacific region (19,20) appears to be largely attributable to changes in sociodemographic factors (21), in particular the greater age of the population (5,13), the increased proportion living in an urban environment (22), and mounting levels of obesity (23)."

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/conte...l/26/10/2758#R1

Given the fact that historically it was never a huge problem in Thailand before, I guess Westernization or "eating healthy" like the West is probably why "Thais eat like children; they have to have loads of sugar or salt on everything."

[ThaiGoon]

As for this topic, when I go back home (I'm Thai and studying abroad), spicy food gives me problems more than anything. I usually have diarrhea whenever I eat spicy food. But that happens for only a couple of weeks. After that my stomach adjusts fine to spices. My other Thai friends don't have the same problem though. So I guess it just vaires from person to person.

[wintermute]

Thailand has a high rate of heart disease and diabetes because of this type of eating.

But not according to this: http://www.cureresearch.com/h/heart_diseas...ats-country.htm. Thailand has about an average rate of heart disease compared to other countries.

I don't understand why some people have to state their own opinions as facts when they rarely bother to go check their them.

I don't believe I was off the mark when it comes to the bigger picture of Thai health problems. Just look at this previous study done..

Over 70 percent of Thais diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia

Department of Disease Control Region 5 revealed that over 70 percent of Thais are reportedly ill with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia.

Md. Somchai Tangsupachai (สมชาย ตั้งสุภาชัย), the director-general of the Department of Disease Control from Nakhon Ratchasima (นครราชสีมา) Province revealed the latest research of Thais’ health. He said that Thais have a high tendency to become sick as many still stick to drinking and smoking.

Many of them have dislike eating vegetable and fruit in addition to disliking exercise.

Most of these chareacteristics behaviors are found in men than women.

Md. Somchai has urged Thais to exercise at least 30 minutes every day, avoid carbohydrate, sugar, and fat, and comsume more vegetable and fruit.

He said that it will help keep them away from illnesses.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 23 January 2007

[Jet Gorgon]

Wow. Thought this thread was about Jookster asking for help about staying healthy in Thailand, and it's deconstructed into health authority guidelines and warnings, and farang views about how bad the Thai diet is. Oh, where did those western fast food outlets and 7-11 and its slurpees come from? And all those fat, greasy farang? Gimme a break. Please address Jookster's Q rather than quibble over western health and sanitation freak-ideologies.

[ThaiGoon]

I don't believe I was off the mark when it comes to the bigger picture of Thai health problems. Just look at this previous study done..

Over 70 percent of Thais diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia

Department of Disease Control Region 5 revealed that over 70 percent of Thais are reportedly ill with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia.

Md. Somchai Tangsupachai (สมชาย ตั้งสุภาชัย), the director-general of the Department of Disease Control from Nakhon Ratchasima (นครราชสีมา) Province revealed the latest research of Thais’ health. He said that Thais have a high tendency to become sick as many still stick to drinking and smoking.

Many of them have dislike eating vegetable and fruit in addition to disliking exercise.

Most of these chareacteristics behaviors are found in men than women.

Md. Somchai has urged Thais to exercise at least 30 minutes every day, avoid carbohydrate, sugar, and fat, and comsume more vegetable and fruit.

He said that it will help keep them away from illnesses.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 23 January 2007

So how many of those 70% have diabetes alone?

Also besides the fact that there's nothing wrong with the data I presented, common sense should suggest that there's no way that over 70% of the entire population could have all those illnesses. It just doesn't add up. Take a look at this age structure per the CIA factbook.

Thailand's Age Structure: (2006 est.)

0-14 years: 22% (male 7,284,068/female 6,958,632)

15-64 years: 70% (male 22,331,312/female 22,880,588)

65 years and over: 8% (male 2,355,190/female 2,821,805)

Your claim is just ridiculous. Think about it.

[ThaiGoon]

Wow. Thought this thread was about Jookster asking for help about staying healthy in Thailand, and it's deconstructed into health authority guidelines and warnings, and farang views about how bad the Thai diet is. Oh, where did those western fast food outlets and 7-11 and its slurpees come from? And all those fat, greasy farang? Gimme a break. Please address Jookster's Q rather than quibble over western health and sanitation freak-ideologies.

:D

[Tolley]

I have never had any health issues in Thailand and eat Thai food most of the time.

I do however exercise a fair bit and don't drink too much.

You need to be very careful what you eat in Thailand as a lot of food has too much oil and too much sugar.

