My passion for travel started when I was young. While I may have bawled my way through the entirety of Splash Mountain, my first visit to Disney World at age 6 left my brain reeling with memories—and asking,what’s next?By the time my mom took me on my first international trip, circa 2004, I was hooked. There’s something magical about exploring another place, learning from the locals, and seeing (and tasting!) what it’s like to call that region home.
Design elements: Getty Images. Collage: Cassie Basford.
There’s one more thing I never leave home without, and it’s one that I think makes a significant difference in my digestive comfort while away: aprobiotic supplement.
Last year, just prior to taking off on flight 1 of 44, I covered thecommon reasons why you can’t poop when traveling. Turns out, it’s a surprisingly common problem.
These include:
To maintain a healthy digestive system and stay regular while traveling, both Brown and Stewart confirm that an independently verified probiotic (I like Now Probiotic-10 & Bifido Boost Veg Capsules,Now Foods; and Amazon) can be beneficial.Why independently verified?Becausemost supplements are not regulated, and these certifications help ensure that the products include what’s listed on their labels.
Stewart jumps in with a refresher: “Probiotics are live microorganisms that populate the microbiome and provide many health benefits. Supplementing with a probiotic can be a powerful tool to incorporate into your daily routine, and especially while traveling.”
She awards bonus points to probiotics that come packaged with prebiotics, “probiotics’ food for survival.”
Stewart considers a probiotic a mainstay in her carry-on, as it’s “part of my daily routine.”
While well-made probiotic supplements are safe to take daily and might help promote a diverse microbiome, they’re far from a cure-all. For a multi-pronged approach to ensure we all have guts that are happy campers while on the road, Stewart and Brown recommend prioritizing:
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