Chennai and Pune - Work Travel to India

beef
food
travel

(JM) #1

I’m off to India for two weeks! Yey!

I am on month 5 of Keto and loving the results however chatting with colleagues whom have travelled there it sounds like it will be an almost impossible task to maintain Keto whilst I am there :hushed:

Apparently beef is sacred there and almost impossible to get hold of, even the Macdonalds there serves a non-meat menu.

Ill be staying in a hotel so I think I may be able to get a Keto breakfast with some eggs. I’ve been warned not to touch the salads unless I am intending on “loosing weight real fast in the most unpleasant way”

Seems I may need to go veggie however I am not even sure how I would go about recognising those types of dishes.
Does anyone have some suggestions as to maintaining Keto in a carbohydrate driven country like India?


(Janelle) #2

I went to India this past summer (Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Lucknow, Varanasi).

The hotels had a great breakfast. I wasn’t keto then so I tried a little of everything. I adore Indian food and spice but I was amazed that even traditional Indian breakfast foods are woowee spicy! At every hotel, you could get eggs cooked your way. If you ask for 5 eggs in a scramble, they will do it. I saw bacon at some breakfast buffets. You’re right - no beef anywhere but remember, parts of India are more Muslim than others. There may be beef. I’m not up for eating goat but it’s a common Muslim practice.

I had a guide and I would let him order. He was vegetarian so we often ended up with very spicy paneer dishes, which I would consider keto - the paneer cheese with vegetables and lots of spices. I don’t think they used flour as a thickener.

I was mystified, sometimes dismayed and thrilled by India. I want to go back.


(Janelle) #3

Also some tips - I brought something called “DiaResQ” - used it once. Worked well. I also took a supplement at every meal called Travelan. It’s colostrum of some sort. I think it helped. Got both these on Amazon.

I have blog - https://www.havepetsitterwilltravel.com. Navigate to India if you’re interested.


(Full Metal KETO AF) #4

II traveled in India for three months quite a long time ago. I ate goat meat curry and goat meat in Indonesia and goat meat at my local taqueria in California. It’s not strong flavored cooked with spices. I also ate chicken in India, look for Muslim restaurants as was said earlier. Kabobs are good. In some places I got omelettes cooked on a street cart very cheap. There’s plenty of veg dishes that are pretty keto, Panieer with Spinach is good. You might check grocery stores for stuff like canned tuna. If you’re near a coastal area especially in south India or Bengal there’s probably going to be a lot of fish available. There’s pork in the Goa area. But god I loved the flat breads in India especially Roti Pranthas. If I were going for two weeks in India I would eat the local food and get back to keto when I got home personally but that’s an individual choice you will have to make. The food is so wonderful that I don’t think that I would want to miss it if I went back! And by the way I lost quite a bit of weight there in three months eating their vegetarian food mostly. You can eat all you want cheaply at a restaurant serving Thali. :om::star_and_crescent:

If you’re arriving the 20-21st the festival Holi starts Wednesday the 20th. It’s a festival of happiness and colors. Seems auspicious. :pray:

I almost forgot, Chicken Tandoori! :yum:


(Mame) #5

Hmm, I never had problems getting chicken/lamb/goat in Hyderabad. Even at my European-style hotel I never got eggs I liked and I tried many times as it was buffet. Ask for raita or plain yogurt if stuff is too spicy worked for me. I avoided all raw foods.


(Jules) #6

I live in a India for around 9 months a year in another large city (husband job). There is quite a big ex pat community in many of the larger cities and my local brewery serves beef burgers and fish and chips! (Not Keto obviously but just to give you an idea of the style of food). If you are staying in one of the chain type hotels (Marriot for example) you’ll also find lots of western food in their restaurants. If not there’s always lots of chicken on the bone (rarely served breast meat). Mutton, but my favourite is paneer. High in fat and protein and low carb. I love it. I think you’ll be surprised at the choice of places to eat I can find an Italian or Vietnamese, Chinese etc restaurant if I choose to but I’m guessing you’ll probably stick with Indian as you’re just visiting. The issue i would prepare yourself for isn’t so much finding food to eat it’s the strange looks when you don’t want bread or rice especially given that Indian bread is the tool that many Indian people use to eat their food with. Enjoy your trip.