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Megapixel
06-23-2017, 12:09
I've long thought that ProBars and freeze dried meals (although usually full of salt) carry some of the best calorie to weight ratios. I'm curious to what other folks have found excels in this category as well...

Maineiac64
06-23-2017, 12:18
I just tried greenbelly, they seem a pretty good option.

Siestita
06-23-2017, 13:52
If you read product labels and do some simple arithmetic you'll learn which foods have the best calorie to weight ratios. Or, simply keep in mind that neither water in food nor fiber (which is helpful, at least in moderation, for other reasons) produce any calories. Also fats generate many more calories (up to about 200 per ounce) than do carbs (100 per ounce).

So, being moisture free, both sport bars and freeze dried meals are good light weight choices but they are not inherently any better in that regard than other less costly choices can be, items such as crackers, candy, rice, precooked dried beans, and pasta. And, as noted above,, the higher the percentage of fat an item contains, relative to its carbs, the better its calories to weight ratio will be. Breakfast bars, granola bars, and so-called nutrition bars sometimes contain nuts and/or vegetable oils., boosting their calories. But you can get even better calories per weight, and some protein, simply by snacking on nuts.

ranger2012
06-23-2017, 14:43
Peanut butter, 168 cal/oz of yum. Especially when spread on cosmic brownies (189 cal/oz). Who needs nutrition...

Dogwood
06-23-2017, 16:08
Nuts and seeds.

Macadamias, walnuts, filberts, pistachios, cashews, pine, etc.

Sunflower, pumpkin, chia, quinoa, actually a seed, hemp hearts, sesame, etc

Nut and seed butters. Tahini, etc. Pro Bar has 1 oz plus packets of almond butter with cocout oil and yerba mate. Other brands mix cocoa butter, which has high Cal to oz ratio in itself with almond or peanut butter

Seeds mentioned bough from bulk bins saves money

Roasted coconut chips R another fav.

Try EVOO and coconut oil packets. I find both relativEly cheap and conveniently individually packaged at Trader Joes.

Venchka
06-23-2017, 16:27
Macadamias are #1 @ 204 calories per ounce.
Pecans are #2 @ 200.
Wayne


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Dogwood
06-23-2017, 16:32
Freeze dried meals have a lower Cal to oz ratio than all the items listed.

Remember easy enough though to increase the ratio by adding copious amonuts of anything stated.

Dried full fat coconut milk powders also have a160 cal per oz ratio with some amazing flavor. Other dried milks to try are Peak brand, a Dutch company, a cows milk, Meyenberg goat milk, or even some of the powdered vanilla or plain soy milks. I've seen all these at 155 Cal per oz or more ratios.

Look for energy bite squares at 165 plus cal per oz ratios or low sugar macaroons at around 200 cal per oz.

Deadeye
06-23-2017, 16:52
Nuts! Some folks like nut butters, but I'll stick with nuts - no mess. Most nuts are >150 calories/ounce.

Venchka
06-23-2017, 17:26
Nuts! Some folks like nut butters, but I'll stick with nuts - no mess. Most nuts are >150 calories/ounce.

Butters are more space friendly. There's a lot of dead air space in a bag of nuts. Although that space could be filled with tiny seeds like Hemp Hearts.
Wayne


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map man
06-23-2017, 18:42
As has been stated already, nuts and seeds pretty much all give you more than 160 calories per ounce. I know you shouldn't try to exist on those foods alone, but they are a staple of mine on any backpacking trip.

Venchka
06-23-2017, 22:14
One of the best ways to package the nuts of your choice. These keep very well in plastic wrap and a Ziploc bag.
http://www.all-bran.com/recipes/brownies-recipe.html
Wayne


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Venchka
06-23-2017, 22:26
The visual version.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170624/5ca57c28ca53ad816c3203edcedd0d30.jpg
Wayne


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garlic08
06-23-2017, 22:44
Sounds unanimous, but I'll throw in yet another vote for nuts and seeds.

