Travel Health

CLose up of smiling woman on the beach enjoying her holiday

We all look forward to our holidays and time away from the stresses and strains of life. However, travelling itself or just a change of water, food or routine can sometimes play havoc with our health.

The good news is that nature always has our back in this respect; if you know what to pack there are a range of natural supplements which can help ensure you stay well.

Clinical Nutritionist Suzie Sawyer shares her five top choices to take on holiday, chosen from nature’s medicine cabinet.

Sleep peacefully with valerian

Sleep can often be disrupted when on holiday even if you haven’t travelled across time zones. The heat can impact how well we sleep. Or perhaps your holiday location might not provide the quiet retreat you were hoping for.

Woman asleep in bed Help is at hand in the form of the herb valerian. Used for many hundreds of years as a traditional remedy for sleep disorders, it’s perfect and easy to pack in supplement form in your suitcase. Valerian works on one of our soothing neurotransmitters, GABA, to also help feelings of calm, and it doesn’t cause drowsiness the next day.

Probiotics to soothe digestion

Probiotics are the trillions off good bacteria that live in our digestive tract and are so very important for overall health. However, sometimes these guys get upset and imbalanced and then digestive issues can arise. This can often happen on holiday, sometimes in the form of unpleasant diarrhoea.

Close up on woman's stomach with hands making a heart shape to show a healthy tummy

It’s certainly worth taking a course of probiotics in supplement form before holiday. Or alternatively, you can load up on probiotic-feeding foods such as garlic, ginger, asparagus, artichoke, green tea, and other fibrous vegetables.

However, do pack a particular probiotic called saccharomyces boulardii which is great for helping to ease traveller’s diarrhoea. It’s available in supplement form and can be taken long-term too.

Beat the bugs with vitamin C

Vitamin C is one of our key immune-boosting nutrients. Unfortunately, flights, travel stress, a little too much alcohol, and a new environment can often leave us more vulnerable to colds and infections. This is where vitamin C comes in.

shutterstock_114498919 woman cold flu Oct16 It’s worth packing some effervescent vitamin C tablets and start taking them at the first sign of coughs and sneezes, repeating every few hours. The sooner you start taking it, the more effective it will be. Some people find their bowels become looser when using it which is perfectly normal. Vitamin C is quickly excreted from the body which is why it’s best to take it regularly throughout the day.

Also load up on plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, all of which contain some Vitamin C.

Calming Aloe vera for sunburn

Unfortunately, we can often be too enthusiastic when it comes to sunbathing. Plus, pesky mosquitos can often be an annoyance. This is where soothing aloe vera gel comes to the rescue.

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Another remedy that’s been used for centuries, aloe vera is the perfect antidote for any skin issues. It can also help with dandruff and an itchy scalp. Even better, Cleopatra used to call aloe vera ‘The Elixir of Youth’ . She had amazing skin which she attributed to using aloe vera. So, you may come back from holiday looking 10 years younger too!

Banish bacteria with tea tree oil

Tea tree oil is one of those remedies that has such a range of uses, it really needs to find its way into your suitcase.

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Tea tree is a natural antibacterial agent so you can disinfect anything with it; you can spray it around you on planes or public transport if people are coughing and sneezing or onto any cuts, scrapes, bruises or fungal infections …. the list goes on!

Avoid spraying down the throat or into the ears, but other than that it’s pretty safe to use.

With a little extra precaution, and a few natural remedies, you can have a trouble-free vacation!

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You’ve planned and looked forward to your much-needed and deserved holiday for a long time. It makes sense that you want to squeeze every last bit of enjoyment and relaxation from that break. However, for many reasons, holidays can be a little stressful at times and things don’t always go according to plan.

Clinical Nutritionist, Suzie Sawyer, shares her five top tips on how to make your holiday down-time as relaxing as possible so you come back feeling fully refreshed.

BANISH TECHNOLOGY

We live in a 24/7 ‘always on’ society. This is great in one way as it makes communication so much easier. However, it has a massive downside in that we can never feel fully relaxed due to outside influences.

