View Full Version : Special Diet (Gluten Free & Dairy Free)
A year ago, doctor recommended that I remove two things from my diet--due to suspected sensitivities to those items: gluten (which would include wheat, rye, barley, oats) and milk products (including casein and whey). My health and well-being improved immensely when I made the dietary switch. And, I usually feel like crap once again if I eat any food products containing gluten or dairy. Thus, the doctor's theory seems to have some validity.
This summer, I successfully completed a 10 day 104 mile hike on Isle Royale (in Lake Superior). The hike was gluten-free and dairy free. HOWEVER, finding "hikeable" food for the journey was a bit of a challenge and a pain. I plan on attempting a thru hike in 2012--so I am starting to plan ahead now for the dietary issues. (I will be testing various food options on section hikes between now and 2012).
Are there any other people who go hiking on this type of diet (or who have a need to avoid even just one of the two items--gluten or dairy)? Are there any AT thru hikers or potential AT thru hikers on these diets? I would love to compare ideas and notes.
Sailor (The other one)
12-24-2009, 05:46
Are there any other people who go hiking on this type of diet (or who have a need to avoid even just one of the two items--gluten or dairy)? Are there any AT thru hikers or potential AT thru hikers on these diets?
Yeah, me.
Can't say I stick to it very well, but I've had the same advice and the same experiences. When I don't follow that advice, I feel lousy, gain weight, have no energy. I've also got a major sugar addiction which makes it all worse. These are some of the reasons why the advice against mailing myself re-supply boxes and just shopping along the way ain't so good for me, along with the meds and supplements I need. It's amazing how many food products contain sugar in all its forms and how many contain gluten products.
My wife, Mudpie, is in the same boat. On each practice trip we experiment and she has done a great job with the dehydrator. Basically, you can dehydrate almost anything you eat at home. On our last trip we carried only .8 lbs of food per person per day and still came home with food, so there is the benefit of less weight and still eating well.
One thing we'd really love to find is a gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, additive free, natural, organic bar to use for fast breakfasts.
By the way, if sugar is an issue for you, the best alternative we've found is Xylitol, an all natural sugar alcohol that tastes exactly like sugar, is just as sweet, has no aftertaste, is low on the glycemic index, and has no side effects except a slight laxative effect on some people, who need to start using a small amount and build up to get used to it., It actually has some health benefits (it kills candida, which can be made worse by sugar, gluten and dairy products) and is good for your teeth. But it will kill your dog. We've found at least one company online that makes xylitol sweetened chocolate. We usew it, powdered cocao and almond milk to make hot chocolate at home. Haven't tried dehydrating the almond milk yet. Xylitol ain't cheap. the best deal we've found is here: http://www.vitaglo.com/6989.html.
Thanks for starting this thread. Good luck.
RBrownkatz: Thanks for your answer. It is greatly appreciated.
I have found some "power bars" in my area which contain no gluten or dairy. (I am not certain regarding the sugar and additives thing. I will have to buy some more of the bars and research the labels for you). The biggest problem is that they do not have the same caloric power as the "traditional" bars that contain things like whey. So, I have to carry TWO of the gluten free and dairy free bars--to equal the calories that other hikers get in just one bar. So that adds to the pack weight.
I do eat a lot of "homemade" GORP/Trail mix for lunches and snacks. I will also use the "power bars" for lunch and snacks. I have found some VERY LIMITED varieties of dehydrated backpacking meals available at places like REI (after spending 45 minutes reading labels). Jerky is fairly high in protein and calories. Dehydrated fruit works well (often I get home dehydrated fruit in order to avoid any gluten or dairy-based additives). Rice is good.
I have found a powdered spaghetti sauce that requires tomato paste. (I get my tomato paste greatly concentrated and packaged in something that resembles a tube of toothpaste). I will eat that spaghetti sauce mixed with rice (sometimes adding dehydrated tomatoes, peppers and/or onions).
A company called "GLUTINO" makes one of the brands of breakfast bars that I was talking about. Here is the link:
http://www.glutino.com/content/view/80/114/
Some of their breakfast bars are labeled as "organic". So, MAYBE there is at least some hope!
Alligator
12-24-2009, 09:47
Quinoa? Lentils and other bean dishes. Maybe look at Atkins diet recipes they are low on the carbs so they may be adaptable. These are meal ideas.
