Vacations with fermented foods

When the girls were young and my daughter was making such incredible improvements, slowly losing her autistic behaviors, we didn't want to lose any momentum. Fermented foods were so important in her diet so when we traveled to Disney, we actually shipped our coconut kefir to our hotel ahead of our arrival. The next time we traveled, we put our kefir and fermented vegetable juice in jars inside an insulated wine bag with an ice pack, then into our mini fridge in the hotel room.

Other fermented products I liked to pack:

• Super Vitality Greens

• Probiotic Protein Shake

Supplements I packed:

• Saccharomyces boulardii-a beneficial yeast that has shown to prevent food poisoning. I like GI Distress Relief Probiotic because it's a probiotic with fiber and S. boulardii added in.

• Vitamin C

• Vitamin D

• Multi-vitamin

• Enzymes

• Magnesium Glycinate and Citrate-I pack both because citrate is good for constipation. I like Pure Encapsulations brand.

• Shelf-stable probiotics

Food I packed in my checked bag:

• Grass-fed jerky sticks-good for the plane ride too!

• Canned salmon and sardines with flip-top lids

• Dehydrated vegetable chips, like kale

• Chia seeds (I personally have my own ziploc of chia seeds, hemp seeds and collagen powder to add to my breakfasts)

Sometimes we will arrive at our destination and go straight to a grocery store, like Whole Foods, to buy fermented foods. They are in the refrigerated section and should not be pasteurized. Check the label for words like "live active cultures", "fermented" or "cultured". There shouldn't be any added vinegar. We stayed away from Kombucha because of the unknown strains of yeasts. Other foods I stock up on for our trip:

• Organic berries

• Apple Cider Vinegar-to add to water or salads

• Avocados-grab a plastic knife at the store to cut later, or guacamole with blue chips or jicama sticks

• Hard boiled eggs-if you have a mini fridge in your room

• Cucumbers, carrots, celery-I would put slices in ziplocs to have handy at the theme parks because it's easier to find proteins than organic vegetables.

• Unsweetened coconut yogurt

At Disney, my girls loved to eat turkey legs along with some vegetables I brought. Places like Disney have a lot more healthy options now than they did back then so check the websites and menus. I liked to plan ahead and look at the menus at the restaurants before we arrived. The simpler the better! I was looking for a protein and vegetable, such as fish and asparagus, or burgers, which you can always have lettuce wrapped.

With a little planning, traveling can be fun and healthy at the same time!

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