Holidays and travel are welcome. But with it come odd hours of awakening and eating, the tension of travel, and changes in bowel habits.
You will move through different time zones. All this can cause gastric upset. How to deal with it? Learn how Meghan Markle handles this situation.
Holidays, travel, and digestive issues
Everyone looks forward to a holiday to exotic regions of the world. Travel can be fun but it has its problems as well. Often we travel time zones and suffer jet lags.
The hours of travel are often odd and adversely affect our sleep and food. We may not be able to get the routine foods we and our bodies are used to.
Flights can be long and that would affect our body and cause muscle aches. Additionally, we might not be able to empty our bladder or bowels when the call comes.
Most of us get anxious during travel though on reaching the destination, relaxation time starts.
These and other reasons take a toll on our health. The gut suffers the most. We end up having stomach pain, and gas problems.
Travel can be tiring (Source: Baa Training)A nutritionist from the UK states:
“Changes in routine, diet and sleep-wake cycles, and sitting still during long flights, are just some of the triggers for gut imbalance when you’re travelling,”
“That can result in common digestive complaints such as constipation, diarrhoea and IBS-type symptoms. But who it affects really depends on your current state of gut health.”
This gut lag like the jet lag does not spare anyone; not even the ex-Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.
Meghan Markle and her trick on trips
A dietitian had told the former Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle the trick to handle and overcome the gut lag. Meghan has an old lifestyle blog called The Tig. On it, she wrote:
“Misha Nonoo once told me that if you eat on the schedule of wherever you’ve landed, you won’t feel jet lagged. I was sceptical at first, but as Misha shared, it’s your stomach that tells your brain when it’s feeling wonky.”
“By simply eating a meal at the time the locals are [eating] when you land, you trick your brain a bit and stay much more on track, and much less cranky.”
Meghan Markle (Source: BBC)One can also start to schedule your food and sleep before leaving for the trip. In that way, you can teach your body to adapt to the timings of the destination.
More on how to prevent a gut lag
If you reach a place during the daytime, instead of resting, you can go and enjoy some fresh air outside. Start body movements. This will help your body and its circadian rhythm to adjust easily and quickly to the new time zone.
Ginger is said to help overcome travel sickness and ease an upset gut. Consuming yogurts also helps since they are good for the gut and body immunity. Anna Chapman, lead travel nurse at Fleet Street Clinic adds:
“Long-haul travel means we end up sitting for long periods, reducing our mobility and slowing our gut transit times,”
Fruits and cooked hot foods are best during travel (Source: Pinterest)Magnesium-rich foods such as pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and green leafy vegetables are all good sources of it and can relieve constipation and bloating. Since travel slows bowel movements, go for a high-fiber diet such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Further Anna warns:
“Avoid food that has been washed in tap water and served cold, such as salads and un-peelable fruits, as well as those that may have been handled lots. Ensure all the food you eat is well-cooked and served hot. ”
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Drink lots of water. This will help in relieving the stomach woes.