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Abi
05-17-2016, 03:06
What is the highest calorie-per-ounce food that you've found? Not really "ingredient", but an actually food item you could happily eat alone.

I found Justin's peanut butter pouches on sale for $0.50 they are 1.15oz and 190calories, for 165.2 cal/oz.

Pretty tasty too, no added sugar or hydrogenated oil.

34828

Connie
05-17-2016, 05:04
I like their almond butter with hazelnuts.

For cold weather, I used to make Logan Bread recipe or a Fruit Cake recipe. Now, I have taken somewhat dried bars of mincemeat.

I like the vacuum-pak alder-smoked salmon, available at some grocery stores. If I can, I take one for the last day hiking. That way, I am not too "needy" at the restaurant.

I had Thai iced coffee once. I add coconut water and coconut creme to coffee, now, when I can find the ingredients. I think I will order dried coconut milk online.

I have heard some people are deliberately adding coconut oil to food.

I might try it with my oatmeal.

Malto
05-17-2016, 06:14
Macadamia nuts at 210-220. But, if you are looking at this in the quest for a lighter pack this is likely a counter productive activity. Why?
1) you have to eat the food, spreadsheets don't.
2) unless you are doing an extended hike, think multiple weeks or you have single digit body fat, you are better off from a weight perspective, cutting the fat out and just taking the carb and protein portion from a macronutritional standpoint. Your body has ample fat reserves to handle all but the longest hikes.

i share this with you because I went down this path many years ago and ended up carrying a bunch of macadiamian nuts and other high fat foods for the entire JMT because I could eat them. Contrast that with an AT section last month where I hiking 180 miles in 4.5 days while losing 6 lbs as fuel. I had a much lighter food carry on the latter trip.

There red has been a lot written, including by Dr Brataan, about high fat ratios for hiking. Her article was about LONG distance hiking. If you are doing long distance hiking then see point 1.

off the soap box. olive oil is also commonly used to jack up calories for dinner and most PNB is in the 190 calories per ounce range.

russb
05-17-2016, 06:28
I see peanut butter as an ingredient, ymmv. But pb with belvita breakfast cookies... Wow! The Belvita cookies are 130 cal/oz alone. Use them with peanut butter (1 pkg plus 2.25 oz of pb) and that is a wollop of calories, tastes great, good fiber content. Perhaps not the "best" cal/oz ratio, but it is a go to morning snack for me. One can even save the pb for something else and just eat the belvita (230 calories, 1.76 oz).

rocketsocks
05-17-2016, 06:43
I feel fat

MuddyWaters
05-17-2016, 06:50
Pb averages about 170 or so cal/oz
Some nuts are higher, 160-200 or so.
Straight oil is 240 and some add it to dinners

One thruhiker confessed to eating squeeze parkay and peanutbutter in his well known book.

I eat a lot of trailmix and peanut butter, because I like them and they are high cal.
I really dont like adding olive oil, not 1oz of it to dinner. Much less drink it.

Overall, if you average 130-140 cal/oz your doing good. Protein sources may run 70-80, and some simple carbs @100-125 cal/oz will really pull the average down.

If you concern yourself with sugar or hydrogenated oil on the trail, youll starve. Might as well concernn yourself with refined flour products its as bad or worse for you.

Gnomad
05-17-2016, 07:26
I've been playing with powdered butter mixed with via coffee drunk cold. It is pretty good and the powdered butter is around 200 kcal/oz

Abi
05-17-2016, 07:28
Nuts, nuts, and more nuts! The convenience of the Justin's pouches is what caught my eye. No tubs to carry, minimal trash, squeeze straight in your mouth to be lazy. Banana chips are right at 160cal/oz and it looks like powdered whole milk is about 150.

Ok squeeze parkay is out of my league...

really I am just looking to maximize calories in the weight I am carrying with real edible food (not eating squeeze mayonnaise or such) As an official Bean Pole I do not have the fat reserve- my metabolism is high just sitting around. I start craving bacon cheeseburgers and hour into the hike ;)

Venchka
05-17-2016, 10:22
Boone Barrs. Taste great. Decent ingredients. Up to 130 calories/ounce.
Find them online and at regional stores like Earth Fare.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

Connie
05-17-2016, 11:46
I've been playing with powdered butter mixed with via coffee drunk cold. It is pretty good and the powdered butter is around 200 kcal/oz

I had powdered barley "tea" with butter once, served by a Lama.

