keto diet while on the road/shelf stable ideas

[Queen]

Just saw both Parmesan and cheddar crisps at Walmart, but only in individual snack packs. If the offer them in a bigger box I’ll give them a try.

 

[Doubleone]

Naturally occurring coconut oil has four fat molecules C6, C8, C10, and C12, based on the number of carbon molecules.  Pure C8 is most ideal and that's what I use.  Coconut oils that solidify at room temperature have C12 fats which are harder to digest and may cause stomach upset.  C6 contributes to inflammation but fortunately is only found in small quantities.  Common MCT oils are blends of C8 and C10.

C8 and C10 blend MCT oils from coconut or palm are a key ingredient in Ensure and Muscle Milk beverages.  MCT is also the main fat used in enteral feeding solutions to supplement nutrition in patients experiencing Oral or Pharyngeal dysphagia.  It's often used with elderly or cancer patients to supplement nutrition because its an easily digested fat that gets quickly converted by the liver, bypassing other digestive processes.  Athletes use it to help stimulate metabolism and get lean while preserving muscle mass.  It's really good stuff...

 

[Chris Anne the Mum]

Pure C8 is most ideal and that's what I use.  Coconut oils that solidify at room temperature have C12 fats which are harder to digest and may cause stomach upset.  

Are you saying MTC oil (is that what you mean by pure c8?) won't upset stomach?  I know pure coconut oil does this, but I usually get used to it over time.  I thought MTC oil bothered me, too.  Thanks.

 

[Doubleone]

Are you saying MTC oil (is that what you mean by pure c8?) won't upset stomach?  I know pure coconut oil does this, but I usually get used to it over time.  I thought MTC oil bothered me, too.  Thanks.

They market coconut and or palm oils in the C6 thru C12 range as MCT's (medium chain triglycerides - C6 is caproic acid, C8 is caprylic acid, C10 is capric acid, C12 is lauric acid)  The number refers the number of carbon molecules in the molecular chain. That's what makes it so confusing when someone says to take some MCT oil because unless you read the labels you really don't know what you're getting.   C6 irritates but is only found in trace amounts in whole coconut oil.  The more common (cheaper) MCT oils are actually C8/C10 blends.  To add to the confusion many brands sell a C8/C10 blend and a pure C8 with subtle name differences and near identical packaging.  General caution - Don't use MCT oil if someone has a nut allergy or allergic to coconut.  Too much of any oil too soon can cause stomach upset, you kinda have to build up to it, start slow.  With most people the intestinal flora will adapt to better digest the oils.  Louanne's coconut oil was definitely a 'no-go', highly upsetting and caused stomach cramps, but it seems ok for use in baking.  Louannes coconut oil congeals at room temperature and is about half C12 with smaller amounts of C8 and C10, and a minuscule amount of C6.  Carrington's coconut oil from Wally World was minimally acceptable, stays liquid at room temp, but caused an occasional mild indigestion overfull feeling.  With fractionated C8/C10 blends (Now MCT, Bulletproof XCT, Kiss My Keto MCT) my stomach is ok but I just don't seem to get as much energy from it as pure C8.  Pure C8 oils seem to work the best for me, stomach is just fine, more energy and clarity (Bulletproof Brain Octane, MiCkey T 8, Kiss My Keto C8).  I've tried every brand product listed in this post and currently use the Kiss My Keto C8 brand because it's economically priced pure C8, and it comes in a glass bottle with a pump that makes portioning easier and less messy, 3 pumps equals 1 tablespoon.  https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WRVDLVY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[StarEcho]

Everything I've read says that lauric acid (c12) is the best for you and is a hot commodity. Taken out of pure coconut oil to sell separately and in miniscule amounts if any in MCT oil. Unfortunately none of the labels I've seen specify the percentage of the different fatty acids in solid vs liquid coconut oil vs MCT oil, so I can only go on faith with that I guess. It appears to me that the MCT oil is a case of a product manufactured to make use of what remains after taking the lauric acid out of coconut oil to sell on the market.

I've never had any digestive upset from solid coconut oil, but of course everyone is different so that doesn't mean much.

I guess I'm going to stick with the tried and true original coconut oil.

