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  1. #1
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    Default Low carb trail snacks

    Hello everyone! My wife and I are trying to get into shape and lose (more) weight by hiking since we moved close to the AT. We have been doing a lower carb diet, less than 50 a day average, and it’s been working well. Reading on here for trail snacks, it seems like a lot of people take high carb snacks, protein bars, candy, granola, with them. Are there any good snacks that are lower carb but still pack easy?

  2. #2
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    Sone of my favorites: Nuts, jerky, cheese, 85% dark chocolate,


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  3. #3
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    Summer sausage and pepperoni Wil keep for a couple of days on the Trail, protein powders can help fill you up, freeze dried legumes like wasabi peas, nut butters.


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    Not necessarily a snack (depends on your definition of a snack I suppose), but tuna packets are a lightweight quick meal that is full of protein and very low on carbs.

    This link has some good options as well: https://kit.com/davidgalloway/low-ca...ood-keto-paleo

  5. #5
    Registered User kestral's Avatar
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    Nuts, coconut chips, jerkey, boiled eggs for day hikes, cheese sticks, low carb tortillas with a tuna and mayo packets as a wrap. Those low carb Atkins bars (some with less chemically taste now).

    Whatever is is good at home will usually work for day hike or first couple days in cooler weather.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Eastern Adventures View Post
    Not necessarily a snack (depends on your definition of a snack I suppose), but tuna packets are a lightweight quick meal that is full of protein and very low on carbs.
    And is incredibly wasteful. At least you can recycle a can.

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    Quote Originally Posted by kestral View Post
    (some with less chemically taste now).
    That's a hell of an endorsement. Lol
    You can walk in another person's shoes, but only with your feet

  8. #8

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    Nuts and seeds of whatever variety you find tasty.
    Last edited by map man; 02-01-2018 at 09:10.
    Life Member: ATC, ALDHA, Superior Hiking Trail Association

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by AllDownhillFromHere View Post
    And is incredibly wasteful. At least you can recycle a can.
    Can't argue with that. Though, some companies, such as the one below, are trying to go more towards recyclable pouches for fish. A quick Google search is showing quite a lot of topic on it.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eastern Adventures View Post
    Can't argue with that. Though, some companies, such as the one below, are trying to go more towards recyclable pouches for fish. A quick Google search is showing quite a lot of topic on it.
    My bad, forgot the link and cannot edit:

    https://fishpeopleseafood.com/pages/our-packaging

  11. #11
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    Have you tried fasting?

    I think that if you are not accustomed to eating during certain activities, you wont be hungry. I never eat while I am out walking, hiking, etc. - so I wouldn't bother to bring anything except water.

    Fasting done in conjunction with a high fat/low carb diet has given me fantastic weight management results.

  12. #12
    International Man of Mystery BobTheBuilder's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AllDownhillFromHere View Post
    And is incredibly wasteful. At least you can recycle a can.
    That seems like an unnecessary criticism. I've never seen a hiker recycle anything. They pack out their trash and throw it in the first garbage can they come upon. To quote Buckaroo Bonzai, "Don't be mean. You don't have to be mean."
    "Waning Gibbous" would be a great trail name.

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by BobTheBuilder View Post
    That seems like an unnecessary criticism. I've never seen a hiker recycle anything. They pack out their trash and throw it in the first garbage can they come upon. To quote Buckaroo Bonzai, "Don't be mean. You don't have to be mean."
    +1...



    I like homemade turkey jerky, string cheese and nuts

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    @franky- we’ve tried intermittent fasting, and do it accidentally quite often, but the last few times we’ve gone out for day hikes we always end up tired and hungry 8-10 Miles in.
    Thanks for ideas everyone! I didn’t think there would be this big a response for such a strange request!

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    Chef - The intermittent fasting was all I had to offer. I like most of the other stuff mentioned by other people. Nuts, jerky, cheese, summer sausage. Jerky can be pricey.

    Sometimes cheese goes right through me. And I don’t really like tuna or hard-boiled eggs. I don’t like the way they smell.

    I know that fresh fruit can be a little carby, But at least you were having your carbs with the fiber. I read that people going for low-carb should stay away from dried fruit.

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    Jaegerwurst
    Almond butter
    Epic bars
    RX bars

  17. #17
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    That’s quite alright franky! I don’t care for tuna either, and boiled eggs are only good in salads. How do you do your fasting? Time frames and last/first meals?

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    Just a counter argument to the fasting: my wife and I are the exact opposite: several meals throughout the day, typically 6. We try to get them so they are about the same caloric wise. This helps accomplish the goal of fasting which is to even out your glucose/insulin levels, you’re just eating less carbs and the ones you eat are more complex and mixed with a healthy dose of fiber. We both dropped significant weight and have kept it off for almost 3 years now.

    Not sure if this helps or not, just a little counter argument from one guy’s perspective.


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  19. #19
    Registered User Siestita's Avatar
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    Hikingchef--Hopefully your "low carb" diet includes lots of food containing ample fiber, lots of water, and some protein, but with only limited quantities of fat.

    If you simply substitute fatty foods for carbs your total calorie intake will rise rather than fall and eventually the well being of your heart and blood vessels could be impaired. It's possible to sustain a middle way between fasting, which is difficult to sustain, and pigging out on treats that are high in fat and/or carbs. It's not possible to lose weight without consuming fewer calories, from whatever source, and/or increasing one's activity level. Learning to do those things permanently rather than just on a temporary "diet" is challenging.

    This forum focuses on dietary needs of overnight backpackers, including long distance hikers. Our challenge is typically to raise rather than limit our daily calorie intake, doing so while simultaneously limiting the weight of the food that we carry. So, after concluding multi-day or multi-week hikes some people, including me, find it challenging to resume healthy off trail eating habits. I am overweight/border line obese. So neither the volume of food that I eat while backpacking, nor its content (lots of both carbs and fat) works well for me while I am less active at home.

    My suggestion: If you are doing multi-day backpacking ventures (but not multi-month ones) don't worry about adhering to your regular diet on those days. Simply select foods for those trips based on their weight, your tastes, and convenience. But, as soon as you leave the trail, return to your normal 'healthy' eating pattern. Save any extra nuts, jerky (like the nuts usually very high fat) and trail mix for future trips rather than snacking on them as you drive home!

    Of course, if your walking is limited to day hikes, planning snacks or meals is simpler. The weight of the food that you carry in your day pack is trivial. So, why not simply take with you the kind of snacks or sandwiches that your diet has you consuming at home? To sustain exercise you'll need to consume calories, preferably including some from carbohydrates. So, consider possibly eating (in moderate quantities!) some combination of fresh fruit, cheese, canned fish or meat, nuts, bread, tortillas, or crackers.
    Last edited by Siestita; 02-01-2018 at 22:53.

  20. #20
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    The low fat diet myth has been debunked multiple times, both in the medical community as well as hikers. Fats and oils are extremely compatible with long distance hiking and provide greater energy to weight and energy to volume ratios than carbs.

    Most importantly: the link between a high fat diet and cardiovascular disease is a complete fabrication and myth. The long term data clearly shows an increase in heart disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, and others that parallels the move to low-fat diets.

    Bottom line: the low fat diet hype and scare is the greatest health epidemic of the last 50 years.


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