Trail Diet - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

i’m wondering about trail diet. in a couple of respects.

  1. We eat a lot of really bad food out here. A lot of ice cream every chanmce i get, a lot of candy bars every day and these are unhealthy. i’m wondering how much does it mititagete this unhealthiness that we’re hiking all day. are they still really bad for us, a little bad, or not bad at all?

  2. improving my diet. i’m tired of eating stuff like the packaged crackers with cheese which is junk, I don’t even know what this food really is. i’ve done some experimenting so far and onions, cucumbers, bananas seem to work well (you can eat the whole thing, keeps well, doesn’t get squished or ruined). what other types of food are good, i can handle some weight, i’m looking for taste and nutrition.

I tried some cream cheese, that kept okay and went good with baegle. hm, and other stuff. Any comments or ideas?

thanks,
danny

danny

#2

sorry man but I’m at the computer and have to drop another line. Deli meats! like the turkey stuff thats ham turky balogna and so on. i eat it every day for lunh with bagels and cheese. they come in 12 oz packets so they’re only open for one day, two 6oz portions. salted for proservative trait, and the unopen one will last 4 days. grab some mayo packets when yhou hit the trail from town and booya a town lunch in the woods. Also stay away from simple sugers. try to make up a GORP for yourself

Goof

#3

Danny,

Good question. In my opinion, if people put in as much thought into planning their nutrition as they do planning their gear, the success rate would increase.

When being active, such as hiking, your body burns 4000 or more calories per day. And you don’t get these calories from candy bars. I think that many people get off the trail just because they run out of energy, and get tired and worn down.

You need to eat calorie loaded food, such as nuts and grains. Grains include pasta, rice, etc. That’s what makes peanut butter soo good for a thru-hiker.

Start reading the nutrition information on packages, and aim for foods with at least 100 calories per ounce. Cheese is good for protein, buy low calories per ounce.

Peaks

#4

I think food is one place where people should look a little less into cutting weight and more into the value of it. It doesn’t matter how light the pack is if you’re not giving yourself enough energy to carry it…so carry a little heavier pack and give yourself the fuel to walk.

Some ideas…
Protein - tuna packets (no drain, no can, even comes in flavors - add mayo, mustard and relish packets for tuna salad), chicken packets, deli meats, hard meats (big salami sticks sliced on a bagel with cheese, beef sticks, jerkies, Slim Jims, etc. Also, make noodles or rice and stir in the chicken or tuna packet. Adding tuna to mac and cheese approaches godlike comfort food.

Also, fresh beans. Before you go to bed or when you wake up, put the beans in a soak jar and hike with them until the next dinner. They should be soft enough to cook by dinnertime. I haven’t tried this one yet, though.

Fruits-veggies - apples are good if you can keep them from getting bruised; oranges are pretty hardy if you keep them out of the sun. I like raw broccoli and cauliflower dipped in a ranch dressing packet, but those are a little fragile to pack. Potatoes are very hardy. You can carry them raw and throw them into a cookfire with aluminum foil, or you can bake them and pack them…they’ll last 2 days that way. You can even ask restaurants to bake them, leave them wrapped in the aluminum foil and not cut them open. I also read somewhere that instant potatoes don’t lose much of their nutrition like other instant foods (oatmeal, for example).

Grains-nuts - These will make you feel very good and aren’t very heavy for the benefit. Get real oatmeal (whole oats - not the instant stuff). All you have to do is add it to boiling water, cover, and let it sit, stirring occasionally, so it’s not too far from instant anyway. Add in brown sugar for taste, and raisins or slivered almonds for texture - it’ll get boring REAL fast if you don’t add texture to it. Macadamia nuts have high fat content, almonds are very healthy and have high omega-3 content, and peanuts have a good calorie content. Pistacios are fun to eat, but you gotta pack the shells until you can burn them or throw them away. Sunflower seeds give you something to chew on while you hike, just don’t spit on the trail.