I fon't think it was spiced, but it was really good.

I do think there was tea.

I actually saw a slender-build hiker squirt squeeze Parkay directly into his mouth. No thanks!

Dogwood
05-17-2016, 14:31
What is the highest calorie-per-ounce food that you've found? Not really "ingredient", but an actually food item you could happily eat alone.

I found Justin's peanut butter pouches on sale for $0.50 they are 1.15oz and 190calories, for 165.2 cal/oz.

Pretty tasty too, no added sugar or hydrogenated oil.

34828

Yeah, that's a decent buy offering much convenience. I'll use squeeze packets of nut butters in the same way of often higher priced lower cal/oz ratio gels which are often mainly sugars. I'm starting to notice more nut butter combinations offered in squeezable packages perhaps even with a screw cap at various locations.

Tip: store your nut/seed butter packets in a Ziploc. They can leak even without exploding!

Of course various nuts have high fat contents. Below Macadamias, which BTW are sometimes roasted in some kind of oil that contributes slightly to raising the cal/oz ratio( I grow them in HI), and I wouldn't obsess on mass consuming raw macs(some possible issues there), look for almond, brazil, cashew, pecan, pine, pistachio, walnuts, etc. Nut butters beyond peanut butter are becoming widely available too. http://www.health-alternatives.com/nut-seed-nutrition-chart.html Justin's has just released their vanilla almond butter packets for example. YUMMY.

Many folks ignore seeds and seed butters. Consider that nutrition, whether on trail or not, encompasses a greater perspective than simply cal/oz. That's why one should consider things like chia(SABA), flax(van be found in a shelled form too as flax meal just as there is an almond meal), shelled hemp(super nutritious with a very good cal/oz ratio), pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, etc. For an even greater nutritional profile that goes above and beyond ingredient labels consider sprouted seeds…and nuts. As an alternative try Tahini which is sesame paste. I take it on trail in GoToobs. http://www.humangear.com/gear/gotoob

It should be noted these high natural fat content foods such as nuts, seeds, coconut flake and especially sprouted varieties should be stored well and consumed in a reasonable amount of time.

Coconut products have high cal/oz ratios too. It's naturally sweet so don't reduce the cal/oz ratio buying sweetened coconut. Remember adding sugar to anything decreases the cal/oz ratio if you're starting out with high fat foods/ingredients. It's cheap when bought in bulk too. Comes in different grades or cuts from chips(large flakes) to sawdust size.

Commonly available are various granola mixes well in excess of 160 cal/oz ranges which I always buy from bulk bins at locations that consistently move large quantities of product. Read labels for added sugars that again lower cal/oz ratios comparatively to better fats. Many already consume entirely too much added sugar. I'm not keen on carrying, in the context of LD hiking, nutritionally lacking simple carbs in the form of nutritionally dismal simple highly refined sugars. This applies to added artificial sweeteners as well! Applying the same principle to unnecessarily carrying added spices/"flavorings", especially ubiquitous toxic salts, can not only raise your cal/oz ratios but contribute to lower food wt for the same amount of daily caloric intake and contribute to optimized trail nutrition for the LD hiker.

I tend to focus on bars that have 130+ cal/oz ratios. I have found several in the 165+ cal/oz range. Unsurprisingly, they are low in sugar content and are mostly nuts, seeds, coconut, nut butter, oils, etc. However, these are often harder to find and are definitely not always cheap.

When it comes to added fats or oils you are aware there are better fats, or "good fats", and "bad fats." Not all high cal/oz ratio foods are all that great nutritionally. MANY are not! AGAIN, food even in the context of LD hiking, a broader perhaps more balanced spectrum of nutrition should be considered beyond just cal/oz ratios or what's commonly listed on labels.

I'm currently preparing food resupply boxes for some resupplying. Here's one tasty Non-GMO item just found on sale at 3 @ 1.18 oz @ $2 that offers a lot of convenience and versatility of consuming. At another location I found them reduced to 50 cts a package. I bought them all. I'm going to consume them within the next couple of months within their expiration dates. All are stored in a large Ziploc. It is 170 cal/oz and isn't loaded with sugar but is still darn tasty with the cocoa, coconut, vanilla, nuts, seeds, etc. Taste sensations don't have to be focused on sugar or salt or artificial flavorings or "bad fats!" Lara Bar brand RENOLA. https://www.larabar.com/our-products/renola/cocoa-coconut

Dogwood
05-17-2016, 14:35
Not as inexpensive but with some high quality high % cocoa content low sugar content bar chocolates such as with added nuts, coconut, etc it's easy to find these at 170 cal/oz ratios. Nice as an added occasional treat in cooler wether. NO, high quality chocolate is not an Almond Joy or Snickers!

