Healthy Holiday Eating on Cruise Ships

The healthy way to travel

Ensuring good health at all times is something we should all do, with regular exercise and a healthy diet as the basis of feeling good. But sometimes the body needs a bit of a lift with some extra vitamins and that’s the time to visit the personal health store. They have a huge range of organic, herbal, and mainstream ingredients in the shape of pills, powders and liquids. The personal health store online is another option, and in this case there are advisors and pharmacists who can answer queries about the suitability of a product.

For instance, people who have conditions relating to blood clotting and potential heart problems are advised to keep clear of Vitamin K, as found in broccoli and St Johns Wort. These are blood thinners on their own, so can be harmful when ate with additional anticoagulant medication. So there are all sorts of permutations which we should look out for in the pursuit of good personal health.

Having a good holiday and getting away from the stress of a job is a great way of keeping the blood pressure down and having a relaxing time. What better way to relax than aboard a luxury liner sailing the seven seas? It’s the ultimate relaxation holiday and combined with fantastic food, with the availability of all sorts of exercise and fitness equipment to keep in trim. As a way of addressing personal health issues, there can be no better answer.

Health on board

Ships sail the world and they operate from most of the countries with some background in cruise holidays or long sea crossings. One such company is Fred Olsen cruises and they offer a worldwide year round itinerary which goes from the Alaskan sea and the far north of Europe to the depths of South America. The fleet for the Fred Olsen outfit is not massive and they have smaller vessels, but that makes then more personal and gives the opportunity to dock in the smaller ports of the world.

They are a well established company based in the UK with cruises from Southampton. That’s ideal for the British adventurer who doesn’t want to join a ship in Europe or America. So being on board a well appointed vessel and having people look after you is something which could be considered as the ultimate in personal health care. But if there has been a serious health issue in previous years, it’s good to know these ships are well staffed in every aspect. They all carry a compliment of health specialists, doctors and nurses. On the bigger vessels there will even be a miniature hospital, and at the very least there will be the equivalent of the doctors surgery. The difference is you will not be left waiting in the surgery for an hour before seeing a doctor!!

Too much booze at the Xmas bash!

People can feel unwell at sea, despite the fact that these ships are big and are not ones to get thrown around in heavy seas. But for some it just takes a few days to get their sea legs and then the sea sickness goes away. The best advice is to go on the upper decks, and get the bracing sea air. In the case of one vessel that’s deck 19, its so big! But doctors tend to children who might have come a cropper in the activity playroom, or the guy who drank too much at the gala dinner on one of those merry Christmas cruises. There are a vast range of issues which have to be addressed and the doctors may just offer some simple medication which you can get from the personal health store on board the ship.

Very big ships at sea

Its said that the bigger the ship, the less effect the big waves of the oceans have. If that’s the case then the ‘Oasis of the Seas’ should be fine as this is one of two ships from the fleet of Royal Caribbean cruises. They are both much the same size and are the largest cruise liners afloat at over 200,000 gross tons apiece. On board they have every technically advanced piece of equipment possible and that includes everything to do with health care. There are several cascade and regular swimming pools to choose from, video games rooms, exercise centres, 3D theatre and the grandest of grand ballrooms, referred to as the amphitheatre – it’s that big. The ships are on a constant world schedule which includes Mediterranean cruises and Caribbean cruises.

The stress relieving fjords of Norway

Those ships may be too big for some, and the potential for vertigo is there when looking down from the top deck – but not to worry, its very safe! One of the calmest and stress relieving countries of the world is in Scandinavia and no one can argue against the health benefits of Norwegian cruises. The fjord country is simply awe inspiring with the deep waters and high cliffs around Bergen as well as the massive Hardanger Fjord. The country offers a glimpse of a unique lifestyle and in the very north of Norway the Lofoten islands locals continue with their age old occupation of fishing for cod. This is despite the European Union rulings on fishing quotas which has brought a much reduced income to the communities. So on such a voyage as this there is the opportunity to really get the best in personal health with a calm relaxed trip and lots of fish!

Lots of seafood to try at dinner

This is the healthiest food to be found, and is coming down in micro nutrients which do us the world of good. The oily fish such as mackerel are high in Omega-3 which has been found to be great for growing children. These are the benefits which might be found in bottles on the shelves of the personal health store – but this is straight out of the Barings Sea. Roll mop herrings at breakfast might not be everyone’s idea of a great start to the day, but the Scandinavian specialty is there at the morning buffet. If that’s not to your taste then try some of the fresh sea salmon – now that’s is very good for the taste buds and the body. There is no end of seafood available on most cruises, which may seem an obvious thing to say, but there is also the chance to ‘pig out’ on board a cruise. The spread for the dinners and all the meals is something to behold so some restraint has to be exercised. Otherwise you might return from the cruise a few pounds heavier and that does the personal health care idea no good at all.

TV chef cuisines for the cruise liners

But the food and quality dining is a great aspect of the trip and shipping lines pride themselves on having well known names associated to their cuisine. They will commission TV chefs on celebrity cruises to come up with a range of dishes for their voyages. Once in port the shore excursions will provide more opportunities to try the local cuisine, and this is always going to be the time to test the health issues to the full. In some countries the best looking grub can be the one which sends you straight to the ships doctor as soon as returning to the ship. So on the likes of the Princess cruises which travel in every region of the world there will be travel experts on board who will give lectures on the coming ports of call. They will have an in depth knowledge of a region and that’s why they will have been invited by the cruise operator to sail with the passengers. They will provide all the information on the country, its culture and traditions, etiquette and cuisine. They may well advise not to try the fried locusts being sold by the street vendor in Phuket in Thailand!

Keep fit and healthy on holiday

So the personal health store back home might be able to provide any number of organic herbal remedies which will do the job and keep you healthy. The weekly trip to the fitness centre and the steady diet of fish and vegetables make for the healthy body. But all that can mean nothing if the annual holiday is on an island in Spain with all night parties, loads of booze and a bad diet. The much healthier way is to consider going around the likes of the Med. on a cruise and taking it easy.

Is that boring? Not in the least, and even the most traditional shipping companies such as P&O cruises have realised there is a huge number of potential travelers who would like to enjoy a cruise, but have considered it old fashioned and a bit stuffy. That is certainly not the case with new ships launched every year, adults only ships and family ships. It all makes for a good well rounded holiday business which can be enjoyed by all ages and all types – and it’s a very healthy way to travel!