How-To go Keto in Singapore

Exploring the viability of going on a Ketogenic diet in a local context. Here’s a How-To on going Keto in our home, Singapore.

The Keto diet demands sacrificing carbohydrates like pasta or grains, a demanding task for many (PHOTO: WAYNE AW)

Clear skin, weight loss, enhanced energy levels. These are just some of the many benefits that a Ketogenic diet promises.

According to HealthLine, the Ketogenic diet, or Keto diet for short, is a low-carb, high-fat diet that boasts of many health benefits. The diet enables your body to produce ketones, hence the name, Keto. These ketones can be used by your body for energy in place of carbohydrates, allowing your body to lose fat and weight at an incredible rate.

Jessie Heng, 38, said that weight loss was the reason why she turned to keto dieting, “I think going Keto is a good way to lose weight. I lost a considerable amount of weight because of Keto. After the weight loss, I felt more energetic and everything went uphill from there".

When asked specifically how much weight she had lost, Ms Heng merely chucked and said: “I’m sorry but that’s a secret I cannot tell! But trust me when I said I lost a fair bit of weight.”

Although the Ketogenic diet offers a great boost in health and wellness, the diet itself poses as a great challenge, especially to Singaporeans. Refraining from carbohydrates in an Asian society is no easy feat.

Nutritionist Poh Jing Jiang, 30, said, “an overlooked concept is that geographical location can determine diet. In Asia, statistics show that we consume mainly grain and starch. And for a Keto diet, that makes it so much harder for us to comply by the diet.”

With so many hurdles and challenges to overcome, how can one go on a Keto diet and reap its many benefits?

I asked celebrity and Keto advocate, Silver Ang, 30, about going Keto in Singapore. She said, “with some organizing of your daily timetable and some dedication to the diet, the Keto diet is more than viable in Singapore”.

She continued, “we Singaporeans do have quite a hectic day to day schedule. However, I can assure you that going Keto does not always involve extensive meal preparations. Knowing what you can eat on a Keto diet and what you can’t eat will really help you!”

With that being said, here are some tips on going Keto in Singapore.

Schedule time to prepare your own meals.

As Singaporeans, we are exposed to a multitude of exquisite dishes at hawker centres or coffee shops. However, most meals are high in carbohydrates. Therefore, the best way to circumvent this is by preparing your own Keto friendly meals. A simple search online will yield many Keto recipes.

There are quick and simple recipes such as broccoli slaw or salads, and complicated and extravagant dishes like Keto tomato feta soup and lemon butter fish. Take your pick according to the preparation time you have available. Some dishes take as little as 15 minutes to prepare.

A home-made Keto meal, consisting of tomatoes, peppers, asparagus, mushrooms and a medium-rare steak (PHOTO: WAYNE AW)

Fortunately, not all local dishes are exempt from the list of Keto foods. For breakfast you can enjoy a piping hot bowl of soy bean curd. For lunch or dinner, don’t worry about tucking into some Assam curry fish or grilled salted egg chicken. Recipes for Keto versions of local dishes can be foundi online too. One such recipe is the fascinating Hainanese chicken cauliflower rice. Knowing what foods are Keto friendly will help you with your diet, in the long run, when you simply don’t have time for meal preps.

Combining exercise with a Keto diet can yield some amazing results.

According to diabetes.co.uk, the weight loss and insulin resistance that a Keto diet provides can be greatly accelerated with a proper exercise regime. Workouts that go great with a Keto diet include swimming, jogging, cycling or other low-intensity cardio workouts.

The Keto diet promises great benefits but also requires great sacrifice. One must refrain from eating carbohydrates, which means saying goodbye to rice, noodles and bread.

In Singapore, the Keto diet seems even more insurmountable, given that we mostly eat grains and starch. However, with prescheduling of meal prep times and knowledge on Keto friendly foods, any Singaporean can go on a Keto diet and come out a fitter, healthier person.