Healty options & how good is freeze dried food for you?

[Tipi Walter]

Try eating nothing but coconut chips or slugging down Parkay margarine or Whey for several days. Never had the idea that my performance wasn't affected by what I consume.

This coincides to what "expert" backpacker Lawton Disco Grinter has to say---

"It took me the bulk of 10,000 miles of long-distance hiking to really grasp the concept that junk food and carrying less food to save overall pack weight works against you both in the short-term and the long run."

See source---

http://sectionhiker.com/trail-food-t...disco-grinter/

http://tastybite.com/product_type/indian-entrees/

Please chime in Another Kevin. You make some tasty Indian/Asian on trail meals!

Several years ago I went the whole Tasty Bites experience and ordered a beaucoup amount for my various backpacking trips. At first I used to carry the pouches as is---10 or 12 at a time---at 10-12oz each they got heavy. Then I started drying them at home and reconst. in the field. Here's a pic of a tasty bite pouch on a trip from about 4 years ago---



Now I can make better meals at home and dry them for every trip.

[Dogwood]

Originally Posted by Dogwood
Try eating nothing but coconut chips or slugging down Parkay margarine or Whey for several days. Never had the idea that my performance wasn't affected by what I consume.



This coincides to what "expert" backpacker Lawton Disco Grinter has to say---

"It took me the bulk of 10,000 miles of long-distance hiking to really grasp the concept that junk food and carrying less food to save overall pack weight works against you both in the short-term and the long run."

And Lawton "Disco", and also his LD backpacking wife Felicia "P.O.D - Princess of Darkness", are in very good athletic shape. Nice couple too.

Not everyone has the healthy/healthier food bug but Heather "Anish", Liz "Snorkel", Scott Williamson, Aria Zoner "Whole Foods Hiker", Scott Jurek, and a longer list of others maintain that healthier food options translate into better performance. Obviously we both agree Tipi.

[Venchka]

Throw some tofu in the Mountain House pouch and call it good.
Wayne


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[Patrickjd9]

Try eating nothing but coconut chips or slugging down Parkay margarine or Whey for several days.

That just gave me the really strange reminder of seeing hikers in the 90s carry a pound of liquid Parkay in a plastic bottle. Younger me found it strange, old man me is grossed out.

[Tipi Walter]

That just gave me the really strange reminder of seeing hikers in the 90s carry a pound of liquid Parkay in a plastic bottle. Younger me found it strange, old man me is grossed out.

This reminds me of the time I went on a backpacking trip to Slickrock Creek and met up with Johnny Molloy and it was like going back to the 1970's. He whipped out his gear and showed me his food stash---including an entire box of hungry jack pancake mix---

[QiWiz]

I'm not a health nut and I will pack some candies and the occasional Snickers and M&M's, but I'm also looking for some healthy food options for my 500-Miles AT section hike.
Besides oats, jerkey, nuts & dried fruit what do you take?
And how good are freeze dried meals for you? I'm always a little bit concerned about highly processed food and too many preservatives...

Freeze dried food should be just about as nutritious as fresh.

[Dogwood]

Johnny Malloy, the trail author?

[roys]

This thread is very timely for me. It has re-motivated me to get back to dehydrating. Thanks for starting the thread. And Tipi, great stuff as usual.

[Tipi Walter]

Johnny Malloy, the trail author?

Yes, the king of bag nights. WARNING Thread Drift---


Here's Johnny Molloy's campsite on Slickrock Creek. He only uses a tarp and never carries a stove and so he always builds a small fire under or near his tarp for cooking . . . . his . . . . pancakes.

This thread is very timely for me. It has re-motivated me to get back to dehydrating. Thanks for starting the thread. And Tipi, great stuff as usual.

Home food prep and drying has radically changed the way I view food on my trips. It opens up a wide range of options too complicated to actually discuss here.

[Patrickjd9]

This reminds me of the time I went on a backpacking trip to Slickrock Creek and met up with Johnny Molloy and it was like going back to the 1970's. He whipped out his gear and showed me his food stash---including an entire box of hungry jack pancake mix---

and a whole jar of salsa.

[Slo-go'en]

Four weeks? I was planing six! But I'd like to start slow and take my time... and yes it might not matter what I eat for this period, you are right... I usually don't think so much about food... but since my body will have to work so much harder than it normaly has to, I want to add some good "fuel"....

