As people finalise their summer holiday plans, gut health is likely to not feature high on the travel priorities list. But did you know that holiday travel can affect your gut health and digestive system? Rather than letting poor gut health ruin your fun in the sun, Adrienne Benjamin, lead nutritionist at ProVen Biotics , has spoken about how to keep 'gut lag', traveller’s diarrhoea, constipation and more at bay. Long haul flights Adrienne said: “Long haul flights can play havoc with our gut, with added pressure, prolonged sitting in a confined space and the turbulent movement of the plane all impacting how well our digestive system functions.
The best way to avoid this is to eat minimally during the flight, drink loads of water while avoiding alcohol and caffeine to remain hydrated, and provide specific support for your gut ahead of flying. "Including lots of fibre and probiotic foods in your diet can help to support the microbiome and overall digestion before you set off and the simplest way to do this is by taking a probiotic supplement into your routine for a week or two before flying.” Gut lag Adrienne said: “Irregular sleep patterns and jet lag can affect your gut as it can impact energy and lead you to eat different foods at different times of the day, which then disrupts your digestive cycle.
Recent studies also suggest that poor sleep is associated with imbalanced gut bacteria. Combine this with tiredness from moving between different time zones, and you’re.