Can you eat low carb on a cruise? YES! Here are 5 tips to help you navigate the food options on a cruise!
If you're new to low carb eating and taking a vacation, it can certainly feel overwhelming wondering if you can really pull it off successfully. I've tackled the cruise ship and won! You most certainly can enjoy yourself without blowing your low carb diet! Here are my tips and tricks to have a wonderful time while staying the course of your sugar free, low carb life style!
Tip #1 Avoid the Buffet, eat in the Dining Room
I know this is a tough one to swallow because you're on vacation and most likely traveling with others. BUT if you are like me and have a really hard time with portion control, the buffets will be torture.
It was so extremely hard for me to eat a small amount for breakfast when everyone had an enormous amount of food on their plate. Typically at home I don't even eat breakfast. But if you can handle it there are plenty of options, like eggs, poached, fried, hard boiled and a ton of meat options like bacon, sausage, ham. Obviously you see from this plate, way too much food!
When in doubt I always choose a salad.
Tip #2 Ask for what you DON'T Want on your plate
Every meal in the dining room consisted of some starchy type side. I simply asked at dinner for them to remove the potato or pasta or rice and replace with more vegetables. It worked fine, they had no issues doing that for me. I added butter to most things and was completely satisfied.
Tip #3 AVOID the Sugary Drinks, except......
Whether you enjoy alcohol or not, many of the fruity drinks are loaded with simple syrup and sugar bases. I avoided them like the plague as much as I was tempted to try a Pina Colada I avoided it. Why? Because I know for me, once the taste of sugar hits my lips, I'm never satisfied and always crave another and the next day and so on. It's a cycle I don't want to ever repeat. If you do want some alcohol I chose vodka with Sprite Zero. Low Carb and didn't make me crave.
Tip #4 AVOID Sugar Free Desserts, unless......
I found most of the sugar free desserts were still heavy on white flour as a base, things like cake and pie, etc. The only sugar free dessert I felt comfortable indulging in was the custard and mousse type recipes. Most likely they were using artificial sweeteners to sweeten these but when you don't want to feel deprived during the vacation a few desserts like that are fine in my book.
I'd rather fit into some pretty vacation clothes and forgo dessert! This pretty dress was picked out from my stylist from Stitchfix and it was so comfortable! Below are the caribbean colored pants and those were comfy too!
Tip #5 RELAX and ACCEPT
Obviously, eating away from home will increase the amount of food you typically eat in a day. This is normal, you just can't control everything. Some days you may eat a lot more than normal, but remember it is a vacation and you don't have to cook or clean up so BONUS! Just do the best you can. You may certainly gain a few pounds, which mostly will be water weight. But you know how to do this. You know to get back on track and you most certainly will lose those extra few pounds within 1-2 weeks of getting strict again.
Best thing not only for your body, but for your mental health, exercise! Take a walk on the track or around the cruise floors.
Check out the fitness center, take the stairs not the elevator and just get as much fresh air as possible, it does the body good!
Try a new food you've never had before! This is Burrata and it's a cheese kind of like mozzarella but a little bit looser in texture, less formed and it is fantastic!
Wake up early for the sunrise and breath the fresh ocean air!
Do something you've never done before! I went on a tubing excursion! I was so scared, but it ended up being wonderful to share these memories with my family!
I had hoped to not gain any weight while on this trip, but sadly I gained 4 pounds. It wasn't that I ate anything I shouldn't but I just ate more than my body needs. In the first week home I lost 3 pounds and the second week home I was back to what I was when we had left for the trip. I don't regret a minute of it, it was a wonderful vacation to remember with my family!
Hope my experience will help you feel more confident when it comes to low carb eating while on vacation! It's not always easy but it is doable and you can do it when you set your mind to it!
Naoyuki
I'm not sure if the buffet situation has returned to normal since 2020, but I have to strongly disagree with the advice #1. As long as you know what to choose, buffet option for breakfast/lunch/dinner could be a good way to reduce your carb intake. There's no reason to believe that we are "bound" to overindulge on a buffet. If one has that problem, lack of self-control is the problem, not the buffet.
Anita Harris
I am off on a cruise in the Caribbean in 2 weeks ( 28th Feb 2019) and sent a list to Fred Olsen Customer services of foods I cannot eat. The executive chef has asked me to forward some of my favourite recipes. They also arrange for everyone with special diets, to have a group meeting with the executive chef on the first morning of the cruise.
Saga last year also made every effort to make me some treats within my plan. They looked after me so well, I felt like a Princess.. It must depend on the cruise line. Give them advance warning. It helps.
Susan
Sandye how’d you do??
I ask cause doing low carb since last April and leave in a day for 14 day cruising ?
Sandye Williams
I'm just starting on keto - into my 3rd week and doing great. And - we are going on a short cruise next week. I'm torn between just going off the diet and eating right along with my family, or sticking to my no carb lifestyle. I did a quick search about keto and cruising and found your post. After reading, I feel more committed to sticking to my keto plan. Thank you for posting!
Jessie Sams
I'm finding this article late but has some very good advice! I've been on keto (low carb high fat) for about 17 months now. I do fine at home and eating out too. I went on a cruise this past March and did not do a great job sticking to my keto eating. Hence I was miserable by the end of it. So with another cruise coming up in December I decided to be really good this time. Only to find out that cruise ships allow only "pre-packaged" food to come on the ship. They suggested I bring cookies, crackers and chips. Thanks Royal Caribbean - not helpful. Actually I don't think they even read my email.
This gave me some perspective. I can live without my keto wraps, buns and cookies for a week. I think with as popular as this eating lifestyle is, they will have to change their rules up a bit. Not all of us eat grains, heavy starches, sugars, artificial sugars and the like. We are a growing force and I hope the cruise ships take notice at some point!
joe husosky
Went on a Disney Cruise January 2017 for a week. I was just doing low carb with Zero Wheat, not yet Keto. Opened the gym every morning at 6am and did 45minutes on the bike and 15 on the machines. Had plenty to eat and double entries because I skipped out on the carbs, even extra NSA deserts (always removed any crust and other high carb parts). One of the nice things with Disney is that you change restaurants nightly but you wait staff follows you so after the first day or so they would point out hidden carbs and even mention something they saw that would be more my style. My wife ended up hating me because I lost 3lbs on the trip. Great tips.
Brenda
Yeah I'm with your wife, never so easy for us women, but yeah for you! Enjoyed yourself and lost weight on vacation, something I've never been able to do.
Susan House
Great article! Right on the money all around. We cruise once or twice a year. There are always healthy choices. I certainly never go hungry. A little overfeeding for a week always brings me home ready to get back on track with enthusiasm.
Brenda
Thank you!
Jan Vick
Thanks for your cruise article. I went on a cruise last fall and actually lost 2 1/2 lbs. I stuck to my Keto lifestyle with the help of our waiter who gently reminded me not to eat “that” and I had a wonderful time. It certainly can be done and I didn’t feel in the least that I was missing out on anything.
pat
Almost a year ago, we went on a planned Alaskan cruise. Sadly I unexpectedly had major surgery just a few months before the cruise and thought that I was recovered enough. It was very difficult for me both physically and with meals. I tried to stay to the low carb items but found little variables in dishes of veggies of any quality to add to the protein. There were sugar free desserts but I would have preferred better choices in veggies. One day in particular, we had a salad bar and they prepared the best chicken caesar salad I've ever had. If only that had been my choice each day! No sugary drinks for me, only water and tea with lemon. Ironically, this cruise line had just had a low carb cruise the week before but from what I've learned, there weren't any change in menu offerings. So don't have great expectations if you take a cruise. It won't be easy!