The reality is most of us get by with Lipton "sides" (noodle or rice with a dry sauce) with a packet of tuna mixed in for protein. I like corn chips for lunch, with some nuts. Massive sugar rush in the morning with a honey bun or other sweet Danish like junk food. Chocolate is good, but doesn't do well in the heat, but that's only a concern in the mid summer.

If you want to go meat and potato's Spam and instant mashed. I like Spam burgers - fried piece of spam with cheese and ketchup on a bagel.

All of the above is commonly available and at low cost.

[Tipi Walter]

Back in the old days (1982) me and my buddies would carry a 2 quart pot with the handle cut off and actual bags of lentils and brown rice. Cheap. Then we'd get to camp and fire up the Svea stove and actually slow cook a half pound of lentils or rice and wait an hour no problem. I'd throw in a hunk of cheese or cream cheese and add a handful of wild edibles (chickweek, violets, wild mustard, lamb's quarters etc).

We were dirt poor but still wanted to live outdoors on $40 a month and dangit we did so. A big box of oatmeal and a box of raisins and peanuts and we were set. The meat-eaters in the group preferred hauling out cans of dinty moore beef stew and putting it right on the campfire.

None of us EVER bought Pasta-Cides (death by pasta?) or god forbid the mountain house / dehydrated crap. We were too poor. Buy in bulk, cook slow and long, carry alot of white gas. Back then a gallon of coleman fuel cost about $2.

[saltysack]

I've never hiked with freeze dried meals (Ala Mountain House). One of my favorites is red lentis, basmati rice, curry powder, and salt. Bring 150 grams of this mix to boil in 2 cups water with a dollop of olive oil, let set in pot cozy for 15 min. Lentils amd basmati rice cook faster than other legumes and grains so you can save time and fuel by just bringing to boil.

Sounds good...you mind elaborating about brand choices etc.....


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[Odd Man Out]

Sounds good...you mind elaborating about brand choices etc.....

I dont think brands matter much. We have a few ethnic grocery stores in town which are gold mines. I got Madras curry powder (thats,a style, not a brand) from the Indian grocery store. You can buy kg size bags for what you would pay for oz size jars of generic curry at our local store. They carry about a dozen brands of basmati rice. I just buy what they tell me to buy. We also have a Mediterranean grocery that has an entire aisle with every kind of pulse (i.e. legume) known to man. Also a good place to get the really good Turkish style Baklava. Not sure it would pack well, but what a trail treat that would be. I also found a package of dehydrated soup vegetables at the Dutch import store. You can also get 5 gal buckets of almond paste and bulk salt licorice if you're into that. I've been buying California olive oil as they say a lot of the Italian oil is adulterated my the mafia. I mix 75 each of rice and lentis. Add a spoon full of dried soup veggie flakes and add curry and salt to taste. The oil is a calorie boost.

[Venchka]

Even in the East Texas piney woods Wilderness we have an Asian market with abundant lightweight goodies. Dried mushrooms, Korean Ramen, every form of coconut you can imagine, and more things I need to learn how to use.
Shop outside the big box stores.
Wayne


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[Patrickjd9]

We just got an Aldi near our house. I need to go back and take down some specifics, but it looks promising for hiking food that won't break the bank.

[Venchka]

Trader Joe's for trail mix ingredients including freeze dried fruit.
Wayne


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[BonBon]

I ate Knorrs side dishes and other commercially prepared stuff like that for the first half of the hike and then a friend gave all of her dehydrated home cooked meals to me for the second half. What a difference! More filling, better tasting, no chemicals or excessive sodium. I physically felt so much better. I will dehydrate my food for future bp trips. I tried to do this for my trip originally, but I had a cheap dehydrator so it was slow and frustrating. I will invest in a really good one when I make meals for my next hike.

[BonBon]

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Also- this is GREAT. You can find it in Walmart. I would cook this -it cooks pretty fast if you have a lid- (did not try it in a freezer bag) and throw in a tuna pack, ramps, cheese, olive oil or butter, fresh garlic. Very filling. My favorite was the 3 cheese. I got the tip from someone called Beast Bison. I believe she finished the whole trail in about 4 months. She was an elite athlete, I met her in NOC, and she gave me good carb loading tips.

[Venchka]

Tortolini and couscous are no brainers. A benefit of being old I guess.
Every pallet is different. I can't abide Knorr Sides. I like quality ramen. Yes, quality and ramen can go together. Look for the Korean variety.
Wayne


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