Nutrition Question

[GolfHiker]

We all do our best to eat well at home, but on the Trail it just can't happen ( as easily). Plenty of junk food, empty calories, all that. When you are accustomed to proper diet, nutrients, and maybe a few different vitamins, etc. ( A, D, B, Iron, etc., etc.) to supplement daily, what does everyone do on the trail. vits & bottles can be heavy and space takers, and powders just won't do. So what do you do???? I'm guessing a multi vitamin might be the answer.

I respect that we all view this differently, older vs. youthful, but good health & nutrition must certainly be important to all of us on a long distance hike!

I'm curious about this and I don't believe I've seen any posts. Apologies if I have not carefully scanned the Health, Food & Nutrition threads....

Thanks.

[Heliotrope]

As a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and avid backpacker I believe I am qualified to comment here. There are different nutritional components to consider as well as the individual 's unique metabolism and the length of the trip. One of the most crucial concerns is getting enough calories. Some people do this through ingesting food and burning reserves. If you are very lean to start calories become a big concern immediately as the body will catabolize muscle and fat to keep the energy supply going. The next consideration is getting enough quality protein to repair and maintain stressed muscle and connective tissue. Many hikers fail at getting enough. Then there are micro nutrients like vitamins aNd minerals. Common trail Foods like ramen, instant potatoes, cookies, candy bars, etc will not deliver these. My first question to a hiker would be: what food will you be bringing and eating regularly? Are you planning to do food drops or eat on the way? Will you be sending yourself dehydrated veggies? Will you carry fresh food in your pack? I believe as athletes we will perform better with optimal nutrition. It is possible to go far on body reserves and many do hike for months on snickers bars. The body does speak up with hiker hunger for calories and cravings for nutrient dense vegetables over time.

For me personally on week long trips I eat healthy but truly enjoyable foods and don't worry about the vitamin pills. On a thru hike I believe it is more important to supplement. Though in town food binges may be enough to replenish.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Vegan Packer]

First, I make sure to eat as close to a proper diet as possible while on the trail. Other than a few adjustments, such as working around some things that don't dehydrate well, I eat almost the same diet on the trail as I do at home. I take my vitamins and medications, too.

I am amazed at the poor diet that some people eat on the trail. Then, right after they leave the trail, they head into town and eat the worst possible junk food and fast food poison, because they are feeling so deprived, and they want to have something that tastes good. When I leave the trail, I never feel like I am desperate, because I actually enjoy all of my trail meals, and that is not because I am so starving that I will eat anything. I continue to make the same exact meals at home that I eat on the trail; that is how much I enjoy them.

I want my trail experience to be positive all the way around. I want to be comfortable, eat good meals, and take care of myself, so that I can continue living and doing this for as long as possible. I do not want to feel like I am suffering or depriving myself when I go out into nature.

[Stubby]

There are a lot of companies selling freeze-dried meals with healthier ingredients that the ones that have been doing it a while.
There are also a lot of cottage companies selling delicious "instant" cuisine online, that are basically all the dried ingredients of a health soup or pasta meal, just add hot water, or boil for a while.

I generally eat grits or oatmeal and precooked bacon in the morning, dried fruit and nuts during the day, maybe some peanut butter and crackers, and then a freeze-dried meal for dinner. Maybe a candybar for dessert if I have room for it... because its good for my spirit.

[Sandy of PA]

I carry my vitamins packed by the day in tiny zip top bags from Walmart. I get Freeze dried foods in smaller cans from Emergency Essentials to create my own healthy meals. I can hard boil 6 eggs at a time in my cookpot and have carried them unrefrigerated for 3 days no problem. Cheese is wonderful. Nuts, dried fruit, and very dark chocolate travel well. My diet is gluten free, low carb. and close to what I eat at home.

