So you’ve been on the keto diet for a while. It took you some getting used to, but you’ve finally dialed in your macros. You’re now burning fat instead of glucose, you’re losing weight, and you’re enjoying more energy and mental clarity throughout the day. And just like that, you’re faced with your brand new challenge on the keto journey. You’ve got a trip coming up, and you’re wondering if you can maintain the keto diet while you’re traveling. And what if you end up having to eat some extra carbs? Are you going to stop making progress towards your goals?
There’s no denying that it can be challenging to keep a healthy diet on the road. And when you add the complexities of keto, it may seem like a near-impossible task. The good news is that a little planning and preparation can go a long way when it comes to increasing your odds of staying in ketosis while on the road. Let’s look at four tips to help you maintain the keto diet as you travel. We’ll also discuss why it’s not the end of the world if you do end up eating some carbs, and what you can do to get back into ketosis relatively quickly.
Depending on the length of your trip, some of these tips might be more challenging to implement than others. If you can’t follow all of them, pick the ones that you think will be the most feasible.
For most people, it goes something like this. They plan out their daily meals while traveling. Maybe they pick out keto-friendly menu items for lunch and dinner from restaurants nearby, and they figure they’ll be able to stick to their diet. But they completely forget about the mid-day cravings, while they’re out for work or sightseeing with the family. And that’s when they end up giving in to whatever junk food happens to be available around them. You can avoid similar pitfalls by bringing some keto-friendly snacks, like keto fat bombs.
For the perfect keto snacks when you’re traveling, check out Naked Keto from Naked Nutrition. The Naked Keto fat bombs are made with powdered sunflower oil and powdered MCT oil. Sunflower oil promotes lean muscle mass. MCT oil supports weight loss and a healthy metabolism. MCT oil also has other potential benefits like improved cognitive function and stable energy levels.
These are keto fat bombs that are available either unflavored or in chocolate and vanilla flavors. Naked Nutrition only uses natural ingredients like monk fruit, cacao, stevia, and sea salt to flavor the fat bombs. They are low in carbs and keto-friendly. Each fat bomb packs 27-30 grams of fat and only 1 gram of net carbs. They also contain 250-260 calories depending on the flavor, which should be enough to hold you over till your next keto meal.
It might be tempting to pack a bunch of tuna cans and think you’ll be able to stay in ketosis throughout your trip. And sure, that might be the case if you’re only going away for a day or two. But any longer than that, you’ll most likely want some real food.
The best way to eat real food while traveling is to stay in a place that provides access to a kitchen. Most hotel booking platforms, or even Airbnb, allow you to filter for results with kitchen access. You don’t need a whole lot to prepare keto-friendly meals. Go to the supermarket on the first day of your trip and keto ingredients like eggs, meat, butter, and low-carb veggies like broccoli, spinach, asparagus, and kale.
The concept of fasting goes back centuries in different cultures around the world. But recently, it has been gaining in prominence in the western world because of its various health benefits, like improved insulin sensitivity, weight loss, and more. Intermittent fasting is the practice of eating all your daily calories within a relatively shorter window of time and fasting throughout the rest of the day (you can still drink water, black coffee, unsweetened green tea, etc.).
One of the popular intermittent fasting methods is the “16/8”. You fast for 16 hours (including sleep) and eat all your calories within the remaining 8 hours. So, maybe you eat between 1 PM and 9 PM, and then fast till 1 PM again the next day. Your trip could be an ideal time to give intermittent fasting a try. By skipping one meal, you’re decreasing your likelihood of eating something that could kick you out of ketosis.
Your metabolic flexibility is a measure of how your body adjusts to different sources for fuel. So, if your body can use both glucose and fats efficiently, then you’re metabolically flexible. It’s also one of the things that determine how quickly you can get into ketosis once you start the keto diet. The longer you maintain the keto diet, the more metabolically flexible you become. Intermittent fasting, regular exercise, and adequate restorative sleep also improve metabolic flexibility. If you’ve been on keto for a while, and you’re living a healthy lifestyle, there’s a good chance that you’re already metabolically flexible. So, even if you end up eating some extra carbs while on your trip, you should be able to re-enter ketosis relatively quickly when you get back on the keto diet.
Final thoughts
Keto on the road can be challenging. It is difficult enough to stick to when you’re at home and have access to your kitchen to make keto meals. When you’re traveling, whether it’s for work or pleasure, the odds are even more heavily stacked against keto. But if you remain determined, expect and plan for the temptations and challenges, and follow the tips in this article, you’ll significantly increase your odds of staying in ketosis during your trip. And remember to check out Naked Keto fat bombs for clean, healthy, keto-friendly snacks to power you through your days on the trip.