How many of us spend hours and even days planning the perfect vacation to then end up feeling tired, constipated and feeling under the weather? Unfortunately, we have all been there at some point through our travels. Well, not anymore; I refuse to feel yucky ever again! To combat those pesky struggles and to set you up to feel your best, I have come up with a list of supplements Jordan and I never leave home without.
With my extensive background in functional, holistic, and preventive medicine, nutrition and all things health and wellness, we tend to travel with a handful of supplements. Supplements either geared towards travel itself or everyday maintenance supplementation. This list of supplements helps us maintain our health and energy when we find ourselves outside of our normal environments. As much as I would like to travel with my entire supplement cabinet, it’s just not possible if you want room for others things like shoes and underwear. Here is a list of our must haves made simple while on the road:
Vitamin C
Traveling with vitamin C is an absolute must for Jordan and I. Vitamin C boosts the immune system which can help you stay healthy and feeling good during your travels, especially when you get stuck next to a sneezing, coughing passenger on your outbound flight, but there are other greats benefits for vitamin C as well. Vitamin C supports your adrenal glands and even though vacation “isn’t suppose to be stressful” it’s a change in routine or missed flights, lack of proper sleep, etc. that may add some extra stress. Also, vitamin C is essential for collagen production. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body; think muscles, bones, tendons. If you plan to hike big mountains and/or play really hard vitamin C will be helpful in maintaining and repairing those sore muscles. Lastly, vitamin C is a strong antioxidant and is helpful for reducing oxidative stress. Look for a liposomal vitamin C for the best absorption (this tends to be a liquid, so you can opt for capsules. I like Xcellent C from Xymogen).
Magnesium
Magnesium is involved in 600+ reactions in the body which makes it very important for bodily functions/enzymes reactions, but there is one main purpose for magnesium during travel: pooping. While you are traveling, whether it’s a relaxing vacation or an very active, adventurous one, you tend to have different routines, different foods, plane flights, stress, etc. which can all lead to changes in our pooping schedule. Making sure you are pooping daily will make you feel better and keep your GI happy, but also ensure you continue to keep up in one of your most important detox pathways.
Now, there are a lot of variations in magnesium supplementation which can make finding the appropriate magnesium a little confusing. For GI health/constipation we use Magnesium Citrate and/or Oxide. Of course, if you experience the opposite problem- don't take this (recommendation for this later). If you struggle with muscle cramps and/or planning a very active vacation, magnesium Malate or Glycinate can be helpful to alleviate cramping and reduce muscle fatigue. If you struggle with sleep or need that extra calming effect before bed magnesium Taurate can be helpful as well.
Melatonin
Again, when you are traveling you to tend to have a change in routine, sleeping in a different bed or climate and all this can make finding restful sleep difficult. Taking melatonin before bed or a long/overnight flight can help you find those important zzz that you need to make the most of your travels. Melatonin is also super helpful for jet lag and quickly adapting to the time change. Oral melatonin doesn’t have great absorption in the gut so opt for a high quality melatonin for the best results (I like OrthoMolecular, however, its a liquid and not ideal for travel. Thorne, Pure Encapsulations, and Designs for Health are great brands).
Electrolytes
I don’t go anywhere without some form of electrolytes even if it’s just pink Himalayan salt added to water. Dehydration is common with plane flights and no matter how much I drink water I find drinking some water with electrolytes makes me feel more hydrated than just water alone. Also helpful if you have an active vacation or experience summer temperatures on your travels and essential if you do end up with a GI bug or stubborn cold. Additionally, people tend to part take in more drinking alcohol than normal staying hydrated while travel will help with your GI, hangover and daytime fatigue. I'm a huge fan of the brand LMNT (1000mg of sodium with 1-2g of sugar), but plain old salt can do the trick as well.
Colostrum
You may ask "why colostrum?" and it would be a very good question. We like to use colostrum for traveler’s diarrhea. It happens even when we are being super careful and the last thing you want to be doing while on a very well deserved vacation is sitting on the toilet. I really like colostrum because it is anti-inflammatory for the GI, so even if you have an upset tummy from that award-winning home style cooking, colostrum will be helpful. Colostrum also rebalances normal gut flora after a bout of food poisoning. Don’t get me wrong, there is always a time and a place for antibiotics but if they can avoided I’m all about it. This has been a saving grace for both Jordan and I on a few occasions and helps you avoid those unwanted side effects that accompany antibiotics. Never travel without this, pooping is not going to ruin your trip! I was recommended Traveler's DiaResQ from the travel medical office which I found really convenient because they come in single packets.
Multivitamin
Lastly, if you are anything like us, we have a pretty large regimen of supplements and while traveling, no matter the length, you don’t have room to take every single supplement with you. Recently I discovered Rootine. Rootine is a personalized multivitamin based on your goals and an optional blood nutrient values that then comes in a very convenient single pack that you take daily. What does that mean exactly? It means that you can opt for blood work that will measure your exact vitamin and mineral levels so that the daily supplement is tailored to the exact nutrients that you personally need. Super cool. So whether it’s for every day use or while traveling it’s a great way to supplement the nutrients you need made easy. Check out Rootine at www.Rootine.co.
Hope you find this helpful and remember: eat your vegetables. Cheers!
