Eating healthy.

[kzab77]

Hey, just wondering if anyone had any tips on how to eat a bit healthier than the general thru hikers diet while on the trail. I realize it to be harder to do but am hoping to try my best at staying away from a lot of processed foods.

[atraildreamer]

Just stick to the main food groups: beer, bacon, beer, peanut butter, beer, Snickers bars, beer, Ramen Noodles, beer, pizza, beer.

(Did I mention . . .BEER! )

[cricket71]

you didn't mention pepperoni and cheese but seriously, dehydrating veggies is a big help on getting vitamins in, a lot of health food stores and Asian markets also carry dried veggies but watch the ingredients in em. As far as meats go the tuna, salmon and chicken in the foil packs is a good way to get your protein besides pepperoni(yummy). you really need to check out health food stores as far as the dried stuff goes they have really started getting better selections, oh and don't forget things like cous cous, lentils and rices it all depends on what extent you want to go as far as cooking goes......and oh yeah pizza.

[Chair-man]

Mix these all together and then add to equal parts boiling water and let sit for 10 min.
instant potatos
instant rice
stove top stuffing
dehydrated vegetables

[Wise Old Owl]

oh thats nasty....

[Odd Man Out]

Basmati Rice, Lentils, Curry, Salt, Olive Oil, Water
Boil until the alcohol stove goes out.
Put in cozy until you want to eat.

Plus, beer (good craft brewed ales) are very good for you.

[Pedaling Fool]

I dehydrated all my veggies and beef/chicken jerky and some fruits and had mailed out to me. Nothing like making a pot of rice or ramen noodles or whatever and adding a ton of veggies and jerky to it. Fruits were good with oatmeal.

[Rocket Jones]

Check out Harmony House.

[max patch]

Mix these all together and then add to equal parts boiling water and let sit for 10 min.
instant potatos
instant rice
stove top stuffing
dehydrated vegetables

The OP wanted healthy options. Thats basically simple carbs that the body is gonna convert to glucose in half an hour.

Oatmeal with non fat dry milk is a good start to the day.

[Blissful]

Nuts, fruits, good proteins, dehydrated veggies, cut back on useless sugars

[kzab77]

Well im pretty sure beer isn't going to be a problem, especially the good craft kind But yes i asn't planning onm sending food out, i did look into buying a dehydrator and prepping some meals to send out but seems like a lot of work to do. so looks like i may have to do a little more cooking on the trail to be a little healthier i guess? And if all else fails ill stick to those main food groups lol

[kzab77]

Thanks guys!

[fiddlehead]

Since the AT has road crossing almost every day or so, you can eat what you want if you take the time to go to town.
Of course, some of the towns might not have the best selection.
I've hiked with people who carried: onions, carrots, garlic, steak, good German bread, even whole potatoes (my Sherpa friend from Nepal did this as he couldn't believe the size of the potatoes).
So, carry what you want.
if you are worried about weight, dry it. (all but the steak, then use dried hamburger instead)

Up to you!

[kzab77]

wow eh, could cook a nice meal with all that lol. see i do enjoy cooking so i may have to re think my stove and size of pot if i plan on making some nice meals. but it seems to be worth it to make some healthier tastier foods i guess.

[FarmerChef]

Avoid prepackaged meals - full of sodium and sugar. Instead, "cook" on the trail even if it is FSB or simple rehydration. Get dried proteins (ground beef, chicken or TVP) or carry pouch proteins (tuna/chicken). Mix these with a dried starch. Did you know it's easy to make minute rice? Even better if you use whole grain brown rice. Add dried veggies. You can make pasta and sauce, rice and sauces, virtually anything you eat at home in a slightly different format. Consider using some boxed meals (say, Mac and cheese) and augmenting with healthy items like dried peas and dried sausage. If you don't want to pay a fortune, buy a dehydrator and then get veggies on sale. Same goes for proteins. Homemade is almost always more healthy than store-bought.

[Half Note]

Yeah I'm hoping to come across places to buy fresh veggies to cook, I'll throw some olive oil on them to give myself some calories.

[Chair-man]

The OP wanted healthy options. Thats basically simple carbs that the body is gonna convert to glucose in half an hour.

Exactly, carbs is what your body needs after a long days hike.

I saw a show on Tour De France bike riders once and they showed what they were eating after a days ride of 120 miles. Buckets of spaghetti. They said their diet consist of 85 percent carbs. If it's good enough for them it's good enough for me.

[Mountain Mike]

Check out http://www.trailcooking.com/trail-cooking-101. She has some great recipes. Also the books NOLS Cookery & Cooking the One Burner Way by Buck Tilton. If you don't feel like dehydrating yourself:http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/ , http://www.barryfarm.com, http://store.honeyvillegrain.com, & http://www.justtomatoes.com/jtstore/pc/home.asp offer various amounts of fd & dehydrated foods. Do a youtube search of meals in a jar/can offers lots of healthy recipies.

[Ktaadn]

Exactly, carbs is what your body needs after a long days hike.

I saw a show on Tour De France bike riders once and they showed what they were eating after a days ride of 120 miles. Buckets of spaghetti. They said their diet consist of 85 percent carbs. If it's good enough for them it's good enough for me.

You know their all on PED's, right?

[Cookerhiker]

The best general tip is to send your food via maildrops. When prospective thrus ask about maildrops, usually 3/4 of the responses are "you don't need them - there's enough along the way." Well for eating healthy, no there isn't enough along the way - at least not that's convenient. Of course you can stock up on fresh fruits & veggies but they only last so long. And there may be a few grocery stores with some healthy items, especially in New England, but you can't count on them even at "long-term resupply" stores.

One example for me: I like oatmeal in the morning but I can't stand the Quaker envelopes - too sweet and non-substantive. I make up my own mix at home with plain quick oats, flaxmeal, cracked wheat, walnuts, dried fruit, alternating spices, and a little brown sugar. Many responses have mentioned dehydrating your own veggies - very good idea and of course, that entails maildrops.

Granted, it's a hassle for a thruhike or any real long hike. My longest hike was 482 miles on the Colorado Trail for which I used maildrops successfully. I've known AT thrus who have maildropped food for their entire hike so it can be done, especially if you have a support person at home.