Oh, how we love to travel! Being avid foodies, these two things have always gone hand in hand for us. We’ve ticked so many amazing locations off our bucket list. Now the world is starting to open up again, we thought we would share some of our tips and tricks on how to maintain a healthy gut while you’re travelling. There’s nothing worse than spoiling that long-awaited holiday with annoying gut issues. Or worse, coming back with some bigger issues.
Alissa’s healthy gut advice
As a naturopath and avid traveller, I’m aware of the effects travelling has on my gut. Everything from the long-haul flights, recycled plane air, new foods, new organisms from different climates, jet lag and more. These things wreak havoc on your gut, which in turn affect your immunity, energy, and sleep. These are things that are essential for our travels, but the good news is there’s a lot you can do to support your gut while travelling.
Must-have gut health travelling kit
Probiotics: Being exposed to different foods and new organisms is often the cause of traveller’s diarrhoea. Research shows Saccharomyces Bourlardii (SB) can help prevent and treat traveller’s diarrhoea.
If travelling to an area that has an increased risk of you getting diarrhoea its best to start taking an SB probiotic two weeks prior you embark on your adventure. Then take for the duration of your trip for prevention. If travellers’ diarrhoea occurs or if your gut doesn’t feel right, SB can be taken at high dose to help treat.
Digestive Enzymes: A few years ago I finally got to tick Italy off my bucket list. It was amazing, but let’s just say between the overindulgence of pizza, pasta, and gelato, I was not so regular. Digestive enzymes are a lifesaver when it comes to digestion and a healthy gut. These can be taken preventatively with each meal to help support general digestion. You can also take them when you feel like your digestion is just not working so effectively.
Digestive Enzymes are also perfect for long-haul flights when your digestion is usually disrupted due to inactivity and often highly refined, high carb and high salt meals. There are also specific digestive enzyme supplements for dairy and gluten, so if you’re someone who usually needs to avoid these but wants to indulge you can without the severity of symptoms.
Peppermint Tea: I’m a tea lover and I must confess a bit of a tea snob, so often travel with my own tea strainer. It means I can have quality tea upon arrival. Having peppermint tea on hand is great as it is an antispasmodic, so it will help you relieve digestive symptoms.
Kristyn’s kiddie tips
Before my husband and I had children, we did about 15 years of travelling. You could say it was a little shock to then drag around two rug rats and try and do what we used to do! I was determined kids wouldn’t put a stop to this part of my life. I have learnt that if my kids are happy, I’m happy so I make sure I’m well-planned to have the best holiday possible.
Keep hydrated
Keep the sugary drinks (and caffeine and alcohol for those of you who drink it) to a minimum while flying. These drinks mess with your microbes and are dehydrating. If you have young children, they might enjoy the novelty of the little aeroplane water bottles, so keep up the supply of those throughout the flight. Also, pack some sugar-free juice options for them to have as well.
Keep up with the food
We tend to make poor choices when we are ‘hangry’, which is never conducive for a healthy gut. Packing lots of good snacks is therefore a must! My kids consume more, as a means of passing the time. If we are flying, they are generally fussy when it comes to the airline food. You might benefit from filling two sectioned bento boxes with as many different varieties of foods as you can. I have mainly good choices with a treat to add to the excitement of the trip. I love squeezy pouches (yoghurts and fruit) to help fill them up that bit more as well.
Also make sure you have some extra options in the suitcase to pull out when you get to your destination, as there’s not always food on hand.
Keep moving
Often after long flights or road trips and bad food your digestion can become very sluggish. Encourage your kids to keep their bodies moving in the airport, on the plane, when you land or make a stop. This will help with digestion.
If your kids are little think of a few ‘active challenges’ you can set for them. There’s generally a little space somewhere!
Sometimes it can be easier to put travel into the ‘too hard basket’ particularly when your kids are young. Yes, it definitely looks different! But they will always be some of the best memories you will create with them. Go into it with eyes wide open and plan to have the best trip yet!
Love Alissa & Kristyn (The GutAid Sisters)
You might also like…
Expert tips for living with lactose intolerance
3 Ways to boost your child’s gut health
