Have you been already made plans for your next getaway trip? Are you scheduled for a business trip to a new place anytime soon?
Whatever your case may be, you would want to ensure that you make the most of your trip and that your digestion functions properly and as optimally as possible. It is no hidden secret that traveling sometimes messes up with your digestive tract that could ruin your entire trip.
Problems like:
- Constipation
- Indigestion
- Cramping
- Bloating
These are all common digestion symptoms that travelers often experience and make you feel extremely uncomfortable and miserable. These problems arise due to a deviation of our normal routines while traveling. This post is to help make sure your next trip will be a pleasurable and productive; you will not have to deal with those miserable digestive problems, but you will feel healthy and look forward to your next get away.
7 different natural ways you can improve your digestion while traveling:
1. Stay hydrated:
Falling prey to dehydration is a common occurrence among travelers. Drinking water and staying hydrated is the best way to prevent constipation and maintain healthy digestion. It is no hidden fact that air travel naturally tends to dehydrate your body so you actually need more water than you normally do. Also traveling in cars and buses for longer durations tends to cut back on your fluid intake, more so due to the fear of constantly using the washroom. Try to avoid this predicament and before your trip plan up frequent restroom stops to keep yourself prepared for the actual trip. If you want more travel tips like this, Savvy Expeditioner is the page to visit. The website is an online diary of travel enthusiasts who share their experience on a multitude of things relating to travel and living.
2. Move your body:
As goofy as this may sound right now, movement is essential for the body. It’s not an uncommon thing to find yourself sitting for hours at an end while traveling whether you are traveling by plane, car, bus or a train. A lack of movement slows down the metabolic and digestive process of the body which in turn slows down movement of poop through the intestines. Inactivity for longer periods of time disturbs the gut microbiome of the body thus affecting your body’s digestion. A good way to ensure movement of the body is to get up and walk around as often as you can. Moving the body, exercising and keeping the blood flowing throughout the body is the key to improve your digestion.
3. Practice good food habits:
Plain and simple as this may sound, your food habits have a direct impact on your digestion process. Being on a vacation kind of gives you a free pass to try new foods and delicacies of the new place which often means deviating from your routine eating habits. While there is nothing wrong in trying new foods, you can also ensure that you include high-fiber options in your food while on a binge. Healthy high-fiber foods like fresh vegetables, beans and whole grain cereals and brown bread are great food options for when you are traveling. Evidence shows that dietary fiber help reduce infection-related problems by boosting levels of short-chain-fatty acids (SCFA) in your gut which will help aid your digestion process.
4. Pay attention to the body’s response to change:
Changing time zones, new surroundings, new food habits and different climates can disrupt your sleeping pattern. This means that traveling can affect the circadian rhythms of the body (your 24-hour sleep-wake cycle). Just two days of partial sleep deprivation is enough to induce a gut microbiome dysbiosis and change metabolism in young adults. It is therefore imperative that you give yourself some much-needed rest during vacation time and give your body a chance to rejuvenate itself.
5. Heed the dinner bell:
In a study conducted in 2014, it was found that jet-lagged mices eating at odd times contracted gut microbiome dysbiosis. This holds true for humans as well and it has been found that jet-lag-associated dysbiosis increases glucose intolerance and obesity in an individual. If you are shifting time zones during your travels, try and set your clock right away to the local hour and stick closely to your meal times. This will help you avoid digestive problems.
6. Don’t suppress the urges:
While this may not be the most pleasant topic of discussion but it’s something that can’t be neglected. It’s important that you don’t fight your body’s natural urges and I am talking about using the use of public facilities to pass a bowel movement. Suppressing these urges can be toxic to your body and cause deregulation with your natural bowel rhythms. An unhealthy practice that you should plan to avoid in all your future trips.
7. Practice Yin Yoga:
Staying limber is important for the muscles and ligaments in the body but also for the movement of your stomach and gut. The physical practice of Yoga involves a wide variety of postures that can help cleanse, aid and encourage a smooth digestive function within your body. All you need is a Yoga mat and a few minutes of your spare time to practice this healthy art form.
Digestive health is something that is often taken for granted but following the above tips will help ensure that you will be able to enjoy your travels to the fullest.
Do you have any suggestion that helps your digestions stay healthy when you travel?
Please leave them in the comment section and please share this article!
Thanks for the good suggestions. Since we travel frequently and I have food sensitivities, I also find it helpful to bring along foods that are safe to eat so I don’t have a food emergency. Sometimes it can be a challenge to find a healthy meal at airports, though that seems to be improving.
HI Nancy,
I don’t travel much but I know even if I change my eating habits or go away for the day I can mess up my digestion. I am glad these suggestions were helpful to you. Having food sensitivities can be a real challenge – I know so well since I deal with many food allergies & sensitivities. Eating out is almost impossible because most restaurants have prepackages foods and you don’t have a label list to look at. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Have a healthy, happy & blessed day!