How to Eat Well While on the Road
Whether domestic or international, for vacation or work, travel can create challenges for our digestive system. Our everyday lives create patterns for eating, sleeping, and activities. Jet lag and stress can cause fatigue, stomach aches and pains, constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, foggy-headed feelings, and dehydration. Our bodies work overtime due to time zone changes, taking several days to recover, with gut health most affected.
Gut health affects our mood, cognitive function, energy, hunger levels, and immunity of the entire body. Research has shown that changes in the body's circadian rhythm alter the type of microbes in the gut. We then see an influx of more harmful bacteria promoting high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and obesity.
Since ancient times, traditional Chinese medicine recognized that whenever people traveled away from their homes, they were likely to suffer from digestive upsets like traveler's diarrhea, bloating, gas, and irregular bowel movements. Special remedies made from digestive herbs often fermented and combined with a bit of soil from their village, taken while away, prevented gastric and intestinal problems. This remedy was evidence of the developing use of probiotics in medicine.
Eating well before, during, and after traveling is essential to maintain gut health, thus keeping immunity intact. Probiotics are the modern version of the above-mentioned travel remedy. Probiotics are natural supplements containing live microorganisms (bacteria) and support the growth of "good" bacteria in the body while helping to reduce excessive "bad" bacteria. Probiotics help fight food bacteria, support vitamin supplementation, weight loss, balance mood, reduce fatigue and help immunity fight pathogens that enter the body.
We recommend that our patients planning a trip start taking Super Probiotics, a formulation of various beneficial bacteria containing over 40 billion CFUs. Along with supplementing your gut with suitable types of probiotics, it's important to feed and maintain them with the correct food—prebiotic fibers like slippery elm, chlorella, aloe, and ginger for optimum microbiome function in protection, absorption, and elimination of toxins.
When traveling, plan for air, sea, car sickness, or food poisoning. Unexpected turbulence is becoming more common with climate change, and we hear from patients returning from trips describing their motion sickness. Patients also describe horrific vomiting and diarrhea from their travels, especially in developing countries with less-than-desirable sanitation standards and facilities. Avoid eating raw fruits and vegetables in these locales and stick to cooked food and fruits with a peel after washing the fruit's skin. In both motion sickness and foodborne illness, take the Digest formula, which contains herbs that temporarily relieve nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Pack healthy snacks in your carry-on, including non-GMO popcorn, organic nut and seed butter that fit in your quartz-sized bag, chopped veggies like carrots and celery, and fruits like apples, Asian pears, bananas, and oranges. Asian pears are perfect for flying as they hydrate and help keep the body and lungs moistened. We also suggest our Jet Lag formula, which supports fatigue, travel insomnia, dehydration, disorientation, discomfort in legs and feet, and so much more.
But what if I don't have time to pack food? How do I know which places to choose, at the airport or on the road? Look for a gourmet kiosk or coffee/tea shop. Starbucks and Coffee Bean are some of the best places to find healthy traveling options. Here are our suggestions:
Try veggie sticks and fruits, similar to the Starbucks' Bistro Box. These are small enough to fit your carry-on and take up little space. Be sure these are pre-packaged and made outside of the airport.
Plant-based and animal protein yogurts are now available in most airports and convenience stores, along with cheese, hummus, edamame, and hard-boiled eggs. Be sure to take the PhytoNzyme Pro formula containing lactase and other enzymes to prevent episodes of lactose intolerance if you are eating dairy, which may be hard to avoid while on the go.
Salmon or tuna packets or jerkies that are low in sodium.
Seaweed, nut butter packs, and low-sugar protein bars pack a protein punch.
Hydration, hydration, hydration. Many airports now offer filtered water stations, so bring your bottle and enjoy.
Lastly, avoid sodium-packed foods, caffeine, alcohol, fresh juice, and salads. Salads and fresh juices in airports, train stations, and bus terminals are the biggest carriers of bacteria and germs.
If you require a tune-up before or after traveling or need guidance in nutrition with traveling, please feel free to reach out to the doctors at Tao of Wellness to schedule a consultation with one of our doctors.