7 Reasons Why Being Fat-Adapted Makes You a Better Traveler

This article is not medical advice.

You are probably familiar with the Paleo-diet, eating “Keto” or other soundbites related to the low-carb lifestyle. Often, such conversations focus on weight-loss and chronic health conditions. Here at InnerNational Travel, however, we would like to highlight the convenience of being “fat-adapted” while on vacation, at an airport or otherwise, on the road.

If you are unacquainted with the science surrounding “ketosis”, you may want to visit our What is Ketosis article or browse through our recommendations at the bottom. Unlike other trendy diets, this one is the only one you can verify whether you’re doing it correctly or not —by measuring the presence of “ketones” in the blood, breath, or urine. In other words, it is grounded in the science of peer-reviewed journals, and the diet can be uniquely tailored to your body. The final goal is to provide your body with the ability to digest high-quality fats as fuel, rather than exclusively running your “engine” on sugar (glucose). Converting from a petroleum-fueled engine to an electric Tesla, so to speak, is the meaning of what it means to be “fat-adapted” (or “keto-adapted”). The process requires at least 4-6 weeks strictly doing the diet (possibly a few months), though the results are seemingly permanent. With all of its benefits, it is definitely a worthy investment!

At first, the learning curve may be steep. After all, it takes time to remember which foods will help —and which ones will hinder. It will also likely require that you dramatically adjust your eating habits. Once your body is “fat-adapted”, however, knowing how to use the diet will be an enormous asset when traveling. Furthermore, the more fat-adapted you are, the easier it is to transition between “fuels” —and even “cheat” a little.

Tex-Mex salad with guacamole

Ketosis vs Fat-Adaption

To clarify, when using “ketones” in your diet as your primary fuel source, you are “in ketosis”. The degree to which your body is capable of entering (and maintaining) this state of ketosis, determines how “fat-adapted” you are. In other words, being in ketosis is the first step towards being fat-adapted.

Rather than saying goodbye to the world’s delicious, sugar-coated foods, I present this approach as a two-step process. After “taking a break” from some foods (while embracing other new foods), the second “step”, which will hopefully last a lifetime, is managing your diet so you can experience all the foods you will encounter on your travels.

The ketogenic diet is not a religion: it’s simply a matter of adapting. Don’t be a Dodo bird.

Reason #1 to be Fat-Adapted: It will drastically delay hunger

It may sound too good, but it’s true! Being in ketosis can carry you over surprisingly long stretches of time without feeling hungry, whatsoever. In my opinion, this reason alone is good enough. Before being fat-adapted, I was one of those people always snacking and anticipating my next meal. As a bonafide “CARBivore”, my day literally consisted of breakfast cereals, sandwiches, and pasta. I wasn’t just dabbling in a high-carb lifestyle —I was living it. As a result, I routinely felt as if I were about to die of starvation every 3-4 hours.

While travelling, there are always unexpected circumstances in which you simply can’t eat. Perhaps you will have an unusually long bus-ride, get temporarily low on cash, or arrive at an airport shortly after shops close, while the time-zone in your stomach tells you it is lunchtime (and you already skipped breakfast!).

If you are fat-adapted, such scenarios rarely feel like emergencies. If your body has been trained to enter ketosis, it will take the cue and relax. In the big picture, the ability to use ketones will make you metabolically flexible, meaning, you can simultaneously access two fuel sources rather than just glucose (sugar). In terms of hunger, even a small bag of nuts (or avocado) will satisfy you for several hours, as such foods are rich in the healthy fats your body can learn to use more effectively. That said, the same travel-hack won’t apply with bananas, granola bars, etc. For a list of other similar foods, refer to our What is Ketosis article.

What you need to know: Skinny people can be “fat-adapted”, too. The calories in fats are significantly denser than those in carbohydrates and proteins, so being fat-adapted has nothing to do with being “slim” or obese. Nora Gedgaudas, a well-respected researcher and author, describes the difference between carbohydrates and fats as the difference between using gasoline (or kindling), as fuel, versus the burning of heavy logs.

Furthermore, whereas a typical person is limited to storing (and safely accessing) 2,000 “emergency” calories, regardless of body-size, fat-adapted individuals can draw upon 20,000 calories in their body! That is literally 10,000% more “emergency” energy!

*reference: http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/starvation-mode-myth/

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/act.2018.29154.sph

Reason #2 to be Fat-Adapted: You will be in a better mood

On vacation, nobody likes a “downer”. That said, it just takes a little know-how to avoid the occasional bad mood, from hours of walking around, getting lost, unaccustomed climate, or personal issues that may arise with your travel companions. Fortunately, these bad moods are more often than not, the chemical results of your diet.

For example, even if you insist that breakfast be your daily “keto” meal, you will likely notice a significant difference in your mood throughout the day. A low-carb, high (healthy) fat breakfast will extend your natural state of ketosis, from the lack of eating while you sleep. Disrupting that cycle, and beginning the day with fruit and toast, accounts for the reason that most people are more vulnerable to the mental/emotional roller-coaster of sugar levels in the morning. By starting your day with an avocado, eggs’n bacon, an oily salad, or even a steak, your brain will be given all the nutrients it needs to tackle the day —and the onslaught of sugary tourist-foods that inevitably eat later!

What you need to know: As you may suspect, this lifestyle requires some basic planning. If you like sugar and milk in your morning coffee, for instance, make sure you have the appropriate substitutes (stevia, xylitol, coconut milk, heavy fat cream, etc.). Also, be aware that things like salad dressing and condiments are loaded with sugar. You may want to carry a lemon around, or create your own salad dressing, beforehand.

