Kanso

Keto on the road - is that possible?

My name is Steffi and I link my two biggest passions on my pages www.travel-keto.de and #Travelketosteffi: Traveling and the ketogenic diet.

Since a 4-week keto challenge in June 2019, I've been eating a strict ketogenic diet. This means I eat my daily calorie needs in the form of 75-80% fat, 15-20% protein, and 5% carbs.

My diet consists mainly of vegetables, salad, fish, meat, dairy products, nuts and lots of oil. If I feel like something sweet, I like to bake keto muffins, donuts or cakes - or I indulge in store-bought chocolate, such as the delicious Keto Cacaobars from Kanso. (You can find my product test HERE.)

 

Today I would like to share with you a few tips & tricks for ketogenic travel.

My first trip after starting the ketogenic diet ended with a weight loss of 3kg, because I had not thought beforehand what I could & should take with me and what is available on site.

In order not to do anything wrong and not to fall out of ketosis, I just ate vegetables and egg with lots of oil. Also a diet variant - but it does not have to be that way!

In general, it is possible to travel to any country - ketarian or not.

 

However, you should generally find out the following information before you start:

• What ketogenic foods can I get locally at any supermarket?
• What can I get at markets? What regional foods are available?
• What is offered in the local restaurants?
• What is the main side dish of the local cuisine? (Rice? Noodles? Vegetables?)
• What would I definitely not want to do without on the road? (Bread? Chocolate? Nuts? Oil?)

 

Let's start at the very beginning of any vacation - the arrival:

In fact, there are places where the topic of ketogenic nutrition has not yet found its place: Two of those places are trains & planes. When you look at the menus, you find rice, pasta, breaded meat, sauces with lots of hidden carbohydrates, bread with wheat flour, pretzels, chocolate chip cookies, chips and much more.

So, to avoid going hungry on a long-haul flight or during a train ride that lasts several hours, I recommend the following keto snacks to take with you:

 

Arrival catering:

• Sandwiches (keto)
• Walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, macadamia, sunflower, pumpkin seeds with butter (e.g. in 10g packets)
• Hard boiled eggs with salt
• Packed cheese (mini-cheese, mini-camembert or similar)
• Vienna sausages, salami sticks, landjäger, chorizo, jerky beef
• Cheese pops, cheese chips, kale chips
• Homemade candy bars, granola bars, cookies & yogurt gums (keto)

 

Arrival food for the storage can:

• Vegetable snacks (cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cauliflower, broccoli...) with dip
• Pepperons, artichoke hearts or fried mushrooms in oil
• Tomato mozzarella salad in oil
• Meatballs, Chicken Wings
• Cottage cheese, cream curd, Greek yogurt with berries and/or nuts

 

These are only a few ideas - you can download my complete travel packing list HERE.

 

Depending on what kind of vacation you would like to take, it is necessary to prepare differently. I distinguish at this point in:

• Camping vacation
• Hotel stay
• Vacation apartment or hostel hopping

 

Let's start with the camping vacation:

Durable foodstuffs are an advantage here. In addition to the above-mentioned travel catering, the following foods are possible:

• Pre-baked/ purchased keto bread
• Sweet spreads (jam, nut nougat cream)
• Savoury spreads (e.g. Kanso tomato, mushroom, mayo spread)
• Porridge & Muesli with coconut / almond milk
• Protein, collagen powder
• Canned vegetables, sausage, meat
• Canned tuna, sardines, herring
• Olives, antipasti in jars
• Instant coffee, tea
• Erythritol, Stevia
• Olive oil, MCT oils (e.g. Kanso MCT oil (77%), Kanso MCT oil (100%))

 

Let's get to the vacation at the hotel:

A delicious buffet awaits you here. As a keto beginner, you are often overwhelmed and don't know what you can and can't eat. At this point, a small selection of "edible":

• Fish, Seafood
• Meat (without sauce & breading)
• Bacon, sausage, sausage
• Eggs (boiled, scrambled, fried, omelet)
• Vegetables, salads
• Avocado, berries
• Cheese
• Yogurt & curd (in moderation)
• Nuts, seeds
• Antipasti (olives, peppers, pickled cheese...)
• Butter, oils
• Coffee, tea, milk (sometimes also soy, almond, coconut)
• Water, soft drinks light, white wine (dry)

Here, too, it is best to quickly research the common foods of the destination country before the trip. Usually you will find a large part of it on the buffet.

 

You have the most leeway when vacation home and hostel hopping:

Here you have a kitchen at your disposal. In other words: go shopping and then cook delicious food. For an overview of what you can generally eat on the ketogenic diet, take a look at this food list.

If you are lazy and want to be served, it is also worth going to the restaurant.

 

A little anecdote in passing:

I remember the look on the waiter's and acquaintances' faces when I first ordered "chicken in paprika-tomato sauce with potatoes, braised vegetables and a side salad". However, without paprika-tomato sauce, potatoes and salad dressing, but please with plenty of olive oil, a portion of butter and salt. The disenchantment was complete when I pulled the apple cider vinegar for my salad dressing out of my purse.

 

You are rightly asking yourselves now: Can I generally eat in restaurants as a ketarian?

Of course! Meat and fish without breading, vegetables, egg in all variations and salads should actually have every restaurant in the repertoire.

Sauces and dressings usually have carbohydrates en masse. Therefore, you should rather omit them, or replace them adequately. Whether you carry your bread or dressing in your handbag or ask for ingredients such as olive oil, lemon juice, herb butter on the spot, that is entirely up to you.

Ketogenic brunch is also possible: cheese, sausage, egg, berries, vegetables, cottage cheese, water/soft drinks, coffee with almond/coconut milk - usually everything is there. Only the sweets, muesli / yogurt variants and the rolls (which you can bring yourself if necessary) are omitted.

 

You see: Keto on the road is EASY! 😊

Finally, there`s a light keto recipe for the next trip - kitchen provided.

 

You need for one serving:

• 200 g chicken breast
• 300 g zucchini & eggplant
• 100 g grated cheese
• 2 eggs
• 20 ml Kanso MCT 77% or olive oil for frying
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg
• Stove, pan & spatula
• Mixing bowl, cutting board & knife

 

Crack the 2 eggs in a bowl, season with salt & pepper, add 50g of cheese, mix well.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, cut open the sides, fill with cheese, close and cover with a layer of cheese. Cut the zucchini & eggplant into small cubes, season with nutmeg, salt and a little pepper.

Fry the vegetables with the MCT oil in the pan until everything has become nice and crispy. Add the egg-cheese mixture on top and fry, turning until golden brown. (Vegetable Scramble Consistency). Sauté the chicken in MCT oil until nicely browned.

Enjoy. 😊