Get whole grain breads, too - bagels work best because they don’t get squished like regular bread, but some multi-grain breads are thick like that, too.

Spreads for bagels/bread - Peanut butter rocks. Hadn’t thought of cream cheese…lots of flavors to fend off boredom. Jelly packets, butter packets, squeezable cheese packets, etc.

Also, bring food from town for the first day or two. Pack a footlong sub and eat it the first night out. Go light on the mayo, oil and vinegar, etc. Or wrap up some pizza and put it in a gallon-sized bag - it’ll keep until breakfast. Fast-food breakfast biscuits can make a good dinner on the first day out…I like the chicken biscuits.

Possibilities are endless…just get out of the dehydrated-only mindset. It might add a pound or three for each leg of the trip, but it makes a big difference in morale for me, and I’d assume it would make a huge difference in long-term energy level on a big hike like the AT.

Just some thoughts.

Jeff

Jeff

#5

Hard boiled eggs are good, and last a surprisingly long time unrefrigerated. They will usually last 4 days or so. Just cook up a dozen in town and toss 'em in the pack.
Also, protein powder which can be mixed with just water. Protein is even more important on the trail because it builds and sustains muscles.

Angie

#6

If you’re the frying type, you can drop eggs in boiling water for 1-2 minutes and take them out real quick. That builds a skin around them so the don’t break so easily, and you can pack them. They’ll last a little while in the pack that way, then you crack them and fry 'em up.

I think I read that in Ray Jardine’s book. He’s got a good chapter on food, IIRC. That’s where I first got the idea to spend less effort cutting weight with food and concentrate more on the nutrition.

Jeff

Jeff

#7

Good advice here. I’d sometime carry garlic out - light, and very tasty. Fry a little of that in olive oil before cooking up your ramen, and the drooling masses gather around your little stove to see what’s cooking.

I’ll add that a green pepper packed out is very light, and adds both tast and vitamins. The red version of bell peppers contain even more vitamin C than the green.

Also, consider vitamin supplementation, esp. the antioxidants C and E, and perhaps Coenzyme Q10. Your tissues are taking alot of abuse. There is some powerful evidence that extreme exercise such as the sort that marathon runners (and long distance hikers?) experience leads to chronic wear and tear on poorly nourished bodies. The unchallenged free radical stress does alot of damage in our bodies, including, surprisingly, coronary artery damage (remember runner Jim Fixx?). Yet you think you’re in the prime of fitness because your muscles are so strong.

Quoting cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra, “How can you protect yourself if you’re an athlete, marathon runner or even a weekend warrior? Extensive research indicates that antioxidant supplements neutralize free radicals before they can do damage by preventing oxidation of fats and stabilizing cell membranes before they are broken down by exercise.”

Good luck.

Jan LiteShoe

#8

I didn’t have to read no book. This site got it all. up to date and not out of print and free. You underestimate yourselfs.

Greg

#9

Soaking beans, lentals exct works great. Just make sure that you have a good screw on lid, you don’t want to be walking around with a pack that has been soaked with food. An empty peanut butter jar works well and you can take the removed peanut butter, mix it with honey, place it in a tube and spread the yummy goo over a corn tortilla. Yummy :slight_smile: I was told that your body uses a liquid vitamin better than the pill form but I don’t know about that for sure. Has anyone else heard that?

Wonko The Sane

#10

Oh yeah. If you are looking for some cheap GORP then Walmart sells a 2lb bag for 4 bucks. It has raisins, almonds, peanuts, cashews and real m&ms. It’s called Sams Choice so they might sell it at Sam’s Club also. They also have a tropical version with pine apple and such but I have not tried that.

