9 Expert Digestive Tips for Easy Travel Days
Travelling soon? Here are some of my best tips for supporting digestion while travelling to keep your gut feeling good!
Pack Gut-Friendly Snacks & Meals
Packing your own snacks and meals aren’t difficult when you keep things simple, and can really set your vacation off on the right foot knowing you have something to eat that makes you feel good on travel day.
Here are some examples of foods I’ve brought on trips and flights in the past!
Salads with just enough dressing to coat everything without leaving ANY liquid to pool on the bottom, otherwise you’ll have to throw it out.
Beef sticks make great high protein snacks that don’t go bad; look for sugar and nitrate-free brands like Epic Bar or Nick’s Sticks.
Small containers of olives for energy-boosting fats
Apples and almond butter (paying attention to fruit restrictions)
Protein powder — I always have a small bag with Pure Paleo Chocolate Protein in it for travel, which is my favourite gut-friendly protein. You can easily mix into water if needed or mix into things like coconut yogurt for a quick protein fix on the go. I’ve even gotten smoothie bars to mix in my own protein powder, although some places won’t do this.
Collagen — While this won’t be filling or a substantial source of protein, it’s great for gut health!
Although not as gut-friendly, consider plant proteins if tolerated, such as lentils, as they don’t spoil as quickly as meat.
Opt for salads with protein or smoothies with protein powder at the airport.
Pack nuts and seeds or a homemade trail mix.
Pro Tips:
Avoid veggies like cucumbers and tomatoes, as those will make things soggy and likely get flagged by security as a liquid when it pools to the bottom of the container.
Avoid fruit-only smoothies or juices, as these will cause your blood sugar to spike and crash, bringing your energy with it.
Take caution with salad bars or fast food places if the meat has been sitting out all day.
Keep Meals Balanced for Stable Energy
Balance your meals to keep blood sugar and energy stable with protein, healthy fats and fibre. These types of meals will help keep you fuller longer and help you avoid crashes from sugar or carbs mid-day. Chicken or beef are gut-friendly protein options that don’t smell. Cans of fish or hard boiled eggs are an option also, but I’m not that bold 🤣 Beef sticks are a usual for me. Consider bringing veggies to snack on with dip or salads to add fibre for digestive regularity.
Stay Hydrated
Nothing promotes constipation more than being dehydrated, so be sure to stay topped up throughout your travel day. Bring a water bottle with you and fill it with filtered water at the gate (I use a small reusable water filter) or buy water if needed. Staying hydrated is more important to me than avoiding plastic on travel days. Add a pinch of salt or electrolytes to your water to increase hydration, energy and minerals.
Pro Tips:
Don’t drink the airplane water unless it’s bottled. You never know how long it’s been sitting there.
Bring a small water filter that you can throw inside your water bottle.
Avoid dehydrating or sugary drinks such as coffee, juices and soda.
Bring A Reusable Container of Food
I’m usually against eating out of plastic due to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, but I make an exception for travel to reduce weight and use a reusable plastic container. Look for a container that has a solid lid, that’s somewhat flat, but still large enough for a meal. You can also use it for packing a meal on your return trip. I recently purchased a few Stasher bowls so I’m going to give those a shot on our next trip and see how I like them!
Scope Out Your Options Ahead of Time
If you’re going to be eating out, check out some restaurants ahead of time and see if they can do gluten and dairy-free options. Check out this blog post for tips on ordering healthy options at restaurants!
Use Digestive Aids
Using supplements to aid digestion while travelling can be a huge help. If you’re eating foods you’re not used to eating, or need some extra support to alleviate bloating, I highly recommend taking digestive enzymes before meals. Additionally, a quality magnesium glycinate is helpful for supporting sleep and keeping things regular, which is extremely important to feel well while travelling! Probiotics are another supplement I suggest to support digestion, bowel movements and immune function while travelling and you may consider bringing activated charcoal just in case of food poisoning.
I personally always travel with zengest essential oil from doTERRA and I love my CBD balm by Icaria, which works wonders for pain.
Pro Tip:
If you’re travelling to another country, consider taking probiotics, activated charcoal and Floramyces, which is a beneficial yeast that aids the prevention of traveller’s diarrhea. You can find it here along with my other probiotics.
Eat Gut-Soothing Herbs & Teas
Don’t forget to include herbs in your meals and drink gut-soothing teas to support digestion. Some of the best herbs for digestion include:
Turmeric
Peppermint
Ginger
Licorice
Fennel
Cardamom
Bone broth is another great gut-soothing option for travel and you can even find it in powered form so it’s easy to bring with you. I love drinking bone broth in the morning when I’m travelling. You can find juice shots at airports to support digestion also. Look for lemon, ginger and turmeric shots and try to avoid fruit-heavy juices.
Get A Bit Of Movement In Throughout The Day
It can be easy to stay sitting all day while travelling, but this slows down digestion. Try to get some movement in to aid circulation and ward off fatigue. Walk around the airport near your gate, or even go to a vacant gate if you have extra time for a quick body-weight workout! Waiting to board your flight until you need to helps too. While on the plane, get up to use the bathroom and stretch your legs a couple times.
Fast If You Can!
If I could, I would always fast while travelling! Travel in our modern day is already so unnatural and fasting is an incredible way to support detoxification and digestion. If you’ve never fasted before or don’t feel well fasting, don’t start while travelling, but if you generally feel ok fasting, this would be a great time to do it.
Bonus Tip: Practice Stress Management
Travelling can be stressful and stress can throw digestion off big time. Practice stress-management such as deep breathing, mindfulness and be sure to get good sleep while travelling.
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Safe travels!
Asher Kleiber
Registered Holistic Nutritionist
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