Happy Gut, Happy Travels!

BIOHM is happy to support venture-seeking travelers who maintain a healthy lifestyle and gut-wellness while they set out for new adventures. When immersing yourself in different cultures and trying foods that may be foreign to our bodies, you do not want to be held back by discomfort, or upset within the gut.  Our friend, guest blogger Renee with Hungry Bear Grazing, shared with us some of her experiences traveling Asia along with a few tips and tricks on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and overall gut-health while traveling.  Trying foreign foods can be an adventure in itself, however, it is important to treat your gut as well as your taste buds and support your microbiome with a probiotic in order to make the most of your experience. Renee also attests that probiotics can be your new best friend and an essential travel partner to bring along while setting out on your adventure!

Enjoy this post by guest blogger, Renee:

Travel floods your soul with moments and memories that you will forever have, it’s cliché, it’s corny but I’m sure we can all agree, it’s true. From the tea plantations of Sri Lanka to the sandy deserts of India, Asia is a continent in abundance of adventure, culture and spirituality; it’s a continent my partner, James and I love to get lost in. Forget the cocktails by the beach, we lust for the noisy, cluttered, unorganized street mayhem of Asia.

We adore all that travel has to offer; the culture, the landscapes, meeting new people, but most importantly the food. Whilst roaming Sri Lanka and India, our senses were hit with endless flavours, smells and tastes. Yet again, Asia gave us more than we ever excepted, as the culture is one you can't quite explain without experiencing and the cuisine makes you find taste buds you never knew existed.

But while travelling presents an abundance of positive experiences, the one set back we’ve encountered in the past is the disruption it can have on your health. Given you are exposed to a whole new range of germs, and environments, it can sometimes take a toll on your overall wellbeing. We are both self confessed street food eaters, so it’s essential for us to be mindful about habits we have while travelling (especially in a third world country!)

Below we’re sharing a few of our tips and tricks to keep your health on track :

  1. Vaccinations!! This should be at the top of your to-do list. Especially the Hepatitis, Typhoid & Malaria immunisations (A must!!)
  2. When it comes to what you’re putting in your body, boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it – No surprise right!? Remember, if it’s not hot it’s not safe.
  3. Probiotics are your new best friend! We used BIOHM to help keep our digestive system on track. A probiotic was essential for us as we eat off the street quite frequently (Yes, even in India)! We prepared our bodies two weeks prior to our travels and continued on regimen throughout Sri Lanka and India.
  4. Carry-on essentials:
    • Hand sanitizer - X10 you can never have too much of this magical stuff.
    • Eye drops – to keep you feeling fresh!
    • Toothbrush & toothpaste – Need I say more?
    • Face (baby) wipes - A quick refresh and an all-round life saver!
    • Earplugs or headphones – We’ve all sat next to that painful passenger.
    • Thick moisturizer – Flying especially tends to dehydrate our skin, so it’s important to moisturize and make sure you’re drinking a lot of water!
  5. Vitamin C /Ginger Supplements - Both are great for an immunity boost! I also suffer from severe motion sickness; cars, busses, trains, planes – you name it! I find ginger a great natural preventative.
  6. DO NOT drink the water - Although we admittedly eat the street food (a lot) Don’t be fooled by the locals sipping it up, the bacteria their stomachs harvest is very different to your own.
  7. Stay Active – A key way to stay healthy and fight unwanted infections is movement. The benefits of exercise are well documented; it strengthens your immune system, which in turn will make you less susceptible to illness.

Taking simple effective steps like the ones above will without fail help reduce your risk of getting ill abroad. So before you set off on your wanderlust adventure, be mindful of your health, make sure you take a course of probiotics and remember that preparation is key. Oh… and most importantly surrender yourself to the world and don’t be afraid to get lost!



Check out Renee's blog at: http://www.hungrybeargrazing.com and follow her on Instagram at: @hungrybeargrazing.