Wonko The Sane

#11

i, too, am guilty of scarfing down the “wrong types” of food while on the trail…just to maintain a large calorie count…but, as was posted earlier,…complex carbs & proteins (examples:pasta & any type of fish/meat,etc) is what the body needs (notice i didnt say what the hiker wants!)…instead of chugging beer & cheese & crackers…we should eat more spagetti, more whole wheat (breads,etc.)

of course,…if youre a 20-something you dont much worry about the “junk-food” you eat when youre visiting the trail-towns…but, if youre a 50-year-old hiker(like me)…you have to watch it a bit more closely!

i love Sicily’s pizza! hehehehehe:D

“Jaybird”

#12

Most folks carry flour tacos, cheese, and a cheese of some kind. Chances are you have Parkay also. All you would need now is a small piece of tin foil and wood. Cook the wood into coals. Put tin foil on coals. Circle butter over tin foil. put flour taco on butter. Add cheese, chicken and other flour taco on top. Flip. Julia Child couldn’t do better.

Pizza is great too using same method. 2 pack of 9" pizza dough. Prepacked sauce. Cheese. Pepperoni. Bring to temperature. Fabulous if you get a touch of smoke on the cheese. I personally use a mini smoke tent made of tin foil to melt the cheese and smoke it a bit.

Left overs? No problem. Boil 1 pack ramen. Drain em. Layer it in tin foil pan you make. Layer extra Pizza sauce on top. Layer cheese, ramen, sauce, cheese. Great baked spagetti or lasagna, how ever you wanna eat it, it is great. Be sure to let this cool so you can slice it, if you have friends who are eating with you.

Steak, potatos and onions.

Salads in a bag. If you do it right, you can still have regular food that you would never think of using for hiking before.

Burn

#13

If you get sick of peanut butter you might try Nutella, it’s chocolate hazelnut spread and really jummy!!! Only the bigger supermarkets carry it though.

Apple Pie

#14

I read a trailjournal about a group doing the A-T eating hot pockets, you know, craving hot pockets on the A-T in 03. What’s it all about?

I know I plan to eat a box of Quaker Chewy Granola bars a day and one lipton dinner a day, will I survive on the A-T?

Ah, only the real “”"“Kid Rock”""" can sing that song on the A-T. aha. So don’t even think of it.

Greg

#15

What worked for me this past weekend on the Foothills Trail was cheese tortellini. Each bag contains five 3/4 cup servings. With 283 calories per serving, the 8.8 oz. bag yields a total of 1415 calories. Made with 100% first quality durum wheat semolina and providing 42.1 grams of carbohydrates per 3/4 cup serving. And, you are getting 9 grams of protein per serving to help with muscle building and recovery. Add some olive oil, a little parmesan cheese, and a dash of Mrs. Dash’s Garlic and Herb seasoning blend, you have not only a healthy meal, but also a nutritionally sound one.

Compare these food valves with a 3 oz pack of Ramen. Ramen yields two servings with 26g of carbohydrate per serving and 190 calories per serving for a total of 380 calories per pack. It would take 3.72 packs of Ramen to equal the total of 1415 calories of the bag of cheese tortellini. Measured in terms of calories per ounce: 126 calories per ounce of Ramen versus 160.79 per ounce of cheese tortellini. 17.33 carbohydrates per ounce of Ramen versus 23.92 carbohydrates per ounce of cheese tortellini.

Now the downside. It is recommended to boil cheese tortellini 12-14 minutes and wait 3 minutes before draining. With Ramen, it takes 3 minutes to boil and can be served almost immediately. And, cheese tortellini is heavier than Ramen.

Band Saw

#16

thanks for the repsonses, however, the first part of my question has been unaswered I’d imagine because I wasn’t very clear.

Here’s a study a friend told me about regarding cardiac/health problems and how much dairy differetn countries eat. Scandanavia eats a lot of dairy, US eats less, Japan eats none, Scandanavia has a ton of health problems, US a lot of health problems, Japan has a tiny amount of problems. If I eat 2 pints of ice cream every town I come to, is this badness I’m eating going to all burn off when I hike or is this bad food that is going to stay with me even though I’m hiking?

