February 28th, 2009 - Avoid Health Issues When Traveling Abroad
Health problems can ruin a high percentage of vacations, but the right food, drinks and supplements can reduce the risk and help you have a trouble-free holiday.
Adults and children can suffer from travel sickness if the proper precautions are not taken. Before traveling you should avoid eating a big meal, dairy products should also be avoided and certain salads and fruit, as these can be acidic. If you do need to eat, try something dry like crackers or ginger biscuits. Studies have shown that ginger can have a positive effect on motion sickness, and ginger capsules and ginger sweets are readily available.
The air on a plane is much dryer than normal so dehydration is more likely to occur, and this will increase your chances of suffering from jet lag if you’re traveling through a few time zones. Try to drink plenty of water while on the flight, but not too much if you suffer from travel sickness.
Deep vein thrombosis is something else that is reduced if you drink plenty of fluids. It is also a good idea to take an omega-3 fatty acid supplement for a few weeks before traveling. Omega 3 supplement help thin the blood so it’s less likely to clot. A herbal supplement that can be beneficial in the sale way is ginkgo biloba. If you’re taking any blood thinners already you should speak to your doctor first before taking anything else that can thin your blood.
While you’re traveling you should avoid drinking any alcohol or caffeine. Drinking these stimulants can effect your chances of adjusting to a different time zone. Alcohol and caffeine will upset your sleeping patterns and increase your chances of jet lag.
You can reduce your chance of jet lag by eating certain foods pre and post flight. Eating ca carbohydrate rich meal will help you sleep. Any protein rich meal like fish or chicken, will have the opposite effect, and will keep you alert.
Traveling can be stressful for a lot of people so you want it to as pleasant as possible. This will set you up for a much more enjoyable vacation.
