View Full Version : Thru Hiking as a Vegan
lukejmills
02-07-2018, 09:50
Hello all,
Was just curious as to whether or not anyone here has thru-hiked as a vegan and/or would have any advice/ideas as to nutrition for a vegan on the trail? I realize that nuts and dried beans/grains will be staples. Just wondering if anyone else had any other clever ideas/experience to share.
Thanks so much!
illabelle
02-07-2018, 10:32
This ought to be enough to get you started:
https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-104237.html
https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-117323.html
https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-116138.html
There's a woman on YT who thru hiked the PCT, did it vegan, and posted a video on how she did it.
Cotezi Hikes (https://www.youtube.com/user/whoaaitsmaria) is the name of her channel.
u.w.
I've thru hiked all the TC trails as a vegetarian. Have several Vegan LD hiking friends some of whom I've thru hiked. However, IMHO the very best sources of applicable info is directly discussing this with Vegans who have hiked the trail/hike you're referring.
I'll offer, during the late and early shoulder seasons and summer I grow organic trail sprouts for their enhanced nutrition, texture, tastiness, ease, and raw food qualities.
https://outdoorherbivore.com/trail-sprouts/
Outdoor Herbivore also offers tasty Vegan food even no cook and gluten free Vegan food. I include some of these in my vegetarian diet easily maintained on trail throughout the U.S.
https://outdoorherbivore.com/vegan/
Suppose you're referring to the AT. This is important as regional culture influences what's available. FWIW, if I was thru-hiking the AT again but this time as a Vegan I'd supplement in several places by mailing resupply boxes but not every resupplying everywhere by mailing. I wouldn't bounce box either. I'd carefully pick my main resupply pts to include buying along the way focusing on locations with med to lg mainstream grocery stores and the less frequent Food Co-Op, WFoods, EarthFare, Sprouts, and Health Food stores. This is sometimes referred to as a hybrid resupply approach but I call it, with vegetarian twist.
backtrack213
02-07-2018, 13:35
I made hummus for lunch most days bought a 10 pound bag of dehydrated hummus buy some olive oil wrap it in tortillas add avocado or occasionally i packed out tempeh as well for a solid lunch. Uncrustables are great too for snacks. Also i bought a 10 pound bag of dehydrated vegan chili that was for dinner with dehydrated mixed veggies in tortillas. I dont really care about eating similar things for an extended period of time but this worked well for me. Hope this helps
Starchild
02-07-2018, 14:27
I did my thru hike with someone who is pestitarian <sp> (allowing fish), and it was no problem for her on the AT and most of her stuff was not fish. Obviously vegetarian would be harder and vegan harder still. However all I would expect is sometimes carrying more out of trail towns for longer sections, so instead of a average of every 3 day resupply, it may be a average of 4, with some minor topoffs.
Even El Camino, in a very meat centric Spain, has a vegetarian option now (ok not vegan, but a good start for a country that normally if you ask for a vegetarian meal they would say just don't eat the meat on your plate).
There have been a few that have thru-hiked various U.S. LD trails with a raw food vegetarian lifestyle that you would glean much Vegan lifestyle applicable info. FWIW, and to let you the OP maybe clarify, being a Vegan or a vegetarian isn't so much just a diet as diets are typically thought of, as temporary, but can be more accurately defined as a long term possibly life long lifestyle....as MW alluded.
Kaptainkriz
02-07-2018, 18:39
I'm interested in the various answers on this for a different reason - I have Alpha-Gal contracted from a tick bite. In a nutshell, I'm now very allergic to eating anything that came from something that has hair (milk/dairy, gelatin, beef, pork, lamb...etc.) This kills many hiker staples for me (Snickers, Pizza, jerky, Advil, most candy, chocolate, most chips, most processed food). I've been adapting and find that most food that is labeled Kosher (Pareve) is safe for me to eat (and usually Vegan). Things I've found ok are Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, Lemon Lara Bars, Nature Valley Crunch Granola bars, oatmeal, unfrosted pop-tarts, dried fruit, any fruit or veggie, potatoes (including dehydrated), rice, beans, red beans and rice dehydrated meals, tofu stuff, fritos, some pastas, bagels,peanut butter, nut butters (without chocolate). I do not like vegan cheese (ewww).
I need to make a list and just have not had time...
Hello all,
Was just curious as to whether or not anyone here has thru-hiked as a vegan and/or would have any advice/ideas as to nutrition for a vegan on the trail? I realize that nuts and dried beans/grains will be staples. Just wondering if anyone else had any other clever ideas/experience to share.
Thanks so much!
There are a few videos on YouTube that discuss this. I believe Dixie did one recently herself though, she isn't a vegan herself. I'll see if I can link the videos that I saved later.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Spare up some weight for all the supplements you'll need for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, or you will become very ill.
Spare up some weight for all the supplements you'll need for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, or you will become very ill.
Look around. Observe intently. Whether by your dietary way of thinking or others how many do you note are consuming the perfect diet all the time? Can't it be argued virtually unanimously all benefit from some level of supplementing no matter if they eat meat or not or are Vegans or vegetarian? Cant that be further argued in context of trail life?