Abi
05-17-2016, 15:01
Thanks Dogwood- I think you know what I'm after.

I'll look into the Tahini in the GoToob, and maybe I need to learn to like coconut. I'm weary of carrying anything chocolate though, it even melts in winter in the South.

Dogwood
05-17-2016, 16:21
Couple more points to consider. It's doesn't have to be focused on always opting for the highest cal/oz ratio of an entire food or ingredient. Sometimes, just going to a higher cal/oz option gives one greater caloric content at comparable food wt. For example, opting for tuna such as Starkist Yellowfin Tuna, in a 2.6 oz foil package packed in EVOO at 190 total cals or 73 cal/oz sounds dismal in regards to cal/oz ratio. But, consider commonly found tuna in a 2.6 oz foil package packed in water only provides 70 total cals or 27 cal/oz. Doesn't sound so earth shattering but little things like this add up over a 5+ day resupply in regard to total caloric intake, nutrition, and food wt hauled.

You might try Artisana and Wild Friends nut/seed butters also.

http://www.artisanaorganics.com/squeeze-packs/

https://wildfriendsfoods.com/almond-butter/ Cool American biz success story. Now, if I could get them to add more caffeine to their Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter the backpacking world would be a better place.


I bought a 40 ct box of these on sale at a health food Store for $28…about 70 cts each. Not the cheapest but convenient for adding taste and fat cals. .25 oz at 60 calls or a 240 cal/oz ratio

http://www.amazon.com/Vita-Coco-Organic-Virgin-Coconut/dp/B00YNJPUYK

Abi
05-17-2016, 17:54
Couple more points to consider. It's doesn't have to be focused on always opting for the highest cal/oz ratio of an entire food or ingredient. Sometimes, just going to a higher cal/oz option gives one greater caloric content at comparable food wt. For example, opting for tuna such as Starkist Yellowfin Tuna, in a 2.6 oz foil package packed in EVOO at 190 total cals or 73 cal/oz sounds dismal in regards to cal/oz ratio. But, consider commonly found tuna in a 2.6 oz foil package packed in water only provides 70 total cals or 27 cal/oz. Doesn't sound so earth shattering but little things like this add up over a 5+ day resupply in regard to total caloric intake, nutrition, and food wt hauled.

exactly!

For instance, a peanut butter Powerbar has 240 calories, but its a brick at 2.5oz (only 96 cal/oz)...not a good choice in regards to food bars. So why carry "food bar A" when you can carry "food bar B". It's a food bar, you shove it in your mouth while hiking, it might as well be more efficient.

I wish I could find chicken in the same style pouches as tuna (I know Tyson has a 7oz pouch, but that is bigger than I am seeking).

Boar's Head makes really good beef jerky that is thick cut like eating roast beef. Comes in a nice little 2oz package for about 70cal/oz. Nice to have something to gnaw on and more efficient than carrying a can of chicken, where you carry both the can and the water its packed in.

Venchka
05-17-2016, 18:50
Despite all of the laboratory statistics previously mentioned, ya gotta be able to eat the stuff first.
It doesn't matter if you find the Super Widget bar with a bazillion calories per ounce. If it tastes like cow poop you won't eat it.
Case in point:
Bear Creek Meal Pack. 106 calories/ounce. Not great calorie content. Dense. Dry. Tasteless. Not going in my food bag.
For my palette, I stick to Boone Barrs (loading up next month), Kind Plus bars, Lara Bars and Krave Jerky. I haven't found anything bad from any of those brands.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

Dogwood
05-17-2016, 19:36
…I wish I could find chicken in the same style pouches as tuna (I know Tyson has a 7oz pouch, but that is bigger than I am seeking).

Boar's Head makes really good beef jerky that is thick cut like eating roast beef. Comes in a nice little 2oz package for about 70cal/oz. Nice to have something to gnaw on and more efficient than carrying a can of chicken, where you carry both the can and the water its packed in.