Leave the packaged, salty glop alone as much as you can.

DownEaster
06-23-2017, 22:49
Butters are more space friendly. There's a lot of dead air space in a bag of nuts.
Once you send your warm clothes home, you should have plenty of space in your pack. Go nuts!:sun

Odd Man Out
06-23-2017, 22:58
Here's what I do. Look at the product label for g per serving, g of fat, protein, and carbs per serving. Subtract the last three from the first. That will be grams of water per serving. Less water, more fat gives more calorie density. Also don't forget about packaging. The packaging weight of some dehydrated backpacking meals negates their advantage.

PaulWorksHard
06-24-2017, 01:37
Pro bars, like cliff bars are pretty poor in that regard.

Carbohydrate=4 calories per gram
Protein = 4 calories per gram
Alcohol = 7 calories per gram
Fat = 9 calories per gram

Bars that are high in sugar will be low in the cal/oz.

In general, nuts and seeds are much higher.
Macadamia nuts are the all stars at 201 cal/oz.
Quinoa, while a complete protein is low in fat and only 103 cal/oz

In general, many nuts and hemp seeds are around 160-170 cal/oz.

My backpacking food is about 4000 cal/day at a little less than 2lbs. 40% of calories are from fat.

I do like Kind bars, but just noticed that Costco has "signature nut bars" that are awfully close to Kind bars and are about 75 cents each. An excellent deal

A good information source: http://nutritiondata.self.com

MuddyWaters
06-24-2017, 05:23
Fats. 200-240 cal/oz
Nuts. 160-200
Pepperoni\salami. 130-150
Chocolate. 130-150
Dried fruit 130-150
Bacon. 120-130
Pasta\grains\flour based carbs. 100- 130
Cheese 100-120
Lean protein 80


150 cal\oz is a good target, but if have variety, expect to average 125 or so. Tuna, jerky, pasta, rice etc bring avg down fast. I plan low cal meal items to spike calories. Whether with olive oil, ghee, peanut butter, or mayo packets. Add some fat. Ill admit to pouring olive oil into cathole before because couldnt stomach any more of it....goes OK with some things, not so OK with others. And 1/2 oz is plenty to upset the taste, 1 oz will ruin dinners .

Dogwood
06-24-2017, 11:28
Considering some of the foods found in abundance in typical AT hiker food bags ProBars at around 125- 130 cal per oz ratios with about 20 % coming from sugar, mostly from the fruit, isn't likely that low a cal/oz ratio or the highest sugar % in their food.


If you like ProBars ProBar also offers some nut butter combinations that I've found, and you may also find, to be tasty, that increase the cal /oz ratio and lowers the sugar % from total calories further. For example, ProBar has their almond butter mixed with coconut w/ a bit of caffeine(yerba mate) or their Koka Moka mixed with chocolate w/ a bit of caffeine. http://shop.theprobar.com/Koka-Moka-w-Caffeine-nut-butter It's about time we some of us expand our nut butter selection from only peanut butter. There are many different nut AND SEED butters available. BTW cocoa butter in itself has a very good cal/oz ratio. Mixing low sugar chocolate, REAL CHOCOLATE, into a nut butter can offer something that is taste and cal/oz appreciated. For a no cook Bfast I'll dip a Probar into some nut butter washed down with copious H20 eaten as I'm packing up.


A handful of hemp hearts(shelled hemp seed) mixed into a morning cereal w/ some nuts, coconut flake, and dried fruits w/ full fat powdered milk(I like full fat coconut milk powder), eaten cold or warmed can have a very high cal/oz ratio and more importantly provide greater nutrition than just calories which so many in the hiker community stop at as if all calories are the same. Food is more than calories.


For example, Tahini(sesame seed paste) is widely available as is becoming sunflower seed butter. Almond butter is becoming universally available in the aisle next to PB selections.