[Fredt4]

Not licensed, but been hiking for many years and thru-hiked the AT in 2011. Truth is a calorie is a calorie and during a thru-hike you'll have difficulty eating enough and you'll lose weight. Initially that's good for most of us. Don't worry about eating right, just worry about eating enough. Your body will appreciate all the empty calories you can get on a thru. Eat lots of protein to allow your muscles to recover. At a triple crown hiker said, "Salads are a waste of time." Aim for 200 calories per ounce but accept that protein usually is much lower. That's ok, just add Olive oil. Depending on your next resupply consider fresh foods such as eggs, ham, whatever. When in town AYCE (All You Can Eat) is your best friend. All due respect to eating right, but I don't think it's very important on a thru as opposed to just eating. Your body will get rid of the little bit of stuff it won't need and will use everything else it so desperately needs. When you get back home start to worry about eating right again. Scott J. apparently is a vegetarian but doubt most thru-hikers can thru a a vegetarian diet. Multi-vitamins may be your thing but remember they are unproven.

[shelb]

I carry my vitamins packed by the day in tiny zip top bags from Walmart. .

I find those tiny bags in the jewelry section. I also use them for snacks.

[Dogwood]

We all do our best to eat well at home, but on the Trail it just can't happen ( as easily). Plenty of junk food, empty calories, all that. When you are accustomed to proper diet....what does everyone do on the trail. So what do you do????....

I don't buy into this at all! With some experimentation and imagination I've observed every dietary approach I'm broadly aware of be nicely adapted to trail life.

...There are different nutritional components to consider as well as the individual 's unique metabolism and the length of the trip. One of the most crucial concerns is getting enough calories. Some people do this through ingesting food and burning reserves. The next consideration is getting enough quality protein to repair and maintain stressed muscle and connective tissue. Many hikers fail at getting enough....

Then there are micro nutrients like vitamins aNd minerals. Common trail Foods like ramen, instant potatoes, cookies, candy bars, etc will not deliver these. My first question to a hiker would be: what food will you be bringing and eating regularly? Are you planning to do food drops or eat on the way? Will you be sending yourself dehydrated veggies? Will you carry fresh food in your pack? I believe as athletes we will perform better with optimal nutrition. It is possible to go far on body reserves and many do hike for months on snickers bars. The body does speak up with hiker hunger for calories and cravings for nutrient dense vegetables over time.

For hikers accustomed to coming from western/N.American/U.S. citizen diet I have to wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that "many hikers fail at getting enough protein." YES, micro nutrients are important too! High quality trail food can also contain enzymes which are lacking in highly refined highly processed "dead" nutritionally dismal overall food like products. Trail food, food in general, is NOT just about daily caloric load, % breakdowns of protein, carbs, and fat either!!!

As an aside I'm going to offer if U.S. citizens had better intestinal health, than the obviously dismal digestive and intestinal health observed, we would be less susceptible to disease on trail - including being so prone to water borne parasites such as Giardia lamblia.

I too wholeheartedly attest that athletes/backpackers/hikers perform better with optimal nutrition.

First, I make sure to eat as close to a proper diet as possible while on the trail. Other than a few adjustments, such as working around some things that don't dehydrate well, I eat almost the same diet on the trail as I do at home. I take my vitamins and medications, too.

I am amazed at the poor diet that some people eat on the trail. Then, right after they leave the trail, they head into town and eat the worst possible junk food and fast food poison, because they are feeling so deprived, and they want to have something that tastes good. When I leave the trail, I never feel like I am desperate, because I actually enjoy all of my trail meals, and that is not because I am so starving that I will eat anything. I continue to make the same exact meals at home that I eat on the trail; that is how much I enjoy them.

I want my trail experience to be positive all the way around. I want to be comfortable, eat good meals, and take care of myself, so that I can continue living and doing this for as long as possible. I do not want to feel like I am suffering or depriving myself when I go out into nature.

All this! Well stated! Yummy filling highly nutritious awesome tasting reduced wt trail food CAN BE HEALTHY TOO! No excuses for always noshing junk food. Better choices can be made. I too have much the same diet on trail as off trail as a LD hiker. It takes some adjustments but it's certainly doable. This is beautifully stated: "I want my trail experience to be positive all the way around. I want to be comfortable, eat good meals, and take care of myself, so that I can continue living and doing this for as long as possible. I do not want to feel like I am suffering or depriving myself when I go out into nature."