Ahh, I understand. You're taking a cal/oz and food wt hit with chicken in broth/water to begin. That's compounded when you assume you have to go with a 7 oz size chicken in broth/water pouch. The three brands of chicken I commonly find in pouches is Tyson, Sweet Sue, and Valley Fresh all at 7 oz. However, on rare occasions I have found 3 oz chicken pouches of the Sweet Sue brand. http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Sue-Chicken-Breast-Single/dp/B00BX4582W Now if you're seeking to up the dismal cal/oz ratio of this 3 oz pouch you have to add something more fatty to it. i.e.; cashews or other nuts, seeds(sesame usually works), coconut/coconut oil, flax or Borage oil, dried milks(coconut, cow, goat, soy, etc), cheese, ghee, EVOO, etc. You're playing a cal/oz catch up game.

Perhaps a better cal/oz bet is using chicken or turkey jerky rather the chicken in a pouch. I get around taking a big cal/oz hit with the 7 oz chicken in a pouch by turning to tasty paleo EPIC Turkey bars at 1.5 oz which at least gives a 100 cal/oz ratio so less to make up for in terms of calories/oz. https://epicbar.com/bar-detail/5 It's my goal to eat meat or animal protein in small servings, much smaller than the typical U.S. citizen, so 2 oz is about fine as the meat is an afterthought NOT the central focus of the meal.

Dogwood
05-17-2016, 19:36
…I wish I could find chicken in the same style pouches as tuna (I know Tyson has a 7oz pouch, but that is bigger than I am seeking).

Boar's Head makes really good beef jerky that is thick cut like eating roast beef. Comes in a nice little 2oz package for about 70cal/oz. Nice to have something to gnaw on and more efficient than carrying a can of chicken, where you carry both the can and the water its packed in.

Ahh, I understand. You're taking a cal/oz and food wt hit with chicken in broth/water to begin. That's compounded when you assume you have to go with a 7 oz size chicken in broth/water pouch. The three brands of chicken I commonly find in pouches is Tyson, Sweet Sue, and Valley Fresh all at 7 oz. However, on rare occasions I have found 3 oz chicken pouches of the Sweet Sue brand. http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Sue-Chicken-Breast-Single/dp/B00BX4582W Now if you're seeking to up the dismal cal/oz ratio of this 3 oz pouch you have to add something more fatty to it. i.e.; cashews or other nuts, seeds(sesame usually works), coconut/coconut oil, flax or Borage oil, dried milks(coconut, cow, goat, soy, etc), cheese, ghee, EVOO, etc. You're playing a cal/oz catch up game.

Perhaps a better cal/oz bet is using chicken or turkey jerky rather the chicken in a pouch. I get around taking a big cal/oz hit with the 7 oz chicken in a pouch by turning to tasty paleo EPIC Turkey bars at 1.5 oz which at least gives a 100 cal/oz ratio so less to make up for in terms of calories/oz. https://epicbar.com/bar-detail/5 It's my goal to eat meat or animal protein in small servings, much smaller than the typical U.S. citizen, so 2 oz is about fine as the meat is an afterthought NOT the central focus of the meal.

RockDoc
05-17-2016, 21:12
The remark below by Malto is completely wrong. You need to so some reading... Fat follows a different metabolic pathway than carbs, which spike your insulin (the fat storage hormone) and prevent you from burning fat. Read Taubes "Why we get fat and what to do about it", Teicholz "The big fat surprise", for starters. Why do you think there is an obesity epidemic starting in 1977 when we were all advised to shun fat and eat carbs and the low-fat craze began?

Our bloodstream only holds 5 grams of glucose. What do you think happens to the other hundreds of grams of carbs/sugar when you pig out on cereal or bread? It is stored as fat cells, including those in your liver.

Reality is that fat from real food is an excellent for you, and there is no real need to eat a high-carb diet. Protein can stay low to moderate.
Man, I thought the word was out about this, but it appears that people have had their heads in the sand. They probably weigh 300 lbs by now if they are carb loading.

you have single digit body fat, you are better off from a weight perspective, cutting the fat out and just taking the carb and protein portion

egilbe
05-17-2016, 21:33
Pfft...most hikers are at a 2 to 3 thousand calorie deficit while hiking. I don't think any carbs are going to be stored as fat.

MuddyWaters
05-17-2016, 22:24
Our bloodstream only holds 5 grams of glucose. What do you think happens to the other hundreds of grams of carbs/sugar when you pig out on cereal or bread? It is stored as fat cells, including those in your liver.



