Most healthy guts keep a consistent schedule for daily bowel movements. But traveling to new time zones messes with your internal clock, which might throw your body out of sync with your usual poop schedule.
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It's possible that traveler's diarrhea may stem from the stress of traveling or a change in diet. But usually infectious agents — such as bacteria, viruses or parasites — are to blame. You typically develop traveler's diarrhea after ingesting food or water contaminated with organisms from feces.
After returning from a trip, it's important to reset your digestive system. If you're feeling bloated, a post-vacation detox eliminates the sugar and salt cravings you may have developed while away. Hit up the grocery store for whole and nutrient-rich foods, including fresh produce and lean proteins.
Changes in diet can affect the way your stool smells. For example, eating more spicy food or higher quantities of meat than you usually do will likely produce stronger smelling stools. Significant changes to your diet while traveling can also change the way your stool smells.
Traveler's diarrheaThe primary symptom is indicated by the name, but traveler's diarrhea can also cause abdominal cramping, vomiting and even fever, if the infection is bad enough. This is more common when traveling to certain areas of the world where the risk of gastroenteritis is high, says Dr. Quigley.
Even though the air in your cabin is pressurized, the air pressure is still much lower than what you're used to at ground level. That lower pressure causes the gases in your gut to expand, resulting in bloating and gassiness, Dr. Movassaghi says.