I'll second the dehydrator.
Powdered soy mixes, you might find one palatable to you. That could help for a quick breakfast.
I'll move this over to cooking and food, some of our foodies will likely help you out.
Daydream Believer
12-24-2009, 11:02
I have Celiac's Disease or Gluten Intolerance. It is a major PITA to find gluten free dehydrated hiking food but I happened upon these sites one day.
http://www.wildernessdining.com/gl.html
http://www.trailfoodexpress.com/glutenfreeitems
It seems like the brand Alpine Aire has most of the gluten free entrees. I bought a nice variety of these meals off the second site and will be taking them with us for our hike later this week and early next week. I'll let you all know how they taste and if the portions are decent sizes.
As for daily life, I have been doing this for a couple of years now and I can recommend some really good food. www.samisbakery.com has some wonderful millet bread that is excellent and shipped fresh. To me, the hardest thing to get over was bread...I love it and not being able to have it anymore was a major blow to morale.
A great site to shop on line is www.glutenfree.com I buy breakfast bars, prepared meals like hamburger helper (only gluten free called Mrs Leepers), and soup and gravy mix.
I'm not sure how possible it would be to through hike with Celiac's Disease. That question has kept me wondering a few times. You'd have to do mail drops very strategically on the trail as you will not likely find much suitable at an outfitters. It was funny as I was at Mountain Crossings back in Oct. and I mentioned it to one of the guys there and he said "oh you are one of THOSE people!" Apparently, I'm not the first that has asked them about gluten free food.
Recent stats show that up to 30% of all Americans (particular European descent) may have the gene for Celiac's Disease/gluten intolerance. People are affected very differently...some do just fine and some have major complications. What is a fact though is that gluten is added to many prepared foods where you'd never expect it and I do think people who might have been OK in the past are becoming more sensitized to it than before...thus the fact that you are hearing more about it these days.
Sailor (The other one)
12-24-2009, 11:48
Thanks for the sites folks. I had no idea they were even out there. I think they will help us a lot. The bars look like good possibilities.
One more thing about dehydrating. Vegetables dehydrate very well, and some (especially onions) make delicious snacks. You can freeze them and they'll keep forever, and can be added as you will to other dishes.
Fruit also dries very well and makes for great snacks. Dried watermelon, guava and papya are incredible.
I went through a bout with something intestinal for 6 months and solved the problem with a gluten free diet. I have since brought foods back into my diet slowly and found whole wheat and wheat bran were the main culprits.
During this time I was hiking sections and had difficulties finding food with the calories and some variety. Rice was and is my friend. Spelt is an ancient grain with similar positive attributes as wheat but I find no negative reaction.
Hammer nutrition has some products designed for long distance cycling that seem to meet OP and post 2's needs http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HNT?PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD.ID=4047#info3 . Scroll to the bottom of the page and open "Nutrition Imformation" for ingredients. From the above page you can navigate to other products offered.
For calories oil should not be left out of the equation.
RBrownkatz (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/member.php?u=13060),
Calories have weight.
0.8 pounds of food is 12.4 ounces which if in a balanced diet has an average of 1400 calories.
0.8 pounds if in pure oil/fat form would only have 2728 calories which would still be an inadequate amount of food.
For a long duration hike more food would be essential.
Daydream Believer
12-24-2009, 14:35
Compass...Spelt is a first cousin to modern Wheat genetically speaking. It is true that some people do better with it but it does have gluten...so a true sufferer of Celiac's should not count on Spelt. Could you possibly have a wheat allergy? That is a bit different than having the gene for gluten intolerance but can behave in a very similar way.
Rice is definitely our friend. Be careful of the flavored rice meals...only a very few are gluten free. Again, gluten hides in many foods you'd never suspect. A wonderful brand of gluten free rice meals with flavors is Lundberg. Some take milk as well as water to mix in so you could probably carry powdered milk and make that work for a hiking trip as well.
I see we are practically neighbors too! I'm from Suffolk!
Wow, lots of solid advice happening on the beginning of this thread. I appreciate everyone's positive contributions and the ability to make proactive informed trailfood decisions outside of the box!
