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Backpacking Food Reviews and Buying Guide:Hiking 10 miles a day in the backcountry is hard work and requires a lot of calories to keep up with your bodies energy needs. Expect to burn around 350 calories per hour when hiking which means you will be expending quite a bit of energy every day. Your caloric intake will probably need to be at least 4000 calories a day and perhaps more depending on your body type and weight. Mountaineering experts agree that eating high protein and energy bars is a good way to supplement your diet while on hiking expeditions, but you also have to get other sources of nutrients into your system. Certainly staying hydrated is the key to staying fit when in the backcountry and you'll need to drink plenty along the trail. If the conditions are hot, you could be taking in 1 liter of water an hour to stay hydrated. In terms of food, the longer you are out on the trail, the harder it will be to pack enough variety that you won't get sick of eating freeze dried dinners or chewing on granola bars.
Top Rated Freeze Dried Dinners:Mountain House is the most popular producer of freeze dried backpacking meals. Freeze dried meals were once fresh or cooked foods and they were flash frozen and put into a vacuum chamber. The moisture (98%) in the food is then taken out through a process where they evaporate the ice at very low temperatures. Then, the meal is placed in a package that is both oxygen and moisture proof. The food can last for years this way until you boil some water and add it to the package, essentially bringing the food back to life. You don't lose any nutrients or flavor during the process which makes the food palatable. The biggest problem with eating a freeze dried meal is that you never really know how much water to add to them to get the right consistency. You are better off adding a little at a time until you reach the proper level, otherwise your dinner will end up being a soup with too much water. Freeze dried dinners are not cheap, the least expensive packages will run you close to $6 for a 16 oz serving while the 20 oz double-serve entrees can be closer to $8. The larger sizes (40 oz) are your best deal in terms of price for food. A 40 oz entree of spaghetti with meat sauce will serve 3 (they say it serves 4) and cost about $10.50. Mountaineering stores like REI carry all the different brands of freeze dried foods so you can pick and choose what you like. The Mountain House website has an online PDF file with all the latest offerings and you can print it out and mail in your order form or fax it or just call their 800 #. The list is online HERE. Other alternatives to the freeze dried dinners are things like Top Ramon noodles or even basic packages of pasta you can bring from home.
Snack Food & Drinks:When you are hiking on a trail for 8 to 10 miles every day, you'll want to snack along the trail and avoid big meals during the daytime. It's not easy sitting down for a big lunch and then trying to get back on the trail to walk it off. You are better off eating something every few hours in small amounts to always give your body the energy and calories it needs to keep going. Your digestion on the trail is important as well and keeping meals small will let your stomach do its job. I tend to snack on items like beef jerky, granola bars, and dried fruits while I'm walking. I stop to rest every half hour or so to get in some liquids and every 90 minutes for a quick snack. At your camp in the mornings, take out what you will need for snacks that day and put them in a convenient spot in your backpack so you can get access to them easily when it's time to eat. Dried fruits like mangos or apricots are a great source of fiber and many have natural sugars which make them very easy to eat. Beef jerkey and granola bars can be hard to get down if you have a dry mouth, so remember to drink plenty of water when snacking on foods that are salty or dense like energy bars. You can buy packages of Gatorade or electrolyte replacement drinks that you mix into water and have a flavored drink instead of plain old water. Hot chocolate is a great way to start or end your day - just add water to the powdered packets. Coffee is another favorite drink amongst hikers, but I try to avoid it altogether when on the trail.
Sources of Protein:Perhaps the most essential part of your diet will be protein while hiking. Your muscles will need to rejuvenate themselves during the day and when you are sleeping at night. Protein is the best muscle building nutrient you can buy. Dieticians say you should consider taking in 1 gram of protein for every 4 grams of carbs. If you weigh 150 pounds, then try to take in about 65 grams of protein each day on the trail. Some energy bars are loaded with protein (see our reviews on protein bars HERE). Health experts warn you NOT to overdo the intake of proteins since it can be hard on your body (kidneys). The best sources for protein out on the trail are nuts, beef jerky, beans, powdered milk, hard cheeses, and peanut butter. I'll tell you, hiking has made me very conscientious of my nutritional intake and now I eat much better on and off the trail.
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