Functional Medicine Practitioners Holiday 1st aid kit
If you're heading off to far places and wanting to make sure that you maintain your health and wellbeing, along with avoiding any pesky bugs what's useful to have with you?
With your routine altering during the holidays, for instance ensuring that your sleep quality is still good and that your tummy doesn't react to a change in diet is essential to your holiday enjoyment! So what would a Functional Medicine Practitioner do to support them at this time?
Here are just a few ideas….
- Saccharomyces Boulardii . I take this with me whenever travelling, often as a probiotic blend like the Ultimate SBO Probiotic from Ancient Nutrition. Look at the CFU count to ensure you are getting a good one!
- Magnesium. Key for a good nights sleep as well as so many other essential functions in the body. I use Nutri advanced glycinate, but you can also use some other great brands like Terranova and Pure Encapsulations.
- Hydration. Key to keeping your skin moist, also relieving and preventing jet lag. I will frequently have a collagen drink during the day as well, this one HERE is a favourite of mine recently or I add in fresh mint, ginger or lemon to my water. Keeping hydrated if you get unwell is really important too. Sometimes we need to add in electrolytes if we are sweating a lot in the heat or have had a tummy bug. Hunter and Gather are a great brand for sourcing this.
- Protein. Get enough protein and try and start the morning with this, this might be a seed/nut mix on top of coconut or goats milk yoghurt with berries or eggs with spinach, avocado, seeds and mushrooms. Protein will help control those blood sugars as well. Pairing with something such as avocado, seeds/nuts help to boost fibre intake as well, which your gut will love.
- Snacks. Having some healthy snack at hand is key for when hunger strikes! I always have a bag of energy balls I’ve made in advance and frozen (not date heavy ones!) or nuts, often some boiled eggs, The Nutty One! and the Nourish range of bites or a sharing pouch of cacao macaroons, some slices of goats cheese and low carb crackers (or organic rice cakes for the kids), and usually always in the summer time a bag or container of chopped up cucumber and carrots!
- Astragalus is a great back-up supplement to have to support the immune system if you are feeling a little run down. Terranova do a great supplement for this.
- Enjoy the experience. Deep breathe, wear bare feet on the grass or the sand where you can and move daily.