Japan Keto

Keto in Japan

Keto in Japan is more than possible. It’s easy.

This is true whether you’re a great cook (not me), an average cook (more like me), a completely lazy cook who hates cooking (now we’re talking), or someone who eats out more than they eat in.

This intro is where I’m supposed to tell you “keto is more than just a super low carb diet, it’s also a way to change how your body makes energy, and it has a variety of benefits, blah blah blah…”

I’m going to waste neither your time nor mine by writing about what a ketogenic diet is. It’s pretty well-known by now and there’s a lot of information out there about it to Google. I’m more interested in telling you about my experience with keto in Japan and why I think a keto diet out here in Tokyo is so easy.

So: can you keto in Japan? Yes. Definitely.

No Ramen

Oh, boo-hoo. Ramen is unhealthy in the first place. It’s just noodles and fat. Tell you what. Get the ramen out of your system when you get here. When you’ve had your fill, try keto.

Actually I lied

Ramen is possible with a little effort at home. Really, honestly, very little effort. Which is good, because I am lazy.

Below, you can see I’ve made some. I bought the broth at OK Supermarket and added it to water. I added boiled eggs and some of those meat slices they put in ramen (you can buy those prepackaged here). Finally, I used konjaku noodles instead of those fried yellow curly ones.

This meal was baller

That fish there is saba (mackerel). Mackerel is really cheap in Japan – I think I paid 200 yen for that bad boy.

To cook it you just buy the fillet, baste it with japanese cooking alcohol (it’s a smelly fish, and the alcohol cuts the smell). You let it sit in the alcohol for like 5 minutes, then dry it off, put salt all over it, and put it in the toaster oven for like 12 minutes. Boom.

As for the drink, it’s canned coconut milk, an avocado, and stevia (the only ingredient I had to buy on Amazon). Blend and serve.

Sweet Drinks

There are a lot of sweet drinks available in Japan. This one has no carbs and no sugar.

Look, I don’t know what kind of weird laboratory petri dish artificial sweetener they put in these things, but you can find them everywhere, and they get you through the diet.

But how can you tell? What if you can’t read Japanese kanji?

Just look for this on the nutrition facts:

Carbohydrate = 炭水化物

More Keto Ideas for Japan

Look, nobody’s perfect. I admit I completely mangled the soup in this picture.

But the salad was so easy. Which is good for me, because for the most part, I really can’t be bothered cooking.

You know those prepackaged “salad chicken” packs they sell at the convenience stores? 180 yen. Already flavored. Just slice them up on a bed of leafy green vegetables.

As for the walnuts, there’s a まいばすけっと near my house, but they’re expensive – if I can make the trip to OK Super, I’ll get more bang for my buck.

Combini Keto: Tokyo Style

All that is great if you’re preparing food at home, but what about life on the go?

All the major combinis have something to offer a keto diet, and if you have a bunch in the area around where you work, you can pick out the best.

Here I have two giant bottles of roobios tea (it’s important to hydrate on keto!)

We also have even more giant bottle of jasmine tea from Lawson 100, two hard boiled eggs (literally every brand of combini has these), a bag of walnuts, and a pack of smoked salmon.

Smoked salmon can be a little harder to find. Not every place has it. But keep your eyes open. It’s like a hidden treasure.

Sashimi Keto

Told you I was lazy.

It’s just a pack of sashimi, two hard boiled eggs, avocado, and cream cheese slices.

Don’t ignore your omega 3!

Protip: if supermarket sashimi is expensive, wait until the end of the day when they start putting discounts on everything.

You can actually save a lot of money if you do this every day. I saved 150 yen on this pack of assorted sashimi (350 yen from 450).

Japan has a lot to offer someone who is on a ketogenic diet. Thanks for reading about my experiences with it. I wish you the best of luck with your keto journey.

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