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Backpacking Nutrition & Cuisine

The dietary habits of a long-distance hiker are unique, as cooking methods and food variety is limited. I have found a bar-based diet combined with easy-cook dinners to be the most efficient and effective system for me.

Food Forms

For breakfast and mid-day snacking, the staple of my backcountry diet are bars - mostly energy bars, but also candy bars and breakfast/snack/granola bars. I prefer bars over other popular backcountry foods like bagels, peanut butter, cheese & crackers, and cookies because they:

  • Pack well, since they are small and dense;
  • Allow me to carry the exact amount of food I need to reach my next resupply point, since they come in convenient one-serving packages of 150-300 calories, not 12-oz jars or 6-count bags;
  • Can be prepared and eaten on-the-go while still holding a trekking pole in each hand;
  • Taste great, especially when you are hiking a lot of miles every day.

For dinner, I cook myself a hot meal, but only foods that require 1-2 cups of boiling water. I avoid "cooking" because that requires more time, energy, and fuel than I wish to invest or carry. These foods include: angel hair pasta, coos-coos, dehydrated and freeze-dried meals, and instant mashed potato burritos. These meals strike a good balance between simplicity and sustenance.

Specific Foods

Energy bars are my biggest source of calories. Generally speaking, energy bars are nutritious, tasty, and satisfying. Many are fortified with vitamins and minerals; they contain healthy ingredients; and they come in a variety of flavors and textures that are very stomach-able.

My energy bars of choice are Balance Bars. Balance Bar has been supporting me since February 2004, when I was fortunate to be a recipient of their grants program, through which they have given $615,000 to individuals, teams, and community organizations. When I am pushing my body to the max, it's important to be eating nutritious food that also tastes good. To date I have easily consumed over 2,000 Balance Bars, and during the Great Western Loop I will put down another 1,000. My favorite flavors are Honey Peanut, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chocolate, and Mocha Chip.

In comparing energy bars, I think there are two important considerations for backpackers. First, how sustained is the energy provided by the bar? Some bars consist mostly of simple sugars, making them good for athletes who need a quick burst of energy. Backpackers, however, will do better with bars containing wholesome slow-to-digest ingredients that provide long-lasting energy. Second, do the bars provide long-term nutrition? Backpackers need fats for energy storage, carbohydrates for energy, and protein for muscle recovery -- and since backpackers often go days without "real" food, trail food must provide these nutrients to always remain well nourished.

Breakfast and snack bars can be another healthy staple in a backpacker's diet. I say "can be" because it entirely depends on the bar. Many contain over-processed granola and sugars; and they offer few vitamins/minerals and little fiber. Instead, look for bars with whole grains, nuts and berries, and good sugars (e.g. honey, not corn syrup). Particularly avoid Pop-Tarts and Milk 'N' Cereal bars, which set you up to crash-and-burn.

Candy bars are cheap, easy to find, and delicious when eaten on a limited basis. They are heavy in fat, which helps to mitigate the crash-and-burn effect of their simple sugars; and some contain a fair amount of protein, particularly those that contain peanuts or peanut butter. All candy bars are not well suited to the backcountry: some are thin (and break too easily) or awkwardly sized; others cannot be eaten on-the-go; and some come with cardboard sleeves that create more trash for you to carry. My favorites are Fast Break's, Kit-Kat's (but only the Big Kat bar), Nutrageous,' Baby Ruth's, Pay Day's, and Snickers'. I avoid thin chocolate bars (like Hershey's chocolate, Krackel's and Kat Kit wafers), bars with cardboard sleeves (like Mounds and Take5's), and chocolate candies (M&M's and Whoopers).

How I eat: The "Caloric Drip" Method

My days usually start with a 600-calorie breakfast. This is followed with a small snack every 2-2.5 hours of 300-500 calories; I eat my last snack about 2 hours before I expect to eat dinner.

I call this the "caloric drip" method because it's sort of like getting a steady IV injection of calories. It sustains my energy level, minimizes the length of any one hunger pang, and avoids big meals that sit heavy in my stomach or that prompt a post-meal nap.

Note: If you take long breaks (30+ minutes) or do not hike sun-up-till-sun-down as I do, then you probably do not need to be so regular in your eating habits because your caloric needs will not be as intense or as constant.

Ideal Caloric Intake and Town Binging

I usually do not consume enough food in the backcountry to maintain my body weight. Instead, I carry just enough to avoid being hungry or energy-less; then I binge in towns to help compensate for body weight I have lost or will lose soon. To maintain my body weight on the trail I would need to carry 3-4 pounds of food per day -- or 2 lbs of olive oil and peanut butter, no thanks.

During a 15-hour day of hiking I can burn up to 8,000 calories, depending on the terrain, my pack weight, and my effort. A 4,000-calorie per day ration will prevent me from being hungry or from bonking, which to me is more important than maintaining my body weight, and which means that I only have to carry about 2 pounds of food per day, allowing me to be more comfortable and to hike faster and further than I could if I carried 8,000 calories worth of food.

Vitamins & Minerals

These are important over the long-term, and backpackers should take measures to avoid becoming deficient in them. Out on the trail, make energy bars (almost all of which are fortified) a regular part of your diet; eat dried fruits and legumes if you are willing to accept their inconveniences; and take a multivitamin, which can't hurt, though they might not help much either, as most studies have shown only marginal benefits. In trail towns, stock up on fresh fruit and produce, ideally before you hit up the local burger joint and lose your appetite.

"Fattening up" before your hike

This is a bad idea, though admittedly very tempting. True, you probably will lose the pre-hike fat that you purposely put on -- and then some. But, until you lose it, you have to carry it. All weight (whether it's in your pack or on your body) requires energy to carry over hill-and-dale, and it puts stress and strain on your body. More weight equals more energy needed, and more stress and strain on your body. Unless your body fat is dangerously low, my recommendation would actually be to lose body mass before your hike -- it will improve your comfort, mobility, and hiking pace; and you can maintain your body weight by simply carrying more food with you or by eating more in towns.

The calories-to-ounce ratio

Strive for a calories/ounce ratio of at least 125, which for a 4,000 calorie 2-lb/day ration would mean 26 oz of carbohydrates and protein (both of which have 100 calories per ounce) and 6 oz of fat (which has 240 calories per ounce). This will help reduce the weight of your consumables, which can be substantial if resupply points are scarce and/or your hiking pace is slow. Beware of foods that have a calories-to-ounce ratio of less than 100 (which means they must contain water, which provides you with zero calories) and foods that come in heavy or bulky packaging (e.g. freeze-dried meals, canned tuna, and Pringles), which sometimes can be easily solved by repackaging the contents.