>>2727433
Avoid drinking unbottled water
Practice basic hygiene habits like washing/sanitizing your hands regularly
Avoid street food like you said

If you do get the shits; drink plenty of liquids to help flush it out. Take meds to either stop the shits or treat the bacterial infection. Take a pro-biotic to boot.

Yep, I had two bouts of severe gut illness in Mazatlan and Chihuahua. The latter was from a burrito made from the leftover scrapings from the grill, the vendor had put it aside for a homeless person but I was hungry and demanded it, so he sold it to me for 15 pesos. Never quite figured out what made me sick in Mazatlan...it could've been merely brushing my teeth with the tap water and swallowing some, or it could've even been something I'd eaten earlier in Durango.

I've heard many stories of tourists getting sick from hotel buffets. Personally I'd rather go to a market and pick out my own fruits and veggies.
Judge street food by the vendor's food handling practices. Watch him work for a bit before deciding whether to order.

>>2727433
Bacterial infection is not so much explosive shits as a constant leaking of watery stool from your inflamed colon. Very annoying, will confine you to your room almost 24 hours a day.

>>2727433
There is a special anti-biotic called Rifaximin that works in some circumstances

Charcoal tablets/capsules. Beware tap water and donkey meat tacos. Kekekekek

>>2727433
Some non-batshit advice above; as noted, the single most important thing to do if you get the shits is to drink a lot of water (not to “flush it out,” as suggested above, but simply to replace water lost and rehydrate, as dehydration is what damages people when they get really messed up by diarrheal diseases). Don’t bother with sports drinks (Gatorade, etc.), which won’t hurt you but don’t meet the criteria for oral rehydration solutions (too much sugar, not enough potassium or sodium), so while they’re better than nothing they’re not adding any special benefit compared to plain water.

OTC diarrhea drugs (Immodium, etc.) can help temporarily stop you up if you have to spend a day on a bus or something, but they don’t fix the problem and they’re not good for you for more than a couple of days at a time. If it lasts more than a week or ten days, it may be worth seeking out an antibiotic; the one I’ve used was ciproflaxacin, but there are a range. If you do go the antibiotic route, take your whole prescribed course even if you feel better before you finish the pills; discontinuing antibiotics too soon contributes to the development of antibiotic resistant ‘superbugs.’ For the same reasons, it’s better to actually get antibiotics from a doctor with a recommended dosage rather than just buying them from a pharmacy and taking a random amount—antibiotic misuse of any kind is bad for the public health over time.

Finally, stories about the gut “getting used to” unfamiliar microbes over time are 99% mythological—locals still get the shits too, and localized immunity is massively exaggerated. It’s virtually always a matter of hygiene and good luck, not repeated exposure. And the limited amount of localized resistance that does exist is built over years, not weeks.

>>2727433
Develop a stronger digestive system. Moctezuma revenge is a thing because you first-world sissies can't handle spicy or heavily condimented food.
>t. Mexican

>>2727433
Be picky about salads and fresh fruit, maybe only top hotel restaurants.
The ice in drinks is dangerous.
Supposed "potable" water in hotels, opening mouth in a shower or while brushing teeth.

If you can tolerate it, douse food with juice from lime wedges, and drink beer with every meal.

>>2727433
Last time I went to Mexico I had runny shits for the first 2 weeks and then my body learned to handle the food and I could eat the street food and practically everything with no issues.
Is there any way to ease into it? This time I'm not planning to go straight to the taco stands but I don't wanna spend half my trip shitting water out of my ass

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>>2731309
In Mexico currently. I made it 6 days no problem, eating in restaurants 4 days, then having guesthouse breakfast for 3 days. I think what got me was a small salad, probably rinsed in tap water. This is shit # 5 in an hour. Shit 5 times this morning but don't feel bad. Lesson , take it slow, don't eat a salad. I had lots of fruit no problem

Don't use tap water for anything that goes into your body. Remember ! that includes brushing teeth.
I think the teeth brushing is really what gets a lot of people.

>>2732607
Rats sometimes fall into the rooftop tanks and die.
>>2731280
Other than giving you a beer belly, how is beer supposed to help?
>>2731272
It's not spice alone, it's spoilage masked with spiciness, particularly with vendors who buy the cheapest, oldest meat at the market.
>>2731309
After eating Third World food for months my colon is able to effectively extract water even when irritated. I never get the runs anymore, but poorly formed stools indicate malabsorption, and my energy level takes a noticeable hit from a lousy meal.