You ommitted the bodys main fuel source, glycogen stored in muscles.
You get fat......if you consume more calories than what you requires.
Always
At a micro time level, and at a macro one.
In-out=accumulation. Its an energy balance.
Despite what many want to believe, it doesnt matter what it is you eat.
No magic, just math.

Some foods are more efficienty converted to stored fuel
Some are less
Some are better as instant fuel for performance as they are absorbed
Some fuel sources may be better suited to different activity


That doesnt change fact. Just makes it fuzzy for some to think about. Those are performance issues. Body can convert fat stores slower than demand, you hit the wall. Barely able to walk.

Look at big picture
Energy balance still controls
Body is constantly storing energy and drawing on stores
24 hrs, 7 days

It has to, its a law of nature, Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it just changes forms.

A lttle cardio per day to keep metabolism high, dont consume more cal than needed, and you can eat anything you want, when you want, and have low body fat. Restraint is the key, which most have none.

Hikers burning 4500 cal per day dont get fat

CamelMan
05-17-2016, 22:24
Pfft...most hikers are at a 2 to 3 thousand calorie deficit while hiking. I don't think any carbs are going to be stored as fat.

No, they won't.

Malto makes a good point. Use your fat for its intended purpose.

Malto
05-18-2016, 07:48
The remark below by Malto is completely wrong. You need to so some reading... Fat follows a different metabolic pathway than carbs, which spike your insulin (the fat storage hormone) and prevent you from burning fat. Read Taubes "Why we get fat and what to do about it", Teicholz "The big fat surprise", for starters. Why do you think there is an obesity epidemic starting in 1977 when we were all advised to shun fat and eat carbs and the low-fat craze began?

Our bloodstream only holds 5 grams of glucose. What do you think happens to the other hundreds of grams of carbs/sugar when you pig out on cereal or bread? It is stored as fat cells, including those in your liver.

Reality is that fat from real food is an excellent for you, and there is no real need to eat a high-carb diet. Protein can stay low to moderate.
Man, I thought the word was out about this, but it appears that people have had their heads in the sand. They probably weigh 300 lbs by now if they are carb loading.

you have single digit body fat, you are better off from a weight perspective, cutting the fat out and just taking the carb and protein portion

MUddywaters did a great job saving me the time of writing a comprehensive response. Here is some good info on fueling (mixed with some self serving marketing hype) somewhere on Hammers site they deal with a number of topics related to fueling. http://www.hammernutrition.com/downloads/SOS.pdf

finally, to your final paragraph. There is a huge difference between how the body reacts to food while sitting on the couch vs. constant expenditure of energy. THose of us with our heads out of sand realize this. :).

HooKooDooKu
05-18-2016, 08:52
Sort of inline with nuts is sunflower seed kernels. They have a slightly higher calorie count than peanuts. WalMart sells large bags of them. I found the salted ones to be too salty, and the plain ones to be too plain. But buy a bag of each and mix them and their just about right.

QiWiz
05-18-2016, 11:14
Macadamia nuts that I have in 1 oz packs are listed as having 200 calories per ounce, which is about the same as 100% oil. They are a nut with a very high fat content. I've been able to find several flavors of these, come from Hawaii.

Spiffyguy
05-18-2016, 11:38
My best is Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bar (Peanut) at 154 cals/oz. Close second is Ritz Cheese Sandwich Crackers at 143. I keep meaning to weigh all my stuff to update my list but I usually just stuff food in the bag on a weekend hike.

Dogwood
05-18-2016, 12:05
Macadamia nuts that I have in 1 oz packs are listed as having 200 calories per ounce, which is about the same as 100% oil. They are a nut with a very high fat content. I've been able to find several flavors of these, come from Hawaii.

Getting off topic, not sure if this applies to your statement "macadamia nuts that I have...come from Hawaii" but all macs don't come from HI. Even those labeled Mauna Loa macadamia nuts don't always come from HI. It has been found that cheaper macs coming from Australia have been packaged under the Mauna Loa macadamia nut brand implying on the labeling that they were grown in HI.

CamelMan
05-22-2016, 11:04
Hammers

I like their gels, they're the lowest in sodium.

