'I got food poisoning on holiday so bad I had a seizure - this is the 1 food to avoid'

The NHS lists food poisoning symptoms as nausea, diarrhoea, tummy pain, a high temperature, and feeling generally unwell. However, for one travel and adventure enthusiast, consuming contaminated food led to something far worse. TikToker Emma, who shares informative content about her travel and adventures with her nearly 40,000 followers on her account groundedinlondon, recounts the harrowing holiday experience that left her suffering from a seizure.

On the final night of her "absolutely cursed holiday" in Egypt, she collapsed onto the concrete floor of a restaurant. She recounts hearing voices before momentarily losing her vision. Later, her boyfriend told her how she'd been convulsing on the floor with her eyes rolling to the back of her head in front of the entire restaurant. Having no history of epilepsy, she was left genuinely confused and could only put it down to the week of food poisoning that followed a buffet meal. Emma and her boyfriend had been excited to get away on holiday for the first time together. Only to end up feeling like she was fighting for her life.

Based on her "traumatic" personal experience, Emma shares five valuable pieces of advice, saving the main one for last.

1. Avoid tap water

While emphasising that tap water is safe to drink in most of Europe, Emma thinks back to places she's visited over the past few years, including Mexico, Vietnam, and Thailand. She recommends avoiding drinking tap water in certain countries or adding ice to your drink.

The NHS warns that certain illnesses, including cholera, can be contracted through contaminated water. While travel websites explain that the tap water in Egypt may be safe to drink, they add that it is highly chlorinated, therefore potentially causing stomach upset.

2. Eat food piping hot

On holiday, Emma wants to see steam coming from food. She's known of people who have gotten really ill from eating food at buffets, particularly as it's likely to have been sitting around for a long time. The creator recommends taking note of how busy a place is-the busier, the better, because the higher turnover of food means it's more likely to be fresh and hot.

According to the Food Standards Agency (UK), in 'The Danger Zone' of temperatures, bacteria may grow and make you ill. This is between 8 and 63 degrees Celsius. When food is cooked to steaming hot throughout, the high temperature kills bacteria. And when it comes to reheating leftovers, you should only ever reheat once.

3. Always read the reviews

When looking for new restaurants, it's recommended to always read the reviews. Sticking to Google reviews or TripAdvisor, Emma always searches for food poisoning.

Of course, a bad experience could just be down to bad luck or bad timing. In particular, Emma looks for how recent the experiences are, how many reviews there are, and how frequently issues are noted. If there are many, she definitely avoids them.

4. Pack anti-bacterial gel and medical essentials

Emma always carries antibacterial gel - emphasising that it's better to be safe than sorry, particularly when you never know who's touched what.

She also recommends packing Imodium and rehydration tablets, because the last thing you want when you are ill is to have to find a pharmacy.

Imodium is an over-the-counter medication for diarrhoea relief, but there's some debate around its usage.

One commenter warns, "don't take Imodium with food poisoning, it can be extremely dangerous to trap pathogens and toxins inside your intestine."

Others swear by activated charcoal, with some calling it the " holy grail". As with all medications and supplements, travellers should seek medical advice.

5. Be careful of raw fruit and veg

Saving her main piece of advice for last, Emma recounts how this one food caused her a horrific case of food poisoning.

After consuming a salad at the buffet, she had "truly the worst week of my life" and wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Unlike things you can peel, like oranges and bananas, Emma thinks the unsafe water used to wash the salad vegetables caused her food poisoning. Explaining that she was a vegetarian at the time, with plenty of meat on offer but limited alternatives, she went for the salad, which contained tomato and lettuce. Looking back, she wonders if momentarily having put her morals on hold would have saved her.