Even in the context of on trail Vegan and vegetarian diets referencing "all the supplements you will need to make up for the vitamin and mineral deficiencies(caused by a Vegan diet) or you will become very sick" is misleading. Typically recommended, at the most are 5 supplements, not "all" implying a massive amount. Even those 5 can be whittled down to about 2-3 with some savvy alternatives to supplements possibly entailing some added effort on trail than off but none the less certainly feasible as Vegan and vegetarian athletes and hikers(LD or otherwise) have amply demonstrated.
Before anyone makes the valid argument that eating nourishing healthy foods shouldn't be that complicated didn't we each become habituated to a complex dietary approach no matter if we were habituated to eat meat/consume animal products or not? Only after extracting ourselves for a moment from those habits and observing from outside them - unbiased as possible - can we recognize this.
Of all people RockDoc, based on your many insightful food related posts, you should be able to admit anyone on any kind of diet can have health issues - get very ill -whether they consume animal products or not.
Further, health and sickness - becoming very ill - is often complex in nature having multiple causalities and correlated factors NOT always solely dietary caused.
SWODaddy
02-07-2018, 22:18
Look around. Observe intently. Whether by your dietary way of thinking or others how many do you note are consuming the perfect diet all the time? Can't it be argued virtually unanimously all benefit from some level of supplementing no matter if they eat meat or not or are Vegans or vegetarian? Cant that be further argued in context of trail life?
Even in the context of on trail Vegan and vegetarian diets referencing "all the supplements you will need to make up for the vitamin and mineral deficiencies(caused by a Vegan diet) or you will become very sick" is misleading. Typically recommended, at the most are 5 supplements, not "all" implying a massive amount. Even those 5 can be whittled down to about 2-3 with some savvy alternatives to supplements possibly entailing some added effort on trail than off but none the less certainly feasible as Vegan and vegetarian athletes and hikers(LD or otherwise) have amply demonstrated.
Before anyone makes the valid argument that eating nourishing healthy foods shouldn't be that complicated didn't we each become habituated to a complex dietary approach no matter if we were habituated to eat meat/consume animal products or not? Only after extracting ourselves for a moment from those habits and observing from outside them - unbiased as possible - can we recognize this.
Of all people RockDoc, based on your many insightful food related posts, you should be able to admit anyone on any kind of diet can have health issues - get very ill -whether they consume animal products or not.
Further, health and sickness - becoming very ill - is often complex in nature having multiple causalities and correlated factors NOT always solely dietary caused.
No, every diet doesn't require supplements.
Yes, every vegan and vegetarian requires supplements.
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20030618/vegetarian-diet-b12-deficiency
Sarcasm the elf
02-07-2018, 22:27
Spare up some weight for all the supplements you'll need for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, or you will become very ill.
With the exception of vitamin B-12, there is really no reason to think that a vegan would have an issue on the trail so long as they have a decent grasp on human nutrition. Since they are forced to pay attention to their diet there is a good chance they'll have a better diet than the ramen, twinkie, and fried town food diet of the average hiker.
cliffordbarnabus
02-08-2018, 00:38
if you're not picky and you read labels, done. do it.
I'll be carrying a multi vitamin supplement. To each their own.
With the exception of vitamin B-12, there is really no reason to think that a vegan would have an issue on the trail so long as they have a decent grasp on human nutrition. Since they are forced to pay attention to their diet there is a good chance they'll have a better diet than the ramen, twinkie, and fried town food diet of the average hiker.
Exactly.^^^^
No, every diet doesn't require supplements.
Yes, every vegan and vegetarian requires supplements.
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20030618/vegetarian-diet-b12-deficiency
The article did NOT say every Vegan and vegetarian requires supplements. That conclusion is your personal one not a WEB MD supported conclusion. Read carefully in context.
lukejmills
02-08-2018, 19:34
With the exception of vitamin B-12, there is really no reason to think that a vegan would have an issue on the trail so long as they have a decent grasp on human nutrition. Since they are forced to pay attention to their diet there is a good chance they'll have a better diet than the ramen, twinkie, and fried town food diet of the average hiker.
Haha, my sentiments exactly. In looking over all the other food that omnivorous thru-hikers eat as staples, I would believe I would have better nutrition, as a lot of their diets are composed of instant mashed potatoes, snickers, and perhaps some oatmeal. Just grains pretty much. Don't really see as much balance as I would hope to see/plan for myself to have.
AllDownhillFromHere
02-08-2018, 22:02
There's a woman on YT who thru hiked the PCT, did it vegan, and posted a video on how she did it.
Cotezi Hikes (https://www.youtube.com/user/whoaaitsmaria) is the name of her channel.u.w.
There's tons of people who hike it vegan, and who don't have Youtube channels.
Just eat vegan food.
A jug of this added to ramen, mashed potatoes, etc. would work.
https://naturesplus.com/products/productdetail.php?productNumber=45951
It works for me and I am not even close to vegan. But I met one once.