PaulWorksHard
06-25-2017, 02:00
Wouldn't eat Pro Bars, except for the nut butters, the others are high in sugar and not that high in calories.

Pro Bar bites 190 cal , 46 g = 117 cal/ oz, 25% sugar
Pro Bar meal 370 cal, 85 g = 123 csl/oz, 19- 27% sugar
Pro Bar bolt 90 cal, 30 g = 85 cal/oz, 40% sugar
Pro Bar fuel 190 cal 51 g = 106 cal/oz, 41% sugar
Pro Bar base 220 cal, 53 = 118 cal/oz, 23% sugar
Pro Bar base 290 cal, 70 g = 118 cal/oz, 23% sugar

But I do like hemp seeds. My breakfast is oatmeal, raisins, chia & hemp seeds.

MuddyWaters
06-25-2017, 08:14
White flour and refined grains are worse for you than sugar.
Theres virtually no way to eat 4000 cal per day on trail, or even 3000, without eating a lot of things that arent good for you. Bad fats, sugar, refined flour makes up half of diet, or more. Maybe 90% for some.

LDog
06-25-2017, 10:06
I'm curious to what other folks have found excels in this category as well...

Besides nuts and nut butters, oils come in a close second in cal/g. Get a good bottle, with a secure lid, and carry some good oil. I always carry olive oil, and add a couple of ounces to every dinner. Coconut oil tastes good in oatmeal too.

But those bottles olive oil come in have some flimsy caps once they're opened the first time. I buy an 8 oz bottle and xfer the oil to an 8 oz Nalgene HDPE Wide Mouth Round Container.

39707

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OPMG52/?th=1&psc=1

That cap ain't coming loose in your pack!

spfleisig
06-25-2017, 11:28
Fritos and Pringles are good on the cal/gram issue.

Dogwood
06-25-2017, 12:42
White flour and refined grains are worse for you than sugar.
Theres virtually no way to eat 4000 cal per day on trail, or even 3000, without eating a lot of things that arent good for you. Bad fats, sugar, refined flour makes up half of diet, or more. Maybe 90% for some.

If you avail yourself of the copious amounts of resupply information for trails like the AT, PCT, CDT, LT, etc resupplying at med to large grocery stores, co-ops, health food stores, possibly mailing a couple of boxes to key resupply locations based on your hike, etc there's no reason why one with forethought can't eat healthier. C'mon, grocery store chains now more than ever, even WallyWorlds, are offering consumers more food choices than ever with some choices being healthier. Organic food choices alone have surged in the last several yrs with 2013 seeing a 12% rise from the previous yr alone. Even WallyWorld is carrying Organic options. Even if buying all Organic is not desired there are still copious amounts of trail food ready choices in med to large grocery stores in every state I've hiked which is now at 38 states. Heck, a friend who walked across the Andes/S America found it not extremely hard even there to make healthier options. The excuses are on the consumers shoulders.

PaulWorksHard
06-25-2017, 14:29
White flour and refined grains are worse for you than sugar.
Theres virtually no way to eat 4000 cal per day on trail, or even 3000, without eating a lot of things that arent good for you. Bad fats, sugar, refined flour makes up half of diet, or more. Maybe 90% for some.

That's a pretty broad, sweeping statement based upon...
your own poor choices. My 4000 cal diet consists of nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, dried fruit and veggies. Maybe 1000 calories of it are from items with Bad fats, sugar or refined flour - lances peanut butter crackers and trader Joes dark chocolate being the primary offenders with raisins, dried mango and apples (all unsweetened) being the primary sugar sources.

While you may think there's virtually no way to eat a healthy 4000 cal/day backpacking diet, you would be incorrect.

DownEaster
06-25-2017, 14:41
Fritos and Pringles are good on the cal/gram issue.
This is true. A significant difference between the two is the ingredient list. The Pringles list features a couple dozen items from the food chemistry industry. Fritos are corn cooked in corn oil, plus salt. That's it.

