any suggestions/ideas on good food choices or foods to avoid while in CR. we leave in a week. I'm worried about the fruit. do you think it's safe? we will travel in arenal, malpais, and manzanillo.

thanks

Nuance, here's what we did and none of us got sick. We follow these guidelines whenever we travel anywhere. (In the old days when I didn't follow these rules I was always the one who got sick!)

1) don't drink the tap water. Your body isn't accostomed to the flora/fauna of the region like the locals are. Drink bottled water. Read the label of the bottled water just like you would at home. Is it from a safe source? Check the expiration date also...in costa rica sometimes encountered problem of "expired" bottled water tasting funny. Never realized bottled water could "expire!!!" Buy bottled water with a good expiration date.

2) Don't eat any unpealed fruits. Okay to eat fruits that can be pealed...bananas okay, papaya or mango okay for example...they are pealed.

3) don't eat anything from anyplace that doesn't have hand-washing/soap/water available for the people who are cutting/serving/cooking/selling the food! Also don't eat anything from anyplace that doesn't have refrigeration available for the meat. This means avoiding roadside stands in the middle of nowhere...there are lots of these.

4)before you sit down and eat glance around for standards of cleanliness, and check for refrigeration.

5) don't eat uncooked things like sushi or ceviche while on vacation in an unfamiliar country. Save these things to eat at home, where you are on familiar territory. Seafood marinated in lime juice is NOT cooked! Not worth the chance of getting sick on vacation. IF you are a big sushi lover and can't do without it, do what you would at home...be very selective about where you would eat it. (At home we don't eat sushi at any old place...we eat it at places that have high standards for quality and safety.)

6) Never eat lettuce on vacation anywhere. Lettuce isn't pealed or cooked! This is one of the most common causes of travel sickness, according to my husband, who is a biologist. Substitute cooked vegetables or cooked beans for lettuce.

7) Tomatoes are okay to eat if they are from someplace with good cleanliness standards. Tomatoes are easier to wash than lettuce is!

8) These rules work. My hubby has gone to Mexico and Morocco and has been the only one to follow these rules, and everybody else in his group got sick except for him! Same thing happened in the Caribbean. He followed these rules, I didn't. I got sick, he stayed well. I learned from him!

...on the other hand, you can eat the lettuce, drink the tap water and eat all the fruits you can get your hands on and not get sick (like me). Even with all the hiking I did I still managed to gain weight when I went, too much yummy food!

naunce-Unlike Mexico, I never had a bad meal or snack in CR. Yes, I too, stayed with only bottled water, but all the fruits & veggies & fish were the best I'd ever had any where. I'm sure it depends on the place as Melissa said, but if you trust it, it smells good & looks clean, the food should be awsome!!!

Have a great trip! pura vida...

I've never been sick from eating or drinking anything in Costa Rica. If you are so worried about it maybe you should stay home

I've gotten lectures from the local travel clinic that pretty much state the same things that Melissa5 posted.

I ignore the rules. I'm guessing eventually it will catch up with me, but after many trips to Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, I have yet to become ill.

I've had ceviche in every country that serves it, awesome salads in Mexico, and wonderful food from street vendors.

What I haven't eaten is foods from a buffet in a large resort...

I went last year and ate fruit and drank the water and I didn't get sick (neither did my travel partner). The guidelines that the person gave are the standards for trying to guarantee you won't get sick--but I think they are very excessive for the average (not pregnant) traveler.

thanks so much for all of your suggestions. i found sean's reply a bit harsh.. i ask because my doctors suggestions seemed a bit conservative-no fruit, no fish at all. i was really sad. when i realize our trip would be made with me pregnant, i could sacrifice the horseback, zip lines, but give up the yummy food-"que horror?"

Indeed Seans reply was uncalled for . you have a valid question. Since you are pregnant , play it safe and follow Melissas guidelines ..... I have been three times , and ate (lettuce , unpeeled etc. ) , drank (tap water , ice cubes etc . ), and was merry !!!!! Maybe we were lucky , so if you are concerned just play it safe . ( make your own judgement call ) faith

much appreciated faithie.
i do intend to play it safe. i also, plan to seek out great fish and fruit. any suggestions on a somewhat special restaurant in arenal area?

Je ne sais pas pour les restaurants proche de Arenal .... !!!!! ( lol) Thought perhaps with the name etc. ..? I live in Montreal with my Quebecois pure laine hubby ! Hopefully someone will assist soon with yummy eating options for Arenal . Faith .

nuance, you probably already know this, but there is certain seafood that is NOT recommended for pregnant women because of high levels of some kind of contaminant...But this is for fish from anywhere, not just Costa Rica. See if you can find out more about this. There are probably lots of fish that you can safely eat while pregnant, but there are other kinds which you should avoid while pregnat. Sorry I can't be more specific right now...I am thinking maybe it's high mercury levels, but I'm not sure?

Fish is a healthy food so go for it, just find out which kinds you are supposed to avoid...

melissa5

it is fish with high mercury levels which are generally larger fish and bottom feeders. any advice on restaurants in arenal?

nuance, we were so busy in Arenal we didn't shop around much for restaurants, we ate where it was convenient. Dinner at restaurant at the Lost Iguana resort was nice...view of green rainforest-type vegetation plus volcano view. dinner was $8.50 to $14 per entree...fish and beef were good choices. Breakfast buffet was pretty good.

Dinner buffet at Arenal Observatory Lodge provided a nice range of choices. Generally you should always eat carefully at a buffet is my advice...only eat the dishes that look fresh, don't eat the ones that look like they have been sitting around. Quality was pretty good at the Observatory Lodge restarant, plus we had dinner right when they opened the buffet for dinner so everything was nice and fresh.

Oh, we also enjoyed dinner at Ecotermales hot springs...you need a reservation for dinner and it is served family style, good casual style dinner, they gave us a choice of fish or chicken.

If I were you I would research the risk of eating fish with higher mercury levels some more...I would try to find out how much fish a pregnant woman would need to eat to be hazardous for her unborn baby? Also are there any safe types of fish you can eat? That's what I would do anyway.

we ate at el Novillo several times while in the Arenal area. delicious food and inexpensive.

Been traveling down there for many years and have never had a problem with the food/water etc.