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  1. #1

    Default Thru Hiking as a Vegan

    Hello all,

    Was just curious as to whether or not anyone here has thru-hiked as a vegan and/or would have any advice/ideas as to nutrition for a vegan on the trail? I realize that nuts and dried beans/grains will be staples. Just wondering if anyone else had any other clever ideas/experience to share.

    Thanks so much!

  2. #2

  3. #3

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    There's a woman on YT who thru hiked the PCT, did it vegan, and posted a video on how she did it.
    Cotezi Hikes is the name of her channel.

    u.w.

  4. #4

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    I've thru hiked all the TC trails as a vegetarian. Have several Vegan LD hiking friends some of whom I've thru hiked. However, IMHO the very best sources of applicable info is directly discussing this with Vegans who have hiked the trail/hike you're referring.

    I'll offer, during the late and early shoulder seasons and summer I grow organic trail sprouts for their enhanced nutrition, texture, tastiness, ease, and raw food qualities.
    https://outdoorherbivore.com/trail-sprouts/
    Outdoor Herbivore also offers tasty Vegan food even no cook and gluten free Vegan food. I include some of these in my vegetarian diet easily maintained on trail throughout the U.S.
    https://outdoorherbivore.com/vegan/

    Suppose you're referring to the AT. This is important as regional culture influences what's available. FWIW, if I was thru-hiking the AT again but this time as a Vegan I'd supplement in several places by mailing resupply boxes but not every resupplying everywhere by mailing. I wouldn't bounce box either. I'd carefully pick my main resupply pts to include buying along the way focusing on locations with med to lg mainstream grocery stores and the less frequent Food Co-Op, WFoods, EarthFare, Sprouts, and Health Food stores. This is sometimes referred to as a hybrid resupply approach but I call it, with vegetarian twist.

  5. #5
    Registered User backtrack213's Avatar
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    I made hummus for lunch most days bought a 10 pound bag of dehydrated hummus buy some olive oil wrap it in tortillas add avocado or occasionally i packed out tempeh as well for a solid lunch. Uncrustables are great too for snacks. Also i bought a 10 pound bag of dehydrated vegan chili that was for dinner with dehydrated mixed veggies in tortillas. I dont really care about eating similar things for an extended period of time but this worked well for me. Hope this helps

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    I did my thru hike with someone who is pestitarian <sp> (allowing fish), and it was no problem for her on the AT and most of her stuff was not fish. Obviously vegetarian would be harder and vegan harder still. However all I would expect is sometimes carrying more out of trail towns for longer sections, so instead of a average of every 3 day resupply, it may be a average of 4, with some minor topoffs.

    Even El Camino, in a very meat centric Spain, has a vegetarian option now (ok not vegan, but a good start for a country that normally if you ask for a vegetarian meal they would say just don't eat the meat on your plate).

  7. #7

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    There have been a few that have thru-hiked various U.S. LD trails with a raw food vegetarian lifestyle that you would glean much Vegan lifestyle applicable info. FWIW, and to let you the OP maybe clarify, being a Vegan or a vegetarian isn't so much just a diet as diets are typically thought of, as temporary, but can be more accurately defined as a long term possibly life long lifestyle....as MW alluded.

  8. #8
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    I'm interested in the various answers on this for a different reason - I have Alpha-Gal contracted from a tick bite. In a nutshell, I'm now very allergic to eating anything that came from something that has hair (milk/dairy, gelatin, beef, pork, lamb...etc.) This kills many hiker staples for me (Snickers, Pizza, jerky, Advil, most candy, chocolate, most chips, most processed food). I've been adapting and find that most food that is labeled Kosher (Pareve) is safe for me to eat (and usually Vegan). Things I've found ok are Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, Lemon Lara Bars, Nature Valley Crunch Granola bars, oatmeal, unfrosted pop-tarts, dried fruit, any fruit or veggie, potatoes (including dehydrated), rice, beans, red beans and rice dehydrated meals, tofu stuff, fritos, some pastas, bagels,peanut butter, nut butters (without chocolate). I do not like vegan cheese (ewww).
    I need to make a list and just have not had time...
    Quote Originally Posted by lukejmills View Post
    Hello all,

    Was just curious as to whether or not anyone here has thru-hiked as a vegan and/or would have any advice/ideas as to nutrition for a vegan on the trail? I realize that nuts and dried beans/grains will be staples. Just wondering if anyone else had any other clever ideas/experience to share.

    Thanks so much!
    Plaid is fast! Ticks suck, literally... It’s ok, bologna hoses off…
    Follow my hiking adventures: https://www.youtube.com/user/KrizAkoni
    Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alphagalhikes/

  9. #9
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    There are a few videos on YouTube that discuss this. I believe Dixie did one recently herself though, she isn't a vegan herself. I'll see if I can link the videos that I saved later.

    Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

  10. #10

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    Spare up some weight for all the supplements you'll need for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, or you will become very ill.

  11. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by RockDoc View Post
    Spare up some weight for all the supplements you'll need for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, or you will become very ill.

    Look around. Observe intently. Whether by your dietary way of thinking or others how many do you note are consuming the perfect diet all the time? Can't it be argued virtually unanimously all benefit from some level of supplementing no matter if they eat meat or not or are Vegans or vegetarian? Cant that be further argued in context of trail life?


