Reaching out to the nutritional guru's for some advice putting together a food plan for a 1 day presidential traverse I plan on doing as soon as I got a solid forecast of weather.

Plan on starting hiking at 0300 and it will probably take me all day to do the hike. I don't move fast, but I move steady.

I'd really like to get my food for the day dialed in for this hike. It's a pretty large undertaking and I've never really dialed in my food for day hike before. I usually pack fresh foods a lot but more interested in keeping things light, easily eaten, and providing all day energy to get thru the day.

So help me out! I don't have any dietary restrictions and would like to avoid lots of processed foods. I would like to do the "calorie drip" method where I'm continuously munching all day.

~23 miles, 9k of elevation.. it's a hard hike. I also plan on eating a light breakfast at the trailhead. Willing to take recommendations on what to eat the night before as well!

I haven't gone grocery shopping this week so I can purchase anything when I go out. Walmart, Hannafords, Market Basket. I also have access to an Eastern Mountain Sports so I can get energy chews/gels etc. However.. I want to kinda avoid those "race" foods. I do like Cliff Blocks and have found they are a great lunchtime snack. Especially the ones with a little caffeine. So I will probably grab one of those.

However, at my house right now I have:

raw almonds
raw pistachios
freeze dried bananas
freeze dried peaches
homemade beef jerky
Kind Bars

I'm going to avoid fresh food for the most part due to weight. I'll prob pack a small bag of fresh strawberries. A favorite.

I want to be able to eat a good amount all day though otherwise I know I'll feel it come afternoon. I'm gonna force myself to eat everything I have.

Is there any method to the madness? For instance, is it better to eat nuts in the afternoon or morning? Are there certain foods to avoid at specific times of the day?

Why does it seem like everyone just lives off energy chews and gels for things like this? Convenience I understand, but what's the science behind supporting an endurance event like a presi traverse? I understand it will do the thing, but is it really the thing?

The goal is to avoid crashes, slumps, and deficiencies over the course of the day.