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old hickory
02-15-2008, 16:50
I plan on a starting a NB hike starting the third week of April. I plan on re-supplying along the trail. I feel confident that I知 prepared except for one of the most important issues-What do I eat to consume between 4000 and 5000 calories a day? Are there any good books out there that actually suggest what to eat for breakfast-lunch and dinner. What do I actually buy for five days between supply points. I guess what I知 looking for is a book that has a grocery list for a well balanced diet. This has me totally frustrated. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

bigcranky
02-15-2008, 17:16
You'll eat what you can find in grocery stores, and you probably won't get 5000 kcal per day. That's why you'll be so hungry when you hit town. It's okay, though, since you can make it up at the AYCE pizza buffet.

Breakfast: pop tarts, granola, instant or quick oatmeal (add fruit and powdered whole milk), instant grits (add butter and cheese), bagels. Coffee -- instant or bags.

Lunch: anything you can spread on a tortilla or a bagel is lunch -- peanut butter and whatever, tuna (bring mayo packets), cheese, pepperoni and string cheese, jerky, a sub from Subway on the way out of town, energy bars, Snickers, gorp

Dinner: Liptons noodles/rice and sauce are popular -- add bags of chicken, tuna, salmon, clams. Mac and cheese -- add butter or olive oil. Ramen (I hate ramen). Couscous dinners. Thai noodle soups. Anything you can cook in a single pot is good. In summer I just repeat my lunch menu for dinner. Chocolate for dessert, or little debbies or moon pies.

Snacks: gorp can be anything you want -- nuts, dried fruit, jelly beans, whatever -- all in a ziploc bag. I like rice cracker mixes, more jerky, pretzels, Combos, M+M's, Snickers (cheaper than energy bars) -- all that junk in the nuts and pretzels aisle at the grocery store that you can't eat at home, you can eat on the Trail.

Just bring enough food for 3-4 days to start, and you'll get the hang of it when you see the selection at the first few stores.

hobojoe
02-15-2008, 17:18
$o.99 huney buns are like 500-750 calories

Terry7
02-15-2008, 17:23
Food is heavy!!! What and how much is all about how much weight you want to carry. I bought a new pack this year just so I can carry more food. I am cutting my gear weight as much as possible so I can carry more and better food. You will understand my thinking when you have been on the trail for aleast a month. There are times when all you think about is food. Good luck on your hike.

Jan LiteShoe
02-15-2008, 18:14
Some ideas that worked for me:

Carry a little squirt bottle of olive oil and add to your hot-pot meals, like chicken-and-mashed-potatoes, or Lipton's dishes. Olive oil is a "good fat" and will help up your caloric intake.

Avocados are also good to carry out if you like them and can find them.

Lots of folks carry out leftover pizza for the first evening meal , or a deli sandwich and such. In parts of NY and NJ, Land of the delis, you can eat town food three times a day.

Snack on nuts and dried fruit, besides candy bars.

Pay attention to your protein intake and get some every day (cheese, hard-boiled eggs, powdered milk, packaged tuna/chicken/salmon/turkey, jerky, etc).
Keep your weight up early on, because it will melt off in the heat and in the Whites/Southern Maine.
About half-way, I started carrying loves of fresh-baked crusty bread out of town - carbs! That and 8 oz. packs of cheddar, once I hit Vermont.
Don't forget your veggies. Not high calorie, most, but important for bodily repair.

mountain squid
02-15-2008, 18:18
bigcranky pretty much nailed it. That will be your diet for the next 5-6 months. To get those .99 prepackaged, calorie laden honey buns and other sugary breakfast items as hobojoe mentioned, stop at a convenience store. You usually won't find the individual items in a grocery store.

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/eatdrink015.gif

See you on the trail,
mt squid
http://hikinghq.net/forum/images/smilies3/rankn-cpo.gif

PS. If you share your gorp (trail mix), 'pour' it into others hands - avoid filthy hands digging into your mix...(I usually pour it into my own hands, as well.)