Megapixel
06-25-2017, 14:57
Wouldn't eat Pro Bars, except for the nut butters, the others are high in sugar and not that high in calories.

Pro Bar bites 190 cal , 46 g = 117 cal/ oz, 25% sugar
Pro Bar meal 370 cal, 85 g = 123 csl/oz, 19- 27% sugar
Pro Bar bolt 90 cal, 30 g = 85 cal/oz, 40% sugar
Pro Bar fuel 190 cal 51 g = 106 cal/oz, 41% sugar
Pro Bar base 220 cal, 53 = 118 cal/oz, 23% sugar
Pro Bar base 290 cal, 70 g = 118 cal/oz, 23% sugar

But I do like hemp seeds. My breakfast is oatmeal, raisins, chia & hemp seeds.

Not sure of your stats, but the pro bars we use, pro bar meal are 22g of sugar. not 85 as you are quoting.

PaulWorksHard
06-25-2017, 16:21
Not sure of your stats, but the pro bars we use, pro bar meal are 22g of sugar. not 85 as you are quoting.
Reread the post. It says the bars weigh 85g. They are 19 - 27% sugar and about 123 cal/oz.

Dogwood
06-25-2017, 17:29
That's a pretty broad, sweeping statement based upon...
your own poor choices. My 4000 cal diet consists of nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, dried fruit and veggies. Maybe 1000 calories of it are from items with Bad fats, sugar or refined flour - lances peanut butter crackers and trader Joes dark chocolate being the primary offenders with raisins, dried mango and apples (all unsweetened) being the primary sugar sources.

While you may think there's virtually no way to eat a healthy 4000 cal/day backpacking diet, you would be incorrect.


I don't see why you're so down on sugar content of ProBar Meals Bars at 19-26 % of calories from sugar, often from the dried fruit included, BUT also from added cane sugar admittedly, when unsweetened dried raisins are around 67% of sugar calories or Trader Joe's unsulfured unsweetened dried mango are the same? I get it that excessive sugar is not wanted in a trail diet. Curious as to where you set your standard for sugar consumption on trail ACROSS ALL THAT YOU EAT?

THX for sharing those stats that you already have Paul. :)

PaulWorksHard
06-25-2017, 19:28
How much do Pro Bars, or any other bar cost on a per pound basis? At least $10-15. Some, much more. Do you want to pay this much for sugar? Sure, raisins have a lot of sugar, but they are what, less than $3 per pound? When paying over $1 for a 1.25 or 1.5oz bar, shouldn't it be highly nutritious? That's my issue with most bars. They are poor value for the money. Full disclosure, I do eat the Kirkland nut bars which are kind bar knock-offs. 65 cents each, 15% sugar and 140 calories/oz.

My standard is minimize, without being stupid, empty calories. I have 144 grams of sugar a day in 4000 calories, about 100 grams from dried raisins, mangos and apples. I love sugar and chocolate. What I really want to focus on is a healthy diet at a reasonable cost.

Just for clarity, the phrase " Bad fats, sugar or refined flour " was quoting from Muddy Waters post.

MuddyWaters
06-25-2017, 19:41
No one chooses bars or other junk because they prefer it.
Its quick its convenient. You pay for the convenience.
prepackaged long shelf life

Some are really not much better than snickers either on a nutrition basis, but at least they have some fiber too.

Venchka
06-25-2017, 19:47
Is $5.00/pound for 2.4 ounce bars acceptable? The potassium content exceeds the sodium content. Something I look for when buying trail food. 22 grams of various sugars.
These bars combined with the All Bran Brownies keep me going during the day at altitude.
Keep it simple.
Wayne


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garlic08
06-25-2017, 22:24
No one chooses bars or other junk because they prefer it....

I respectfully disagree! A lot of research has gone into the correct fat/sugar/salt combination in packaged foods to reach the "bliss point." The stuff is addictive.

