Safe to eat salad and fruit in CR?
Feb 18th, 2005, 03:12 PM
#1
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Safe to eat salad and fruit in CR?
Do we have to go by the rule of boil it, peel it, cook it, or forget it in Costa Rica, or is it okay to eat salad and fruit? We are very experienced Mexico travelers, and have learned to be very cautious there. Same problem in CR?
Feb 18th, 2005, 10:45 PM
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Hi,
I have lived in Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Costa Rica for many years now. Everywhere, including the states says peel the fruit, wash this and that... etc. Between the pesticides, waters, fertilizers, etc. who knows?
Many salads here are actually veggies that are cooked a little. Like, brocolli, cauliflour, carrots, etc. in a cold salad. The word salad here actually means vegetables to the Costa Ricans.
You will find that the primary salad in Costa Rica consists of raw cabbage with limon and a slice of tomato on it.
One very good Costa Rica doctor told me not to eat anything that was not cooked. Then , he put me on salads!
Think of it this way.... what you buy from the tropics comes from here, anyway.
I do buy bottled water, however.
hop
I have lived in Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Costa Rica for many years now. Everywhere, including the states says peel the fruit, wash this and that... etc. Between the pesticides, waters, fertilizers, etc. who knows?
Many salads here are actually veggies that are cooked a little. Like, brocolli, cauliflour, carrots, etc. in a cold salad. The word salad here actually means vegetables to the Costa Ricans.
You will find that the primary salad in Costa Rica consists of raw cabbage with limon and a slice of tomato on it.
One very good Costa Rica doctor told me not to eat anything that was not cooked. Then , he put me on salads!
Think of it this way.... what you buy from the tropics comes from here, anyway.
I do buy bottled water, however.
hop
Feb 19th, 2005, 06:13 AM
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We've stayed mostly in mid-range accomodations in Costa Rica, eaten in all sorts of restaurants and never had any problem with food [including plenty of fresh salads] or water.
The only problems I've ever had with travel-related stomach ailments were in Mexico and Detroit.
Jerry
The only problems I've ever had with travel-related stomach ailments were in Mexico and Detroit.
Jerry
Feb 19th, 2005, 04:25 PM
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I think the only thing you really have to be careful with is the lettuce (particularly in May--more or less when the rainy season starts. That is why it is called "mal de mayo")
Just got back for CR Monday and the local family we were with always soaked their lettuce in a clorox solution for 5 minutes. You can buy the plastic bag full of clorox with instructions on how long to soak lettuce, etc.
Just got back for CR Monday and the local family we were with always soaked their lettuce in a clorox solution for 5 minutes. You can buy the plastic bag full of clorox with instructions on how long to soak lettuce, etc.
Feb 21st, 2005, 10:02 AM
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You can eat almost anything and drink water from most taps. However, at a $1.00 for a bottle of water, it a little price to pay for peace of mind.
Fruits were great.
Fish was great.
If your ever in doubt go with the rice and beans.
Fruits were great.
Fish was great.
If your ever in doubt go with the rice and beans.
Feb 21st, 2005, 06:58 PM
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While most people do not experience any provlems, there is a somewhat higher rate of Hep A and gastro-intestinal infections in CR than in Canada and the USA. CR is better than most of Central America in this regard.
It partly depends on where you are dining.
It partly depends on where you are dining.
Feb 24th, 2005, 09:06 PM
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I read that lime juice doesn't kill everything, it just makes it taste limey!
As far as eating raw salads and unpealed fruits, here's what my husband told me. He's a biologist. He says that, if you have a sensitive system, you shouldn't eat raw unpeeled fruits and raw salads when travelling anywhere, for the reason that when you are in a new area, the flora and fauna is different, and whatever might be on the raw fruit and salad is something your body isn't accostomed to, and it might give you digestive problems even though it doesn't cause the locals problems.
If you have a sensitive digestive system, as I do, you're better off eating only cooked or pealed foods while traveling.
As far as eating raw salads and unpealed fruits, here's what my husband told me. He's a biologist. He says that, if you have a sensitive system, you shouldn't eat raw unpeeled fruits and raw salads when travelling anywhere, for the reason that when you are in a new area, the flora and fauna is different, and whatever might be on the raw fruit and salad is something your body isn't accostomed to, and it might give you digestive problems even though it doesn't cause the locals problems.
If you have a sensitive digestive system, as I do, you're better off eating only cooked or pealed foods while traveling.
Feb 28th, 2005, 07:20 AM
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All members of our party became sick in Costa Rica. I think it is almost impossible to avoid uncooked vegetables, ice in drinks, etc. You can buy Cipro and Lomotil over the counter in CR. Take either of these and you should be fine by the next day.
Feb 28th, 2005, 07:38 AM
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Becoming sick in Costa Rica from food is much like becoming sick in the U.S. from food. It can happen. In many visits (some extended) to many parts of the country, staying in hotels, living in homes of familias costariccense, eating at roadside stands,etc. we have never been sick and have eaten everything available, drank tap water, etc. If we were ever to become ill there, we would assume the same thing we assumed when my husband became very ill after eating at a very nice restaurant in Newport Beach, California last August--food poisoning.
Feb 28th, 2005, 09:47 AM
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To compare sanitation standards in Newport Beach to Costa Rica is ludicrous. Costa Rica has sewage running in the gutters next to the sidewalks. The sewage runs directly into the ocean. When was the last time you saw this in Newport Beach?
Montezuma's revenge is due to variant strains of E. Coli due to poor sanitation and unwashed hands. This is much more prevalent in Costa Rica and it pays to be cautious, unless you have travelled extensively and already have immunity to the variant E. Coli strains.
Montezuma's revenge is due to variant strains of E. Coli due to poor sanitation and unwashed hands. This is much more prevalent in Costa Rica and it pays to be cautious, unless you have travelled extensively and already have immunity to the variant E. Coli strains.
Feb 28th, 2005, 10:05 AM
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Wow. In 15 trips to Costa Rica, from Tamarindo all the way to Povones and in-between, I have never seen sewage running in the gutters. Where have you seen this? Has anyone else seen or even heard about this???
