How To Avoid Planet No Poop When Traveling

When people travel, their bowels often rebel. They become sluggish and constipated. I used to experience this too until I developed a travel toolkit to prevent constipation taking hold.

I have a few theories on why we fail to poop like champions when away from home:

- Inactivity - we are usually seated for hours while in transit, and exercise routines often become infrequent. Lack of movement slows the metabolic and digestive processes down;

- Diet - preparation and cooking of the food we eat while away is generally out of our control. This means less fresh, fibrous vegetables and lots of overcooked food. In addition to this there may be more exposure to inflammatory vegetable oils and grain fed meats which burden the liver, gallbladder, gut lining and therefore digestion and elimination of foods;

- Dehydration - sometimes water consumption takes a nosedive. Have you seen the size of the water bottles on planes? I think they were made for toddlers not adults. People also become dehydrated through excessive alcohol consumption and sunbathing. A dehydrated body does not eliminate poop well;

- Sleep and jet lag - times zone changes, foreign beds, hotel rooms and a different climate can disrupt sleep which means the body’s circadian rhythms (24hr sleep-wake cycle) are toyed with. In the case of time-zone change your body may want to move its bowels while you sleep. We often suppress this urge which dehydrates, hardens and impacts the poop, eventually leading to constipation. Sleep disruption can affect the gut microbiome (flora) and amplify stress. All of which contribute to poor digestion and removal of waste from the colon;

- Many suppress the urge to poop - some people do not like doing number twos outside of their own home and neglect the urge to go instead;

- Constipation after traveler's diarrhoea - constipation normally follows a bout of traveler’s diarrhoea. Traveler’s diarrhoea can be contracted from contaminated food or water or eating at the wrong time such as when crossing time zones and;

- Pathogens - occasionally people pick up a bacteria or parasite when travelling which can disturb gut function in many ways, including diarrhoea or constipation.

In a nutshell our normal routines, cycles and habits are challenged when travelling. You can support the body while it adapts to the changes or better yet, prevent constipation from taking place with the simple tips below.

My travel toolkit:

Herbal tea - I always pack a blend of organic BetterMe tea, which contains four herbs and spices (licorice root, ginger root, aniseed and cayenne pepper). These guys promote better break down of foods, calm bloating and excessive wind and act as a gentle, yet safe natural laxative. I also travel with my travel friendly BPA free tea flask;

Fibre - I bring my favourite blend of superfood vegan fibre by 180 nutrition which has ground nuts, seeds, chia, psyllium and coconut flour. All highly nutritious forms of healthy fibre, which help bulk and move poop through the colon easily. I use this blend as a meal replacement to avoid any unhealthy food choices or plane food, because it also contains quality pea protein which helps keep me full and satisfied until my next meal. My go to travel smoothie is Green Travelling Energy Smoothie;

Magnesium - I never leave home without my magnesium bisglycinate formula. Magnesium has a two-pronged approach. It helps calm the nervous system and reduce any stress causing the pipes to clog and hold onto poop. Magnesium is also a muscle relaxant which means it helps relax the intestinal muscles and help poop move through the intestines easily. If you don't have access to a high quality, practitioner-only magnesium, Ethical Nutrients Mega Magnesium is a great alternative;

Spicy foods - when eating out I choose dishes that are rich in herbs and spices. Herbs and spices nourish the organs of digestion and elimination such as the liver, kidneys, stomach, and spleen and help promote healthy bowel movements. My favourites are chilli, cayenne, cumin, cardamom, coriander, black pepper, ginger, turmeric and rosemary;

Healthy fats - I bring healthy fats with me or buy it when I arrive at my destination to make sure I keep up my daily intake. Healthy fats lubricate the intestines and allow for easier removal of waste from the body. They also provide much-needed energy for my jet-lagged mind and body and will keep me full so that I do not make unhealthy choices due to hunger. My preferred fats are olive, macadamia oil, avocado, ghee or organic butter. I use these in my smoothies, on my hotel room salads and vegetables or as a cooking fat if making breakfast in my apartment;

Trigger foods - I avoid gluten, dairy and refined sugar as best I can. These foods are renowned for disrupting digestion and elimination.They can cause inflammation, feed unfriendly gut bacteria and disrupt the health of the gut microbiome. Avoiding these foods while the belly is playing up gives the digestive system a fighting chance to function well;

Water - I always bring a 1 litre BPA free water bottle with me and drink two lots of these during the day. I’ll often pack a small sachet of himalayan salt so that I can pop a pinch into the bottle for enhanced absorption and a dose of minerals. A dehydrated body does not remove poop from the colon well;

Yin yoga - I bring a travel yoga mat so that I can stretch, twist, squeeze and open the body and digestive system daily. My favourite yin yoga postures to promote healthy, regular poops are called seal, snail and shoelace. These postures nourish and improve the health of the stomach, spleen and intestines, our organs of digestion and elimination (see selection of yoga sequences here) and lastly;

Movement - I move throughout the day. Whether it is walking, squatting or using a makeshift standing desk in my room while working. Lack of movement slows the metabolic and digestive processes down which slows movement of poop through the intestines. Being seated for extended periods also disturbs the gut microbiome. An unhappy, unbalanced microbiome does not maketh for good digestion and regular poops.

While it is not something that I experience, if you are concerned about using toilets other than your own I recommend:

Get clear - note down why you avoid public toilets. Is it hygiene, privacy etc;
Knowledge - read this article on why it’s important to poop on a regular basis. Truly understanding why we need this basic human function operating well may help you transcend any negative beliefs about using foreign toilets;
Face the fear - try using clean toilets in big shopping centres prior to leaving for your trip or lastly try;
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) otherwise known as tapping - can help you break old habits, change beliefs and is a technique I use frequently. More on EFT here