I have been on the Ketogenic diet since 2022 and in the months since I started Keto,
Spicy Keto Fish Curry
some I've met have asked me why I chose Keto; what problems I faced, and what the solutions were. So I finally decided to share it in this article.
If you have had the opportunity to live in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) for a while, then you probably know that we don’t get much of the food you are used to. And if you are on the standard American Keto diet, we have even less. The reasons…
As a tropical country, some Keto-approved vegetables, and most berries don’t grow in our climate. Those that do are often picked when they are not ready for picking.
Free-range and grass-fed are not words our farmers have heard.
Organic is not a word that means what it should mean and is often extremely expensive. The definition of Organic in Sri Lanka is “nature identical”.
Processing is king! Fresh milk is UHT, and cream, yogurt, and cheese are processed without natural cultures.
Keto supplements (nutritional yeast, etc.) are not available, and buying them online is expensive, IF the brands ship them to Sri Lanka.
In a tropical country, the heat and humidity can reach record highs affecting electrolyte and energy levels.
These being some of the problems, that affected me, the Standard Keto diet when followed in Sri Lanka can be summarized in one word...Starvation!
In finding a way to live with Rheumatoid Arthritis and choosing Keto as an alternative to painkillers and anti-inflammatories, I had to find a way around these problems.
So I came up with the Sri Lankan Keto Diet.
The Standard Ketogenic Diet… Sri Lankan Style.
With the newest updates to the standard Keto diet, I am happy to know that this Sri Lankan Ketogenic diet of mine is a step in the right direction.
My 9-Step Ketogenic Meal Plan
1. Research. In all we choose to do, research is important and this time was no exception! I am still researching and plan to keep at it as new discoveries emerge.
I started researching every vegetable on and off the Keto list. As it turns out there are so many vegetables not on the Keto food list that fit the criteria of Keto.
I looked at the glycemic index conversion of every vegetable, leaf, berry, fruit, and nut, and I started reading ingredient labels and nutrition charts. I researched the nutritional benefits of all so I could see the pros and cons of each.
I then set about planning my Keto diet.
2. Stay with what is available and add fat, but not too much.
Though a lot of the Protein on the standard Keto food list is available it's not organic, grass-fed, or free-range. I decided to go with “what is” instead of what “it needs to be”...
Vegetables are just vegetables, not the organic kind. Eggs are just eggs, not the free-range kind and so are the chicken, beef, pork, and bacon etc.
Fish and seafood are always wild-caught in Sri Lanka.
3. Leave out all types of processed food. That included cheese, yogurt, sausages, etc. If I couldn’t make it myself, I did without it, with one exception...
I chose pot curd, which, in my country, is made the old way with curd culture, and stored in a warm place to ferment and I befriended the peanut.
4. Add the greens, cruciferous veg, and other dark green leaves that were not on the list of Keto foods.
In Ceylon, we have many dark greens that are native to our country and culture that are not on the standard Keto list of foods.
To name just one example... Kangkung (water spinach); is low in carbs and rich in antioxidants and minerals.
Just 100 g of Kangkung provides 55 mg (92%) of the daily required values of vitamin C and 6300 IU of the daily recommended dose of vitamin A, essential for mucosal integrity, hair and skin health, and good vision. It also works as an anti-cancer, anti-aging factor at the cellular level.
5. Stick with the supplements that I was already on and add spice.
Supplements like vitamins B1, 6, and 12; D3, and fish oil, which are available in Sri Lanka and adding spices like cinnamon, garlic, ginger, chilies, coriander, oregano, thyme, and others, packed with vitamins and minerals; instead of the unavailable condiments meant I could cook and consume tasty, spicy food that was full of anti-oxidizing goodness.
6. Electrolytes! I added Himalayan pink salt and lemon to my daily water intake. The salt replaces the electrolytes and the lemon improves kidney function.
Another enjoyable alternative we get is coconut water... 100% natural, with no added sugar or preservatives and flavors, straight off the coconut!
It provides electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) when I really need them and carbohydrates to help improve muscle function, especially after a heat-related fainting spell.
Though it contains naturally occurring sugar, I consider it a small price to pay and the interesting thing is it doesn’t spike much insulin when added to a meal in small quantities. (tested).
7. Increase my carbohydrate intake from 20g to 50g.
In changing some carbs I allow a little more dark green vegetable carbohydrates every day and minute amounts of other vegetables or whole grain carbs on the weekends.
It also allowed me to have a very small portion of some seasonal vegetables that I enjoy, which are superfoods and high in nutritional value that are not Keto because they are high in carbs. It's my once-a-week treat to myself.
8. Implement and stay on intermittent and prolonged fasting.
Because of having to incorporate these food fixes, I take intermittent and prolonged fasting very seriously. It has become part of my life routine. If I don’t I doubt I would be inflammation and pain-free and keeping the weight off.
In the case of auto-immune disease, fasting is non-negotiable. But I varied my fasts; 12 hours one day, 18 hours the next; 24 hours one time, then 46 hours the next.
This gives my body the added opportunity to continue detoxing regularly. In this regard, exercising self-control played a big part.
These eight steps focus more on healthy, low-carb food.
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| Fresh Spice adds taste and nutrition. |
If you are pairing Keto with fasting, no doubt you’ve seen the benefits by now. Most of us do Keto for weight loss and though this is not the program for me, I did lose weight as well as get my autoimmune disease and all its friends under control.
However, I noticed a few things while on the standard Keto that I wish to mention now.
I stopped losing weight. Fourteen weeks in and my metabolism slowed down.
I started having RA flare-ups when the weather changed.
“You can gain weight while on Keto and fasting.” I was told by someone who gave up on Keto because she gained weight.
Thankfully with all the new research and updates to the Ketogenic diet since 2022 these issues were addressed and I added another step to my plan.
STEP 9. When your metabolism slows down or you stop losing weight find ways to keep it going that work for you.
Tweak your meal plan, add or subtract a few carbs, increase your time on intermittent fasting, or treat yourself to a cheat day followed by a prolonged fast of 40+ hours. This should awaken your lazy metabolism.
In Conclusion
To those who are finding the same limitations that I did, the standard American Ketogenic diet is definitely a great starter diet; whether it’s to lose weight or heal a disease more serious.
Most Keto doctors would not agree with this. However, there are pros and cons to every diet and Keto is no exception. What I have learned is that "no diet is fool-proof and no one diet fits everyone."
What I wanted was an alternative treatment that kept RA under control and allowed me to live a healthy life. This diet has done that for me.
Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts. Has this article helped you? Do you have any tips that I didn't think of that worked for you?
In my next article, I will share the discoveries that told me I was going in the right direction. It is by someone who knows much about this than I do and his video really taught me a lot. If you are a reader like I am I hope you decide to stay.
Until then... Stay Healthy!
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