 

[Doubleone]

^  Choosing MCT oil can be confusing... and there is no one right oil for everyone.  Whole coconut oil is actually very healthy for us, and every MCT component is good for us; however, each fraction has slightly different characteristic and potential use.  Pure C8 is just what I use because it works for my needs and I tolerate it best.  I just can't eat the volume of oil I need if it has too much C12 because it turns my stomach.  But I still use different MCT's for specific reasons.  Pure C6 would not be useful because it has a funky decomposition type odor and taste plus it irritates skin/throat, but if one could get past that it can still be easily digested.  Fortunately, C6 only occurs in small amounts found in whole coconut oil.  When coconut or MCT oil is labeled as odorless/tasteless it generally means it had the C6 removed.   Of the remaining C8/C10/C12 MCT's, C8 converts to ketones/energy the quickest and that's the key benefit.  C8 gives me the most energy boost and is easiest on my stomach, followed second by C8/C10 blend.  Both C8 and C10 help the immune system and have antifungal properties.  C12 is the slowest digesting of the trio but it can withstand much higher heat (cooking), and also has more antimicrobial properties than C8 or C10.  C12 is believed to take up to 100 times longer to digest than C8, so it will tend to give a longer but lower energy burn.  The only down side as I understand with the longer chain C12, it's more likely to enable stored fat.  Since C8 and/or C10 convert very quickly they tend to stimulate metabolism, helping to get into ketosis.  There is a stronger Leptin response with C8 and/or C10; Leptin hormone is responsible for feeling of satiation, so you won't feel hungry.  Less available ketones and lower Leptin means you might crave to eat more to keep energy up.  

So, choosing the right MCT oil for you depends on your nutrition needs and what you're trying to accomplish.  Experiment using the different MCT's and see what works best for you.  Are you looking for a quick burn or slow burn type energy, or somewhere in the middle?  A great all-around MCT is the Carringtons.  If I were on the road and couldn't locate C8, I'd look for C8/C10 blend, followed by the Carringtons (although I'd have to restrict volume with Carringtons because of stomach upset).  Also know that high heat can cause MCT oil to chemically denature into free radicals, which makes it very unhealthy for us (causes oxidative cell damage).  Hence, for baking we use Louannes or Carringtons because the C12 tolerates heat much better.  Also not a good idea to microwave MCT oils for same reasons.   Hope this helps...

 

[Dingfelder]

Just to remind everyone -- MCT oil is incredibly expensive, and may never be necessary. The main thing is to get yourself ketogenic, not to consume MCT oil or any product specifically. It's more about avoiding bad products. That plus time, maybe plus fasting, and you'll be good.

I've gone up and down and back and forth and whatnot into and out of ketosis, and found it easiest to do with intermittent fasting plus a fasting day when my system seems to be stubborn. I've used plain old virgin coconut oil and apple cider vinegar, as well as coffee and tea and plain old table salt to help with electrolytes.

Meanwhile I've picked up some of the more offbeat stuff like potassium salts, almond flower, stevia, etc. Have hardly used them.

The science is truly fascinating, but the keto thing is more about dumping bad habits and taking up good ones. You will get into steady ketosis if you do only that and don't even need to buy a thing. Eat more fats, cut back on as many carbs as you can without dumping non-starchy veggies, and keep protein moderate, and you will be in keto sooner or later by default, because your body won't know what else to do but go after your fats when you stop supplying sugars.

Note: diabetics and some others, it's different, and I wouldn't presume to tell people whose blood sugar or other factors are severely out of balance that they should start taking chances based on what someone on the internet says. But for people with the ordinary problems or no problems at all, keto is more a process of eliminating some bad things, and eating more fat, than adding things in and making your life far more complex. Throw out the starches, eat more fats, take in a tiny amount of extra salt to keep your electrolytes balanced, and you'll be on your way.

Although I do agree that at least a little fasting is by far the quickest way to get into it.

 

[Dingfelder]

Been very steady this week. I think I have the sugar/ketone stability problem thoroughly licked.

 

[RoamerRV428]

great Ding!!

I am holding very near zero carb right now. Love this feeling of being 'so thin' and no water retained for bloat in the body due to no carbs. wonderful way to eat and feel best you can feel!

 

[owl]

There's no place for alcohol in the keto diet, right?

