What to do when Keto food is Not available?

(Andrew Heller) #1

Hey gang - I have an unusual situation developing this summer. I’m going off into the wilderness with my son and his Boy Scout troop for 2 weeks. We will be at the Philmont scout ranch which has its own set of very stringent rules, including that you need to amcarry and eat their food. That food, is, of course, carb heavy.

I’m wondering if you guys think this will make me feel awful, just as I’m starting to hike more than I ever have in my life. I’m thinking about going off keto a week earlier just to get ready. Anyone else ever deal with this?

Thanks!!

(Chris Bair) #2

http://philmontscoutranch.org/TrekPreparation/Dining.aspx

When an individual in your crew is allergic to some food products, requires a special diet, or has specific religious food needs; suitable food substitutions must be purchased at home and brought or shipped to Philmont."

So you’re able to bring your food, you’ll just need to carry it all. Somebody had similar problems with gluten free, shared their experience: https://gfinthebackcountry.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/my-first-encounter-with-celiac-disease/

I haven’t “cheated” on keto in over 2 years so my memory is fuzzy on that point. I can relate that my wife broke keto when we were at Disneyland and didn’t feel awful but had some sluggishness and a bit of nausea from the carbs (poisoning her brain).

I also found the Philmont menus, yeah pretty carby:

#3

@Chris_Bair beat me to the link.

For general information though, there is frequently an adjustment period for going back to carbs if you’ve been keto for a while. Some suggest this can be similar to the adjustment period for going on keto (the adaption phase), and for the times I’ve gone into my ‘non-keto’ season that sounds about right, with more tiredness but less likely to get headaches (due to different nutritional balances I guess), and of course more hunger. I recall feeling a bit extra weak even standing up for an extended time during the first few days, but not always. I think some of it will depend on how long you’ve been fat-adapted, but I don’t know any studies on the matter.

So, yea, if you can avoid the problem, do so. If you can’t, you’ll probably live and be fine, but it likely won’t be a great time for the first few days at least.

#4

It would make me feel awful.

Given @Chris_Bair’s research about Philmont you can bring your own foods and if it was me, I would prepare a menu for myself in advance and only eat the foods I bring and probably limit myself to 1 or 2 meals a day with meal frequency being determined by how much food I’m willing to bring and carry.

(Chris Bair) #5

I also didn’t see anything about the cost of the carby meals being included or excluded. I don’t know if you pay less if you’re bringing your own food or not.

I’d be packing a serious amount of Biltong or maybe Pemmican (the original high fat stuff).

#6

Coconut oil, and or ghee, in zip lock bags. Eat the meaty stuff, small quantity, with loads of coconut oil or ghee. See if you can bring some extra non sugar jerky, too. Two weeks, you will survive.

(Beth) #7

I think it would make you feel more awful than ever. I have a theory… maybe anyone might verify this for me? that I am more sensitive to all that carbage now that I’ve not been eating it a while. And by a while, it’s really a short amount of time compared to a lot of you – since last October. But, I recently slipped, just a little bit even, and I felt absolutely horrible. Does anyone else feel like they may have become more (insulin-, or just general processed food-) sensitive after going keto?

#8

Physiologic insulin resistance seems to occur in some people when going LCHF/keto where they respond poorly to carbs even if they didn’t before going keto. This is why Dr. Kraft recommends eating carbs in the days leading up to a Kraft Insulin Assay to mitigate that effect and get a true sense of insulin sensitivity.

In other words, the body is prepared for burning fat and keeps what it needs on hand, also known as upregulating, and doesn’t keep what it needs for carbs, known as downregulating.

(Chris Bair) #9

“wait, what the crap? I thought we weren’t eating that anymore… hang on, I think I remember what we did for that… um…”

#10

Macadamias, sardines, olives, and jerky sound tasty to me. Then a bunch of buttered coffee and fasting. Good luck!

(jketoscribe) #11

I can’t find the link but Trader Joe’s (if you have one nearby) has two things that might be great for backpacking:

  1. Individual packets of coconut oil
  2. small packets of olives.
(Ross Daniel) #12

MCT oil powder to add to the campfire coffee in the mornings… :wink:

aside from that, you could always do anextended fast and not have to carry any food. :sunglasses:

(Karen Parrott) #13

You have your doc write a note that says you must eat your food, then bring protable keto food. Nobody messes with the doctor. Plus IF will help you. And being totally fat adapted. All my 2 cents.

I don’t let anybody push me around when it comes to staying in remission from food addiction. No, I don’t have follow any strict rules but my own. My food addiction is life threatening. Doc’s orders not to eat processed carbs.

Good luck.

#14

I package pecans and macadamia nuts in 1 ounce snack bags to have on hand so I’m not tempted to eat junk if I’m away from home longer than I expect to be and am approaching next meal. Foil pouches of tuna could also be a portable form of protein and fat. You can do this!

(Karen Parrott) #15

If your purse, or manpurse :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:is big enough, all of these fit nicely for travel away from home.

Intermittent Fast, planned.

Coconut oil packets, individually packed Trader Joe’s
Small, ripe but not too ripe avocados, with foldable fork
Tin of smoked oysters
Tin of sardines
Jerky
small vial of olive oil to add to something else or do shots with.
Foil pouches of chicken or tuna or salmon
Can of chicken or tuna or salmon with a pop top

For conferences:

To break the fast, get to a grocery store and purchase rotisserie chicken and a bag of spinach.
Toss or share the extras. Cheaper than many restaurant meals. Bring zip lock bags, ask for ice, then
bag up some chicken and spinach in a second zip lock.

Or order double breakfast at hotel conference. Ziplock keto friendly food.
Ask for ice container at hotel conference store your stash on the ice bucket under your chair.
Claim medical need and have hotel store your food, TIP like a boss.

Heat up left overs in grocery store deli seating areas microwaves, where sitting and eating is possible.

(Meeping up the Science!) #16

Veggies and meat dried are light weight. You can, as was mentioned, also bring fats along - fat doesn’t have to be in jars! You can get dehydrated meats out the wazoo. There’s also powdered coconut oil you can buy. There’s even powdered butter if you want that. There are many options for backpacking, especially, and if you stick to dehydrated meat, protein, veggies, and fat, your pack is lighter anyway. You don’t have to be all fancy or buy expensive products, even.

I don’t know that I’d extended fast if the hiking is rigorous and you have low body fat without extra nutrition (fat) to consume.

What I would do is figure out what your preference is and go from there. It’s quite possible to low carb backpack, and it’s not necessarily a hassle.

(Meeping up the Science!) #17

They also seem to have gone out of their way to add extra sugar to every damn thing. Seriously?

Even if you (mistakenly) believe in high carb diets, you can still eat better options… of course, I am sure preserved/processed crap makes planning and implementation easier.