It’s no secret that the biggest issue we have is the mobile phone and the fact that we’re always contactable (unless we’re somewhere truly remote!). Therefore, the body and mind can never totally relax. Try to make this holiday the one where you decide to ditch the phone. If it’s switched on, you’ll still be checking emails and social media. The world isn’t going to end whilst you’re away so detach yourself, just for a short while.

Your body and mind will be so much more refreshed if you take a break from technology and everything will still be there when you re-connect again back home.

EAT RELAXING FOODS

We know that caffeinated drinks such as coffee and tea will keep the brain on high alert and put more adrenalin into the system, making it difficult to relax. Equally, highly refined foods such as cakes and biscuits negatively affect blood sugar levels, also encouraging the release of adrenalin.

Whilst you’re away, try to give the body a break from foods that deliver no real nutrient value, and adversely affect mood and energy levels. Brightly coloured vegetables and fruits (think the Mediterranean diet) such as tomatoes, peppers, avocadoes, berry fruits, melons, cucumbers (the list is endless), provide a wealth of nutrients your body will love.

More importantly, many fruits and vegetables contain good levels of the mineral magnesium, frequently depleted in the daily diet, but one of nature’s most relaxing nutrients. Fish, particularly salmon, and nuts also contain good levels of magnesium. Thankfully, they’re all available in Mediterranean countries and around the world so try to make a point of including these foods as much as possible during your break. You’ll come back feeling so much more relaxed.

TAKE THE HERB PASSIONFLOWER

Plane journeys, car journeys, coach journeys, families – often all part of a holiday but also a potential cause of stress. If you have a fear of flying for example, or you encounter something on your break which sends your stress levels soring, then the herb passionflower, readily available in health food stores as a Traditional Herbal Remedy, can really help.

Passionflower helps to stimulate the release of GABA, one of our relaxing brain neurotransmitters, and it can work very quickly and effectively. Either start taking some before your trip or pack some just in case.

TRY SOME YOGA

Yoga has increased in popularity enormously over the last few years. It delivers amazing health benefits as well as encouraging feelings of peace and wellbeing. Clearly, if your holiday choice is to attend a yoga retreat then you’re certainly going to come back feeling relaxed.

However, you can still practice some yoga on your own whilst you’re away. Certain well-known yoga sequences such as Sun Salutations can be easily learnt and practised anywhere and there are plenty of free yoga apps and YouTube tutorials to help (you can switch your mobile on for this one!). A few rounds of these every morning is a wonderful way of waking up the body, stretching and encouraging lasting feelings of relaxation.

PRIORITISE SLEEP

Depending on your choice of destination or type of holiday, it may or may not be possible to get restful and rejuvenating sleep. However, it’s certainly worth trying to make your break one where you prioritise sleep. According to the Sleep Council (www.sleepcouncil.org.uk) one third of Britons only sleep for five or six hours nightly, as opposed to the recommended seven or eight hours and lack of sleep can have a long lasting negative effect on your feelings of wellbeing and relaxation.

Interestingly, just having fewer caffeinated and stimulatory food and drinks, turning off equipment emitting blue light (like your mobile phone) and keeping alcohol to a minimum, can have a marked positive effect on sleep patterns. Plus the herb passionflower also greatly aids relaxation, therefore improving sleep.

Your skin, mood, immune system and whole body will really appreciate some extra shut-eye.

So with a little forward planning, and these top tips, your holiday can be the most relaxing one ever!

FOR MORE GREAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Visit us at www.feelaliveuk.com for the latest offers and exclusive Alive! content.

Follow and Chat with Suzie on Twitter @nutritionsuzie

For everything you need to know about vitamins, minerals and herbs visit Herbfacts

feelaliveuk

Get more out of life

Pack some of nature’s medicine cabinet for a healthier holiday

Sleep peacefully with valerian

Probiotics to soothe digestion

Beat the bugs with vitamin C

Calming Aloe vera for sunburn

Banish bacteria with tea tree oil

FOR MORE GREAT NUTRITION AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

Five natural ways to make sure you have a relaxing holiday

Sleep peacefully with valerian

Probiotics to soothe digestion

Beat the bugs with vitamin C

Calming Aloe vera for sunburn

Banish bacteria with tea tree oil

FOR MORE GREAT NUTRITION AND LIFESTYLE ADVICE:

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