If you do get a bout of diarrhoea, take grapefruit seed extract, 15 drops three times a day, and drink plenty of water or diluted fruit juice. Don' t eat for 24 hours, then start back on food with boiled rice and grated apple, which contains pectin that is binding. Take the probiotics for another two weeks when you get home. Combining them with glufamine powder speeds up recovery. I recommend half a teaspoon of probiotic powder containing acidophilus and bifidum with a heaped teaspoon (5g) of glutamine powder in water, away from food.

Vitamin A is essential for maintaining strong cellular membranes throughout the body, including the gut. The richest source of vitamin A is meat - but this, along with unpeeled vegetables and fruit, is the most likely source of holiday diarrhoea, so eat with caution if at all. If you do stay largely vegetarian I' d supplement 2,250mcg (7,500iu) of vitamin A a day, preferably in a good multivitamin. Essential fats are also crucial for cell repair. You can get them from seeds and oily fish, but if these are in short supply it' s a good idea to take supplements along.