Dogwood
06-25-2017, 22:41
How much do Pro Bars, or any other bar cost on a per pound basis? At least $10-15. Some, much more. Do you want to pay this much for sugar? Sure, raisins have a lot of sugar, but they are what, less than $3 per pound? When paying over $1 for a 1.25 or 1.5oz bar, shouldn't it be highly nutritious? That's my issue with most bars. They are poor value for the money. Full disclosure, I do eat the Kirkland nut bars which are kind bar knock-offs. 65 cents each, 15% sugar and 140 calories/oz.

My standard is minimize, without being stupid, empty calories. I have 144 grams of sugar a day in 4000 calories, about 100 grams from dried raisins, mangos and apples. I love sugar and chocolate. What I really want to focus on is a healthy diet at a reasonable cost.

Just for clarity, the phrase " Bad fats, sugar or refined flour " was quoting from Muddy Waters post.


THX Paul. Now you're throwing in $ cost. BUT that wasn't my question. I do see your pt BUT I'm DEFINITELY NOT recognizing an overall high quality of wider nutrition despite the $ cost differences comparing raisins or dried mango, both of which I enjoy, with a ProBar Meal. Other foods hence $ costs would have to be included in either dried mango or raisins to raise these single items to the cost of a ProBar Meal. Plus, I'm strongly assuming there would be added bulk and inconvenience than quickly noshing a ProBar Meal with some nuts or nut butter in the morning.


BTW, raisins are relatively cheap. Dried mango is more expensive. Just as a suggestion, and what I do, is food cost average. That is I do NOT eat ProBars every morning but mix it up financially to lower avg costs to include whole oats which is the cheapest b'fast(and all purpose option) and add nuts, dried milk, dried fruit, a nut butter, etc.

I certainly do agree though I also don't want to be paying very much for empty sugar calories either on trail or at home.

Dogwood
06-25-2017, 22:41
Ever make your own bars for the trail?

Venchka
06-25-2017, 23:16
Ever make your own bars for the trail?

The brownies above and a couple other recipes in the kitchen are added to the store bought stuff for variety.
Wayne


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Dogwood
06-26-2017, 10:38
I'm eating ProBars because oz for oz they have a much wider profile of convenient trail nutrition than oz for oz of raisins or dried mango. Yeah, for the convenience and greater nutritional profile I'll throw in some ProBars to a summer or warmer hike's food bag. My own sugar content % tops out around 20% and I'm considering the qualitative source of the sugar.

AllDownhillFromHere
06-26-2017, 11:59
ProBar Meal bars ftw - not that you can live on them when they're $3 apiece (spare me your "but I scored them on sale" stories). But packing a few of them to have as a morale boost or jumpstart to a day when you need it can not only fill your belly but your soul. 20 miles into a 24 mile day, no water to cold-soak your noodles, and sick to death of almonds and tortillas and dried fruit? Finding that one last ProBar chocolate/PB bar at the bottom of your food bag puts an instant 390(?) calories in your belly, the chocolate/sugar picks you up, and it makes those last 4 miles fly by.

TTT
06-26-2017, 15:32
I'm unfamiliar with ProBars. It seems to pack a nutritional value per 100 grams of 1739 kj (414 kcal), but I'm familiar with ButtaNutt (Pecan/Macadamia squeeze packs) that scream in with 2992 kg of energy for 100 grams (715 calories). Another option for the hungry.

39740

Dogwood
06-26-2017, 18:45
BTW, it's incorrect to state Probars Meal costs only involve paying for sugar. There're other ingredients and nutrition in a ProBar Meal. It's called a meal for a reason. I've never eaten just raisins or dried mango and thought of them as a meal. To comparatively suggest raisins or dried mango equal the nutrition of a ProBar Meal isn't accurate. I'm willing to pay for food that I think is overall comparatively better. I haven't hit the lottery though so I'll continue to mix it up taste wise and nutritionally cost averaging. I wonder if those mentioning costs on trail apply their costs considerations universally to their hikes? That would be a shame if so as they would never experience backpacking beyond their own backyard.