First, two quick stories. One of my cousin's sons was having persistent serious debilitating inner ear pain. He took his boy to several traditionally Western trained medical doctors specializing in ears, nose and throat. After many expensive tests, the doctors all recommended rather expensive surgeries, drugs, and/or treatments diagnosing inner ear damage. Being self-employed and having to pay for the surgeries out of his own pocket my cousin was concerned with the $10,000+ price tags and the costs of some of the treatments and drugs. Someone recommended my cousin see a medical doctor having an integrative or alternative medical practice. The integrative medical practioner saw my cousin's boy and immediately started asking questions about the boy's nutritional habits. My cousin was confused because none of the other Western trained medical doctors had asked these types of questions. On the advice of the integrative medical doctor, the boy cut down and then eventually eliminated dairy from his system. The boy has never experienced inner ear pain since. Cost - less than $200 and only 3 doctor visits.
When out on a thru-hike, I'm currently attempting to eliminate dairy from my diet. During the first few days out on the trail my nose runs and I'm constantly spitting up mucus. After a couple of days my body pretty much purges itself of the clogging mucus. I feel so much better after that. I think I know why! One of the first things I seek out when returning into town for a resupply is a 20 oz. coffee made light w/ a good dose of half and half and sugar. I'll usually drink at least two coffees made this way. Back out on the trail, I have to go through the process of purging the dairy induced mucus from my system all over again! I'm now trying to totally eliminate coffee w/ dairy from my diet.
IMO, casein and whey are two milk products humans should avoid. Casein can keep your body from absorbing beneficial nutrients by forming a wax-like layer on the inside walls of the digestive tract not that unlike how cholesterol can form in your arteries. It takes energy, your body can use elswhere, to eliminate it from your system. Whey(sometimes listed as sweet dairy whey, but NOT the same as whey protein isolate) is a by-product of the cheese making industry. A few decades ago whey used to be disposed of in landfills at a significant cost to the cheese making and dairy industries. Since, the FDA has allowed it be used as a food ingredient and we see the creation of whey protein isolate. Makes me say, "Hummm!"
This summer, I successfully completed a 10 day 104 mile hike on Isle Royale (in Lake Superior). The hike was gluten-free and dairy free. HOWEVER, finding "hikeable" food for the journey was a bit of a challenge and a pain. - Prayin4u
Doesn't have to be!
I have found some "power bars" in my area which contain no gluten or dairy. (I am not certain regarding the sugar and additives thing. I will have to buy some more of the bars and research the labels for you). The biggest problem is that they do not have the same caloric power as the "traditional" bars that contain things like whey. So, I have to carry TWO of the gluten free and dairy free bars--to equal the calories that other hikers get in just one bar. So that adds to the pack weight. - Prayin4u
Doesn't have to be!
I'll give you several nutritional bars(note: Despite some persuasive marketing campaigns I DO NOT consider candy bars or several of the supposed nutritional bars as such). ALL DAIRY AND GLUTEN FREE at different costs with HIGH cals/oz to suit individual budgets and tastes and REDUCE trail food wt! Most with less refined or naturally formed sugar and having raw ingredients w/ living enzymes and contributing to an overall adequate daily protein intake. These are the reasons nutritional bars are a major component of my wt saving and high nutrition trail food. And, although some of these nutritional bars are more expensive than some other so-called nutritional bars their HIGH cals/oz translate to needing to haul and buy less food. One additional benefit that I like - I can pronounce and easily understand what I'm eating!