I would suggest that you eat breakfast at home with something like a smoothie or a good cereal like oats or a mueslie. If you are prone to or have a sensitive gut you should include a high quality yougurt or yakult to get the good bacteria in your gut.

Prepare a sandwich for lunch and take it with you to work...wholemeal bread with some salad and chicken or tuna.

Then you really only have to concern yourself with one meal a day, which you should try to make not too oily or full of sugar.

Most important is the exercise as this is the most potent factor when it comes to diabetes and a host of other illnesses.

[autonomous_unit]

I think I mentioned this in an earlier thread on chili addiction, but I worked out, through stubborn process of elimination, that I've become sensitized to my favorite spicy stir-fried dishes. Or rather my guts have. My mouth still says, ha! you call that spicy? But my guts staged an intervention and now I have to be very careful.

I tested last night with a plate of chili and basil fried noodles from the market and, yup, the problem persists.

It seems like switching my morning ritual yogurt with bran cereal has helped a little bit, in terms of at least enjoying a spicy bit here and there. But it generally seems like the glory days are behind me now... it's clearly irritation rather than infection/poisoning, judging by all the symptoms and factors that I'd rather not go into here.

Oddly, I can still eat "spicy" foods when I visit the US, e.g. Mexican, Cajun, Indian. I am not sure whether that points to something more than just the Thai chili as the culprit, or whether I somehow have a special inability to judge their heat now compared to other kinds of chili. My mother-in-law helped try to experiment with different recipes, and of course cooks with fresh oil, so I am not sure what else to try. I would not think it is the soy sauce, etc., since those go into the non-spicy dishes too.

[wintermute]

I don't believe I was off the mark when it comes to the bigger picture of Thai health problems. Just look at this previous study done..

Over 70 percent of Thais diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia

Department of Disease Control Region 5 revealed that over 70 percent of Thais are reportedly ill with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia.

Md. Somchai Tangsupachai (สมชาย ตั้งสุภาชัย), the director-general of the Department of Disease Control from Nakhon Ratchasima (นครราชสีมา) Province revealed the latest research of Thais' health. He said that Thais have a high tendency to become sick as many still stick to drinking and smoking.

Many of them have dislike eating vegetable and fruit in addition to disliking exercise.

Most of these chareacteristics behaviors are found in men than women.

Md. Somchai has urged Thais to exercise at least 30 minutes every day, avoid carbohydrate, sugar, and fat, and comsume more vegetable and fruit.

He said that it will help keep them away from illnesses.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 23 January 2007

So how many of those 70% have diabetes alone?

Also besides the fact that there's nothing wrong with the data I presented, common sense should suggest that there's no way that over 70% of the entire population could have all those illnesses. It just doesn't add up. Take a look at this age structure per the CIA factbook.

Thailand's Age Structure: (2006 est.)

0-14 years: 22% (male 7,284,068/female 6,958,632)

15-64 years: 70% (male 22,331,312/female 22,880,588)

65 years and over: 8% (male 2,355,190/female 2,821,805)

Your claim is just ridiculous. Think about it.

It doesn't matter how many have diabetes alone the overall health condition for Thailand seems rather poor. If you have a problem with it take it up with the official who made that report otherwise enjoy sticking your head in the sand. The data presented seems plausible judging by anecdotal evidence there do seem to be an awful lot of thais who don't exercise and live generally unhealthy lifestyles.

[tutsiwarrior]

most importantly, don't bring yer illnesses wid you to Thailand...I spent 3 years on terribly demanding jobs wid de associated stress and on return spent 2 months under de covers to recuperate...Thailand ain't a good place to try an' get well in...

otherwise Thailand ain't no better or worse than most places...

[ThaiGoon]

It doesn't matter how many have diabetes alone the overall health condition for Thailand seems rather poor. If you have a problem with it take it up with the official who made that report otherwise enjoy sticking your head in the sand. The data presented seems plausible judging by anecdotal evidence there do seem to be an awful lot of thais who don't exercise and live generally unhealthy lifestyles.

I'm sticking my head in the sand? That's pretty rich coming from someone like you. By the way, per CIA factbook, the life expectancy of Thais is 72.25 years which is about the same as Malaysians (72.5 years). And I wouldn't class that as a poor overall health condition.

Hey Mute, if you don't wanna consistently get shown up, try to make sure that you get your "facts" straight next time, all right? Also when you get questionable data, try to process it before you believe it too.

[StateSix]

LOL. You're always ill mate, hence your nickname of sicknote. And I reckon you are still suffering from continual tiredness judging from the times you get into work

haha! As we're on the topic of personal healthcare, how is that nasty bout of facial herpes coming along?