One Half
06-26-2017, 18:51
You don't need grains and sugars to fuel your efforts. I'll just drop this here.

http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/articles/how-adrian-ballinger-summited-everest-without-oxygen-w484387

Dogwood
06-26-2017, 20:48
ProBar Meal bars ftw - not that you can live on them when they're $3 apiece (spare me your "but I scored them on sale" stories). But packing a few of them to have as a morale boost or jumpstart to a day when you need it can not only fill your belly but your soul. 20 miles into a 24 mile day, no water to cold-soak your noodles, and sick to death of almonds and tortillas and dried fruit? Finding that one last ProBar chocolate/PB bar at the bottom of your food bag puts an instant 390(?) calories in your belly, the chocolate/sugar picks you up, and it makes those last 4 miles fly by.

Then you can ignore that I buy 3 oz Pro Bar Meals wholesale for $ 1.84 - 1.97 each.

Venchka
06-26-2017, 21:59
I ate a LaraBar earlier. 0 Sodium. 11% DV Potassium. 0 added sugar. 23 grams naturally occurring sugar. 133 calories per ounce. Vegan & Kosher. What's not to like?
Wayne


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garlic08
06-26-2017, 23:08
I must have simple tastes. A handful of cashews and a handful of raisins satisfy my need for fat, salt, (natural) sugar and protein in a quick snack. They're readily available at most markets, pack well, and have a long shelf life at a reasonable cost. I don't get why opening a wrapper is better.

MuddyWaters
06-27-2017, 02:22
I respectfully disagree! A lot of research has gone into the correct fat/sugar/salt combination in packaged foods to reach the "bliss point." The stuff is addictive.

Only thing I consider addictive is peanut mms. And thats ok because they are a primary food group.

rocketsocks
06-27-2017, 04:12
I feel fat

cbxx
06-27-2017, 08:12
Lots of good info here, nuts and seeds are great, olive oil 240 cal per oz... Some foods not mentioned:
Dark choc 180 cal/oz, dehydrated milk 150 cal/oz, dried sweetened coconut-143, pepperoni- 130, even pastas at 100 cal/oz is pretty good. cookies 100-140 cal/oz. Beef Jerky- 100.

Riocielo
06-28-2017, 15:59
Only thing I consider addictive is peanut mms. And thats ok because they are a primary food group.
I totally agree! They are my favorite trail snack.

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Dogwood
06-28-2017, 18:28
REAL chocolate, not the chocolate flavored sugar - REALLY that's what it amounts to - that some companies pass off as chocolate(examples; snickershart, etc) - dark low sugar content chocolate is another cool or shoulder season high cal/oz ratio item that satisfies a sweet tooth on trail. Better yet get your dried fruit, with its naturally occurring sugar, in dark low or no sugar chocolate covered fruit. I like dark chocolate covered banana, blueberries, and roasted dried coconut chips. Or, at SPROUTS Grocery Stores, which are now in 25 states, find dark chocolate covered pumpkin seeds(a great price at $4.99/lb, bought yesterday in Atlanta area from a bulk barrel) or dark chocolate covered walnuts or almonds at $7.99/lb. SPROUTS also has some unusuals not even found at WholeFoods like dried cruchy okra pods for $6.99/lb which is a lot(contains oil).

Dogwood
06-28-2017, 18:37
It's not only cals/oz though. Although, certainly this is important for carrying wt considerations for food it's really about nutrients. Don't just limit yourself to cal/oz ratios. Look for a wide variety of nutrients even beyond protein and carb content! Some of us are already doing that which is noticed in several of the posts on this thread.