Lara Bar(Cashew Cookie is my favorite, very filling, 1.7 oz, 210 cals., vegan, ingredients: cashews, dates)
Prana Bar(Pear Ginseng is my favorite, 1.7 oz, 220 cals., organic, vegan, ingredients: agave nectar, date paste, almond butter, almonds, pears, sesame seeds, amaranth, Ginseng, sea salt)
Bumble Bars(Almond and Luscious Lemon are my favorites, something different in a nutritional bar, may not be good for someone who has a problem w/ seeds, chew well, 1.6 oz(almond), 230 cals(almond), organic, vegan, ingredients(A): sesame seeds, brown rice syrup, Flaxseeds, Evaporated Cane Juice, Almonds, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sea salt, Tocopherol(vit E)
Raw Revolution(Cashew/Agave Nectar and Spirulina/Cashew are my favorites, one of my favorite bars, I'm seeking sponsorship by this company, raw, live, organic, vegan, 2.2 oz(C/AN), 280 cals.(C/AN), ingredients: cashews, dates, agave nectar, almonds, sprouted flaxseed)
Go Raw(Spirulina and Pumpkin are my favorites, great tastes, nut free, raw, live, organic, vegan, these bars are some of my favorites but I limit them because of their higher cost and availability, I'm seeking sponsorship by this company, 1.7 oz(S), 1.8 oz(P), 220 cals(S), 276 cals(P, WOW!), ingredients(S): sesame seeds, banana, coconut, date, spirulina, ingredients(P): pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, date, agave nectar, sea salt)
...but I've had the same advice and the same experiences. When I don't follow that advice, I feel lousy, gain weight, have no energy.... These are some of the reasons why the advice against mailing myself re-supply boxes and just shopping along the way ain't so good for me, along with the meds and supplements I need. It's amazing how many food products contain sugar in all its forms and how many contain gluten products. RBrownkatz
Although, not diagnosed with any health care issues by a physician myself, I feel it's also better for me to mail myself resupply boxes at key places(towns where a mid-lg grocery store doesn't exist) during a thru-hike so I can make sure I eat these types of foods that I feel best support my body and hike.
Dogwood,
My daughter has a very similiar reaction to dairy with a naisal drip and on hikes of more than 3 days she would completely clear up. We found out that for her it was not the natural parts of the dairy products but the Vitamin D additive which is a synthetic cholestrol. Just about all dairy products including cheese and butter have the vitamin D additive but do not have it listed on the label like milk does. If you look closely some specialized small companies will not have it. We get milk from Kroger in the glass bottles from the Homestead Creamery which does not use the additive.
Daydream Believer,
Spelt does have gluten but not as much. I tend to think my problem is from the GMO wheat which is all that is now availiable in the markets and wheat products.
Prepackaged rice meals tend to have a mix of rice and vermicili(sp) which is a wheat product designed to look like rice.
Sailor (The other one)
12-24-2009, 22:11
RBrownkatz (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/member.php?u=13060),
Calories have weight.
0.8 pounds of food is 12.4 ounces which if in a balanced diet has an average of 1400 calories.
0.8 pounds if in pure oil/fat form would only have 2728 calories which would still be an inadequate amount of food.
For a long duration hike more food would be essential.
Thanks. Important information, for sure. However, that .8 is almost all dehydrated, so if you were calculating calories for proteins and complex carbs, this weight might be misleading. But even so, 1400 calories would mean all .8 was in carbs and/or protein. For exactly your reasoning, we carry extra virgin olive oil to increase the fat content (if the .8 were all fat, the calories would total 3162. There are 9 calories in every gram of fat. 12.4 ounces, at 28.34 grams per ounce, is 351.416 grams. 251.416 grams x 9 is 3162.744). The .8 also included some nuts, chocolate and bars, each of which contributed some more fat.
The trip we went on with the .8 figure was only 6 days and our body weights didn't change. I have no doubt that when we thru we will eventually (well, at least I HOPE this part is true) lose a lot of body fat and need to vastly increase our caloric intake. Given what we were able to accomplish with only .8 pounds per person per day, it seems to me we could easily increase our caloric intake within the recommended 1.5 to 2 pounds of person per day on the trail, plus add many more calories in town stops, being careful to eat the right foods. Easiest way for us, since we enjoy it so much, is the olive oil.
At least I think this is logical. I'd appreciate any help I can get with this. I've had the misfortune of going hungry for a few weeks and don't relish it on the trail.
mweinstone
12-24-2009, 22:38
you can eat anything on a long distance hike.with less trouble than at home. remember low glycemic means by serving. not by food. anything in a small enough serving is low glycemic. its a huge scam. and yes , you are correct. dehydrateing works wonders. once dehydrated a whole stuffed turkey and all the fixins. well, actually i burnt down the house. but technicly , i dehydrated the dinner.
RBrtownkatz,
I used 220cal. per ounce from memory and that is for butter. Olive oil is 250 cal. per ounce=3100. OOPS.
