Jetlag, unusual foods, different climates, stress and erratic schedules, can all take their toll on your gut and overall health. The effects of travel can specially affect your gut health, which in turn affects your immune system. There is a lot you can do to prepare your gut for the effects of travel.
After two years of postponed travel plans, many of us are so keen to get out in the world again. But adventurous travel days can also leave you feeling a little bit unbalanced. Here’s how to set yourself up to feel your best during summer travel:
1. Prep your gut for travel
Set the stage for balanced travel days weeks or even months before you ever set foot on an aeroplane. Maintaining a healthy diet that is low on sugar and processed foods and high on fibre should ideally be a part of your everyday routine. Maintaining diet diversity, that is, eating a wide range of different types of foods, especially different types of fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, proteins, nuts and seeds is also a great way to exercise and improve your gut’s ability to handle changes in your diet that might occur during travel.
2. Take a probiotic
A good quality probiotic food supplement can help to boost the number of beneficial bacteria to create a better balance in your gut. A balanced gut is better able to keep your digestive and immune systems regulated as you navigate the stresses of disrupted routines and diet during travel. Don’t wait to start taking your probiotics until your bags are packed - a daily probiotic is good an everyday healthy lifestyle.
3. Stay hydrated
Busy travel days make it easy to forget to drink enough water - even when you’re in a hotter climate and actually need to drink more than usual. Dehydration can also really take its toll on your digestive system. Carrying a bottle of water with you at all times and favouring water over other drinks with meals, helps to ensure that you are staying hydrated.
4. Get enough sleep
Jetlag isn’t the only thing that can affect your sleep when you travel. Stress, different beds every night and erratic schedules can all make it hard to get enough good quality sleep. Maintaining a regular circadian rhythm is really helpful for your gut and therefore, the way you feel overall, so do what you can to promote a good night’s sleep.
5. Pack healthy snacks and pick up some extra fibre at mealtimes
Experiencing new food cultures is such a wonderful part of travelling, but if you tend to overindulge, a good trick can be to add some healthy fibre to your plate. Vegetables are an ideal way to do this. Packing some healthy snacks such as nuts and seeds to bring with you is also a great way to get some extra energy between meals and make sure you aren’t completely famished by dinner time.
While you’re packing your suitcase, don’t forget to take your BioGaia Gastrus tablets. BioGaia Gastrus is a probiotic tablet designed to help to balance the intestinal flora.
One tablet contains a minimum of 200 million live L. reuteriGastrus. Probiotic products with L. reuteri DSM 17938 are among the most researched probiotic strains in the world, with over 200 studies on more than 19,000 people.
Note: It is important to maintain a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, and food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet.