There are a lot of companies selling freeze-dried meals with healthier ingredients that the ones that have been doing it a while.
There are also a lot of cottage companies selling delicious "instant" cuisine online, that are basically all the dried ingredients of a health soup or pasta meal, just add hot water, or boil for a while...

Yup.

...I get Freeze dried foods in smaller cans from Emergency Essentials to create my own healthy meals. I can hard boil 6 eggs at a time in my cookpot and have carried them unrefrigerated for 3 days no problem. Cheese is wonderful. Nuts, dried fruit, and very dark chocolate travel well. My diet is gluten free, low carb. and close to what I eat at home.

See it can be done.

Not licensed, but been hiking for many years and thru-hiked the AT in 2011. Truth is a calorie is a calorie and during a thru-hike you'll have difficulty eating enough and you'll lose weight. Initially that's good for most of us. Don't worry about eating right, just worry about eating enough. Your body will appreciate all the empty calories you can get on a thru. Eat lots of protein to allow your muscles to recover. At a triple crown hiker said, "Salads are a waste of time." Aim for 200 calories per ounce but accept that protein usually is much lower. That's ok, just add Olive oil. Depending on your next resupply consider fresh foods such as eggs, ham, whatever. When in town AYCE (All You Can Eat) is your best friend. All due respect to eating right, but I don't think it's very important on a thru as opposed to just eating. Your body will get rid of the little bit of stuff it won't need and will use everything else it so desperately needs. When you get back home start to worry about eating right again. Scott J. apparently is a vegetarian but doubt most thru-hikers can thru a a vegetarian diet. Multi-vitamins may be your thing but remember they are unproven.

While, thermodynamically a calorie is a calorie all calories are definitely not absorbed by the body equally. As a hiker my body definitely does NOT appreciate all the empty calories I can get! My body desires optimal nutrition, as Heliotrope stated, NOT just calories AND certainly NOT empty calories! It's my contention most backpackers, especially LD and UL backpackers, certainly DO NOT want to carry the wt of empty calories anyway compared to nutritionally dense and high cal/oz ratio trail foods. Eating "right" is eating.

Just because a LD hiker is burning off calories at an increased metabolic rate it DOES NOT mean EVERYTHING CONTAINED IN A POOR/JUNK FOOD DIET IS BEING "BURNED" OFF! *THIS is a major misconception by those seeking to excuse and justify their poor diets/eating habits as LD hikers!

Some mistaken assumptions don't die easily. There are MANY cases of successful LD hikers who are vegetarians or Vegans. I'm yet another prime example.

There is literally a mountain of PROVEN scientific evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of vitamins. Vitamins are non patentable though compared to "drugs" so......I'll save that discussion for another time.

[Fredt4]

Micro nutrients are for whinners, quitters & losers, otherwise known as section hikers.

[Swimmer]

An example of some healthy backpacking foods that you can combine to make some decent meals out of:
Soba noodles are buckwheat/wheat, pretty lightweight and packable, cook in 3 minutes.
Packets of tuna, salmon, chicken
Peanut butter. Great for snacking or making a spicy peanut sauce to put on noodles and veg.
Individual portions of carrots, celery, ect. are worth a little extra weight
little packets of olive oil you can get at Subway.
Sundried tomatoes
All sorts of dried fruits are easy to find at grocery stores, and many trail mixes use these with nuts and seeds instead of chocolate.
instant oatmeal. use regular flavor to avoid all the added sugar, and add in PB or trail mix for protein/fat.
All sorts of drink powders have added vitamins, minerals, electrolytes ect.
It does take extra prep work and a little extra work on the trail to cook your own meals, and it probably weights a little more than the just-add-water meals, but if you're looking for healthy, that's the way to go in my opinion.

