Nutrition mistakes I'm seeing on the trail

[greenmtnboy]

Why eat when you aren't hungry? Most people overeat and that becomes a drag on the larger health.

[egilbe]

How about too much sodium? Any one getting too much sodium on the trail?

In my experience, it all gets sweated out.

[Tipi Walter]

I like Tempeh burgers. I purchase them in the freezer section of the grocery store.

Tipi Walter,They don't require refrigeration?

If so, they are going in tortilla "wraps", with salad dressing and any fresh veggies.

I also found out I like a hummus spread, and, I like couscous with basil pesto.

The general consensus is that tempeh can be eaten raw and it's something I have done for years on my backpacking trips. I do not recommend anyone eat tempeh raw because their systems may be very different than what I am used to eating.

I buy Lightlife tempeh from a local Ingles grocery store and it comes in vacuum sealed packages which seems to stay "fresh" even w/o refrigeration and last me several weeks on a trip. Once opened it will go bad faster---going bad defined as a bad smell or a slimy feel to it. I always do the smell test for nearly everything I take out backpacking. On my last May trip I took out two unopened packages of this tempeh and ate it all in the space of 15 days.

On my next trip---in even hotter temps---I will take 3 packages and continue to make my tempeh/mayo sandwiches.

[Venchka]

Felt the need to write this after talking to a 24 year old who thought that his daily allotment of 5 granola bars, trail mix, and 2 packets of ramen was "probably close to 6000 calories and I just dont know why I'm so tired".

The two big mistakes I see is one not enough fat, and two not enough nutrition.

Gram for gram fat has 9cals/gram while protein and carbs have 4cals. So a pound of fat has more than double the calories. I've been throwing an entire stick of butter or 4ozs of olive oil into my dinners for an additional ~800 cals.

Ramen, pasta, tortillas are all fairly devoid of micronutrients. Throw in some flax seed, sardines, almonds, quinoa, etc. And supplement with multi vitamin and magnesium.

Magnesium is essential to healthy functions. When I was trainer I put every athlete on magnesium and they all reported improvement in mood and energy levels. Our primary dietary source for mag is green leafy veggies so you can bet your ass any thru hiker will be deficient unless they supplement.

I've been on the trail for a month now carrying between 44 and 49lbs(camera gear weighs me down) and have only lost 3lbs. Came into hot springs yesterday and wasn't even hungry for real food lol. So it is very possible to meet your caloric needs on the trail.

I'm 195lb male so I've been shooting for 5k cals/day. Able to make that with all the fat I eat, going through half a pound of cheese and 8-12 Ozs of butter and olive oil in addition to 1lb of trail mix(mostly cashews and almonds) then half a sleeve of pasta(800 cals 200g carbs) some tuna/sardines and bagels/tortillas.

IMO malnutrition is probably one of the leading causes of dropouts on the trail. If you're starved your motivation and energy drops to nothing. That's why they starve you in the military, it's a great way to induce extra stress. So eat more and you'll have a much better time on the trail!!

The BIGGEST mistakes this 24 year old made were never learning how to read and addition.

Wayne

[Malto]

Oh yeah butter and cheese will keep at least 5 days even in fairly hot temps. Just be sure to bag the butter 



Ah mayonnaise! How have I forgotten that delicious fatty addition... lunches are gonna be way tastier now. Thanks for the recipes.



Oh for sure, I used his example because he thought be was getting 6k when it was probably closer to 2k and that's why I wrote this - a lot of the people I've encountered seem to be doing okay carb wise but could perform way better if they got more fat cals.

Somebody will bonk from lack of carbs not from lack of fat. On the other hand, the addition of fat will keep long term weight loss to a minimum which is why long duration hikes need much more fat than shorter durations. I hiked with a hiker on my thru that could hike circles around me in the morning yet I left him in the dust in the afternoon. It was a lack of calorie intake, specifically carbs that caused him to fade. He also didn't meter his calories in during the day.

[Dogwood]

The general consensus is that tempeh can be eaten raw and it's something I have done for years on my backpacking trips. I do not recommend anyone eat tempeh raw because their systems may be very different than what I am used to eating.

I buy Lightlife tempeh from a local Ingles grocery store and it comes in vacuum sealed packages which seems to stay "fresh" even w/o refrigeration and last me several weeks on a trip. Once opened it will go bad faster---going bad defined as a bad smell or a slimy feel to it. I always do the smell test for nearly everything I take out backpacking. On my last May trip I took out two unopened packages of this tempeh and ate it all in the space of 15 days.

On my next trip---in even hotter temps---I will take 3 packages and continue to make my tempeh/mayo sandwiches.

Have you tried dehydrating this Tempeh to make it last longer? I thought you might have said somewhere you did. What was your take on it?

[Tipi Walter]

Have you tried dehydrating this Tempeh to make it last longer? I thought you might have said somewhere you did. What was your take on it?

I'm a dehydrating fanatic and yes I have sliced up tempeh and dried it at home and it reconstitutes perfectly in soups or dried brown rice or chilis etc. It's excellent dried. Although fresh tempeh makes for much better sandwiches with mayo.

