Keto Philippines, can you do it and how easy is it? OK, so the veto diet is a bit of a phenomenon, I meat any diet that says eat meat is going t gain followers. Of course you lose bread, sugar and potatoes, but hey there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Essentially kept can be achieved everywhere, but can you do keto easily in the Philippines? The good is that you can, and I proved it!
So, if you’re reading this i’m gonna just assume you know the rules to keto.
Does the Filipino diet suit keto?
If you’re eating a strictly Filipino diet it is not all that keto friendly, Filipinos eat a hell of a lot of rice and vegeatbles, so this is one of the big hurdles. When it comes to drinks, it is also pretty much beer, or a whole heap of sugary pops, such as the wonderful Sarsi!
To read about Sarsi click here
There is though a heavy meat scene, particularly when it comes to street foods. Also due to the American influence there are now a number of sugar free options, both for soft drinks, and even alcoholic ones. Not to mention San Miguel Light, which whilst not exactly keto friendly is at least better than a full fat beer.
To read about doing keto in Cambodia click here.
Keto for breakfast in the Philippines
I am a huge fan of a Filipino breakfast, there are a good few examples, but it it is a bit of a fusion between Asian, and American breakfast. Fried egg is always part of it, usually accompanied by a sausage, such as longanista, corned beef, fish, or other meats. They also come with garlic rice, obviously you don’t do the rice. Breakfast usually comes with the choice of the various meats with the egg and rice, so again remove the rice and double up on meat to get you through the day.
Keto Philippines – street food
The Philippines hardly wins awards for its cuisine, but much like Cambodia the cuisine of the Philippines is seriously underrated. Filipino street food is extremely good, and once the sun goes down you can smell them BBQ’ing up a storm. There are tons of great street meats in the Philippines, as well as whole chickens, or even whole pigs! For the meat lover the Philippines is great, so yes you will get your keto meat fix in the Philippines.
Even balut, one of the most controversial delicacies from the country is kept friendly.
To read about balut click here .
Keto cuisine in the Philippines
There are a lot of truly great Filipino dishes that will fit into a keto diet, many of them some of the most famous dishes from the country
Suckling pig – This is a big deal and amazing! You basically spit-roast a pig and then eat it. It is known as lichen and can of course be purchased in smaller portions, rather than having to buy a whole pig. Stick to the meat and avoid the obligatory rice.
Check out the Palawan Island Hopping Tour , where we always have a pig roast!
Sizzling Sisig – an absolute must regardless of diet. You will see this one sold everywhere from street food, to fine dining, but also in bars. Bits of meat (offal) on a sizzling plate with a fried egg thrown in for good measure. Not 100% keto friendly, but close enough to go with a light beer!
Kinilaw – My favorite dish from the country! It is essentially a local version of ceviche. Which means not only delicious, but very keto friendly! Tamilok is also keto Philippines friendly. It is also terrible.
Keto Philippines – Fast Food
Due to the American influence fast food is very much a thing here, everything from McDonalds even down to Wendy’s! Oh and course Jolibee. None of these are kept friendly, but hey I have previously gone into Burger King in Angeles and simply eaten the burger without the bum.
To read about which countries have McDonalds click here .
And no, Jolibee Spaghetti is not keto friendly.
Korean Food in the Philippines
Korean food is a huge dal in the Philippines, Angeles City having one of the biggest Korea towns in the world. Lots of Korean BBQ, so very kept friendly! Avoid the noodles obviously….
To read about Koreatown click here
What are Filipino supermarkets like?
Now I live in Cambodia I truly miss Filipino supermarkets! They are amazing and have absolutely everything. Huge selections of the holy grail – cheese!!!! We do like cheese on keto.
Keto drinks in the Philippines
This where things do get a bit harder. When it comes to booze most people drink beer, Tanduay Rum, or Emperador Brandy. None of these are at all keto friendly. Even if you drop the mixers, it is still a sugar fest. There is a San Miguel light beer though.
To read about Tanduay click here .
To read about Emperador click here .
Then there’s Tanduay Ice, the local girly alcopop, they now have a sugar free variety, which is passable, if not good. Soju is EVERYWHERE (thank David Icke). Soju isn’t that kept friendly, but for bang for your buzz, is a better choice than beer.
They also make their own vodka, which whilst not great is cheap. The best kept drink is vodka and soda.
Keto Philippines the soft-drink scene!
This is a bit more like it! They have lots of soda water, soda water is our best friend. Drop in some calamansi and you have a palatable drink. There is also a huge flavored water scene now, BUT fully sugar free. I drank this by the bucketload when I was living in the Philippines audit was truly my kept saviour. Not that readily available in your average sari-sari store, but very much there in 7/11 and at the supermarkets.
And that is the Keto Philippines scene! Not only doable, but relatively easy. Providing that you have the discipline of course. But, as they say everything in moderation, especially moderation
