We found that eating a keto diet (low carb) in Thailand is easy.
And after six weeks we left Thailand lighter than we arrived as a result of eating a keto diet.
Background on Our Eating a Keto Diet
When we decided to become digital nomads one of the first things we resolved to do was lose weight so we could travel more comfortably.
To achieve this, we eventually adopted the ketogenic – or keto – way of eating.
We eliminated sugar from our diet and tried to keep our consumption of bad carbs under 20 grams per day (we came to refer to this as our ‘wine allotment’).
We made sure we got plenty of good fats at every meal: MCT or coconut oil in our morning tea (bulletproof tea!), avocado and/or olive oil at lunch and dinner.
Even learned how to stick to a travel keto diet while eating at restaurants nearly every meal.
We are NOT strict keto people – we don’t pee on ketostix to see if we are in ketosis.
We don’t obsess about 20 gross carbs vs. 20 net carbs per day (in other words: we eat vegetables…a LOT). In fact, Lisa often says we are closer to the South Beach Diet than keto.
But I like saying we eat a keto diet because I think South Beach Diet is a stupid name for a way of eating.
And saying ‘Low Carb and Sugar, High Good Fat and vegetables diet,’ while most accurate, is too much of a mouthful.
Anyway, whatever you want to call it, our keto diet worked!
We each lost about 25 pounds before we launched as digital nomads and felt healthier than ever.
Eating a Keto Diet in Thailand
We love Thailand. There is so much to see and do!
But when people think of Thai food generally the first things that come to mind are noodle and rice-based dishes like pad thai and Thai fried rice.
Neither of us had eaten noodles or rice for 8 months before we arrived in Thailand. So we were nervous.
But by the time we left Thailand 6 weeks later we still hadn’t!
We learned that there is SO MUCH MORE to Thai food than noodles and rice.
Especially northern Thai food!
Be sure to check out our 7 Tips and Hacks for Eating at Restaurants on the Keto Diet Anywhere in the World
Keto Diet Thai Food: Chicken Wings
First of all, chicken wings.
Keto diet friendly Thai chicken wings are probably my favorite food in the world.
In my opinion, it should be illegal to put breading or batter on chicken wings.
It turns them from a keto diet superfood into a gooey mess.
And the chicken wings in Thailand are TO DIE FOR!
They are small and crispy but meaty.
Fried in oil with no breading and sauce on the side.
Eating a travel keto diet in Thailand is easy when the wings are this good.
We ate a LOT of these little suckers.
Keto Diet Thai Food: Green Curry…And Red!
In the US when you order a curry you can be pretty certain that the sauce includes a large helping of sugar.
In keto diet parlance it’s called secret or hidden sugar: sugar that you didn’t know you were eating but that makes you fat anyway.
But some reading and research gave us a level of confidence that Thais don’t generally dump sugar into their curry recipes the way American and even Europeans do.
The proof was in the curry.
We tried a few and they don’t have the treacle sweetness that you get in curries in the west – they seem to mostly let the coconut do the sweetening.
And in any case, if there was a little sugar, well, we’re not strict keto diet anyway!
But remember: NO RICE!
And sometimes you have to insist on no rice…but in a very nice way!
Just eat it like soup! It’s better that way anyway.
Keto Diet Thai Food: Stir Fry
Stir fry was also an easy Thai food keto go-to for eating keto in Thailand.
It’s on just about every menu including many street food vendors.
Typically done up in oyster sauce (more secret sugar!) but often just dry or in a soy-based sauce.
Typically Thai stir fry is mostly a plate of vegetables with just a small helping of protein.
We got a lot of sideways looks when we said we didn’t want rice with our stir fry dishes but we stuck to our guns!
Because we didn’t eat the rice we’d often order 3 of these to share between the two of us which worked out nicely and typically made for a $6 US or so lunch.
Keto Thai Food: Grilled Meats
Just like anywhere in the world, eating keto in Thailand involves lots of grilled meat. We found a variety of grilled meats on offer in Thailand.
The most common was meat (chicken, beef, pork) simply grilled on a bar-b-que.
This was done both as street food and also in restaurants. On a stick, on a plate or in a plastic bag, it was all keto-rific pure protein and good fats.
A close second was Korean BBQ.
Korean BBQ is ubiquitous all over Southeast Asia and it’s always a great way to eat keto. Korean BBQ pork belly done up crispy is our favorite.
We also had steaks a couple of times in Thailand.
The quality was just so-so but sometimes you just want a steak and a glass of red wine, am I right!?
Our Favorite Keto Thai Food: Northern Thai Sausage (Sai Ua) and Northern Thai Tomato and Meat Dip (Nam Prik Ong)
Other than chicken wings, for me, there is nothing better than northern Thai sausage. It was my favorite thing to eat in Thailand.
As with most sausages you don’t want to think TOO much about what goes into Sai Ua – although our friends at Authentic Food Quest did more than think about it: they learned how to make it themselves!
But sugar is so low on the list of ingredients of Sai Ua sausage as to be de minimis.
Oh, but the taste! Spicy and tart with a perfect consistency. I ate so much Sai Ua in Thailand. So, so much!
Lisa’s favorite by far is northern Thai Tomato and meat dip.
If Nam Prik Ong contains sugar it likely comes from the tomato sauce.
Again, in Thailand they simply don’t dump sugar into recipes as is done in the Americas and Europe.
And in any case the dip is served with an array of fresh vegetables that usually includes cabbage which is Lisa’s absolute favorite.
We had quite a few nam prik ongs as a side-dish at meals.
Keto Snacks in Thailand
Be sure to check out our post on Keto Travel Snacks
One of the wonderful things about eating keto is that the desire for snacking all but disappears. Since our bodies are burning fat rather than sugar and carbs we aren’t constantly craving more sugar and more empty carbs to burn.