Fiddler
02-15-2008, 19:30
If you want to find the caloric values of foods check these sites:
http://www.calorieking.com/
http://nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
http://oc.edu/staff/philheffington/FoodCalories.htm
A lot of good info there.

Blissful
02-15-2008, 19:43
That's why most lose weight. Hard to maintain the calories for the energy spent. You do the best you can. At least you make up for it somewhat in towns, which are fairly frequent.

RenoRoamer
02-15-2008, 19:59
The most important food is carbohydrates. If you don't get enough carbs, your body will have to break down muscle protein to supply your brain with glucose and you will run out of energy. You cannot convert fat to glucose. The brain runs only on glucose and the muscles run only on glucose when oxygen deprived (climbing hills), so glucose is critical, but the body can't store very much glucose, which is why eating carbs is so important. Try to get at least 1200 Calories (300 grams) per day of carbs, but make sure you get them in a form that doesn't cause an insulin reaction, since this will cause the precious carbs to turn into fat. (What causes an insulin reaction varies based on metabolism, on how you eat, on when you eat, on what you eat, on how you cook the food, on how much you chew, whether you eat carbs mixed with protein, etc). Some people can eat pure sugar with no insulin reaction, while other people (diabetics, pre-diabetics, hypoglycemics) have to be very careful of to avoid insulin production. With some experience, you will learn to notice an insulin reaction in your body. And don't forget Vitamin C. Most other things (fat, protein, minerals, most vitamins) you can store on your body, so that you deplete your reserves while hiking and then rebuild reserves when you reach town.

The simplest way to reduce food weight is to eat a lot of fat, protein, fresh fruits and vegetables when you arrive in town, spend the night there, then eat a lot more of these same foods before leaving town, then eat mostly carbs plus a little protein on the trail. Insulin is a GOOD thing during town stops, because it helps build back your fat stores, so do the opposite of what you did on the trail to avoid insulin.

Appalachian Tater
02-15-2008, 22:53
After losing 8 ounces a day for a month, I started drinking powdered drink mixes. Fat is more concentrated calories but I can only eat so much fat. The powdered drink mixes are almost all sugar, pretty efficient as far as carbs go.

Another way I increased caloric intake was by eating peanut butter cups in cold weather, peanut butter M&Ms in hot weather.

the_iceman
02-22-2008, 07:49
Fat = Fuel
Yeah you need carbs but things like olive oil, summer sausage, etc give the best caloric bang per oz of weight. At some point your body decides it has dumped enough body fat and starts attacking muscle that is when the trouble begins.

Carbs burn fast and fat slows the burn rate so you don't get a flash burn plus you need the protein and fat to rebuild muscle. Carbs alone are an empty fuel and can spike you insulin levels.

Powdered whey protein (big jars Wal-Mart) became a must for me by the time I hit New England.

rafe
02-22-2008, 09:06
For what it's worth, here's a list of "candidates" for hiking food, that I made about 20 years ago:

Instant Coffee
Instant Milk
Instant Hot Chocolate
Instant Lemonade Mix
Cream of Rice
Oatmeal
Cold Cereal
Dried Pineapple
Dried Apricots
Fruit Leather
Raisins
Pop-Tarts
GORP
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Margarine
Instant Soups
Freeze-Dried Entrees
Cheese
Canned Meats
Hard Salami
Beef Jerky
Pasta
Dehydrated Potatoes
Quick Rice
Bread / Rolls
Candy bars
Peanut Butter
Halvah
Cookies
Jelly
Instant Pudding
Popcorn

Blissful
02-22-2008, 10:57
We lost a ton of weight from Caratunk, ME on - didn't have adequate resupply and we were doing a lot of 20 plus miles. On Katahdin we look like bean poles, seriously. Food is critical and as I mentioned in another thread, severely overlooked compared to the time spent on gear prep. We used most of the month of Feb before our hike to work on food, drops, planning, etc. I've heard hikers say - I don't like to plan. Well, don't be surprised then if the hike turns out the way you did plan for it. I know a few people have completed the trail without any planning. But for me, planning, esp in food prep, worked. And without adequate food your body doesn't go anywhere, even with the fancy pack, down bag, and good shoes.