A quality dark chocolate covered PB cup(NOT reeses or the pieces!) like Theos or Newmans or even their versions of dark chocolate covered almond cups can be a real satisfier on trail. And, before the tight wads start complaining about price consider you don't have to load your trail food bag up with these items. Jus add some in for that special occasion balancing out the costs elsewhere in the food. This reminds me to say every item in the food bag doesn't have to have ginormous cal/oz ratios IF we think of food as a whole where we can add and mix ingredients to raise cal/oz ratios, and more importantly overall nutrient profiles.

swjohnsey
06-29-2017, 08:09
Pure sugar is about 114 calories per ounce, any kind of oil about 255 calories per ounce.

MuddyWaters
06-29-2017, 09:52
Lightweight food that your not willing to eat, isnt worth much.

Id rather starve than eat a few things I been sick of before.
When you have/can carry all water for a day....it doesnt matter if water in food or not. Leaving town at noon...carry whats good for 1st day. Cans of chili, sausage, steak, whatever.

Odd Man Out
06-29-2017, 12:07
Lightweight food that your not willing to eat, isnt worth much.

Id rather starve than eat a few things I been sick of before.
When you have/can carry all water for a day....it doesnt matter if water in food or not. Leaving town at noon...carry whats good for 1st day. Cans of chili, sausage, steak, whatever.

True. I know Andrew Skurka has written about his trail diet. He said that on a long distance hike, he finds the one food that is calorie dense, not perishable, widely available, that he can eat indefinitely without getting sick of - is chocolate. Not exactly a balanced diet, but it works for him.

swjohnsey
06-29-2017, 12:46
For me it is peanut butter, prolly more calories per ounce, too.

Dogwood
06-29-2017, 14:14
I ate a LaraBar earlier. 0 Sodium. 11% DV Potassium. 0 added sugar. 23 grams naturally occurring sugar. 133 calories per ounce. Vegan & Kosher. What's not to like?
Wayne


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Cashew Cookie is very filling. Two ingredients: cashews, dates

YES there's significant sugar content but that's naturally occurring in the dates. The sugar at least is offset with some fiber. Grazed shouldn't be a significant issue for anti sugar fanatics(I'm one but some of you have higher sugar limitations than myself). They can be had for as little as 3/$2.

DownEaster
06-29-2017, 16:46
Rather than just the ratio, or the nutritional value, I think the important consideration is finding stuff near the trail which will be both adequately calorie dense and that you can tolerate repeatedly. Olive oil is great for the ratio, but dumping it into most foods will soon make me want to gag; I save olive oil for pasta. Butter doesn't have the same issues for me, so I'll carry a couple of Coghlan's squeeze tubes and buy half a pound at resupply points. I can dump a lot of butter into Minute Rice and shovel it down. In terms of sweet snacks I'd much prefer some good dark chocolate (Sarotti, Lindt, Tobler) but find I can tolerate almond Snickers bars over and over, whereas the regular (peanut) Snickers I just can't. You're unlikely to find good dark chocolate at a mini-mart, but might score some almond Snickers. Fritos are good for the ratio and free of food chemistry additives; they're also a snack I can eat over and over again. Fritos, cheese, and some summer sausage is a perfectly satisfying lunch. Fritos are also available nearly everywhere.

As always, vitamin+mineral supplements are worth their weight, and going for a bag of fruit and a salad first thing in town instead of more Snickers bars is a better habit. A healthy diet on the trail is hard, but you can balance things out.

LDog
07-03-2017, 09:29
My food bag always has instant brown rice, corn based gf pasta, King Arthur's powdered cheddar cheese, Harmony House dehydrated tomato bits, bell peppers, black and red beans, and onions. Small packets of garlic powder, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, curry powder, parsley and Italian seasoning. Olive oil, peanut butter. Louisiana hot sauce.

Tuna packets, good jerkeys. Used to be able to find sardines in packets but haven't seen them lately. Mayo, mustard and relish packets.

Oatmeal when it's cold, granola when it's not, dried cranberries, raisins, Nino dried milk, carnation essentials "instant breakfast," tubes of instant coffee and Demerara sugar.

