The thought of traveling while following your medical ketogenic diet can be stressful. Planning in advance can help and you can then relax and look forward to your trip!
1) Eat before you start your trip:
At home you have control of what you can choose to eat to stay on your medical ketogenic diet. Eating a meal before you go on a trip can help you feel full, and may give you some time to find a keto friendly option while traveling.
2) Plan what and where you will eat in advance:
Careful planning and packing of foods ahead of time can help you avoid stress. Find out what foods are available where you will be staying and in the immediate area. Is there a restaurant? Is there anything on the menu that fits into your diet? Is there a chef who is willing and able to meet the requirements of your or your child's diet? Are you staying somewhere with kitchen facilities you can use to prepare meals?
It can also be helpful to check out the local supermarkets, convenience stores and restaurants to see what they have. Sometimes eating outside of where you are staying gives you more choice, and smaller family restaurants may more willing to change their menu to meet your needs - especially if contacted before your trip.
3) Remember to pack keto friendly snacks:
Packing keto-friendly snacks and formula can be a life saver in case you find yourself stranded/delayed and unable to find foods that fit into your diet.
Such snacks can also be very useful for when you get hungry on long day trips where there are fewer food options available.
You should try to pack snacks that are easy to carry and do not need to be refrigerated. Ideas include: vegetables, nuts, and nut butters. If you have a cooler bag and some ice packs, you could take snacks such as meats and cheese sticks. It could also be useful to pack a medical food such as ready-to-drink K·Flo™, which can be resealed.
4) Travel letter from your medical team:
Ask your medical keto team to provide you with a letter describing your or your child's diet and how important it is to follow it. This letter should be signed by a healthcare provider. This could be very helpful for airports as well as when visiting places like theaters and amusement parks.
5) Ensure you have a way to contact your medical team while traveling:
Before leaving for your trip, make sure you take your medical team contact information. This is important in the event of an emergency as well as for communicating ketone and blood glucose levels. Also, research the emergency services number of your travel destination; hopefully this will not be needed.