[Malto]

I have been very vocal about saying stuff along the lines of a calorie is a calorie. And I still believe it from the standpoint of fueling and carbohydrates. If you meter the carbs in then it makes little difference whether they are sugar or grain FROM A FUELING perspective.

Having said that, there is a huge difference between fats, carbs and protein. Timing when each are consumed can be very helpful. So a fat calorie while hiking is not the same as a carb calorie.

Finally, there are nutritional needs that must be considered especially for a long hike. I had quite a lot of variety on my thru hike but didn't take full advantage of the opportunity to take "normal" food from town. A good example of this is the hard boiled eggs, sandwich, fruit etc. if there is an area that I plan to focus on for future hikes it is the nutritional value of the food, I have the fueling well dialed in. I believe that increasing the nutritional value could help alleviate the need that I had of taking Advil daily just to walk. While I had very challenging conditions that wrecked havoc on my feet, perhaps better nutrition could have provided anti-inflammatory benefits that could have helped.

[Lnj]

Micro nutrients are for whinners, quitters & losers, otherwise known as section hikers.

That might be the rudest unprovoked comment I've read on WB. As a section hiker, I am none of the above and dare you to prove otherwise. That's all I have to say about that. Have a nice day.

[Traveler]

That might be the rudest unprovoked comment I've read on WB. As a section hiker, I am none of the above and dare you to prove otherwise. That's all I have to say about that. Have a nice day.

Consider the source, the mullet gives it away.

[Dogwood]

Umm, some of us are stuck in a recursive loop. If you have to Google recursive loop you're probably stuck in a recursive loop. Stupid is as stupid does.

[Heliotrope]

I have been very vocal about saying stuff along the lines of a calorie is a calorie. And I still believe it from the standpoint of fueling and carbohydrates. If you meter the carbs in then it makes little difference whether they are sugar or grain FROM A FUELING perspective.

Having said that, there is a huge difference between fats, carbs and protein. Timing when each are consumed can be very helpful. So a fat calorie while hiking is not the same as a carb calorie.

Finally, there are nutritional needs that must be considered especially for a long hike. I had quite a lot of variety on my thru hike but didn't take full advantage of the opportunity to take "normal" food from town. A good example of this is the hard boiled eggs, sandwich, fruit etc. if there is an area that I plan to focus on for future hikes it is the nutritional value of the food, I have the fueling well dialed in. I believe that increasing the nutritional value could help alleviate the need that I had of taking Advil daily just to walk. While I had very challenging conditions that wrecked havoc on my feet, perhaps better nutrition could have provided anti-inflammatory benefits that could have helped.

Good points Malto. We are all talking about generalities here but as an individual you gain insights into your own performance when you push your body and assess how you felt throughout. The strenuous nature of backpacking may lead to inflammation of various structures in the body and the diet quality may go a long way in minimizing this. I think it is safe to say that we all can look for ways to improve how and what we eat on the trail. I think it is also clear to anyone that has hiked extensively that when you are burning more calories than you are consuming the body begins to crave any and everything with high caloric density.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[shelb]

It can happen - to a point - if you plan!

I am on a high protein diet. I had no problem adhering to this on a 10 day section hike. Granted, I don't worry about fruits - and do few carbs. I do take vitamins to compensate.

[Fredt4]

That might be the rudest unprovoked comment I've read on WB. As a section hiker, I am none of the above and dare you to prove otherwise. That's all I have to say about that. Have a nice day.

My apologies, didn't know section hikers were so thin skinned, whinners I knew about, but thin skinned I didn't know about.

[Dogwood]

huh huh huh pass me the shine meese wuv wuv absowootly wuv da intranet

[Traveler]

My apologies, didn't know section hikers were so thin skinned, whinners I knew about, but thin skinned I didn't know about.

You make Tennessee proud!

[Fredt4]

Yeah, I'd also be a humorless loser and take offense so easily if my state's high point was Bear Mountain, at 2,316 ft. What a bunch of whimpering, thin skinned . . .