Pennsylvania Rose
02-22-2008, 11:36
Two great books to give you ideas are Freezer Bag Cooking by Sarah Svien (one of our own wbers), and The Well-Fed Backpacker by June Fleming. You can cook the freezer bag meals in a pot if you want. And, you don't have to make all your food ahead of time - just use the books for good ideas, and grab what you need at stores along the way.

hopefulhiker
02-22-2008, 11:44
One thing I did was mix Carnation instant breakfast with a little coffee.

Bagels and hard cheese are good.. Parmesagn keeps a long time.

Also I ate a lot of Snickers and Power Bar type things... About four a day.. You can make your own GORP on the trail...

I usually snacked on something about every two hours of hiking..

TrippinBTM
02-27-2008, 12:26
How do you notice a glycemic reaction? What are the signs?

The whey protein is a good idea tho, I may have to do some of that. (i'm skinny to begin with).

TrippinBTM
02-27-2008, 12:26
^^^i mean, insulin reaction

Doctari
02-27-2008, 16:38
It is really hard to carry "enough" calories. If all you ate was olive oil (280 cal / oz) you still need to carry 1.75 lbs per day to get the 5000 cal you are looking for. The big downside of eating straight olive oil is, well, it sort of passes right through you, at nearly the speed of light :eek:

BUT, adding olive oil to your meals will increase the total calories.
Also: adding drink mix, like Gatorade or Tang, to your water bottle can help.

Likely the best you can do is carry calorie dense foods, & really pig out in town. As to resupplying: practice before you hit the trail. Go to your gocery stores, look at the dried foods, take notes on the calorie to weight ratios. Shop "Mom & Pop" type stores to see what they have, that will likely give you an idea of what is avalable along the trail, and buy something!

Avoid things marked: "Fat free" or "Low calorie" etc.


Have a good hike!

tenlots
02-29-2008, 00:33
We sat on bagels and flattened them out, then packaged them separately. We bought peanut butter in squeeze containers, a little heavy, but oh so normal tasting. This year I am trying to think of something different. Thanks for the avacado and hard cheese idea!!

ofthearth
02-29-2008, 07:56
Some ideas that worked for me:

Carry a little squirt bottle of olive oil and add to your hot-pot meals, like chicken-and-mashed-potatoes, or Lipton's dishes. Olive oil is a "good fat" and will help up your caloric intake.

The Importance of Olive Oil

http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/OliveOil.html

info on olive oil

jersey joe
02-29-2008, 09:52
Snickers!!!!

JAK
02-29-2008, 09:55
I plan on a starting a NB hike starting the third week of April. I plan on re-supplying along the trail. I feel confident that I知 prepared except for one of the most important issues-What do I eat to consume between 4000 and 5000 calories a day? Are there any good books out there that actually suggest what to eat for breakfast-lunch and dinner. What do I actually buy for five days between supply points. I guess what I知 looking for is a book that has a grocery list for a well balanced diet. This has me totally frustrated. Any help would be greatly appreciated.If you are currently active and at you target weight your diet will not be all that different, except you need to switch to food with less water and perhaps increase the fat content if you are getting too lean. If you are currently overweight you can keep most of the fat you burn out of your diet until you take it off. I suggest the following:

If you start out overweight:
10% protien calories
35% slow carb calories
35% fast carb calories
10% fat calories
don't forget your fibre

If you start out at target weight:
5% protien calories
20% slow carb calories
20% fast carb calories
55% fat calories
increase your fibre proportionally to total calories

JAK
02-29-2008, 09:56
I plan on a starting a NB hike starting the third week of April. I plan on re-supplying along the trail. I feel confident that I知 prepared except for one of the most important issues-What do I eat to consume between 4000 and 5000 calories a day? Are there any good books out there that actually suggest what to eat for breakfast-lunch and dinner. What do I actually buy for five days between supply points. I guess what I知 looking for is a book that has a grocery list for a well balanced diet. This has me totally frustrated. Any help would be greatly appreciated.If you are currently active and at you target weight your diet will not be all that different, except you need to switch to food with less water and perhaps increase the fat content if you are getting too lean. If you are currently overweight you can keep most of the fat you burn out of your diet until you take it off. I suggest the following:

If you start out overweight:
10% protien calories
35% slow carb calories
35% fast carb calories
10% fat calories
don't forget your fibre

If you start out at target weight:
5% protien calories
20% slow carb calories
20% fast carb calories
55% fat calories
increase your fibre proportionally to total calories consumed

JAK
02-29-2008, 09:59
I plan on a starting a NB hike starting the third week of April. I plan on re-supplying along the trail. I feel confident that I’m prepared except for one of the most important issues-What do I eat to consume between 4000 and 5000 calories a day? Are there any good books out there that actually suggest what to eat for breakfast-lunch and dinner. What do I actually buy for five days between supply points. I guess what I’m looking for is a book that has a grocery list for a well balanced diet. This has me totally frustrated. Any help would be greatly appreciated.If you are currently active and at you target weight your diet will not be all that different, except you need to switch to food with less water and perhaps increase the fat content if you are getting too lean. If you are currently overweight you can keep most of the fat you burn out of your diet until you take it off. I suggest the following:

If you start out overweight:
10% protien calories
35% slow carb calories
35% fast carb calories
10% fat calories
don't forget your fibre

If you start out at target weight:
5% protien calories
20% slow carb calories
20% fast carb calories
55% fat calories
increase your fibre proportionally to total calories consumed

JAK
02-29-2008, 10:00
Oops. Sorry about that. Computer is sticky today.

TrippinBTM
03-02-2008, 19:58
If you put that olive oil on food, rather than taking slugs of it straight from the bottle, it doesn't go through you as fast, right? I was gonna try the latter strategy, but not if it's going to go to waste. Hadn't considered that it'd go right through me.

Spoonie Love
03-08-2008, 23:12
you can get pretty sick of the same thing over and over again, but two things i never tired of was peanut butter and nutella. i always had a jar of one or the other and it was worth the weight. high in both fat and calorie content and great on tortillas, bagels or even fresh fruit on the first or second day out of town. yummm!

Tennessee Viking
03-08-2008, 23:37
You will be grabbing anything that doesn't need to be cool or dry.

Pasta, breakfast/energy bars, noodles, crackers, apples/oranges, dehydrated foods, jerky, bullion cubes....

Look to lots of proteins, good fats, and simple but energy packed carbs. You want to get your heavy foods and reward dinners while in town or on zeros. Bad fats and heavy carbs will deplete your energy.

If you are going to be on sections close to town, add some canned stuff. Canned might be good for preservation. But can be heavy and not friendly in packing concerns.

TrippinBTM
03-10-2008, 11:29
What is nutella and how available is it? Is it only at outfitters, and thus probably expensive?

Thoughtful Owl
03-10-2008, 11:49
What is nutella and how available is it? Is it only at outfitters, and thus probably expensive?

Look on the self of the peanut butter section and any larger grocery store. FoodLion, Kroger, Wal-Mart in this area all cary it.

budforester
03-10-2008, 11:54
What is nutella and how available is it? Is it only at outfitters, and thus probably expensive?

Try your local grocery... probably near the peanut butter. I wouldn't depend on re- supplying it at a small wayside store, though. Yeah, it seems expensive to me, but isn't everything. It's chocolatey- creamy, a change from peanut butter. It's shelf- stable, and the nutritional profile is not outrageous.

climberdave
03-10-2008, 12:03
Weight gain from Whole Foods/Wild Oats is a good source of protein, calories and vitamins plus it can be mixed with cold or hot water. I've added it to my coffee hot coco mix 2parts coffee 2 parts coco 1 part weight gain (vanilla flavor) for 300+ calorie b-fast drink. You can also add it to oatmeal for the Mac-daddy, but only if you're feeling lucky.