Also, I keep hearing that “hydronated” foods are very unhealthy. Again, is this the type of badness that I’m going to burn off when I walk so i don’t need to worry about it at all, or is it going to stay with me even if I hike 100 miles a day?

danny

danny

#17

They’ve always told me that what you crave is what you lack in your diet. You probably don’t have a lot of dairy in your trail diet so that might be why you crave the ice cream. This is not really an answer to your question either but I think you might have to ask your question to a nutritionist to get an educated answer.

Apple Pie

#18

Danny, you might want to search the forums for posts about hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, because I think someone posted something about their experience a few months ago. If I remember correctly, they were very surprised at how high their cholesterol or blood pressure was when they got off the trail, and their doctor attributed it to their trail diet. So I think the bottom line might be that while we burn extra calories while hiking (undoing the effects of what would be overeating if we weren’t getting so much exercise), the hiking doesn’t necessarily counteract the side effects of unhealthy food choices.

Now that you have me thinking about trail nutrition, I will probably start selecting healthier snacks without the hydrogenated oils. I’m not giving up my ice cream, though:girl

kanga

#19

Hydrogenated oils are part of a group called “trans-fatty acids” that are pretty unhealthy and don’t have any nutritional benefit. It’s done to prolong shelf life and because it’s cheaper than butter for a similar texture, but it basically removes a lot of the nutritional value (essential fatty acids) from the food in exchange for increased profits (cheaper production and lower transaction costs because the product lasts longer). Here’s an interesting quote:

“After closely scrutinizing data from scientific studies and reviews, most European countries have either banned hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils altogether or have instituted future dates for elimination of their use in foods. These government actions concerning the trans fatty acids (hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils) is directly related to studies that link trans fatty acid (hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oil) consumption from processed foods to the development of diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.”
http://www.recoverymedicine.com/hydrogenated_oils.htm It’s a detailed explanation of a specific facet of hydrogenated oils, but it’s got a link to an easy explanation at the bottom.

So the answer to your question (though I’m not a nutritionist), is “no”, hiking will not burn off the everything you put into your body. Hiking will burn calories, so you can “overeat”, but you will still accumulate the effects of poor nutrition choices.

Actually, someone on this forum said their doctor asked him if he ever exercised - after he’d just hiked 2100 miles! He had high cholesterol - a result of eating foods with a high glycemic index, like simple sugars (candy bars everyday) and unhealthy fatty acids (bottle of Parkay in your pack?)…and hydrogenated oils, which are found in most processed foods.

Jeff

Jeff

#20

Sometimes your body craves what it needs, but more likely it’s craving what you’ve just removed from your diet.

Most oriental folks don’t eat a lot of dairy, but they still don’t crave it. As Americans, we eat a lot of dairy. So when we suddenly stop eating it, our body starts craving it. Since we’re generally above the subsistence level, our body is reacting more strongly to the change rather than to a nutritional need for it. Just like sweets - if you suddenly remove all sweets you’ll get cravings, but if you ween yourself off of them it’s an easier adjustment.

However, since we generally eat the things we need, it’s a good signal to act upon. At least you’ll feel better since your body is getting what it’s used to. But then, crack works the same way.

A nutrition note from “Beyond Backpacking” - flavored instant oatmeal has the healthiest part removed, and all kinds of simple sugars added, so it’s really not very healthy either. Same with foods made with white flour - white bread, most pasta, etc. And white rice, as well. They throw away the bran and germ, and keep the endosperm, which is mostly starch and has something like 3-5% of the nutritional value of the whole grain, IIRC. Go through the extra trouble of cooking it an extra 1-2 minutes so you can stick with 100% whole oats.

Besides, processed food breaks down quicker, which means you get hungry quicker…so why not eat better? You’ll feel full longer and end up eating, and wanting to eat, less food. And if you eat less, you buy less - so buying the cheaper, processed foods doesn’t really save you money in the end.

Jeff

Jeff