Recommendations for continuing Keto on Thailand

[Adriana]

Hi all!

I’m going to Thailand for work and I’ll be staying there for a month, the first three weeks I’ll be staying in a hotel in Bangkok and the last week I’ll be camping, this will be on 3 different provinces, two nights on each place. Breakfast and lunch are mostly buffet style at the hotel so I hope it will be easy to choose keto foods, but I’m gonna have to find my own food for dinner and free days, I’ll also have to think on options for the camping week.

I have never been to Thailand and the only thai dishes I know are Pad Thai, Khao Pad and Kao Niew Ma Muang; not keto at all . Besides being keto, I’m lactose intolerant and (deadly) allergic to shellfish; I’m bringing tuna packets, jerky and olive/coconut oil for “keto emergencies” and enough for the camping trip, but what dishes, that are keto and don’t have shellfish you suggest eating in Thailand?

[ufobees]

Hey! I’m in Chiang Mai and have been having a keto crisis!
It’s all too tempting to indulge in the best pad thai, khao soi, and the dreaded mango sticky rice…oh gosh.
I let myself try some cultural foods and eat fruit. I’m definitely lacking the energy I had prior.
There is obviously street meat in the cities. Pork, chicken, beef, seafood on a stick, etc…but I have had a few choices make me a bit ill and slightly hesitant
Lucky for us, pork rinds are a big thing here.
You can’t find coconut oil easily. It all gets exported to the western world. No olive oil either.
Fresh coconuts are around though. Depending on the size I read fresh coco, including the meat, has 6.5 g net carbs and 29 g fat. I have at least one a day. You need to find the food joints that have food that tastes good and are willing to accommodate!
Some of my go-to choices:

• spicy fried pork. It is often served with a fried egg and onions/green vegetable. Don’t eat the rice that comes with literally everything.
• omelets
• grilled and BBQ meat, preferably without the sauce they paint on it
• peanuts/cashews for a snack (almonds hard to find)

Good luck and I’d love to hear what you discover! I’m feeling pretty discouraged right now so it’s cool to know someone else trying to make it work

[ufobees]

Omg. This has been discussed. This thread is radical!! Go and read the whole thing

Keto in Thailand

Ahhh i was there for 2 months earlier this year before going on keto i might add…as i was thinking about keto i decided to go off sugar and gluten as well as dairy while i was there in all 3 sectors i managed to go 80% off each item still had the odd pizza…phad thai 3 times a week and a few chicken fried rice, plus a good drinking session once a week. If your really careful its doable as a poster above gave tips, i lost 3 kilos in the 2 months and most of that was avoiding sugar and gluten, my …

[cooked]

Hi,
I have been here in Thailand for 6 years and I must say that I can’t imagine how I could have gone Keto initially, I was enjoying so many exotic foods (well, some of them were yucky), fruits and vegetables. Much of the prepared food here contains sugar. After a few years of eating rice, drinking beer and all the stuff I shouldn’t have been eating, I ended up with high blood pressure and blood sugar. Meds got the BP down but then the doc gave me statins for my cholesterol and I decided not to go down that path.
You can do Keto here but you have to do your cooking and know where to buy what you need, many of the recipes being offered seem to assume that I have a Walmart just down the road and can just buy psyllium husks and almond flour in five minutes. It took me some time to find a reliable supplier. I can’t think of any Thai dish that is Keto friendly, even fried chicken will contain sugar.
I am doubtful about eating any salad dishes here, either in a restaurant or using bought in vegetables and then you have the problem of obtaining a Keto friendly mayo.
On top of that is the fact that most Thai related information about Keto is in Thai!
By the way, my wife, the best rice farmer in the village has given up eating rice and is pleased with her blood pressure and weight loss.
Good luck, I hope you don’t end up eating just eggs, sardines and avocados!

[cooked]

PS https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/898915-keto-lifestyle-in-thailand-what-do-you-eat/

[AmuZed]

Thai food can be difficult. I usually go for the soups. The coconut based soups w/meat or tofu (I like the shellfish but you said you can’t eat that…), or the hot and sour soups. I just don’t eat the onions they use in them.

You might be able to do some curries too. Like the other poster said, most Thai dishes have some sugar in them so you have to choose the items with the least.

[Christopher]

Hello @Adriana, so a year later, what did you learn? How did you do?

I’m reading up as I have a month in Thailand beginning next week.