Also avocado oil is the bomb!! Same calories as the rest (120) but very tasty.

The Weasel
03-10-2008, 12:04
Old: A few thoughts:

First, it's hard to carry 5,000 calories of food for any length of time. Carbs/protein are only 4 cal/gram, and even fat is only 9 cal/gm. If you ate pure oil only, that's more than a pound a day, and that's obviously not practical.

Second, keep in mind that you're carrying a fair amount of your calories with you, if you're like most of us. Body fat essentially converts to calories at the rate of around 6 calories per gram (the difference is due to the metabolic "price" of converting it from solid fat into energy), so 1 pound (454 grams) of body fat is going to be worth something on the order of 2500 calories. So you can "budget" that into your daily caloric-intake need and provide for a deficit in what what you carry. Thus, if you assume you need 4,500 calories a day, you can carry 4000 in food and let your body burn off the additional 500. That has, as you can imagine, several advantage. If you're packing 20# of body fat, and you use 500 calories from it daily, you have aboug 100 days +/-. That's not insignificant for a trail hike.

Third, fatty foods don't have a long shelf life, so you're going to mostly carry carbs. I really, really, really suggest going with Polenta/yellow grits as your main carb food. These aren't "southern grits" which many people dislike, and can be found at most groceries in the "Bob's Red Mill" grain section. The advantage is that Yellow Grits use a 1:3 dry-to-water ratio to make up the same volume (and food value) as 1:1 for pastas/rice. That means that to get 2 cups of cooked food, you only need to carry 1/2 cup of polenta, or half the weight of pasta/rice. It has a mild flaor, and takes sauces nicely. By using polenta, you can essentially carry twice as many calories for the same weight. I'm not aware of any other dried food that rehydrates that nicely.

Lastly, make sure you don't over do proteins: The body generally won't metabolize much more than 30 grams of meat a day, which is the equivalent of about one McD's burger. Beyond that, the body basically excretes the remaining protein, rather than converting it to energy. That means that the excess is just wasted carrying weight.

TW

budforester
03-10-2008, 12:12
A dollop of peanut butter can go into many foods, to add some fats and a little protein and carbohydrates (I prefer the creamy PB). For example, peanut butter is pretty good in instant oatmeal, in ramen noodles, in hot cocoa. FWIW: I experiment at home; on trail, I would have to eat it whether it were appealing or not.

Bigglesworth
03-10-2008, 14:38
"Real Bacon" that comes in the re-seal bags adds fat, calories, and taste to many different trail dishes (pastas, easy mac, etc.). Also pepperoni (and sometimes certain chorizo) can be pretty commonly found in a lot of grocery stores packed in smaller amounts, so you can eat a small stick over a day or two.

Peanut butter crackers are part of a lot of my lunches, and if you have additional peanut butter or nutella you can plop some of that on top of the cracker.

Keep in mind that a lot of things like bulk pasta/lipton mixes, power bars in bulk, etc. can be found in club membership stores like Sam's Club, BJs, etc.

Also, it may be worth taking a multi-vitamin in terms of getting some of the vitamins you'll be missing (iron, calcium) or getting sporadically!

Grampie
03-10-2008, 15:07
You can't carry enough food to supply all the calories you will burn. At first you won't even be that hungary. It takes a week or so befor you get to the point where you can't eat enough.
Some stuff that worked for me: Peanutbutter, put it on some sort of bread, bagles are good. They last a long time, but a lot of places down south don't carry them. You can also use torties. They pack up small and will last for over a week. I ate a Snikers bar almost every day. They come in handy for a mid afternoon pick-up. A piece of hard cheese is good to carry. Good on a bagle.
It's good to leave town with an onion or a couple pieces of fruit. I would also leave with a deli sandwitch if I could. Yes, don't forget the olive oil or the squeeze Parkay. It goes well with everything. The tuna in the foil packs worked well for me. I would add it to my Lipton dinners.
I wouldn't worry about food issues too much. I bulked up a little before I came out to thru. I ended up loosing 37 lbs. after being on the trail for over six months.