Digital HealthFit to Travel: 5 Must-Have Supplements to Pack When Traveling, and the Role of Digital Health

When traveling, it’s easy to get lost in the experience. New sights and cultures pave way for new experiences and places to explore. It’s also the perfect way to relax and break away from your daily routine. But, traveling can also be a stressful experience.

There are different time zones to navigate, jet lag, foreign food, and sleep deprivation. The lack of familiarity can often lead to a decreased physical wellbeing, increased levels of stress, and the potential to struggle with eating well. This can result in returning fatigued and feeling worse for wear despite being on a restorative restful vacation.

It’s easy to forget the importance of your health, both physically and mentally when traveling. But this is when it’s even more important. Traveling can be hard on the body, but with a little preparation and carefully planning, it doesn’t have to be.

One of the best travel buddies you can pack in your luggage for a healthier travel experience are natural vitamins and supplements. Not only do they help counter the stresses of travel, but that can serve to reduce stress, fatigue, and increase your energy levels.

So while you tackle the array of tempting street food offers, here are the best supplements to take for your travels.

Multivitamins

Wherever you go, your multivitamins should too. A high-quality multivitamin like Nature Bounty’s ABC Plus, can help protect against potential run-of-the-mill illnesses that may trouble you while traveling such as infections or the common cold.

Multivitamins can also provide protection against degenerative diseases like osteoporosis and heart disease. Studies have shown that multivitamins promote optimal health and wellbeing, boost mood and energy levels, manages stress and maintains muscle strength, and improves your skin.

Adaptogenic herbs

Fatigue and stress are commonplace while traveling and make for miserable travel companions. Luckily, adaptogenic herbs can serve to strengthen your body’s ability to respond to stress, fight fatigue and cope with anxiety.

There are several herbal varieties available, but it is recommended you bring the three main adaptogenic herbs; Asian ginseng, Ashwagandha, and Schisandra. Like activated charcoal, there are several ways to take adaptogenic herbs. But the easiest method while traveling may be pill form.

Activated charcoal

Traveling can introduce your immune system to numerous harmful toxins. To remedy this problem and naturally rid your body of toxins, make sure to pack some activated charcoal.

Activated charcoal has a variety of uses. But for most travelers, its main benefits are to serve as a potent natural remedy to trap toxins and chemicals in the body, to treat insect stings and mild infections, and relieve bloating and gas.

Depending on your desired use for the supplement, activated charcoal can be bought as a pill, liquid, or powder. Activated charcoal in tablet or capsule form is the most versatile as they can be ingested to help with gastrointestinal issues or mixed for other purposes.

Digestive enzymes

Nutrition can often take a backseat when traveling. There are planes and trains to catch, adventure to be had, and overindulgences aplenty. It’s not the easiest to maintain a high level of discipline when traveling. This is why it’s important to pack digestive enzymes.

Digestive enzymes act as a catalyst to promote optimal digestive health. It efficiently breaks down our food into essential nutrients, relieving digestive distress as well as any digestive discomfort that may come up while on the road. This can include constipation, bloating, gas, and travel-induced sluggishness.

Probiotics

Maintaining gastrointestinal health is important while traveling. Optimal gut health plays a vital role in a body’s physical and mental health, as well as our immune system. Bad eating habits while traveling, long nights, and travel-related stress can severely affect the functionality of our body’s probiotic colony.

Taking probiotics with you while you travel ensures your immune system continues to operate at a high level. Probiotics can also enhance digestion, reduce the effects of gastrointestinal bugs, and promotes good bacterial growth. Probiotics are most effective when taken on regular basis.

Digital Health

Technology has also contributed tremendously to keeping travelers in tip-top shape while they travel. Not only do they make travel easier, they also ensure you stay healthy no matter your next destination. To supplement your nutritious supplements, consider these three digital health solutions.

Weight management

Staying in shape can be a challenge in the best of times, let alone when you’re traveling. The stresses of travel coupled with new, exotic foods often mean that travellers feel like they’re taking five giant steps back when it comes their health. Digital solutions like the QardioBase smart scale and TomTom fitness-enabled smartwatch means you can keep on top of your fitness as you enjoy your trip.

Both keeps you informed of your body composition, enabling you to continue achieving your goals.

Well-being

For more mature individuals or retired folks, traveling can present some unique challenges in maintaining overall well-being. For seniors vacationing, the Omron Evolv and Lively Wearable are two portable solutions to uphold good health. The former is a light and portable blood pressure monitor to check blood pressure levels anwhere and anytime. While the latter provides urgent care assistance whenever assistance is required.

Rest and relaxation

Managing multiple timezones can be stressful on the mind and body. To battle fatigue and ensure your body catches up on its much needed rest, consider packing a sleep tracking system like NightWave or ResMed S+. Both assist in helping you get a deeper state of slumber so you’re well rested for the adventures ahead.

Travel can be a liberating experience. It can be the perfect time to throw caution to the wind and live spontaneously. But one thing that should never be left to chance is your health. The last thing you want while abroad is to be stuck in bed with a debilitating illness or worse. Wherever your passport takes you, make sure these five essential supplements follow suit.

You can also check this interesting article on the best supplements for men!