 

[Dingfelder]

I've read a few times that it can hit people on keto harder. I'm really steadily in keto now and drank more than once since starting. Once was wine, and that did feel lousy the next day, but I think at least part of that was because of all the sugar in some white wines. That can throw you right out of keto, and then you may have to weather the keto flu again. God forbid you have an actual hangover at the same time. Or it can knock you into or very close to ketoacidosis, at least as measured on my breath meter.

Another time I had vodka and felt fine the next day. Distilled spirits are generally recommended if you must indulge because they have the fewest carbs and sugar.

Beer is completely out (the English used to call ale "liquid bread") and wine and any sugary drinks are suspect at the very least.

But the shorter answer would have been: it supposedly varies a lot from person to person and depending on what you're drinking.

 

[RoamerRV428]

I drink when wanted. Being older I drink way less now but I do hard liquor only. Sometimes I do it with 'crap' mixer like diet pepsi. shot of rum or sometimes rum and diet pepsi. And yea, very low carbs it does feel I get buzzed very fast vs. the old days when I ate carbs to help soak up the liquor LOL Also I have to drink a lot more water when I drink any alcohol cause I dehydrate very fast.

but yea I still drink when wanted.

 

[bandaidqueen]

Moon cheese is delicious! It's one of my favorite keto snacks. It's freeze dried cheese. A little expensive, but cheaper (and better!) than Wisps.

 

[Dingfelder]

Down 25 pounds since not really all that close to the beginning of this year. Keep it up, folks. It works.

 

[RoamerRV428]

CONGRATS Ding!!! very good results. bet you feel a lot better! Cool!!

 

[cherterr]

Can anyone recommend a brand of stevia?

YES!  The ONLY one without Dextrose.. (I know, right..grr) is NOW brand.  The same NOW as essential oils at some grocery stores and health food stores.  I used KAL for YEARS without realizing it contained Dextrose.  (That WOULD explain why it was cheaper)

I have a large milar bag FULL of green organic Stevia powder.  You can make your own with it.  Put some in a container, add water, then wait.  It is a little gross looking cause it's Green!  But not too bad. I've never been much on liquid Stevia.

So..there ya go.  Hope that helps.  FYI:  I've been using Stevia since?? 1994.  (Heard about it from good old Richard Simmons!)

 

[GraceinMotion]

Be aware of how stevia is processed. Many are now claiming it involves  toxic procedure. Some people grow their own stevia. I recently discovered "Just Like Sugar" made from chicory root and it satisfies my need for a bit of sweetness.

 

[hausmutti]

Can anyone recommend a brand of stevia?

I've used the Vitacost brand liquid for years, mostly in my homemade chai.  They often have either buy one get one half price sales or 20% off coupons and free shipping with $49 or $25 vitacost items.

 

[tittiger]

Glad to see that someone is thinking along these lines.  I try and keep my body in nutritional ketosis much of the time.
It's best for most people's metabolism to come out of ketosis every now and then according to the people that I follow. (Ben Greenfield, Dr. Mercola, Dr Daniel Pompa)

There is  this  great app that you might want to put on your phone for tracking the macronutrients that you are consuming:
https://cronometer.com/   Unfortunately "tracking" is just about the only way other than fasting that I can stay in ketosis.

The biggest challenge for me on the road will be to consume high quality, nutrient dense, whole foods (i.e. a Weston A Price Diet)
as the means to put my body into ketosis.  To eat garbage (perhaps out of necessity)  is easy on the road.  I did it for years.

I am thinking of perhaps a 30 day meal plan in cronometer and then make a run to COSTCO and see what a 30 day supply of everything
except the last 2 weeks of vegetables looks like.  Sprouting and microgreens might be something to think about.   I make kefir daily at home from fresh milk from my neighbors cow. Some things might have to go unfortunately.

Even harder yet I want to plan this out for long distance hiking.   I may look at a freeze dryer someday as I do some small scale farming.

A step at a time.  I keep telling myself.  I have learned how to do this at home over the past 5 years. Now I have to figure out how to make it portable. 
Thanks again for this captivating (to me at least ) topic.

 

[RoamerRV428]

not hungry this morning but hubby found an all you can eat breakfast for $5 at Beaver Dam Bar....yea on vacay the locals tell ya the best cheap places to hit. hope it is good. eggs, sausage, bacon is my breakfast and hubby will hit the carbs. I won't touch them.

wish me luck....$5 food sounds scary to me but we shall see