    Even in the context of on trail Vegan and vegetarian diets referencing "all the supplements you will need to make up for the vitamin and mineral deficiencies(caused by a Vegan diet) or you will become very sick" is misleading. Typically recommended, at the most are 5 supplements, not "all" implying a massive amount. Even those 5 can be whittled down to about 2-3 with some savvy alternatives to supplements possibly entailing some added effort on trail than off but none the less certainly feasible as Vegan and vegetarian athletes and hikers(LD or otherwise) have amply demonstrated.


    Before anyone makes the valid argument that eating nourishing healthy foods shouldn't be that complicated didn't we each become habituated to a complex dietary approach no matter if we were habituated to eat meat/consume animal products or not? Only after extracting ourselves for a moment from those habits and observing from outside them - unbiased as possible - can we recognize this.


    Of all people RockDoc, based on your many insightful food related posts, you should be able to admit anyone on any kind of diet can have health issues - get very ill -whether they consume animal products or not.


    Further, health and sickness - becoming very ill - is often complex in nature having multiple causalities and correlated factors NOT always solely dietary caused.

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dogwood View Post
    Look around. Observe intently. Whether by your dietary way of thinking or others how many do you note are consuming the perfect diet all the time? Can't it be argued virtually unanimously all benefit from some level of supplementing no matter if they eat meat or not or are Vegans or vegetarian? Cant that be further argued in context of trail life?


    Even in the context of on trail Vegan and vegetarian diets referencing "all the supplements you will need to make up for the vitamin and mineral deficiencies(caused by a Vegan diet) or you will become very sick" is misleading. Typically recommended, at the most are 5 supplements, not "all" implying a massive amount. Even those 5 can be whittled down to about 2-3 with some savvy alternatives to supplements possibly entailing some added effort on trail than off but none the less certainly feasible as Vegan and vegetarian athletes and hikers(LD or otherwise) have amply demonstrated.


    Before anyone makes the valid argument that eating nourishing healthy foods shouldn't be that complicated didn't we each become habituated to a complex dietary approach no matter if we were habituated to eat meat/consume animal products or not? Only after extracting ourselves for a moment from those habits and observing from outside them - unbiased as possible - can we recognize this.


    Of all people RockDoc, based on your many insightful food related posts, you should be able to admit anyone on any kind of diet can have health issues - get very ill -whether they consume animal products or not.


    Further, health and sickness - becoming very ill - is often complex in nature having multiple causalities and correlated factors NOT always solely dietary caused.
    No, every diet doesn't require supplements.
    Yes, every vegan and vegetarian requires supplements.

    https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/n...b12-deficiency

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by RockDoc View Post
    Spare up some weight for all the supplements you'll need for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, or you will become very ill.
    With the exception of vitamin B-12, there is really no reason to think that a vegan would have an issue on the trail so long as they have a decent grasp on human nutrition. Since they are forced to pay attention to their diet there is a good chance they'll have a better diet than the ramen, twinkie, and fried town food diet of the average hiker.
    Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

  14. #14
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    if you're not picky and you read labels, done. do it.

  15. #15

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    I'll be carrying a multi vitamin supplement. To each their own.

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sarcasm the elf View Post
    With the exception of vitamin B-12, there is really no reason to think that a vegan would have an issue on the trail so long as they have a decent grasp on human nutrition. Since they are forced to pay attention to their diet there is a good chance they'll have a better diet than the ramen, twinkie, and fried town food diet of the average hiker.

    Exactly.^^^^

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by SWODaddy View Post
    No, every diet doesn't require supplements.
    Yes, every vegan and vegetarian requires supplements.

    https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/n...b12-deficiency


    The article did NOT say every Vegan and vegetarian requires supplements. That conclusion is your personal one not a WEB MD supported conclusion. Read carefully in context.
    Last edited by Alligator; 02-08-2018 at 15:19. Reason: Not SF enough, no comparison or discussion regarding omnivores necessary. Use report post if it is felt contributors are off topic.

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sarcasm the elf View Post
    With the exception of vitamin B-12, there is really no reason to think that a vegan would have an issue on the trail so long as they have a decent grasp on human nutrition. Since they are forced to pay attention to their diet there is a good chance they'll have a better diet than the ramen, twinkie, and fried town food diet of the average hiker.
    Haha, my sentiments exactly. In looking over all the other food that omnivorous thru-hikers eat as staples, I would believe I would have better nutrition, as a lot of their diets are composed of instant mashed potatoes, snickers, and perhaps some oatmeal. Just grains pretty much. Don't really see as much balance as I would hope to see/plan for myself to have.

  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by u.w. View Post
    There's a woman on YT who thru hiked the PCT, did it vegan, and posted a video on how she did it.
    Cotezi Hikes is the name of her channel.u.w.
    There's tons of people who hike it vegan, and who don't have Youtube channels.

    Just eat vegan food.

  20. #20
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Cool

    A jug of this added to ramen, mashed potatoes, etc. would work.
    https://naturesplus.com/products/pro...ctNumber=45951

    It works for me and I am not even close to vegan. But I met one once.
    Wayne
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