View Full Version : Olive Oil?
soumodeler
10-17-2007, 16:49
I have just recently read about bringing olive oil on a thru hike. On a gear list I saw listed a 20 oz bottle for it. Other than cooking, why bring so much along at once?
Mother Nature
10-17-2007, 16:54
I don't know why 20 0z.
I bring 8 oz with me as it is the smallest bottle you can buy as a resupply on the trail. I have found that a Minute Maid 8 oz orange juice bottle has a tight seal and weighs very little and fill and refill it with olive oil. I do put the bottle in a qt freezer bag for leak protection.
I add a little olive oil to every meal. I like to "fry" bagel halves in olive oil and melt a slice of cheddar on top for a nice treat or a "hot" lunch.
Mother Nature
Appalachian Tater
10-17-2007, 16:54
Some thru-hikers find it difficult to take in enough calories and fats are a concentrated form of calories and olive oil keeps well and can be added to many hiker meals.
20 oz sounds like a lot to carry, that would be 3 oz a day over a week. Oils contain about 120 calories per tablespoon and there are two tablespoons per ounce so an ounce is about 240 calories. 720 calories a day would be a huge intake of fat in addition to other sources. If you're underweight you might need it, though.
Pedaling Fool
10-17-2007, 16:56
When the daily nutrional requirements of the body is broken down, unsaturated fat accounts for about 30-40% of your intake to stay healthy, especially while participating in a strenuous activity such as hiking. Oil is a good source for that fat.
Some thru-hikers find it difficult to take in enough calories and fats are a concentrated form of calories and olive oil keeps well and can be added to many hiker meals.
20 oz sounds like a lot to carry, that would be 3 oz a day over a week. Oils contain about 120 calories per tablespoon and there are two tablespoons per ounce so an ounce is about 240 calories. 720 calories a day would be a huge intake of fat in addition to other sources. If you're underweight you might need it, though.
Wow, thanks for doing the math for me. I am one of those people that will need to carry 20 oz. a week.
Appalachian Tater
10-17-2007, 17:10
Wow, thanks for doing the math for me. I am one of those people that will need to carry 20 oz. a week.
Well, then the math is wrong. 3 oz a day for seven days would be 21 oz.
If you are at your ideal weight or underweight then you should definitely start heavy calorie intake at the beginning, even if you're not hungry. I saw some people starting to look very unhealthily thin by Virginia. Others stilll had plenty of excess body fat even after 2000 milles.
Well, then the math is wrong. 3 oz a day for seven days would be 21 oz.
If you are at your ideal weight or underweight then you should definitely start heavy calorie intake at the beginning, even if you're not hungry. I saw some people starting to look very unhealthily thin by Virginia. Others stilll had plenty of excess body fat even after 2000 milles.
I am currently underweight, and have a lot of trouble getting back to normal. I eat a lot of fat and calories, and begin to gain weight. Then my metabolism picks up and I lose all of the weight I gaind plus more. I won't be measuring exact amounts of olive oil. I will just squirt in a good amount for each meal. Your math was close enough for me to know I need to carry 15-20 oz a week.
Jack Tarlin
10-17-2007, 17:47
Wow. 20 oz is LOT of olive oil!
I usually leave town with a 4 oz. Nalgene and put a capful or two of oil into every dinner. It adds taste, flavor, and calories; it can replace carrying butter or margarine, and it'll help keep your rice or pasta from sticking together if you put it in your boiling water just before adding your dinner.
In town, I'll get the Nalgene filled up at hostels (and sometimes from restaurants if the waitress is friendly; if you offer to pay for it, many places will happily fill up a small bottle).
Or one can buy a small-sized bottle of oil at a supermarket and split it amongst 2 or 3 other hikers.
SGT Rock
10-17-2007, 17:54
I use a 12 ounce bottle. I try to get about 1 to 2 ounces of olive oil in my diet a day by adding it to grits, taters, rice, etc. It tends to make dried food taste more like real food when you re-hydrate it. So 12 ounces can last a week or more.
Appalachian Tater
10-17-2007, 17:59
I am currently underweight, and have a lot of trouble getting back to normal. I eat a lot of fat and calories, and begin to gain weight. Then my metabolism picks up and I lose all of the weight I gaind plus more.
Sounds like you're trying to force your body to carry more weight than it wants to, it's like me trying to lose weight, you don't like your "normal" either. At least being under average weight tends to make you live a longer rather than shorter life.
You really are going to have to make yourself to eat a lot of calorie-dense food right from the start. I lost 15 pounds in the first month. You probably can't afford that.
One thing that helped me was drinking powdered drink mixes as there is a limit to how much I can eat but drinking lemonade or similar beverages bypasses that block. You can carry the mix in a bottle, too. You may also need to snack in the middle of the night.
SGT Rock
10-17-2007, 18:01
You may want to look into some protein supplement powder Cerberus.
The problem is my metabolism is too high, and I just need a lot of calories because I am very active. I was planning on carrying a 16 oz. water bottle that I will use for drink mixes like you are talking about Tater. I am also planning on drinking a lot of the Carnation instant breakfasts with my regular breakfast. The only good thing going for me is that I am just as active now, if not more, than I will be on my hike. So I can atleast get a real good idea of how many calories, fat, protien, etc. I will need. For it's weight, doesn't olive oil hiave one of the highest fat/calorie contents?
