Hi, I am going to Cancun in a few weeks. I have heard many stories about people getting sick in Cancun from the water and/or food. Do you have any recommendations on what not to eat/drink?

I am planning on drinking bottled water, with out ice (and not tap water). Should I stay away from fruit? Only drink beer (vs. mixed blender drinks)Meat? Salad?

I am staying at the Royal Carribean Resort through my husband's time share.

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

Cancun's tourism relies so heavily on the American dollar, you are safe just about anyplace to eat or drink.

Avoid the obvious (people selling things out of coolers).

Remember, people don't get sick because of a bad bacteria but because the bacteria is different than what our bodies are used to having.

Not all bacteria is bad.

You should be OK. The resort that we stayed at in Cancun had it's own water treatment facility. I heard that most of them do. To be safe, we stayed with bottled drinks for the most part, but enjoyed mixed drinks, as well. Cancun tries very hard to take care of its tourists, as the previous poster mentioned. Have a good time, see a bull fight, and try not to miss the Myan ruins.

Most resorts have purified water systems for drinking water and for washing food, making ice, etc.
Most "major" restaurants also cater to tourists and are ok. You shouldn't have a problem, as the other posters said, just avoid public water fountains, etc.

My husband and I were there a few years ago, and though we were being SO careful. Nevertheless, we both got sick! The only thing we could attribute it to was the food we ate on a tour to the Pyramids.

Just be careful if you leave the hotel zone.

We had no problem in hotels and restaurants in the "Hotel Zone" of Cancun. For outside the hotel zone (e.g. downtown Cancun, etc) suggest following advice I received about travelling to Tijuana: don't eat fresh vegetables like lettuce that could be washed with untreated water, and avoid drinks with ice, and preferably drink only bottled liquids. You might also consider posting this question on the "Latin America" thread.

MaraBoston, the food rules are simple and apply to anywhere in the world where you can't drink the water. Memorize the following:

Peel it, cook it, or don't eat it.

I would also advise you to avoid buffet food in a hot climate -- even at a 5-star hotel.

As other posters have mentioned, Mexico has done an excellent job of educating its tourist industry and you will find it quite safe to have ice or blender drinks at any decent restaurant. They will use purified water.

The above works well for most people, but if you have a particularly sensitive digestive tract you may have some tummy troubles from the different bacteria as GoTravel said. But that is a world away from getting really ill, which is what you want to avoid.

Oh yeah, I also happen to think a margarita a day (minimum) keeps the trots away, but there is no scientific evidence for this theory!

Salads....avoid salads and anything else which might have been washed in unpurified water.
I was tremendously ill after eating a bad salad in Cancun in the hotel zone several years ago.
I know it was the salad because that was the only thing I ate which was not cooked or bottled the whole trip.

gplimpton, lettuce, tomatoes, most of what's in a salad is neither peeled nor cooked, therefore...don't eat it!

I'm telling you, this rule works.

Marilyn's right - and even though most places have their own water treatment facilities there really is no point in ruining a great trip. If you can't peel, it it's not cooked AND if it's not bottled!! Don't trust the ice either it could be made with untreated water. Bottled water, soda, beer but stay away from anything with ice.

Oh and have a great time!!

Sorry, LN, but I don't agree about the ice. In approximately a dozen trips to Mexico, I've never gotten sick from ice. Having said that, I certainly wouldn't have an iced drink at a beach shack, but I would at a decent restaurant. If you want to be sure, you can always ask if it's made with agua purificado.

We were in Cancun a few years ago, and stayed and ate at an all-inclusive,which was fine. However, we took a tour to the Myan ruins, and stopped at a local restaurant on the way home (with the tour bus). 2 people in our party of 5 became sick,and I believe it was from the salad-so I agree, only eat that which is cooked.

This is an experience from several years ago so take it for what it's worth. Am college friend of mine had a fruit salad at a local restaurant and got a terrible case of Montezuma's revenge. I'm talking severly sick, so bad it happened to her in public. I know personally I would only drink bottled water and skip salads and pre-sliced fruit. Kinda like James Taylor's Ooohhhh Mexico.....

A few years ago, I returned from Mexico with a parasite. Believe me, take everyone's advice!

I have read, and it works for me, to eat yogurt which has active cultures, to maintain the bacteria balance in your gut.

But yogurt won't eradicate parasites (like Giardia).
Nor will it nullify the impact of large boluses of E. Coli, Salmonella or Shigella.
It can be used as a conditioning agent to optimize bowel health, but won't do much to prevent illness if the traveller is not careful about what he or she ingests.

Wednesday, LOL

TedTurner, right on. People do not seem to understand the difference between a mild digestive upset caused by different bacteria and a serious illness that requires serious meds. It's like the difference between a headache and a brain tumor.

To Ted: Obviously yogurt is not an antibiotic and is not the panacea. However it can be a good adjunct and that is the intent.

If you go to the CDC web site and look up traveler's diarrhea there is recommendation there to take Pepto Bismol four times a day while traveling. Says it can eliminate up to 60% of diarrhea. Obviously, it won't help with a serious parasitic or bacterial infection, but I think most cases are the more minor type.

Unfortunately, not all food or drink related illnesses are so easily detectable. I picked up h. pylori (I won't go into the details of the illness here, but there's plenty of info on the web) on a trip to Cancun and didn't get an actual diagnosis as to what was causing my recurring stomach problems for almost 4 years! My doctor kept telling me I had IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), but a new doctor finally ordered a test for h.pylori, and voila! I had to treat for a month, but finally got rid of it and felt much better. Follow the above recommendations, and if you start having stomach problems after your trip, get checked for h. pyolori.