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Nutrition Confusion

Googling the word “nutrition” yields 144 million hits. Half of those hits are a sales pitch from Doctor Phil, Jenny Craig, or the esteemed Dr. Atkins. The other 72 million are from other “experts” with wildly differing opinions. Fortunately, the topic of on-trail nutrition is a little simpler. In fact, the most important point I want to make is this–eat! Calories fuel everything your body does, including heat production. Packing a Snickers on a day hike could make the difference between mild and moderate hypothermia if you’re benighted. Here are some basic guidelines to aid in pre-trip planning.

Principle # 1: Super-Size your caloric intake.

If you’re just out for a mellow walk in the woods, your calorie needs won’t be much more than normal. However, hikers, climbers, and others traveling with packs over difficult terrain will need at least 500-1000 more calories than they normally would. A 150-pound person carrying a 50-pound pack for eight hours burns around 5100 calories (see chart at right).Of course, this depends on body type, how long you’ve been backpacking, the temperature, and how fast you’re hiking, but you get the idea. Eat! Under-eating for a few days won’t kill you, but it robs you of energy twice. Not only does your body not have enough fuel, but it breaks down your muscle tissue, which makes you feel even weaker.

Principle # 2: Fat = Good.

Strive for around a 50% carbohydrate, 35% fat, and 15% protein diet. This is the ratio recommended by nutritionist and backpacker Brenda L. Braaten. Despite what Dr. Atkins or Jenny Craig might claim, the woods are no place for a high protein/low carb or high carb/low fat diet. During endurance activities, your main sources of fuel are fat and carbohydrates. Fat consumption spares your stores of glycogen (see below). It also takes longer for your body to metabolize, so you feel fuller and more satisfied.

Fats provide about 9 calories per gram, compared to around 4 calories per gram for carbs and protein. That’s twice the energy for the same weight! If you’re going ultra-light, you’ll want to bump the ratio up to 45% carbohydrate, 40% fat, and 15% protein. Here’s your opportunity to eat peanut butter straight from the squeeze tube, load everything down with cheese and butter, and eat Pringles.

A quick note on protein–it’s important, but not as important as fats and carbohydrates. If you’re a meat eater, you’ll probably be eating less protein that you normally would on the trail, and that’s ok. For vegetarians and vegans, getting 15% might be a little harder. Try incorporating lots of seeds, nuts, beans, or dairy into your meals.

Principle # 3: Snack to avoid the bonk

Ever been hiking, climbing, or skiing and hit the wall? Your legs feel like lead and your pack feels 15 pounds heavier. It’s because your muscles ran out of glycogen (the preferred fuel for muscles). To preserve your glycogen stores, eat enough carbohydrates at meals, avoid sugary snacks before exercise, and try to eat a small carbohydrate-rich snack every time you stop. The bottom line–snack often.

For snacks or breakfast, try Probars. These little bars pack a caloric and nutritional punch and they’re totally vegan. The Super Food Slam is loaded with 350 calories, 46g of carbohydrates, 17g of fat, and 9g of protein a 64/23/13 ratio. Seventy percent of the ingredients are raw, which provides plenty of fiber (key in backcountry). In an informal Backcountry.com taste test, the Super Food Slam was the favorite, followed closely by Whole Berry Blend (which has real chunks of berry in it) and Cran-Lemon Twister.

Principle # 4: Dehydrate your food.

Unless you're one of those masochists who likes to carry a needlessly heavy pack, carry mostly dehydrated food. If there is a water source available each day, there’s no reason to pack around the weight of the water contained in your food. Pack between 1.5 to 2lbs dry food per day per person for an average backpacking trip, and 2 to 3lbs for a more strenuous backpacking or climbing trip.

One of the best tools for any backpacker is a food dehydrator. Check out Lipsmackin' Vegetarian Backpackin' for tons of vegetarian recipes you can make, dehydrate, and package yourself. If you’re not feeling up to the challenge of making and drying your own backpacking food, there’s pre-packaged commercial camp food. My favorite meals are from Mary Janes Farm. The food is all vegetarian, organic, and comes in a recyclable, burnable package that you can cook most of the meals in. For a hardy dinner, check out the couscous and lentil curry and garlic pesto frybread. Together, this meal would contain 530 calories of 83% carbohydrates (high), 15% protein (right on) and 1.5% fat (too low). You’d want to finish off the meal with a few spoons of peanut butter, some chocolate, or another high-fat food for optimum nutrition.

Principle # 5: Supplement your vitamin intake.

Generally, the quicker you can prepare something, the less nutritious it is in terms of vitamins and minerals. Nutrients are lost in the process of dehydrating or freeze-drying. This is bad news for backpackers. The vitamins you really want in your diet are C and E. They are potent antioxidants, and will help combat cell damage that’s incurred from food oxidation and strenuous activity. Most long distance hikers take a daily multi-vitamin to supplement their diet. Alternatively, you can also buy a powdered supplement like Greens Plus at your local supermarket or health food store. Add a pinch to your dehydrated meals. Don’t worry, the stuff isn’t as gross as it looks.

Pack raw food. Again, Probars offer a convenient solution. They’re packed with anti-oxidants and Omega 3 fatty acids to provide some of the nutrition not commonly found in other trail cuisine. The nutritional and psychological value of packing some fruit is worth the weight penalty (a crisp apple after a couple days of eating rehydrated food is a real treat). Go for tougher fruits like apples over softer fruits like bananas, or you’ll have a nice banana puree at the bottom of your pack when you stop in camp.

Want to learn more about trail nutrition? Looking for recipes?

If you remember nothing else, remember this–eat! Even on a day hike where you think nothing can possibly happen, take extra food. If you want some more tips on nutrition or a few recipes, check out these resources for more information:

– Thru Hiker.com’s nutrition section and the “Pack Light, Eat Right” articles.
– The NetWoods Virtual Campsite Outdoor Cooking and Recipes Page
– GORP’s Trail Side Cookbook
– BackpackingLight.com-Groovy Biotic Cooking Article
– Backpacker.com-nutrition/food articles