HeatherNC
05-25-2016, 08:45
Funny, I actually think Boone Barrs taste terrible (seriously, I have to shove them down), but I've been eating them with Justin's peanut butter or almond butter (the vanilla almond butter is great) and this makes for a palatable 500-calorie 'lunch'.

rafe
05-25-2016, 08:50
It's not all about calories. Your body takes a beating hiking day after day. You need protein to maintain and rebuild bones and muscle mass. You need fiber and greens, etc. If it were all about calories per ounce, we'd hike with a bag of sugar and a big bottle of olive oil and call it done.

Venchka
05-25-2016, 08:53
Funny, I actually think Boone Barrs taste terrible (seriously, I have to shove them down), but I've been eating them with Justin's peanut butter or almond butter (the vanilla almond butter is great) and this makes for a palatable 500-calorie 'lunch'.

Thanks. I don't find them terrible. I'll smear them with nut butters.
Going to load up on them next week and live on them later this year in the Rockies.

Wayne

garlic08
05-25-2016, 09:22
It's not all about calories. Your body takes a beating hiking day after day. You need protein to maintain and rebuild bones and muscle mass. You need fiber and greens, etc. If it were all about calories per ounce, we'd hike with a bag of sugar and a big bottle of olive oil and call it done.

Amen to this. An obese packsniffer once tried to explain to me why I shouldn't carry fresh vegetables when I hike. He obviously didn't get it.

I don't think we really understand how the body works. Modern nutritional science sure hasn't helped, if you look at the declining diet-related health statistics over my lifetime. When I was in elementary school, there was only one fat kid and nobody had diabetes or allergies. (I'm not knocking modern medicine, since hospitals have likely saved my life with surgery more than once!)

Connie
05-25-2016, 10:59
I added the calorie dense food list to my website, only to help people achieve more calories: fats top that list. Sugar is far down the list, for calories per ounce.

I choose the healthy fats as add-ons getting minimum heat, in fact, so they are not ruined by heat.

I also have human dietary fiber: 1/4 C red or black raspberries, 1/2 C pears, 1/2 C Hubbard-type winter squash.

I take freeze-dried raspberries, sliced honeyed-dried pears, and I add not too much dried squash slices if I am out a long time.

The so-called high fiber food products, are not, or, need 10-12 servings to reach the zone for recommended human dietary fiber, and 10-12 servings makes no sense at all at home or in a backpack.


I don't think we really understand how the body works. Modern nutritional science sure hasn't helped, if you look at the declining diet-related health statistics over my lifetime. When I was in elementary school, there was only one fat kid and nobody had diabetes or allergies. (I'm not knocking modern medicine, since hospitals have likely saved my life with surgery more than once!)
I think the food merchandisers are the problem: they add ingredients no one needs.

I also only saw one fat kid, while growing up, and I didn't know anyone that had diabetes.

The fresh foods offerred in most stores have almost no nutritional variety, as well, because they are GMO's that are different parts of the same plant given another name.

It isn't easy to achieve robust health or healthy food choices from the average grocery store.

We are physically active people, and the outdoors only adds to our need for really good food intake.

Venchka
05-25-2016, 11:44
I was the fat kid. Then one summer I grew 6" and lost 10 pounds.
More recently I lost 40 pounds, + or -, and kept it off. It's easy.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

CamelMan
05-25-2016, 11:52
It isn't easy to achieve robust health or healthy food choices from the average grocery store.

It's pretty easy if you stick to the produce aisle, and the beans and grains. In exchange for the health, and being able to eat any quantity you desire, you are forced to cook most of your own food. There is also an induction period when one needs to lose one's taste for processed garbage, because we are living like fed bears in a "toxic food environment." Not only can I eat well at any grocery store, a grocery store is the only place where I can eat well.

When I first moved to G'burg, I weighed around 250 pounds (BMI ~33). Now, I don't. And my lipid numbers are the best they've ever been. (And that's not the first time I've done this, so it's not the hiking. You can out-eat your exercise without much of a problem--people on the AT are a special case.) The problem is the lack of whole, natural food as close to unprocessed as possible. Otherwise, it becomes calorie dense and unhealthy. It's made to feed you fat and salt so you keep coming back for more.

RockDoc
05-25-2016, 12:41
The toxic food environment includes beans and grains, which contain antigens and GMO issues (read Wheat Belly). Grains are what you feed a small calf to quickly make it an obese steer, and the same thing happens to people if you are insulin resistant as most of us clearly are. They are best avoided (in this case, moderation does not apply). Humans did not develop eating grains and legumes, it is too new for many of us to digest properly.

