This article was sponsored by Align. All opinions and tips for traveling are my own.

I know the feeling all too well.

You’re traveling. You’re flying for hours and eating airplane or airport food because you’re starving from your flight delays and by the time you arrive at your destination your digestion is a mess. Then you’re eating out at restaurants (or vending machines depending on where you are) that serve inflammatory foods you’ve never heard of and you’re drinking tap water, which is full of fluoride that kills your gut health.

Before you know it, you’re bloated, having bowel trouble (too much information to say loose or hard stools?), your head hurts — because the gut/brain connection is OBVIOUSLY a huge part of your overall health and you just want to lay in bed while everyone else you’re traveling with eats unhealthy food and drinks alcohol and they feel great and don’t understand why your belly is off, right?

Yep. I’ve been there. Like 1,000 times. Story of my life.

I’m 34 years old now and since I was a wee little kiddo skiing in the Colorado mountains with my parents or on the Disney cruise ship, I spent more time in the bathroom than hanging out with everyone. If you haven’t realized it, everyone gets constipated from flying in airplanes, which is why it’s key to drink lots of purified water on flights… even if they’re short mini flights!

Finally by the time I got to college I had already cut out dairy, which helped tremendously with my IBS belly bloating symptoms. Then came the time to remove gluten, soy and sugar when my belly bloating and indigestion returned and I instantly felt better when I traveled, but my digestion was still off and I had no idea what was going on or what was causing my belly troubles.

As many of you have read in my book, Eating Clean, I went through over 500 doctors to try to get to the root cause of my health issues and learned a LOT of incredibly useful information along the way (more will be in my next book, as well).

The biggest takeaway I had from all the MD’s and healers was to naturally detox your body on a daily basis, which is what this website and my book are all about (but this is not the detox fad you all hear about — no deprivation or counting calories).

Real, true detox is about removing the bad bugs/bad bacteria in your body and getting rid of those chemical-laden foods in your kitchen and replacing them with fresh, whole organic foods. I learned how to detox those bottles of stomach anti-acids and throw them away when I replaced them with quality probiotics. Now, can you detox and eat clean and feed your gut while you are traveling? Heck yes! I’m going to show you how to do it and how to make it fun. That, folks, is the name of the game while traveling. Why? Well, that’s what we’re talking about today!

Your gut microbiome, as I talked about in my article about building a healthy microbiome for optimal digestive health a few months ago, is a KEY part to your healing and your overall health. Additionally, check out my Heal Your Gut Solution Program for more information on gut health. Because almost 70% of your immune system is located in your gut so keeping your gut in tip top shape is very important if you want to be healthy.

Let me give you an example. If you break out with acne on your flights or have joint pain or eczema or muscle pains or if you get bloated or constipated or if you eat out at a restaurant and don’t feel well afterwards, it’s time to look into probiotics, the good bacteria that feeds your gut and keeps you healthy. I know all of you want to be healthy, right?

Below I’ll tell you a little bit about my favorite probiotic, Align, that contains  B. infantis 35624 ™, a unique, patented, pure-strain probiotic scientifically known as Bifidobacterium 356241. B. infantis 35624 naturally helps to fortify your digestive system with healthy bacteria 24/7 to help you maintain a digestive balance that will bring a nice big smile to your face.

Here are a few things I do when I’m traveling. It’s what I do to prep for my trips so that I can ensure my gut health and my overall health is balanced, which makes for a happy traveler – ME! And if you check out my Instagram, you’ll see I’m on a trip right now, so you can bet that I packed lots of probiotics and the below yummy foods.

This might sound like a lot of prep below but you can pick and choose which of the below you want to use for yourself on your next trip. Try them out for yourself and you might just be surprised at how your belly doesn’t bloat and your bowel movements are smooth sailing from take-off to departure. Check out my book, Eating Clean, for more travel tips.

How to keep your gut healthy while traveling:

1. Boost Your Beneficial Bacteria: When traveling, changes in your normal diet or routine can disrupt the natural balance of good bacteria in your gut. Make sure you have all your travel essentials with you on the go, including Align. Align is a daily probiotic, it’s not a quick fix for digestive issues, but rather can help fortify your digestive system 24/7 with continued daily use. Align is the #1 Doctor and Gastroenterologist recommended probiotic brand.‡ My parents have been taking Align for months now and they’re loving it. Super easy to take and no refrigeration needed.
2. If Traveling By Plane: I bring my own carry-on just for my meals and snacks. Raw nuts, seeds, my cookbook recipes: Honey Cinnamon Quinoa Granola, Mango Cardamom Walnut Bars, Maple Sriracha Roasted Pecans, and ripe avocados (with bamboo utensils for eating) are key items to bring along with you. Yes, you can bring these through security as long as there is no liquid.
3. Road Trip or Car Traveling: Pack a big cooler with gluten-free whole-grain salads mixed with veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cherry tomatoes, celery, collard greens, and kale. Throw in a few sandwiches on gluten-free whole grain bread or pack my grain-free cracker recipes (in my cookbook) with my tasty hummus recipes (in my cookbook). You can also tote along my Butter Me Up Honey Almond Nut Butter (another cookbook recipe) and my Chia Seed Berry Jam (in my cookbook) for a super healthy AB & J sammie.
4. Healthy Hotel Stays: I often ship heavier products to my hotel so I don’t have to lug them in my suitcase or risk the liquid contents getting confiscated at the airport. My grain-free crackers, Amie’s Grain-Free Granola (from my cookbook), almond milk, nut butters, frozen fruits, and veggies (they’ll defrost in your fridge), Himalayan pink salt or sea salt, fresh limes and lemons, coconut oil, raw seeds and nuts are all great staples for your home-away-from-home pantry. When you’re making a hotel reservation, request an empty fridge (or two) in your room and see if you can request a kitchen to cook simple portable meals.
5. When Staying with Family or Friends: E-mail them a list of the foods you can and cannot eat ahead of time. Ask if there’s a food store or farmer’s market where you can buy fresh food.
6. Spice It Up: I always bring a small empty spice jar of ground cinnamon for extra sweetness. It’s great to sprinkle on fresh fruit or gluten-free oatmeal, or you can take a teaspoon after a meal to help regulate your blood sugar, too. This helps with my polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and insulin resistance!
7. Drink for Jet Lag: To manage jet lag without caffeine and Tylenol, drink purified water (unfortunately, bottled is your best bet at the airport — look for glass bottles like Pellegrino, instead of plastic).

Fortifies your digestive system with healthy bacteria 24/7 with continued daily use.*

ǂ Among gastroenterologists and doctors who recommended a brand of probiotic in an AlphaImpactRx 2016 Survey.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Align partnered with bloggers, such as me, to get the word out about its great product benefits. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. Align believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Align’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.