So we typically don’t even think about snacking.
But sometimes we do find we’d like something to nosh on in the evening or with a glass of wine at night.
Luckily in Thailand pork rinds are a go-to snack, and pork rinds are pretty much an awesome keto food: crunchy, low in calories and no sugar or carbs at all.
We tried some street food pork rinds, but the core of them were a bit chewy which we didn’t like. So we mostly stuck with the packaged variety which were available at Tesco Lotus and 7-11.
In addition to the pork rinds, pistachios were readily available as were almonds and other nuts.
We even found dill pickles – another keto superfood – at a couple of larger supermarkets catering to tourists and expats.
Finding keto snacks in Thailand was easy.
But our favorite keto snacks come from Genius Gourmet! They have amazing keto snack chips that travel very well!
The Key to Eating Keto in Thailand
Eating keto in Thailand requires a few simple things:
- Try not to sweat the secret/hidden sugar: when you are not cooking for yourself you are going to end up getting some hidden sugar. Just accept that and be comforted that it’s a LOT less hidden sugar than you would be getting in the US or Europe.
- Keep it simple: grilled meats or stir fry without sauces are always a great keto option no matter where you are in the world.
- Chicken wings! My personal keto go-to and they do them really, really well in Thailand.
The Scale Doesn’t Lie
The serviced apartment where we lived in Chiang Mai called Kantary Hills had a gym with a scale, so let’s put some metrics to eating keto in Thailand!
When we launched as digital nomads in January I weighed 81.74 kilos (180.2 lbs).
After a month in Thailand I weighed 81.6 kilos (179.8 lbs).
When we left Thailand a couple weeks later I weighed 80.8 kilos (178 lbs).
Not only did we successfully maintain our weight eating keto in Thailand, we actually LOST weight!
Lisa actually lost a little more than I did! I am not allowed to share before and after pictures of her. But I AM allowed to tell you that she’s wearing a bikini again for the first time in a long time!
In keto parlance that’s called an NSV: non-scale victory!
Be sure to check out our main Travel Keto Diet page for more keto diet tips and hacks!
Comments 15
Pingback: Restaurants in Da Nang | Ready✓Jet✈Roam☀
Thank you Matt for the info. I’m headed to Bangkok in a few days and was frankly worried that I was going to have trouble staying Keto or as close as possible to it. I’ve been to various parts of Thailand maybe ten or eleven times over the past 20+ years living in somewhat nearby China but never had to do it while on a doctor prescribed diet before.
Don’t think I’ve ever had the misfortune of eating Americanized Thai food, I’ve had Chinatized Thai though and aside from being a bit too bland it was ok. For anyone traveling to Europe I DO NOT recommend the Thai food in Amsterdam!
Most of the restaurants I’ve been to in non-Thai Asia have been run or staffed by Thais and when I cook at home I can buy imported authentic ingredients.
Again, thanks for the info.
It’s our pleasure! We were really nervous about sticking to keto in Thailand. But in the end it was actually pretty easy…even though the wait staff always seemed confused that we didn’t want any rice!
You can read more about our keto story here: https://readyjetroam.com/category/eating-keto-while-traveling/
Thanks for reading, and good luck avoiding carbs in Thailand!!! 🙂
Great article. Having vacationed in Thailand for the past 25 years I can attest that the Thai people are obsessed with sugar. Almost every dish has a teaspoon of sugar. But if you eat food made by a street vendor you can ask that it be let out. All the sauces have sugar even the fish sauce with chili on the table. You just have to be aware. You are correct about US Thai restaurants using way too much sugar. Tom Yum soup is not supposed to be sweet!
Thanks for the kind words, Tim. As you say, a teaspoon of sugar beats the heck out of a cup-full which is what I think we get in the US and western Europe! Great point about getting to watch exactly what street vendors put in a dish too.
Pingback: Eating at Restaurants on a Travel Keto Diet | Ready✓Jet✈Roam☀
Pingback: Breakfast on A Travel Keto Diet | Ready✓Jet✈Roam☀
Pingback: Keto Travel Snacks | Ready✓Jet✈Roam☀
I’m leaving for Thailand this week and I’ve been very nervous about sticking to keto. I feel much better about it now and I can see that there are lots of options for me. Thanks for sharing your information 😊
Emma, we were SO nervous too! Enjoy the chicken wings and grilled meats and never feel bad about saying ‘no rice!’ 🙂
Leaving for Thailand in less than a month (Phuket and Chiang Mai) and I am very nervous about staying on my keto diet. This article has helped me a lot. I wrote down in my phone all the things you suggested and even ordered some of the snacks from Amazon. Wish me luck!!
Jennifer, I guess we’d say good luck, but WE ARE SO JEALOUS! We’ve been in Bulgaria and Malta for the past couple months and miss proper low-sugar green curries so much. But honestly: you’ll be fine. Be strong about saying ‘No rice please’ (even when they ask you three times!) and stick to the simple protein dishes (chicken wings!!!). There is a LOT more to Thai food than noodles and rice!
Pingback: Eating Keto Diet in Bulgaria (Low Carb) - Ready Jet Roam
Apologies if this comment is there twice… I think the Interwebz ate my first try.
Thanks for this post! I stumbled upon it through Google. I live in Bulgaria as a very, veeeeery slow digital nomad (digital settler?) and I just started low carb (or keto-lite, maybe). And my first thought was, “Wait, how will I ever eat in Thailand, though?!” And your post answered this question wonderfully. 🙂
Although I gotta say, I would miss the heck out of the fresh fruit…
Happy trails, and I hope you’re able to travel again soon, if not already!
Pingback: Keto on the Go: Stay Keto While Traveling the World - Learn How