Kind bars, Lara bars, mixed nuts. Dried mangos, pineapple, apricots, blueberries, bananas, Dove dark chocolate bars, and dark chocolate chips.

I mix up a water bottle of Nino the night before, so it's ready for breakfast. Goes in oatmeal, granola, coffee, and any remainder is mixed with a packet of carnation essentials and a tube of coffee for the trail. After breakfast, my food bag is re-packed with breakfast on the bottom, then dinner stuff, lunch stuff, and snacks on top. The food bag goes in my pack upright against my spine both for proper weight distribution, but also so I can rip into it easily at every break.

I like mixing peanut butter with granola and scooping it with dried bananas ...

I stuff a hip belt pocket with a bag of nuts, chocolate chips and craisens, a Larabar, and a kind bar to snack while walking, and for a pre-climb boost.

At lunch I put dehydrated veggies into an 8oz bottle with water to rehydrate as I walk.

At dinner I can use the ingredients I carry to make chili, curry, peanut sauce, Italian tomato sauce, Cajun rice and beans, or a sweet mac n cheese.

Stuff I can't find in trail towns goes in a bounce box.

Food bag for 5 days is usually right at 10L and 10lbs.

MtDoraDave
07-08-2017, 06:21
You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!
You got your peanut butter in my chocolate!

I tire of peanut butter quickly. The chocolatey hazelnut spread is too sweet and gooey. I have brought both items on my week-long section hikes to put on the 100 calorie per 6" tortillas for lunch.
This last section I did, I bought a small jar of peanut butter and a small jar of Target brand nutella - and I blended them together. Like a reeses peanut butter cup, chocolate and peanut butter taste great blended!
This would be kind of tricky or messy to attempt on the trail, but to do it in advance... give it a try. :)

Connie
05-13-2018, 00:44
I found Nutella substitutes at google: nutella recipe.

Aaron Owens Mayhew, who has the The Backcountry Foodie blog, is bringing out her calories-to-weight ratio cookbook, hopefully this month. google: Aaron Owens Mayhew.

Riocielo
05-13-2018, 20:30
You don't need grains and sugars to fuel your efforts. I'll just drop this here.

http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/articles/how-adrian-ballinger-summited-everest-without-oxygen-w484387

Great article.


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Riocielo
05-13-2018, 20:31
Only thing I consider addictive is peanut mms. And thats ok because they are a primary food group.

Me, too. They are a staple of every hiking trip.


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kestral
05-13-2018, 21:16
Butter.

I like Kerry gold salted butter in my oatmeal, coffee, tea, ramen, potatoes sides, rice sides, noodle sides, dehydrated veggies, freeze dried dinners, soup mix, ect... Butter makes it Better! I put the softened butter into a small Nutella jar inside a ziplock. It won’t go bad over a week, but it might melt. My dog likes it with her kibble. I don’t lose weight but I eat well!

I’ve developed milk and gluten sensitivity over the years, small amounts of gluten ok a couple times a week, butter, heavy cream and yogurt tolerated. Butter fills in caloric needs while hiking.

BowGal
05-14-2018, 06:31
I found Nutella substitutes at google: nutella recipe.

Aaron Owens Mayhew, who has the The Backcountry Foodie blog, is bringing out her calories-to-weight ratio cookbook, hopefully this month. google: Aaron Owens Mayhew.

Thank you for Aaron’s name/site. I’ve made the decision to go stoveless next year, and am wanting cold soak recipes/ideas. I have a few ideas so far, but seeing what other ideas are out there.

RockDoc
05-14-2018, 14:14
It's not just about calories. Think nutritient density if you want to be healthy rather than simply fueled.
The suggestions have all been made, but eggs, nuts, and dried meat are some of the most nutritious foods.
Be cautious about "energy" foods.

http://www.burnfatnotsugar.com/Naimemes/image30o.PNG