I travel a lot. I'm a family portrait photographer. I work with churches all across the eastern United States. Every once in a while, I even get a chance to travel for education and enjoyment, like this recent trip to the Lost Sea, underground caverns and 2nd largest underground lake in the world. Travel is a way of life for me. I've been able to put into place routines and habits. But not everyone can do this because they don't travel often. I thought I'd share a few travel tips.
Make sure you pack water. As we travel, we get dehydrated. Having a safe drink is very important. It also helps prevent headaches because of dehydration in the small blood vessels in the brain.
Pack a snack. This is just a good idea to keep something like a trail mix or nuts in your travel bag or car all the time. Many people have their car nearby. This will serve you well when you have a hypoglycemic event at home, work, out shopping, or traveling. Having a snack prepared ahead of time will reduce the stress of trying to figure out what to eat when a hypoglycemic confusion sets in. The protein in the nuts will raise your blood sugar slowly; but it is much better than a spike causing nasty travel side effects.
I highly recommend frequent breaks for motion. When possible, stop and take a walk. Whether it's at the airport, bus stop, train stop, or rest stops, get up and move around. If you have limited space, even stretching in a seat is extremely effective. Just moving your feet across the ground can counter act the effects of jet lag or car lag. Some people call this grounding.
While you’re grounding, make sure to take bathroom breaks. If you’re drinking your water and staying hydrated while you travel long distances, going to the bathroom will help flush some sugar out of your body. Back in the 1900s, peeing outside and watching for ants was a test for diabetics. If ants showed up, you had sugar in your urine and were a diabetic.
Taking a treat with you on the road is a good way to avoid fast food pitfalls. A drink mix like Dandyblend Tea and some liquid stevia can be used to make the healthiest coffee drink on the road. An added bonus is that it is cheaper than buying coffee. Many truck stops only charge for the cup when you show that you are only getting hot water. Sometimes it is even free! I like to start with a free option of my own when starting a trip. In the summer, I like a smoothie. Here's a good recipe....
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of frozen strawberries
- 3/4 cup of almond milk
- 1/4 cup of kale
- 1/4 cup of strawberry banana kefir
- 1/8 cup of chia seeds
- 16 drops of 50/50 mix stevia and vanilla
Directions:
Put all of the ingredients into a blender like a Ninja blender's smoothie size container.
Mix for 4 minutes. Make sure all the chia seeds are well blended.
Strawberries have a low glycemic index that help prevent blood sugar spikes and assist diabetics with blood sugar control. They have lots of vitamins and minerals. The antioxidants are great to assist the body with healing along with vitamin C. Their anti-inflammatory nature can help repair UV damage from the sun and improve cognitive function.
Source: "Health Benefits of Strawberry"
WebMD 09/22/2020
Of course you'll need to remember your medication and testing supplies. Just including them in with your drink mix in a small bag or cooler. If you are nervous about travelling, start with small day trips to see what you forget or need to change. Don't forget to take a travel drink for the road. Let me know what you think if you tried this recipe.
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Disclaimer: This is not medical advice, but a compilation of research from medical sites. Make sure to see your doctor and have up to date lab work.
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