Wayne
lukejmills
02-08-2018, 22:30
There's tons of people who hike it vegan, and who don't have Youtube channels.
Just eat vegan food.
Haha, that's what I'm gathering. Her video basically outlined all the specialty vegan food she used ($$$!) on her thru-hike. Not trying to break the bank with all those specialty meals.
I'm looking to do more like lentils and grains and such (lentils, surprisingly, are just over 100 calories/ounce, so they're not that heavy).
The more I look at this, the more I realize this will be less of an issue than I thought. The specialty meals just throw a wrench in the works.
Definitely will be supplementing with a protein powder of some sort and vitamin B12 though.
lukejmills
02-08-2018, 22:33
A jug of this added to ramen, mashed potatoes, etc. would work.
https://naturesplus.com/products/productdetail.php?productNumber=45951
It works for me and I am not even close to vegan. But I met one once.
Wayne
That pea protein looks like exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
I dig the Grateful Dead quote in your signature by the way! They're my favorite band.
Many fortified foods contain B12. They are not only marketed and recommended to Vegans or vegetarians either. One example is b-fast type cereals meaning it is not just Vegans and vegetarians that can be lacking in this vitamin. Brewers and nutritional yeast are another example but they do tend to be marketed to Vegans and vegetarians rather than to the general public. Some certainly healthy non sick Vegans and Vegetarians aren't on a B12 supplement g etting this vitamin through those sources so to state absolutely that Vegans and vegetarians all need to take a B12 supplement or they will get very sick is inaccurate. Having close Vegan and strict vegetarian as well as health conscious omnivore thru-hiking friends that is how they sometimes get B12/added B12.
I did my thru hike with someone who is pestitarian <sp> (allowing fish), and it was no problem for her on the AT and most of her stuff was not fish. Obviously vegetarian would be harder and vegan harder still.
Even El Camino, in a very meat centric Spain, has a vegetarian option now (ok not vegan, but a good start for a country that normally if you ask for a vegetarian meal they would say just don't eat the meat on your plate).
It's also sometimes referred as being a pesce vegetarian which is what I am. Additionally a majority of my diet is raw food and whole food. I have few significant problems resupplying anywhere in the U.S. employing a hybrid resupply approach. I do often mail some resupply boxes. I take no supplements and have no known vitamin or mineral deficiencies because of my dietary choices. I never have had those deficiencies in nearly 22 yrs of being a pesce vegetarian. I recently had a rather intense medical check up. SWODaddy's Web MD article details partly why I chose to include limited seafood and fish as a vegetarian both on and off trail.
LOL. That's what my father says if I'm over for a meal he's prepared. In S. America it's also more difficult on trail being a vegetarian as being offered food is a hospitable act, it's a privilege if it contains meat or animal products, and it can be perceived as rude to decline the offer.
That pea protein looks like exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
I dig the Grateful Dead quote in your signature by the way! They're my favorite band.
You’re welcome! That particular brand is tasteless and invisible when add to other foods. 75% protein by weight!
I was very fortunate to see the Dead in the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans. A very intimate setting.
Good luck!
Wayne
AllDownhillFromHere
02-09-2018, 09:24
Haha, that's what I'm gathering. Her video basically outlined all the specialty vegan food she used ($$$!) on her thru-hike. Not trying to break the bank with all those specialty meals.
I'm looking to do more like lentils and grains and such (lentils, surprisingly, are just over 100 calories/ounce, so they're not that heavy).
The more I look at this, the more I realize this will be less of an issue than I thought. The specialty meals just throw a wrench in the works.Definitely will be supplementing with a protein powder of some sort and vitamin B12 though.
If you are cold-soak cooking, I bet throwing in your lentils way early (read after breakfast) would work nicely. Or even the night before. Add lentils and water, then at mid-afternoon break add your tvp, etc. By dinner time it should all be sorted. Add olive oil from your platypus, maybe some spices, yum.
TVP??????
Why?
Macadamia nuts and pecans top the calories per ounce chart.
Bob’ Red Mill products turn up in the most off the wall places. Watch for them.
TVP???????
Wayne
Bob’s
https://www.bobsredmill.com
Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts
https://manitobaharvest.com/products/hemp-hearts/?size=4&flavor=39
The stuff is everywhere. Don’t forget rice noodles.
Tofu not required.
Wayne
I've just started reading The Dietitian's Resupply Box: A Guide to Thru-Hiking on a Plant-Based Diet (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1979466335/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It might be something that interests you also.
CamelMan
02-20-2018, 01:28
I haven't thru-hiked, but I'm vegan and have no problems whatsoever, except pack weight and space because the food tends to be less calorie dense and I refuse to live on nuts and oil. If you're worried, punch your choices into cronometer.com and you'll see you can resupply at any grocery store as well as anyone else. Feel free to PM me.
I don't know if B12 supplements are needed or not, not going to get into that. However if you want to take one, Kal (a vitamin company) makes a micro B12. I don't think it's sublingual, more of a coated tab. They are so small 100 of them would fit in a tiny ziplock. UL B12.