Well, I tried that cream you recommended, the one that cleared your bout up, but it didn't work. Appears that the facial variety is different than the one you had

[wintermute]

It doesn't matter how many have diabetes alone the overall health condition for Thailand seems rather poor. If you have a problem with it take it up with the official who made that report otherwise enjoy sticking your head in the sand. The data presented seems plausible judging by anecdotal evidence there do seem to be an awful lot of thais who don't exercise and live generally unhealthy lifestyles.

I'm sticking my head in the sand? That's pretty rich coming from someone like you. By the way, per CIA factbook, the life expectancy of Thais is 72.25 years which is about the same as Malaysians (72.5 years). And I wouldn't class that as a poor overall health condition.

Hey Mute, if you don't wanna consistently get shown up, try to make sure that you get your "facts" straight next time, all right? Also when you get questionable data, try to process it before you believe it too.

Before you jump the gun and spout more nonsense let me school you in an exercise on critical thinking. Just because life expectancy is as high as the nearest developing world country doesn't mean that there aren't health problems. There could be other factors such as medical care or wide availability of medicine in Thailand which explains the life expectancy figure. A person can live with heart disease or diabetes for as long as a person without these health problems but overall quality of life decreases significantly and the social burden in the form of medical costs and non productivity increases drastically.

Also, if Thailand doesn't have a problem with heart disease then WHY is the current military junta planning to steal pharmeceutical patents for heart disease drugs? They are claiming under WTO regulations that Thailand is undergoing a health crisis to justify their seizure. Are you saying that it's all a farce then and that Thailand actually isn't suffering?

Edited February 18, 2007 by wintermute

[soundman]

I have never had any health issues in Thailand and eat Thai food most of the time.

I do however exercise a fair bit and don't drink too much.

You need to be very careful what you eat in Thailand as a lot of food has too much oil and too much sugar.

I would suggest that you eat breakfast at home with something like a smoothie or a good cereal like oats or a mueslie. If you are prone to or have a sensitive gut you should include a high quality yougurt or yakult to get the good bacteria in your gut.

Prepare a sandwich for lunch and take it with you to work...wholemeal bread with some salad and chicken or tuna.

Then you really only have to concern yourself with one meal a day, which you should try to make not too oily or full of sugar.

Most important is the exercise as this is the most potent factor when it comes to diabetes and a host of other illnesses.

I have to agree with Tolley that regular exercise is the most important factor in maintaining a health lifestyle in Thailand.

I eat food from road side stalls, market stalls, just about every level of restaurant imaginable in Thailand. I also drink 6 cans of beer & smoke 2 packs of ciggies a day (probably not good..). To balance this I run 5 km's every morning.

Result - never been sick a day in 5 years in thailand. Put it down to the exercise.... Worst complaint - chilli belly - trip to the dunny & everything is all systems go.

Good dining...

Soundman.

[Jookster]

I have never had any health issues in Thailand and eat Thai food most of the time.

I do however exercise a fair bit and don't drink too much.

You need to be very careful what you eat in Thailand as a lot of food has too much oil and too much sugar.

I would suggest that you eat breakfast at home with something like a smoothie or a good cereal like oats or a mueslie. If you are prone to or have a sensitive gut you should include a high quality yougurt or yakult to get the good bacteria in your gut.

Prepare a sandwich for lunch and take it with you to work...wholemeal bread with some salad and chicken or tuna.

Then you really only have to concern yourself with one meal a day, which you should try to make not too oily or full of sugar.

Most important is the exercise as this is the most potent factor when it comes to diabetes and a host of other illnesses.

I have to agree with Tolley that regular exercise is the most important factor in maintaining a health lifestyle in Thailand.

I eat food from road side stalls, market stalls, just about every level of restaurant imaginable in Thailand. I also drink 6 cans of beer & smoke 2 packs of ciggies a day (probably not good..). To balance this I run 5 km's every morning.

Result - never been sick a day in 5 years in thailand. Put it down to the exercise.... Worst complaint - chilli belly - trip to the dunny & everything is all systems go.

Good dining...

Soundman.

Do you really think running 5km is not going to alleviate the effects of smoking 40 cigarettes and drinking 6 cans of beer!

[johnong]

I love eating spicy Thai food and don't really have a probelm at all. If I do get a stomach upset, the people that I have been eating with have too and we will avoid that food stall in the future. But it happens very rarely. Luckily for me my wife loves to cook and we eat a lot of meals at home as we try cooking new things...

