Wondering how to stay healthy while traveling? Here are the top travel wellness tips as recommended by a Naturopath doctor. Make sure to add these supplements to your packing list to keep your digestion, immunity and sleep in check while traveling. Here are the top travel wellness tips as recommended by a Naturopath doctor.
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As we all know, traveling to different parts of the world can be full of excitement. To maximize our time traveling, it’s important to feel our best health-wise while we are gone. The following are a few of my wellness travel tips and key supplements that I bring with me on my trips, to support my immune system, digestive system, and sleep.
Travel Wellness Tips To Stay Healthy On Vacation
Shelf-stable Probiotics | Travel Wellness Tips
Did you know 90% of your immune system is in your gut, and that over a trillion bacteria in your gut are in charge of how your immune system functions? That’s why I bring probiotics, which have a ton of research on supporting your immune system and gut health. Usually, you find probiotics in the fridge, which is why it’s important to buy shelf-stable probiotics for traveling because chances are you won’t have a fridge everywhere you go. Along with magnesium, probiotics are great for keeping the bowels regular when traveling.
My favorite probiotic brand go-to’s are Genuine Health 50 billion and HMF Travel, ensure they have the strains Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in them.
How to take: 1 capsule daily with food
Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) | Travel Wellness Tips
This supplement is a great natural antimicrobial agent. It has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic and anti-fungal properties. This is especially helpful at preventing and treating traveler’s diarrhea or any colds or flu.
My favorite Grapefruit Seed Extract brand go-to is: New Roots Grapefruit Seed Extract (see picture) Tincture
How to take for prevention: add 5 drops in 500mL – 1L of water once/day
How to take for treatment: 15 drops 2 – 3x/day
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the strongest antioxidants that we need from food or supplements, as our body doesn’t make it on its own. Vitamin C supplements have been shown to prevent colds as well as reduce a cold’s duration. Our body can only absorb 250mg of vitamin C at a time, and the buffered form is best, so a buffered vitamin C with 500mg or less per dose is recommended.
My favorite buffered Vitamin C grand go-to’s: Organika Buffered C (see picture), Ester-C by Sisu
How to take: 1 tablet 2x/day while traveling
Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes capsules or tablets contain what our body needs to digest food – enzymes that break down protein, fat, and carbohydrates, as well as ox bile and stomach acid, which are important for breaking down fat and protein, respectively. We all like to indulge on vacation (as we should!), so taking these can help us digest these foods we aren’t as used to eating, to prevent digestive symptoms like bloating, reflux, stomach pains, and bowel irregularities.
My favorite Digestive Enzymes: Hypozymase by Physica (see picture, need to purchase from a Naturopathic Doctor), Digest Plus by Genestra, Digestive Enzymes by New Roots
How to take: Take 1 capsule or tablet with a meal you suspect will be harder to digest, or a larger meal (can take up to 3x/day)
Magnesium Bisglycinate
Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps with sleep, relaxation, muscle recovery, blood sugar, and bowel regularity. Most of North Americans are deficient in magnesium, and this is often one of the causes of constipation, headaches, sleep issues and anxiety. I recommend the bisglycinate form as it is the most readily absorbed magnesium and helps the most with sleep. Often when we are traveling, sleeping outside of our own beds, switching time zones, etc it can be hard to fall asleep or stay asleep.
My favorite magnesium bisglycinate: Canprev Magnesium Bisglycinate Gentle 200mg, Pure Encapsulations Magnesium glycinate or New Roots Magnesium Bisglycinate
How to take: Take 1 -3 capsules at night before bed. If you experience loose bowel movements the next morning, dial back on the number of capsules you are taking.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a sleep hormone that is produced in our brain at nighttime. I typically don’t recommend taking melatonin on a regular basis, but only in circumstances when the body’s natural circadian (sleep-wake) cycle is being affected. This is the case when switching time zones; the body loses track of what day it is, and also what time of day it is, so sleep can become easily affected (i.e jet lag). I recommend taking melatonin at the beginning of a trip to get used to the new time zone. Getting a good night’s sleep is so important to help you feel rested and energized for your trip!
My favorite melatonin: Melatonin Spray by Genestra
How to take: Take 1 – 3mg of melatonin (1 – 3 sprays) 30 minutes before bedtime for the first 1-3 days of your trip to fight jet lag.
Travel Wellness Tips Conclusion
These are all great travel wellness tips from Dr. Spector and all that I also incorporate into my travels and daily life. Nothing ruins a vacation quicker than getting sick. These are great travel wellness tips to keep the gut in check as well as getting restful sleep. Are there any travel wellness tips that we missed or that you would recommend?
Dr. Lara Spector ND is a Naturopathic Doctor practicing in Toronto and Mississauga, Canada. She is passionate about helping and empowering her patients in their journey towards optimal health and wellness. Her commitment as a Naturopathic Doctor is to provide safe and natural therapies that are evidence-based and treat the root cause. Her patients experience a compassionate, individualized and attentive standard of care that is tailored to their unique needs. She is specialized in women’s health and digestive disorders.
You can connect with Dr. Spector on her website or Instagram at NaturopathicDoc.
PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE USING ANY PRODUCT DISCUSSED.
