A TRIP TO MEXICO

“We are planning a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, this summer. Since I have been raw for over 3 years, I have yet to travel out of the country. So I am wondering if there are any concerns with eating raw in Mexico. I have always heard that you should only drink bottled water in foreign countries, but what, if any, precautions should I take in selecting my fruits and vegetables? Since you have done a lot of travel, any information will be appreciated.” - Tim Griffin

ANSWER: Here are my recommendations. What tends to happen is that people get sick from eating restaurant foods or spiced local foods when they travel. I have traveled in many tropical countries and I have always stayed healthy when eating local fruits and vegetables. The only times I got sick was when I ate local cooked foods.

So my recommendation is to fruits and vegetables. All fruits that you can peel are great. And in Mexico that won't be a problem. This includes mangoes, bananas, sapote, papayas, and all the others. As for vegetables, I don't see a problem with vegetables sold at the market. I've never had problems with that. The vegetables that can make you sick are those that are prepared in a restaurant. I also recommend drinking only bottled water.