Recently a patient came in wondering what she was going to do about her nutrition while she was traveling around Europe. She and her husband had both retired last year and were planning a few trips while they were young enough to bicycle, hike and walk the many sights the world has to offer the traveler.

I was pleased they were going because travel was a good way to continue your educational enrichment. They had a plan to visit each continent with the exception of the North and South poles.

However, she had lost well over 30 pounds and he had lost over 40 since I had helped them to change their lifestyle by becoming more active, eating the correct foods and watching their drinking habits. They were in their 60’s now and wanted to enjoy the fruits of their labor over the past 30 years of work.

Anytime you travel you’ve got to adjust your habits or you are a diet and exercise victim before you ever leave. I learned this lesson by being a traveling lecturer for 20 years. I was in a car, train or plane going somewhere to lecture on health care the entire decades of the 80’s and 90’s. I didn’t want to become a victim of the travel so I put the following into action after I got amebic dysentery in Egypt in the early 80’s:

Eat Well on the Road. Regardless, if you are traveling by car, train or plane, bring along a brown paper bag of healthy snacks – nuts, seeds, apples, or baby carrots to control what you’re putting into your body. When you get hungry (as you always do traveling) you want to have something nutritious to put in your body. Check ahead to be sure the hotel or your accommodations have a place to prepare food if there is going to be an extended-stay. This will help you stay on routine as much as possible.

Remember, the younger you are the faster your body will accommodate to the changes (stress) you unconsciously going to inflict upon it. Try to eat as natural as possible. This means to try to be sure you know what you are eating and it is a whole food, fruits, salads, vegetables (steamed or raw), meats and fish that you know how they are prepared. That they are not canned, boxed or bottled. I know that half the fun of traveling is going to new places, eating new foods and to drink new drinks but remember it should be in moderation.

My patients with digestive issues have the most difficulty when traveling. There’s always the constipation and diarrhea, the upset stomach, nausea, and those that can’t eat for two or three days, which causes even more problems. To help these patients with their difficulty I suggest they travel with a few supplements, like Zypan, a digestive enzyme that helps those queasy on the road eaters. Also, Fen-Cho, a natural stool softener for those that always get constipated when traveling and Calcium Lactate for those that get nauseas in the car, train or plane.

Drink Water on the Go. Americans, actually just about all people are chronically dehydrated, which can slow your metabolism. How much water is best for each individual? It’s easy…just take your weight, divide in half, and drink that many ounces each day (24 hours). If you weigh 120 pounds, for example, you’ll need to drink six 8- ounce bottles of water each day. Yes, it will mean a few more trips to the toilet but it will boost your metabolism and curb the appetite from eating at strange times.

Turn Your Living Space into a Workout Area. Fortunately, many hotels, retreats, and short-term rentals, now have workout areas, both indoor and outdoor facilities. But even if there is not, like many of the nice old European hotels, you can still use your room and do plenty of exercises in a small space. I once taught a group of inmates how to use the 6X9 foot cell they were confined to as an exercise space. It takes very little room to do sit-ups, pushups, yoga postures, jump rope, etc. Many people now carry inflatable weights to workout with on their trips. There are even cardio classes online and on TV there are entire workout programs in the morning or evening.

Adjust to Time Zones. It takes one day for your body to adjust to every time zone you cross. To counter act jet lag, start by setting your watch to the time zone of your destination as soon as you leave home regardless if you are in a train or plane. No matter what time you arrive, stay up at least until 11PM, local time. Finally, before you go to bed, open the drapes in your room so you’ll be flooded with sunlight when you awake. By the second night, your body will be back to normal.

I hope these tips help you enjoy your holiday this summer as best you can. Few of us feel as good out of our element as we do at home. But most of us can have a good time and enjoy our trips if we try to incorporate a few of these suggestions when traveling.

Any questions, comments or suggestions regarding this article may be addressed to the author at the following email address: bamashogun@aol.com, www.alternative-concepts.com or www.baldwincountynow.com.