Though today’s weather offers a respite from the heat, we’re still at the tail end of “the dog days of summer.” As you take advantage of the sunny days to stroll through charming markets and sit down at chuanr restaurants, how much attention are you actually paying to food spoilage? Perhaps not enough, says Dr. Richard Saint Cyr.

Did you know that fruits, veggies, and meat cannot survive more than two hours in hot or humid weather before starting to spoil or grow bacteria colonies? Now think about popular expat markets like Sanyuanli:

(…) Sanyuanli food market’s meat stalls filled with piles of meat — uncovered, open to the non-chilled air, flies flittering between hanging carcasses. And this is supposed to be where top restaurants buy their food?

To prevent diarrhea and food poisoning, Dr. Richard urges readers to be vigilant during these peak days of summer. He suggests cutting back on buying and consuming meat (especially fish), sticking to well-wrapped and chilled packaged meat from supermarkets, and buying over-the-counter anti-diarrhea medicines.

For more health tips, check out his original blog post here.