Advice for those with sensitive stomachs?

More great ideas. I love the idea of eating lots of fresh food and avoiding preservatives. I will make it a goal to try and eat from the fresh markets and keep the restaurants to special occasions. That way I can monitor the ingredients that I know I'm sensitive to and it will be cheaper.

I definitely notice I bloat when I fly, but I sort of assume that's cabin pressure stuff. I figure if my closed bottle water does all sorts of pressure changes, well, so is my GI system. I would avoid eating on the plane. Drink only water. Avoid carbonated drinks. Bring your own food from home you know you're safe with. Avoid coffee maybe?

No, that's a very reasonable question. But is your problem constipation, reflux, heartburn, or bowel urgency (not exactly clear from your post)?

I make a point of eating fresh fruit every day; I also take an acidophilus tablet or eat yoghurt. Last trip I bought a box of meusli and ate some of that every day for fiber. In France and England you can find "health food" stores. Try to find aloe vera there or maybe some other product. Drink plenty of water and/or tea.

I have the same issues. I found eating oatmeal for breakfast (delicious at Irish B&Bs) really helps. Unfortunately, I don't watch what I eat as much as I should, and instead, just deal with pain/uncomfortableness. But the oatmeal really worked. :)

It's mostly that I'll get bloating and constipation. There are certain foods I know It's more likely to happen with - simple sugars, white flour etc but there's no way I'm going to avoid those while in Europe. That'd be torture!

I'll keep an eye out for yogurt while I'm there and will bring some supplements. Unfortunately, I don't like oatmeal but I've heard other people use it.

A few places I'm traveling to will only be for a quick stop, but for the places I'm at longer I'll look for the health food stores and splurge a bit for the aloe vera - It's not very cheap.

Any other ideas?

My mother has had problems her whole life with the same things you mentioned, but especially constipation, until the month she came to Germany. Eating this really good, dark German bread a couple of times a day, joghurt every morning, lots of fruit and fresh veg and the MAIN thing - walking. Lots of walking! All of those things combined, relieved her. She was thrilled. She said it was the first time she could leave off that Metamucil stuff she usually drank every morning.

So, who knows, perhaps all the fresh salads, fruits, good breads and tons of walking will be good for you too. Hopefully, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Think bulky, fibrous food, like the dark bread Jo mentioned, leafy and stalked vegetables, mueseli, etc. Part of "travel irregularity" is that your bowels, like the rest of your body, run off an internal clock that gets disrupted by changes in the time zone. This effect generally lasts only a few days. The other part is that when we travel, we tend to eat in restaurants more often, and hence, we eat richer, less fibrous food.

So, what to do? For starters, eat the mueseli, fruits and rough bread you often find on the breakfast spreads at many European hotels. Second, eat salades with your meals. Third, for a snack, try bringing some Fiber One granola bars.

Anyone have ideas on bowel urgency and the "D" word. I never have stomach problems, never constipated but when I fly for a few hours, I usually have a problem now. Sometimes it might last for a few days. Will be taking pills with me but just trying to head it off in advance if anything can be done in advance.
Thanks for the post Nora as I know many others have problems in this area also.

I'm lactose intolerant but ironically I have no problem with most food items in Europe, except England (go figure).

I think the food in most part of Europe is fresh, less additives/preservatives, and so our body can get fueled more efficiently.

I always travel with a small pack of pitted prunes. They are delicious and 3-4 a day keep you regular. I eat museli and yoghurt at breakfast also.

I take a small container of baking soda for heartburn and mild constipation. 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon in about 3 -4 oz. of water and you feel much better! It is also good for rashes and bug bites- make a paste with water and rub it on, it will relive the itching.

Just the amount of walking you will be doing will likely help tremendously. Some 20 years ago when I lived in Phoenix I would go backpacking for a few days in the wilderness and never took food with me because anything I ate ran right through me from all of the hiking--even high fiber stuff like granola bars. Nothing worse than... well think the worst when out in the wilderness with no flush toilets and you pack out what you pack in...

The thing to do is to gradually change your diet over NOW, so it is not a shock to the system. If your body is not used to having a lot of fiber, then it may rebel on you some. You don't want that to happen on vacation. So, start adding lots of raw veggies now, and fruit, beans and rice and good whole wheat bread. This gets your digestive system working properly. Start walking now too if you can.

When I was pregnant, and suffering from heartburn for the first time in my life, a mid-wife told me to eat a spoonful or so of peanut butter. It sounded crazy, but I love the stuff anyway, so tried it. Amazing results! My heartburn would disappear so quickly. I don't know if this only works on pregnant women or not, but if you have heartburn, perhaps try it. Sure tastes better than a TUMS!

Thanks for the continued ideas and advice. Hopefully this helps out all of us with sensitive stomachs.

For heartburn, my husband swears by a tablespoon of yellow mustard. I read an article that says the tumeic in it helps with both heartburn and gout!
(he suffers from both unfortunately)