Plain white TOFU on the other hand dries like a rock and even after 30 minutes in my hot pot cozy the stuff is inedible. Then again, store bought baked tofu can be sliced and dried "just enough time" to render it firm and soft enough to eat like jerky but not dried so long as to be rock solid. My fave is Wildwood tofu but it's hard to find.


This can be sliced and dried a few hours and it becomes trail-worthy and edible as a snack---although fresh tofu spoils quickly and sours fast.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Somebody will bonk from lack of carbs not from lack of fat. On the other hand, the addition of fat will keep long term weight loss to a minimum which is why long duration hikes need much more fat than shorter durations. I hiked with a hiker on my thru that could hike circles around me in the morning yet I left him in the dust in the afternoon. It was a lack of calorie intake, specifically carbs that caused him to fade. He also didn't meter his calories in during the day.

Malto, I'm curious to know what you would consider the rough time/distance where a hike becomes a long distance hike

[SGTJones]

I'm an older hiker, and my doctor is pestering me to lower my cholesterol. If you were concerned about cholesterol levels, what (if anything) would you change in your trail diet?

Hmmm I'm not the best to answer this question but I'll give it a stab. Olive oil would have a lot less saturated fat. If you're trying to keep dietary cholesterol low I suppose just trying to up your other sources of calories as much as possible, more complex carbs and proteins.

[Malto]

Malto, I'm curious to know what you would consider the rough time/distance where a hike becomes a long distance hike

For me it would be about two weeks but I t really depends on how much body fat one has. I could go two weeks, burning about a pound of fat a day and be fine (and really skinny) Beyond that duration I would add more calories per fat primarily in fat. (I actually take low calorie Spam vs. regular because I really want to train my body on how to use my body fat.). Also, people generally have more fat than they think. I just had a whole battery of tests done and it has confirmed the two week mark.

[pilgrimskywheel]

It was my understanding there would be no math involved. If you are about to crest the Blue Ridge and smash into the Shennies, meet a girl who is twenty something and digs your stinky butt for some strange reason - son, make all the poor food choices you want! Just don't forget to wash it down with Pabst Blue Ribbon. You're good.

[rafe]

Interesting. I've never carried oil, butter or margarine on hikes. Cooking, such as it is, consists of heating noodles of one sort or another, or a freeze-dried dinner. I get fats from cheese, chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, Pringles, pepperoni, Larabars, cracker snacks, and town stops.

I'm about 20 lbs. over ideal weight. On my two longest hikes (750 miles, 600 miles) I lost most of that excess each time. So, I probably never got to where I was bonking from not-enough-fat. I had plenty to burn.

[Venchka]

I'm an older hiker, and my doctor is pestering me to lower my cholesterol. If you were concerned about cholesterol levels, what (if anything) would you change in your trail diet?

Simvastatin. Not sure what dosage I'm on, 40 mg maybe? It works for me and has been since forever.

Wayne

[rafe]

It was my understanding there would be no math involved. If you are about to crest the Blue Ridge and smash into the Shennies, meet a girl who is twenty something and digs your stinky butt for some strange reason - son, make all the poor food choices you want! Just don't forget to wash it down with Pabst Blue Ribbon. You're good.

If you're looking for adventure of a new and different kind
And you run across a girl scout who is similarly inclined,
Don't be nervous, don't be flustered, don't be scared --
Be Prepared!

- Tom Lehrer, ca. 1952 or so

[Heliotrope]

If you're looking for adventure of a new and different kind
And you run across a girl scout who is similarly inclined,
Don't be nervous, don't be flustered, don't be scared --
Be Prepared!

- Tom Lehrer, ca. 1952 or so

Gotta love Tom Lehrer!

[imscotty]

I'm an older hiker, and my doctor is pestering me to lower my cholesterol. If you were concerned about cholesterol levels, what (if anything) would you change in your trail diet?

Studies have shown that the type of instant Ramen noodles most hikers eat are terrible for your health. They may not contain any cholesterol, but they appear to be devastating for your cardiovascular health. A 'tasty little death.'

https://foodrevolution.org/blog/food...ramen-noodles/

[rafe]

Studies have shown that the type of instant Ramen noodles most hikers eat are terrible for your health. They may not contain any cholesterol, but they appear to be devastating for your cardiovascular health. A 'tasty little death.'

https://foodrevolution.org/blog/food...ramen-noodles/

I eat Ramen, but almost no bacon. So I'm calling it even.

[cliffordbarnabus]

it's always interesting when people post their weight, i.e. 195 lbs, but not height. i mean...are you 5'6" or 6'5". ~huge~ difference.

[jefals]

I'm an older hiker, and my doctor is pestering me to lower my cholesterol. If you were concerned about cholesterol levels, what (if anything) would you change in your trail diet?

Simvastatin. Not sure what dosage I'm on, 40 mg maybe? It works for me and has been since forever.

Wayne

I agree. I'm on 40 MG Simvastatin also. Really works for me.

[misprof]

You could also carry bacon grease instead of butter. It also keeps. I usually carry coconut oil for short trips and olive oil for longer ones and added to just about anything but the peanut butter.