Your digestive and immune systems need your support to avoid a stomach bug or viral infection – whether you choose to stay close to home for a stay-cay or fly off to a holiday destination. Your body can come under fire due to different water, bacteria, or maybe due to eating and drinking more fun/rich foods and drinks.
My husband Dirk just returned from a trip to see his parents, and while in transit, he had the most horrific stomach bug and ended up having to get a doctor to his hotel room and have a series of injections – scary stuff! He forgot to implement the following advice I’m sharing with you, and to be fair, we always joked that he could eat concrete, for he always had such a strong gut. Still, as we age, our gut microbiome also ages, so we must be proactive in gut health, particularly if you are off on holidays.
Here are my top tips for holidays so you can have fun, relax, enjoy your time, and not end up with a stomach bug or viral infection like my husband.
1. Raw vs Cooked Food
To prevent a stomach bug or viral infection, it is good to avoid big plates of raw food, particularly after 4 pm, which puts a lot of stress on your digestive system. If you love salads for dinner, always have herbal tea or soup on the side. If you are travelling to a country where you are not sure of the water quality, choose warm cooked meals over big raw salads to avoid parasites, viral gastroenteritis* and food poisoning.
2. Support Your Immune System
Eat as many colourful foods as possible from the rainbow. Choose fruits and vegetables which you don’t eat regularly to boost your antioxidant status. Be mindful of eating skins if you are not sure of water quality as a precaution against a stomach bug or viral infection. If you choose to fly to a destination, please add in our Immune Restore and Immune Support Capsules, having 2 of each before breakfast each day and load for three days when you travel. So double up before you fly the day before, the day of travel and the day after.
3. Use Herbal Support
When I travel, even if locally for a stay-cay, I always pack extra digestive support for us as a family. The chef will use oils or butter I’m not used to, and I will have a few fun foods and treats that I don’t usually have. So to avoid bloating and or any tummy upsets, I take digestive enzymes before all meals.
I always travel with my Rejuv Party Pack as it covers all the bases; Immune Support with our Immune Restore capsules, Liver Support as I will have wine, and a few treat meals. I take Blood Sugar Support as treat meals tend to have a high GI index, making your blood sugar levels surge. Digestive Support Capsules so that I avoid picking up parasites, bacteria and viruses.
Note: if you have had parasites or candida in the past, I suggest you also pack our Para Cleanse or Candida Gone Capsules to keep your system in balance.
4. Hydrate to Avoid a Stomach Bug or Viral Infection
Overeating and over-drinking will make you dehydrated, so do yourself a favour and get 2-3L of water & or herbal teas per day… Your liver and 50 trillion cells will love you for it and flush out any extra toxins or bacteria that could come your way. You can also mix up our Rejuv Wellness Water or just do water and lemon as an extra boost. Just be mindful of the water quality and take any precautions necessary to avoid food poisoning.
5. Choose Gut-Friendly Foods
Foods high in fibre will act as prebiotics to boost the good bacteria in your gut and support your immune system, so eat more fruits and vegetables. If you are not sure of water quality, only choose fruits and veggies you can peel, like banana, apple, mango, cucumber, carrots. Adding in pumpkin seeds, chilli, garlic, and ginger will also be very anti-viral and anti-bacterial.
6. Don’t Underestimate Chewing
Chewing is often underestimated, but it is a crucial player in supporting overall health. By chewing each mouthful 20 times or so, you naturally boost your hydrochloric acid, which not only digests your food but kills off any nasties in that meal. If you do overeat and feel bloated, use chewing gum for 5-10 minutes, this will help support your digestive system.
7. De-stress Your Gut & Stay Present
The more we stress about our health and life, the more our digestive system is impaired. Stress makes all of your blood go into your arms and legs, getting ready for fight or flight and away from your digestive system. Create peaceful eating environments, play soothing music, take your time to relax and connect with loved ones, watch or read a comedy or something uplifting (never the news) and stay in the present moment to support your digestive system. Stress mainly exists in yesterday or tomorrow, so practice staying in the now and enjoy the present moment.
On holidays we can find that we are still stuck in the stress of everyday life, so choose to lay down your worries and stay present, giving thanks for this precious time. I still move my body on holidays as an act of self-love. My movement might be a leisurely sunset or sunrise walk or swim in the sea – anything gentle, nourishing and relaxing.
Book in for a massage, take a long bath, be kind to yourself, both mind and body. This shift will have substantial healing benefits on your immune system and boost the parasympathetic healing mode of your nervous system too.
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You can turn this world around
And bring back all of those happy days
Put your troubles down
It’s time to celebrate
Let love shine
And we will find
A way to come together, we can make things better
We need a holiday– Madonna
