Probiotics

Am planning a 6 week trip in Mexico, starting with Cancun. I have heard probiotics are a good precaution but I wonder if I can pick up a suitable non-prescription probiotic from a local Bartell's or Rite-Aid or Walgreen's that would work. Apparently not all probiotics are the same. Also, until I figure out more where I can eat or not eat the first few days I am there, I may prefer an American type Subway Sandwich or McDonald's type store. I know that I lose adventure that way but I would prefer safety for the first few days. Can I just assume that all of the vegetables on the sandwich in a place like a Subway's in Cancun is good? For the long term though I may just need a good probiotic. Any thoughts on picking one up.

Here's an article with some information:
http://www.probiotics-lovethatbug.com/travelers-diarrhea.html
Florastor is the probiotic mentioned. The active ingredient is Saccharomyces Boulardii which is also available in other brands, often for a lower price.

I also try to eat yogurt regularly. I'm careful about the water that I drink but not so much with the food. If it looks fresh and well cooked, and the food prep area looks clean (street vendors/markets), I enjoy. One suggestion that I was given about eating street food or market food is to go to a crowded place. If the locals eat there regularly its probably good. A place won't stay in business long if it doesn't have return customers that don't get sick.

Any place that caters to tourists is going to have good food prep practices. In this day and age of internet, one report on line of someone blaming a restaurant for them getting sick goes a long way in ruining a business.

Following all of the above, I rarely get sick when I travel, although everyone is different.

While I don't know anything about probiotics, I would say restricting your diet to American-based fast food chains is a little extreme. There are many "nice" restaurants that are as every bit as hygienic (and, possibly more so) as Subway but would still allow you to try Mexican food. For example, there are well known local chains like Sanborn's, Tok's, and Vips. While they're not anything amazing, they'll give you types of food you won't find at home and at prices similar to fast food. There will be hundreds of other local restaurants that serve tourists and locals and have no interest in skimping on pesos but running the risk in making their clients sick. You can use Yelp or TripAdvisor to find these. Certainly nothing is foolproof but I wouldn't say the risk at fast food is any less. Just because something comes from America doesn't necessarily mean it is better or safer.

Last time I got sick was after eating in a Subway. Doesn't mean necessarily that's where I picked up the bug, but more than likely. Why not bring your probiotics with you?

There´s a McDonald´s restaurant right across from the ADO bus station in Cancun centro. I recommend it. It even has a Mexican menu, featuring McMolletes, and McBurritos, among other fine dining.

Yoghurt. Found throughout Mexico.

LW

Indeed yogurt is found throughout México. But with very few exceptions, it's no better than sugar pops. Very little good bacteria but plenty of sugar.

I don't believe any of the US drugstore chains do business in Mexico. But I'm open to correction. But Costco for sure has probiotics, plus their hot dogs and pizza are a pretty safe bet. They now have (at least in Querétaro and Celaya where I shop) a pizza al pastor, which is the bomb.
But I also agree with mclarjh, a McMuffin is tough to beat. Carl's Jr a close second. The thing with Subway is that I'm always leery of those veggies just kinda sitting around all day. Tho we do grab a sando a couple of times a month.

The fake Oxxo-type stuff may not be so hot, but pretty much any town will have natural food tiendas with real yogurt for sale (not that this actually counts as full on probiotics for people who require or want them).

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Probiotics

LOL... whoever banned the word "pr0bi0tics" may need some review of the concept.

I did pick up some today from Rite-Aide that had the Saccharomyces that you mentioned. Excellent side article you referenced.

To all who responded or will still respond: Thank you. It has been a few years since I have been on any forum with Lonely Planet. But with all the perspectives you have offered me as to the youghurt or American type places, etc. I feel a little less anxious about it as I am travelling alone and don't want my adventures to be those spent reading the graffitti in a bathroom stall. Seriously, I truly find it gratifying to be able to express a concern and so quickly get responses from thoughtful people in different parts of this world. It makes me want to rename this website we use to be

A-little -Less- Lonely- Planet - Now . com

And as a last resort, there are pharmacies on almost every street corner in Mexico, often with a doctor´s office attached, and usually at least one in every major town or city is open 24-hrs per day, so antibiotics are never far away.

PS: I just attended a lecture about, among other things, the advantage to your immune system from a vaginal delivery as opposed to a Ceasarian, but I suppose it´s too late for you to do anything about that.

I buy some really heavy duty probiotics for a medical problem, at GNC in Tehuacan, so I know they exist. But, I don't think what I use would be the same thing y'all are talking about. GNC also has stores in Cd. Mexico and Puebla, no idea in other regions.

The abuse algorithm must be interesting. My posting for #15 was held for moderator review. I hit BACK and looked it over, can't see anything there that could be considered abuse or offensive. Strange.

I think #10 had it right. My posts here with probiotics we're held for review. This one probably will be too.

Yep.

Just our spam filter doing its stuff behind the scenes.

Check out Domino´s too, their pizzas are really hot! No bacteria could survive their oven, and if you liberally sprinkle those dried chiles on top, you´ll have a truly authentic Mexican meal.

