Keep these tips in mind for an enjoyable vacation absent of health and safety issues
Exposing yourself to new and different cuisines is oftentimes the best part about traveling. However, getting sick while far from home might be a nightmare for numerous reasons. For one thing, healthcare could be difficult to access, and the lack of familiarity could worsen your stress and health.
That is why you should always be mindful of what you eat and drink while on vacation. To help you along, we’ve listed down some handy tips for before and during your trip.
There are two fronts to tackle when it comes to eating well. One is health, and the other is nutrition. First, when it comes to health, organizations like the CDC have much to say in this regard, like avoiding raw foods, street food, bushmeat, and ice from tap water as doing so would lower your risk of diarrhea and disease.
However, these aspects can be the highlight of your trip’s culinary experience, so our primary tip for eating well on vacations is to prepare in advance. This means doing research on all the establishments and cuisines you plan on trying so that you can verify their certifications, cleanliness, and customer satisfaction. Planning ahead and doing research on the ingredients is especially important when you have food allergies and strict dietary restrictions to keep in mind.
Our second tip is to always stay hydrated. This means staying away from alcoholic drinks and caffeine as much as possible since these would only help to dehydrate you. Feeling lightheaded and tired is far from what you want when on vacation, so make sure you always have bottled water on hand. This is especially important when you plan on doing outdoor activities because you could lose plenty of electrolytes from sweating.
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If you want to drink unique beverages on your trip, go for those with fruits or vegetables as the main ingredient, with little to no added sugar. Kombucha is also highly recommended as these have probiotic benefits that are great for gut health and digestive issues. Otherwise, you can never go wrong with clean water.
Many foods also help to improve your gut health, like leafy greens, kimchi, and Greek yogurt. Gut-healthy foods, even when not on vacation, should be among your daily meals because, according to research, the gut provides approximately 95% of total body serotonin. This means that an unhealthy gut can negatively impact your mood, cognition, and mental health.
Having a nutritious diet also helps along your body’s natural ability to detox, and a detox can positively affect your gut health. Again, hydration is key in this process so aside from drinking plenty of water, you should also include fruits and vegetables high in water content in your to-eat list. This means eating more tomatoes, celery, and the like. Nutrient-rich whole foods like broccolis and beets will also do wonders for your overall health and keep you from feeling fatigued on your trip.
All in all, you should keep away from food and drinks that would be risky to your health and wellness as much as possible. And when you’re planning which restaurants to visit and which foods and drinks to try, keep probiotics and nutrition in mind so your energy and mood stay up all throughout your vacation. With research on these topics expanding more and more over the years, it won’t be difficult to find places that have your enjoyment and wellbeing as priority.
