Looking for travel companions? Try Probiotics

We have all been there: Away from home, feeling sick, miserable and visiting the toilet facilities a little too regularly. We think we’ve learnt our lesson for next time, so when the next holiday rolls around we try to bulk up our immune system. If you’re looking to guard yourself against the health risks that come with travelling to less clean countries, where your body might be faced with germs and bacteria that it’s not used to, probiotics can be your lifesaver. Probiotic supplements are gaining more and more popularity among travellers as they have been proven to better your immune and digestive system. These little capsules are the best travel companions you could ever ask for.

So what actually are probiotics? Probiotics are live bacteria that are really good for your health, especially your digestive system! Most of us believe that all bacteria are bad bacteria. We commonly think of the word ‘bacteria’ in a negative sense. Isn’t it something that causes diseases and makes us sick? No, not all bacteria are bad! Actually, our bodies are full of good and bad bacteria. The good/helpful bacterium is called probiotics, which, put simply, negotiates a better arrangement for our bodies with the bad bacteria and hopefully come to a mutual understanding. Probiotics are naturally found in your body, but can also be found in some foods and easily in supplements.

Have you noticed that when you travel, often you get sick? This is because our bodies are exposed to more microbes than usual. You are changing time zones, lacking in sleep and eating out which interferes with your usual routine. If you’re not taking probiotics as your daily routine, you should start! Especially if you are travelling soon or if you are a frequent traveller. We recommend you begin taking probiotics two weeks before travel. With beneficial probiotics already strongly present before you leave, your natural immunity will be enhanced. For general usage, you should be taking one to two capsules a day. However, when travelling, it is recommended that you take up to four capsules per day.

A major highlight of travelling abroad is of course the food! Food adventures, however, could end in your holiday memories being of the bathroom door. Probiotics are your mini army preparing for battle in a situation like this. Your chances of having an upset stomach is a lot less if your travel mate is a bottle of probiotic capsules.

Hopping on and off planes and entering foreign territory, almost always leaves us feeling common flue symptoms. Studies have shown that probiotics can prevent the common cold, flu, and viral gastroenteritis. Your gastrointestinal tracts prove two thirds of the immune-defence cells in your body and are enhanced when you regularly take probiotics. Feeling tired and down on your energy levels is also almost inevitable when you travel. Recent research reveals the strong connection between probiotics and energy levels. Taking beneficial probiotics can help your energy levels increase, as well as helping your body’s ability to properly digest and process the healthy nutrients you choose to put into your body. Gosh, what don’t these guys do?

Preferably, we should all be including daily vitamins and supplements in our diets, but having several bottles of various vitamins can be frustrating, even more so when you are traveling. A good way to ward off potential sickness, support your immune system, and free up luggage space is to choose an all-in-one product that contains a beneficial mix of probiotics, vitamins, and micronutrients.