I eat everything but I take a pepto bismo tab twice a day . It seems to work as gave been doing this in Mexico for years now

I don't understand why one would think that probiotics would be necessary in Mexico, unless you eat a lot of American style fast food there - you might need probiotics after eating hamburgers and French fries for days. Find little markets and buy fruit that you don't eat the skin: oranges, banana, avocado, pineapple, etc. The digestive enzymes in papaya and pineapple are good for the gut, as well as spirulina. Take a spirulina every day, try to eat yogurt - there are chewable antacid, digestive enzyme (bromelain, papaya); tequila is also good for gut problems and digestion. The lard in good refried beans, the lard in good tortillas, deep fried anything will have you needing probiotics - try to minimize those servings. Enjoy the food - enjoy your travels.

No one has mentioned taking YAKULT that's widely available here. Many people take Yakult on a regular basis and was developed in Japan. But I know little about these so-called probiotics, which may be something else that you take as a prophylaxis. I have had very few stomach problems in my 13+ years in Mexico, and I've eaten in all kinds of places, including ordering salads in more upscale restaurants in Guadalajara, and even here where I now live, Patzcuaro -- again never having gotten sick from them.

Hey, these are some interesting responses... though the tricky part is that some things work for only some people. Chewable papaya enzymes are great. I also like strong peppermint tinctures, and stuff like Swedish bitters (or the Gaia Herbs version, "Sweetish bitters").

I think it's pretty unlikely that first-time visitors won't experience some kind of upset unless they really limit their eating choices, especially on a multi-region trip, but a day or two of that is all part of the fun of a Mexican excursion.

One interesting note: although Mexico has an extensive health food industry, the quality of the products is sorely lacking in comparison to what you'll find in a Whole Foods or similar up north. There are GNC's, but they are also very limited in stock. This has to do COFEPRIS regulations that ostensibly relate to public safety, but are really in place to prevent any kind of competition with local brands. Bringing stuff in on a plane is easy, but try to ship these products via DHL and they will almost definitely not get into the country, and local merchants who really want to offer specialty high-quality items have a very hard time doing so.

Be careful with health claims. I just read a story in the local newspaper about a witch doctor in the Mazateca who killed one patient and put several others in hospital after injecting them with vitamins.

Jaja... easy now, nobody around here's gonna be dying from peppermint drops or Pepto and I doubt any forum members are planning on pumping the OP up with anything suspect.

Domino's, OTOH, has a pretty impressive kill list, but hey, I hear it's worth it for a while.

I hate to rain on the parade, but several years ago, the BBC did 3 documentaries on the the biggest money making foods (whose benefits were all deemed questionable), but not quite scams: eating cereals, drinking bottled water (that now pollutes the entire planet with billions of plastic bottles), and yogurt. They even included a discussion about the value of so-called live culture yogurts. It is confined to about three or four major corporations whose names I won't mention here, as it might get banned by LP for corporate reasons.

Go ahead, mention away... BBC hasn't been involved with this place in years.

Eating cereal has questionable benefits, eh? Hey... to each their own, but when questioning the effectiveness of fermented milk products, that's a few thousand years of human experience that'll need to be overlooked.

OTOH I wouldn't exactly consider it a cure for the "Revenge" either, but it'd probably a better bet than that vitamin injector.

A documentary of that type, painting each product and its effects on everyone on the planet with a broad brush, is feckless. Each to his own, according to their respective needs. American fast food may eventually kill you with its fat, salt, cholesterol, processing - is that in the documentary? What might possibly be harmful in yogurt is the amount of sugar and fat it also contains. Nutrition is a science and its applicability on each human is dependent on every nuance of that person's entire scope of life. Humans need pure water, and some cities and homes require that those people drink water other than from their kitchen tap - bottled, filtered, treated. Most people are ignorant of nutrition, processed foods, so-called supplements - people believe what they are told by the media instead of self-study. Research GMOs - do you know that some yogurt has GMO ingredients? However, a healthy gut requires a balance of good bacteria - and yogurt happens to benefit that (not the only thing to do so) and is widely available and inexpensive. Cereal? You mean whole grains or Cheerios? Because of the depletion of nutrients in our soil, GMO seeds, and pesticides, yes, cereals may not be as nutritious as they should, but all humans need carbohydrates and fiber. And so on and so forth - unending in its scope and application.

One of the beautiful things about Mexico is that ALL of these products –. grains, yogurts, etc. – are available from small co-ops, family farms, little health food shops, and other small-scale vendors, without having to resort to the commercial sugar/crap filled stuff. It's really worth it to ask around seek out markets in each place, which are often held in certain parks on one or two days of the week, and going to these places can be an adventure in itself.

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In Oaxaca city, we found an excellent natural health food store,well stocked with quality organic produce and natural medicines. Nearby, at Llanno Park [probably got the name wrong] there was a huge three day alternative health fair under big white 'circus' tents.
Otherwise, I had to scrutinize the products in many parts of south central Mexico and the Yucatan. Too many salves and ointments were based on petroleum products and camphor.Peyote and hemp ingredients were also prevalent in many products.

Nearby, at Llanno Park....

Llano Park (as in ¨Park of the Plain¨) is correct.

hemp ingredients

Last night I was talking to the expat from Jerez who swears by the marijuana cream they sell for 50 MXN here.

Thanks mclarjh for the 'minor' spelling correction. Seriously. Nearby is that excellent little health food store operated by nice people some of whom speak passable English-much better than my muy pobre espanol.Across, is a good pizza place and just before is an excellent, reasonably priced traditional family run Mexican restaurant.
Re hempingredients, we met two American couples who claim medicinal marijuana saved their lives and marriage. One couple from Texas even moved to Colorado to get the stuff. The skeptic in me feels that it is a tad hyped up and maybe exploited.

What exactly is wrong with hemp ingredients, though?

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