Furthermore, if you plan on remaining in ketosis (beyond morning time), you need to consume much more electrolytes, such as magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Therefore, plan to eat dark chocolate, avocados, and a TABLESPOON of natural salt, every day.

Reason #3 to be Fat-Adapted: Being fat-adapted refines your tastebuds

Learning how to enjoy unfamiliar foods is another big benefit of being fat-adapted. After all, there aren’t always going to be familiar restaurants. Besides, why buy an airplane-ticket only to stay in your comfort zone?!

Before being fat-adapted, my taste buds were like well-trained Basset Hounds, always drilled to expect the subtle (and not so subtle) nuances of sugars and carbohydrates. I was a victim of the “standard American diet” (the S.A.D. diet). It took me months to get excited about salads or eating steak without ketchup. If a food didn’t punch-me-on-the-tongue, I would immediately lose interest. I was literally addicted to the opiate-like effects of gluten, as well as the fight-or-flight chemical response of insulin-spikes.

In terms of your personal palette, adjusting to ketogenic foods changes everything, including the way certain foods “feel”. It will also affect the variety, quantity, and overall health of the bacteria species living in your gut —which directly affects your brain chemistry.

With all of that in mind (pun intended), I have come to believe that food preferences are not genetic. An item that is not your “cup of tea”, for instance, may symbolize something your family didn’t consume regularly or perhaps cook properly. After getting fat-adapted, there are so many foods I adore I used to detest, like olives and seafood. After exploring so many new sensations of taste, I count myself lucky! I have become much less finicky.

Broadening my sense of taste has also extended to both keto and non-keto foods. In Taiwan, for example, I found myself enjoying durians (and even tolerating “stinky tofu”). Furthermore, I wouldn’t have eaten nato in Japan, nor scorpions in Thailand had I not been used to introducing new foods. Ultimately, eating strange things is part of traveling. Sometimes eating cultural foods is socially expected.

Nowadays, I still love pasta. In fact, I think I enjoy sugar and carb-foods even more. I regard it as the difference between a social drinker, genuinely enjoying a cocktail, versus the joyless compulsion of someone who shouldn’t drink one. It’s the difference between eating, drinking, and being merry —versus being S.A.D.

Avocado egg parmesan cheese

Reason #4 to be Fat-Adapted: It is economically wise

When you are relieved from the constant shackles of hunger, as elaborated in Reason #2, those who are fat-adapted often report that they generally eat less often. When I typically begin my day with a keto-breakfast, for example, I often coast well until the late afternoon before I even begin anticipating my next meal. Even then, my decision to eat is not planned out of urgency. On the road, it’s also been nice not needing to carry snacks with me everywhere I go.

Furthermore, as previously mentioned, a fat-adapted body can utilize more energy from foods. In other words, you get more for your money. This reason is especially convenient if you traveling on a limited budget.

Fish ginger soup.

Reason #5 to be Fat-Adapted: It may minimize illness or food-poisoning

Though I don’t intend to claim that being fat-adapted can prevent illness or food-poisoning, health is a numbers game: every little bit counts. Being in ketosis relieves the body from tremendous stresses, resulting from inflammation, which I regard as the metabolic “fire” within oneself. Though inflammation is necessary for tasks such as fighting infections, if you have too much inflammation, or have chronic inflammation, it is comparable to fanning an unmanageable forest fire. Sleep-deprivation, foreign viruses and harmful bacteria all increase inflammation, as well as using sugar as a fuel source —compared to using ketones. Obviously, everyone has a limited capacity to manage those forest fires.

Why not reserve that capacity to eat a croissant in Paris?

Reason #6 to be Fat-Adapted: Jet-lag

Since following this protocol, I have also noticed drastic differences in how I respond to jet-lag. I attribute this to the idea that jet-lag is also produced by a host of other factors, rather than only the change of time-zone. The recycled-air in airplanes, as well as atmospheric radiation, including the tendency to get dehydrated all likely contribute to jet-lag. Therefore, minimizing inflammation is, again, an effective strategy.

That said, it is also frequently reported that being in ketosis reduces the hours one needs to sleep and feel refreshed. I am also investigating the claim that being in ketosis may mitigate the effects of altitude sickness, which is particularly pertinent if going to a place of high altitude. It also deserves mention that, due to the general reduction of inflammation in your body, being in ketosis can drastically reduce your “recovery” time after —whether you have been hiking, or engaged in other physically intensive tourist activities.

Reason #7 to be Fat-Adapted: You can eat junk-food on your vacation, guilt-free

This is the best reason. As a personal rule, I always devote a few weeks to being in ketosis before taking a trip. After all, it is basically guaranteed that I will drink plenty more alcohol, eat whatever is placed before me, sleep sporadically, and otherwise live an unhealthy existence. Also, like Reason #3, I always intend to try new, cultural cuisines, refreshments, and sweet edibles that each new locale has to offer. With those things in mind, why not do a little “sugar-detox”, beforehand? The only other alternatives, as far as I see, are to feel bloated, fatigued or, God forbid, sick (or food poisoned) during precious vacation time.

As a word of caution, the benefits of eating keto can be significantly undermined if you are not physically active, or prone to overeat —even “keto foods”. Bear in mind, also, that while eating fewer carbohydrates, and including more healthy fats in one’s diet, is proper advice for virtually everyone, everyone’s body is unique.

In any case, it is imperative to feel awesome on your vacation! We encourage you to consider these thoughts and integrate them in your travel itinerary and your day-to-day meandering. Be well.

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