Which Navratri mithai won’t give me a stomach infection?

With the Navratri marking the beginning of the festive season, fruits and mithais will become a mainstay of our diet over the next one month. Large quantities of such foods being made at neighbourhood sweet shops, improper storage, contamination, adulteration and foods staying on the rack longer increase the risk of gastro-intestinal infections. So what to consume and what to avoid to keep yourself safe this festive season? Here’s a quick reckoner:
What should we keep in mind while buying mithais?
1) Try to avoid sweets made of khoya (sweetened condensed milk solid) as there are increased chances of it being adulterated. There is an amazing variety of coconut-milk based and dry fruit versions.2) In fact, it is best to avoid milk-based mithais as during the festive season, the milk is laced with water, detergent or urea to meet the increased demands.3) Avoid colourful mithais with silver coating. These often contain synthetic dyes and, to cut costs, shops sometimes use aluminium foil instead of silver.
Dr Jugal Kishore, Director, Professor and Head of Community Medicine at Safdarjung Hospital, says that cleanliness is always questionable and below normal many of the times during the festive season. “Foods that are heated repeatedly and kept on the rack for a long time can cause food poisoning,” he adds. In fact, even if you trust the shop, sweets prepared with milk should be consumed within 24 hours, advises Dr Satish Koul, Director, Internal Medicine, at Fortis Memorial Research Institute.

With rains, season change and festivals, what other foods should be avoided?
When eating out, Dr Kishore says it is best to avoid curd, lassi and other curd-based foods, along with salads and cut fruits, all of which go bad easily. “Meats should also be consumed only if they are freshly cooked,” he adds.
Dr Koul specifically advises against having sugarcane juice the roadside, which can lead to transmission of food and water-borne hepatitis A, E and jaundice. “Typhoid is also commonly transmitted if you eat from outside vendors during this late monsoon and season change,” says Dr Koul.

Do hospitals see an increase in diarrhoea and other GI infections during the festive season?
According to Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director at Lok Nayak hospital, cases of diarrhoea and gastro-intestinal diseases tend to rise during the festive season. Dr Koul has observed symptoms like vomitting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. “Some people can develop fever. Pain and cramps in the abdomen are also some of the symptoms though most of these illnesses are self-limiting. Most milk-based sweets can easily get contaminated with bacteria like Salmonella and Shigella dysenteriae and the vulnerable can easily land at hospital emergencies with acute diarrhoeal illness and dehydration,” he said.
Earlier this year, there was a report of a 16-year-old girl from Kerala dying of a Shigella infection after consuming shawarma. Shigella infection is not very common and usually does not kill; but one of the four types of shigella infection can lead to severe disease because of the toxins produced the bacteria.
When should you see a doctor?
People need to visit a doctor only if diarrhoea or vomiting doesn’t stop within 12 to 34 hours or there are more than 10 bowel movements in a day. Constant diarrhoea and vomitting may lead to dehydration. So it is essential to keep drinking water, better still an ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution). “One may need hospitalisation in case dehydration appears in the form of decreased weight output and sunken eyes,” said Dr Koul.