Carbs (sugar and GMO grains) and industrial seed oils are the darlings of the toxic food environment. Much processed food consists of only three grains, corn, soy, and wheat, mixed with sugar and seed oils. Natural fats from plants and animals are not to blame, it's the bastardized seed oil fats that will cause health problems. I hope that I have clarified the previous misleading post.

RabbitHole
05-25-2016, 13:52
The toxic food environment includes beans and grains, which contain antigens and GMO issues (read Wheat Belly). Grains are what you feed a small calf to quickly make it an obese steer, and the same thing happens to people if you are insulin resistant as most of us clearly are. They are best avoided (in this case, moderation does not apply). Humans did not develop eating grains and legumes, it is too new for many of us to digest properly.

Carbs (sugar and GMO grains) and industrial seed oils are the darlings of the toxic food environment. Much processed food consists of only three grains, corn, soy, and wheat, mixed with sugar and seed oils. Natural fats from plants and animals are not to blame, it's the bastardized seed oil fats that will cause health problems. I hope that I have clarified the previous misleading post.

Plants and dogs have been GMO'd for thousands of years. Look up what corn looked like before the Mayans began genetically modifying it. 90% of scientists say it poses no credible risk to health. Just my two cents. If you believe in climate change and use the 98% of scientists agree argument you should try doing some reading in scientific journals on GMOs. HYOH ;)

CamelMan
05-25-2016, 14:18
The toxic food environment includes beans and grains, which contain antigens and GMO issues (read Wheat Belly). Grains are what you feed a small calf to quickly make it an obese steer, and the same thing happens to people if you are insulin resistant as most of us clearly are.

Maybe one day, there will have to be a Diet Armageddon Thread for us to duke it out. ;) I'm not a small calf. I'm eating the same food that all large human populations have eaten since the agricultural revolution, and they weren't obese. Neither am I. Coincidence? Hmm...

(I don't use any oil so I agree about concentrated fats.)

Greenlight
05-25-2016, 15:17
It's simple math, really. Someone else gave the number: fat is fat is fat is fat is fat. It's 240 calories per ounce. Nothing will ever beat that, but you can't only eat fats. You need an assortment of fats, carbs, proteins, micro- and phyto-nutrients. I put dehydrated collard green powder in my food bag and mix it in with wetter "boil in bag" meals to get my greens. It's like having super nutritional salad on the trail and it doesn't have an overpowering taste. I don't see myself quaffing Mazola on the trail, but I probably will add it to dinners for the caloric boost. I watched a documentary about a year ago about these college kids who went to a village in an underdeveloped country for a summer, only spending the amount of money the locals made, to see if they could survive. After a month they were emaciated and had no energy to work. One of the locals finally clued them in that when they bought food (they were trying to eat "healthy") they needed to buy animal fat and add it to their meals. They perked right back up, put on weight, and learned an important lesson.

Connie
05-25-2016, 20:22
My point, of mentioning GMO's is that nutritional variety is not achieved at the typical produce aisle, because it is one plant genetically modified to appear to be a different plant, and, is given a different name: brocolli rabe is the plant.

To achieve nutritional variety, for example, do not rely on the crucifers.

I looked at the species classification, now. I looked to other cuisines for recipe ideas for different fresh food.

For example, I am combining kale and parsnips on rice, with a little olive oil, and one meat protein.

Recently, my garden and orchard has heritage selections.

This is the food I had, as a child. I am doing all that, again.

Next, I prepare it for backpacking.

Huli
05-25-2016, 21:04
I tried drinking chocolate today. Made with warm water. Talked to the guy making it and it didn't seem to have the same melting temp as regular chocolate. It has 200 calories per 40 grams. I am curious about melting, what do you all think as far as nutrition?

https://www.kilwins.com/chocolate-toffee-and-caramel/single-origin-chocolates

garlic08
05-26-2016, 00:02
I was the fat kid. Then one summer I grew 6" and lost 10 pounds.
More recently I lost 40 pounds, + or -, and kept it off. It's easy.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

And I was going to add about the one fat kid in elementary school, by high school he was slender and athletic and all the girls were after him, and he's still my best friend from those days. Congratulations on your recent weight loss.

Venchka
05-26-2016, 06:44
Thank you for the kind words. I feel great. Needed new clothes.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.