Staying Carnivore while Traveling
I just spent two weeks in Japan, had a great time, and I was 95% clean the whole trip.
My traveling tips:
- Don't worry about perfection, good enough works
Making do with dirty food - Scrap off the sauces, use rice or a napkin to get the rest of the sauce. When able order "whole cuts" of meat that are cooked externally that way the bulk of the nutrition is clean.
- Seed oils are everywhere
It's just going to happen, don't worry about it until you get back - every grill is going to use oil, even the fancy steak houses use seed oil to get the salt to stick to the meat...
- When you find clean food - Eat a lot!
When you do find a seed oil free/clean meat while traveling, don't be stingy - eat and eat until your double stuffed.
- Fasting is fine
If your already fat adapted before the trip, you know skipping meals for a day or two is no big deal - if there are not any good food options and your not hungry - skip it!
- Social Eating
Ordering a coffee and constructively playing hocky with a table salad while your friends eat their food is a good social lubrication.
- Combinis!
Every convenience store had carnivore options, and not just options but really great inexpensive food. The best options were at 7/11. The chicken stick, the grilled tongue, the sashimi... A few days I would "eat" with friends, then load up on convince food before going back to the hotel.
- Pooping
Congratulations! You are on carnivore, you only have to poop when you want to!
Caution - You are on carnivore, your gut is optimized for clean meat - if you eat some risky food or some dirty keto - you might have to make a quick trip to the restroom. I had this happen twice, and both times I knew the food I was eating was a bit dodgy. One and done, so not really a big deal, but not something I encounter at home. The biggest issue was trying out "fondue" which used a "cheese sauce" and not real cheese - about 1 hour later I had a mandatory bathroom visit.
- Trust your tongue
If something tastes weird or sweet - it is! You don't have to eat it. I ordered a 4 beef patty burger, and it just tasted wrong... upon dissecting it - bread crumbs and onions were at least 50% of the weight.
- Diabetes
If your going to tell people to modify the menu, it helps to just say you have diabetes and can't eat carbohydrates. It's not quite true, but its a useful statement to get people onboard. Google Translate "I have diabetes. I don't want to eat any Carbohydrates. Can I have this dish without the sauce/bread/rice?" worked pretty well!
- Avoid butter
Butter is a carnivore staple, but when your out and about you can't tell if its real butter or a seed oil soup, given how prices are its probably mostly seed oils with emulsifiers. I just skipped all butter I didn't buy myself.
- Temptation!
Temptation is everywhere, especially traveling. Every trigger, every habit, every social pressure will be tested. Try to be well fed before getting to the airport, especially if your just starting out. Food smells have power, street food vendors love to pump out sweet smells - don't be afraid to pop into a convenience store and eat a egg or some cheese to just reduce temptation.
Hotel mini-bars and hotel gifts of sweets in the room... even more temptation! Just be ready for it.
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What are your traveling tips?
My traveling tips:
- Don't worry about perfection, good enough works
Making do with dirty food - Scrap off the sauces, use rice or a napkin to get the rest of the sauce. When able order "whole cuts" of meat that are cooked externally that way the bulk of the nutrition is clean.
- Seed oils are everywhere
It's just going to happen, don't worry about it until you get back - every grill is going to use oil, even the fancy steak houses use seed oil to get the salt to stick to the meat...
- When you find clean food - Eat a lot!
When you do find a seed oil free/clean meat while traveling, don't be stingy - eat and eat until your double stuffed.
- Fasting is fine
If your already fat adapted before the trip, you know skipping meals for a day or two is no big deal - if there are not any good food options and your not hungry - skip it!
- Social Eating
Ordering a coffee and constructively playing hocky with a table salad while your friends eat their food is a good social lubrication.
- Combinis!
Every convenience store had carnivore options, and not just options but really great inexpensive food. The best options were at 7/11. The chicken stick, the grilled tongue, the sashimi... A few days I would "eat" with friends, then load up on convince food before going back to the hotel.
- Pooping
Congratulations! You are on carnivore, you only have to poop when you want to!
Caution - You are on carnivore, your gut is optimized for clean meat - if you eat some risky food or some dirty keto - you might have to make a quick trip to the restroom. I had this happen twice, and both times I knew the food I was eating was a bit dodgy. One and done, so not really a big deal, but not something I encounter at home. The biggest issue was trying out "fondue" which used a "cheese sauce" and not real cheese - about 1 hour later I had a mandatory bathroom visit.
- Trust your tongue
If something tastes weird or sweet - it is! You don't have to eat it. I ordered a 4 beef patty burger, and it just tasted wrong... upon dissecting it - bread crumbs and onions were at least 50% of the weight.
- Diabetes
If your going to tell people to modify the menu, it helps to just say you have diabetes and can't eat carbohydrates. It's not quite true, but its a useful statement to get people onboard. Google Translate "I have diabetes. I don't want to eat any Carbohydrates. Can I have this dish without the sauce/bread/rice?" worked pretty well!
- Avoid butter
Butter is a carnivore staple, but when your out and about you can't tell if its real butter or a seed oil soup, given how prices are its probably mostly seed oils with emulsifiers. I just skipped all butter I didn't buy myself.
- Temptation!
Temptation is everywhere, especially traveling. Every trigger, every habit, every social pressure will be tested. Try to be well fed before getting to the airport, especially if your just starting out. Food smells have power, street food vendors love to pump out sweet smells - don't be afraid to pop into a convenience store and eat a egg or some cheese to just reduce temptation.
Hotel mini-bars and hotel gifts of sweets in the room... even more temptation! Just be ready for it.
---------
What are your traveling tips?