Carrying oil is good for a number of things, besides giving you fat it helps your meals digest easier, fills you up longer, keeps you more "regular" if you get my drift and helps on cold nights keep you warmer.
If you are doing drinks in the morning, I would recomend full fat dry milk as well to boost up your fat and calories.
Also if you like nuts, eat them on the trail and in your food as well.
SGT Rock
10-17-2007, 18:23
You can also use it to start fires with when you need something flammable.
Appalachian Tater
10-17-2007, 18:28
The problem is my metabolism is too high, and I just need a lot of calories because I am very active. I was planning on carrying a 16 oz. water bottle that I will use for drink mixes like you are talking about Tater. I am also planning on drinking a lot of the Carnation instant breakfasts with my regular breakfast. The only good thing going for me is that I am just as active now, if not more, than I will be on my hike. So I can atleast get a real good idea of how many calories, fat, protien, etc. I will need. For it's weight, doesn't olive oil hiave one of the highest fat/calorie contents?
Pure proteins & carbs have about 4 cal/gram, fats have 9 cal/gram, and alcohols 7 cal/gram. So yes, oils are more calorie dense than other sources. Even butter is less calorie dense because it is not pure fat.
Some of the Little Debbie type snacks are pretty easy to find, cheap and calorie-rich, like the fudge rounds or brownies. Another good source of calories are peanut butter M&Ms and peanut butter cups. (On the AT in the south many of the trail towns have Dollar General and they have great peanut butter cups under their own brand and they're inexpensive.) Start reading labels of hikable food now.
Appalachian Tater
10-17-2007, 18:30
You can also use it to start fires with when you need something flammable.
The coolest thing for that is corn chips. A section hiker taught me that, he saw it on a television show Survivorman.
Creek Dancer
10-17-2007, 18:30
Try mixing the instant breakfast with Nido. I use 3 tablespoons per envelope. This is dried whole milk. The non-fat stuff doesn't really cut it for me. Around here you can find Nido in the Mexican food section of the grocery store.
Have a great hike!
The problem is my metabolism is too high, and I just need a lot of calories because I am very active. I was planning on carrying a 16 oz. water bottle that I will use for drink mixes like you are talking about Tater. I am also planning on drinking a lot of the Carnation instant breakfasts with my regular breakfast. The only good thing going for me is that I am just as active now, if not more, than I will be on my hike. So I can atleast get a real good idea of how many calories, fat, protien, etc. I will need. For it's weight, doesn't olive oil hiave one of the highest fat/calorie contents?
Whenever I go grocery shopping I look at a bunch of labels and plan possible meals with the stuff that looks promising. I was raised on 2% milk, so I am trying to build up a taste for whole milk. Right now I can't stand the taste of Nido, but I am working on it.
Now I'm gonna go light some olive oil and fritos on fire. I got both in the kitchen. Maybe soak the fritos in the oil for a while, then light the mixture.
take-a-knee
10-17-2007, 19:39
Nido "whole-milk" powder with a little extra water should taste something like 2% milk, I'm sure it won't be exactly the same. As for olive oil, that is about the healthiest stuff you can swallow. Squeeze Parkay is the exact opposite, a five-month diet of that stuff may set you up for a coronary event.
RockStar
10-17-2007, 19:54
I recently went on a week hike with Two Speed in Virginia. I decided to toss my Bodyglide b/c I had compression shorts. HAHAHA BAD IDEA! :rolleyes: I also decided to leave the Olive oil out since I forget to use it. HAHA BAD IDEA. I tossed a lot of things out I felt were "extras". Why? Because I had a moment of insanity or something. Anyway...TS had some cotton balls soaked in Olive Oil to use for MONKEY BUTT or FIRE starting. I basically had to slather my chaffing everytime I dropped my pants it got so bad. IT HELPED! Why did it get worse? Because as I felt better I stopped applying it liberally. :rolleyes:
Makes food yummy
Good calories
good fire starter
GOOD for monkey butt
Now depending on the size of your butt, maybe 20 oz is ok? ;) :p
Pedaling Fool
10-17-2007, 20:09
... I was raised on 2% milk, so I am trying to build up a taste for whole milk. Right now I can't stand the taste of Nido, but I am working on it...
You won't need to worry about your tastebuds once your hiker appetite kicks-in.
Creek Dancer
10-17-2007, 20:26
Anti-Monkey Butt Powder! Don't leave home without it.:D
http://www.gemplers.com/item/148075.html
You won't need to worry about your tastebuds once your hiker appetite kicks-in.
That's what I'm counting on. I've eaten some pretty odd stuff when I had to.
RockStar
10-17-2007, 21:34
Post #20 TMI :rolleyes:
Don't worry, unsatisfied customers don't have to pay for information, consider the bill paid in full.
Also if you are worried about maintaining weight, eat like a mad person in town, seriously. So save some extra money for town food, lots of extra. And when in town eat as much as you can. I barely kept myself from withering away.