Excercise is also very important. I will try and kitesurf every day that we have enough wind here and go swimming too. I try not to drink too much as that will give you an upset stomach and a hangover in the heat aint too nice Those electrolyte drinks sound good though I will have to try them. At the moment its gatorade.

To be honest I felt much worse the last time I went back to the UK... eating large amounts of stodgy food, cold weather and too much beer from boredom.

Time to order a pizza I think

[qwertz]

I love eating spicy Thai food and don't really have a probelm at all. If I do get a stomach upset, the people that I have been eating with have too and we will avoid that food stall in the future. But it happens very rarely. Luckily for me my wife loves to cook and we eat a lot of meals at home as we try cooking new things...

Excercise is also very important. I will try and kitesurf every day that we have enough wind here and go swimming too. I try not to drink too much as that will give you an upset stomach and a hangover in the heat aint too nice Those electrolyte drinks sound good though I will have to try them. At the moment its gatorade.

To be honest I felt much worse the last time I went back to the UK... eating large amounts of stodgy food, cold weather and too much beer from boredom.

Time to order a pizza I think

The insects that the Thais eat are said to be very low fat and high in protein. The electrolyte drinks are mostly junk. Coconut milk and sugar cane juice will do more for your health.

[Jookster]

Electrolyte drinks/powders do what they are supposed to do. Replace electrolytes and provide simple sugars.

When you have the runs bad, you need electrolytes. And if you can't eat anything some glucose is nice!

[ThaiGoon]

Before you jump the gun and spout more nonsense let me school you in an exercise on critical thinking. Just because life expectancy is as high as the nearest developing world country doesn't mean that there aren't health problems. There could be other factors such as medical care or wide availability of medicine in Thailand which explains the life expectancy figure. A person can live with heart disease or diabetes for as long as a person without these health problems but overall quality of life decreases significantly and the social burden in the form of medical costs and non productivity increases drastically.

Also, if Thailand doesn't have a problem with heart disease then WHY is the current military junta planning to steal pharmeceutical patents for heart disease drugs? They are claiming under WTO regulations that Thailand is undergoing a health crisis to justify their seizure. Are you saying that it's all a farce then and that Thailand actually isn't suffering?

So you didn't really read what I've posted. The research paper that I posted clearly stated that the problems are rising to the levels of what's happening in the West. It doesn't mean that the problems in Thailand are worse than other places in the world. Got it now? Try to read and think at the same time, all right?

[wamberal]

I have to agree with Tolley that regular exercise is the most important factor in maintaining a health lifestyle in Thailand.

I eat food from road side stalls, market stalls, just about every level of restaurant imaginable in Thailand. I also drink 6 cans of beer & smoke 2 packs of ciggies a day (probably not good..). To balance this I run 5 km's every morning.

Result - never been sick a day in 5 years in thailand. Put it down to the exercise.... Worst complaint - chilli belly - trip to the dunny & everything is all systems go.

Good dining...

Soundman.

I suggest that you should have a yearly health check by a good physician, including an exercise stress test if you are over 40 and/or have any history of heart problems in your family.

[bendix]

Do they have Subway restaurants in Thailand?

Yes, and the only time I have been sick in Thailand in nearly 2.5 years was after a Meatball sub with all the trimmings from Subway from Sukhumvit 7/1. Never again.

I'll stick with the street food . . much cleaner and safer than all that lettuce that's been sitting around for days.

[davidjtayler]

I eat and drink everything I can get my hands on and very, very rarely have stomach problems

[kmart]

I eat and drink everything I can get my hands on and very, very rarely have stomach problems

You have a cast-iron stomach, david. I envy you.

I usually put toilet tissue in the fridge overnight. Can't remember my last firm stool.

[davidjtayler]

I eat and drink everything I can get my hands on and very, very rarely have stomach problems

You have a cast-iron stomach, david. I envy you.

I usually put toilet tissue in the fridge overnight. Can't remember my last firm stool.

What you need Mr K is to get your hands on some peanut butter, white bread and cheese ... that concoction will firm up the constitution of the most liquid of motions (even the infamous rice water stools) and may even bung up the orifice ...

[soundman]

Do you really think running 5km is not going to alleviate the effects of smoking 40 cigarettes and drinking 6 cans of beer!

What can be better for you than Vitamin B ... eer & C ... iggies? Half an hour of exercise just flushes it all out of the system. Must admit though, bit hard to turn the engine on some mornings...

S.