After a six day trip body weight might not change due to swelling/water retention(due to exertion and sodium rich diet) and benge eating on the way home before getting to the same scale. Calorie needs are also mileage weight and weather dependant. About 7 miles per day is the line for a noticeable increase in calorie needs.
5 miles/day eat like usual.
10 miles/day eat more.
18 miles/day and up double usual calorie need.
The first strenuous long hike I did I sort of lost my appetite for days 3-5 and kind of forced food a little but by day 7 was ravenous.
Carbs are not as calorie dense even dry. Sugar and pasta are only 105-108 calories per ounce or 3.8 cal. per gram. (12.4x108=1339 calories)
At 0.8 pounds eating a pure diet of a calorie dense food like peanut butter would only be 2000 calorie /day (12.4x165).
Sorry about deviating from OP.
Graywolf
12-25-2009, 01:13
Yeah, me.
Can't say I stick to it very well, but I've had the same advice and the same experiences. When I don't follow that advice, I feel lousy, gain weight, have no energy. I've also got a major sugar addiction which makes it all worse. These are some of the reasons why the advice against mailing myself re-supply boxes and just shopping along the way ain't so good for me, along with the meds and supplements I need. It's amazing how many food products contain sugar in all its forms and how many contain gluten products.
My wife, Mudpie, is in the same boat. On each practice trip we experiment and she has done a great job with the dehydrator. Basically, you can dehydrate almost anything you eat at home. On our last trip we carried only .8 lbs of food per person per day and still came home with food, so there is the benefit of less weight and still eating well.
One thing we'd really love to find is a gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, additive free, natural, organic bar to use for fast breakfasts.
By the way, if sugar is an issue for you, the best alternative we've found is Xylitol, an all natural sugar alcohol that tastes exactly like sugar, is just as sweet, has no aftertaste, is low on the glycemic index, and has no side effects except a slight laxative effect on some people, who need to start using a small amount and build up to get used to it., It actually has some health benefits (it kills candida, which can be made worse by sugar, gluten and dairy products) and is good for your teeth. But it will kill your dog. We've found at least one company online that makes xylitol sweetened chocolate. We usew it, powdered cocao and almond milk to make hot chocolate at home. Haven't tried dehydrating the almond milk yet. Xylitol ain't cheap. the best deal we've found is here: http://www.vitaglo.com/6989.html.
Thanks for starting this thread. Good luck.
In stead if Xylitol, use Zsweet. It is pure organic, no after taste, 0 calories, 0 glycemic impact, kosher, non- GMO..I t much healthier for you and wont kill your dog...
You can purchase it at whole foos market or any health food store..
Here is a website to check it out:
www.zsweet.com (http://www.zsweet.com)
I am a Chef and do a lot of baking, I have clients who are both glucemic and diabetic. I began to use this as an alternative to suger and in nonaste-dairy recipes..such as no-dairy cookies and such..It very healthy for you and taste hust like suger and leaves no after taste..
Oh did I mention it is pue organic...
Graywolf
Graywolf
12-25-2009, 01:59
In stead if Xylitol, use Zsweet. It is pure organic, no after taste, 0 calories, 0 glycemic impact, kosher, non- GMO..I t much healthier for you and wont kill your dog...
You can purchase it at whole foos market or any health food store..
Here is a website to check it out:
www.zsweet.com (http://www.zsweet.com)
I am a Chef and do a lot of baking, I have clients who are both glucemic and diabetic. I began to use this as an alternative to suger and in nonaste-dairy recipes..such as no-dairy cookies and such..It very healthy for you and taste hust like suger and leaves no after taste..
Oh did I mention it is pue organic...
Graywolf
I just saw my typo..I meant gluton-intolerant,
Graywolf
Sailor (The other one)
12-25-2009, 08:34
RBrtownkatz,
Sorry about deviating from OP.
I for one am glad you are, I'm learning here and I appreciate the help. I have also experienced the loss of appetite phenomenon on two week trips. I'm guessing we may have experienced some of that on the shorter trip.
I follow your logic up to here: "At 0.8 pounds eating a pure diet of a calorie dense food like peanut butter would only be 2000 calorie /day (12.4x165)." What I don't get is where the 165 came from. (I'm lousy at math so I'm not suprised I don't get it. )The way I'm figuring it goes like this:
Peanut butter is between 45% and 55% fat. Call it 50%. Each gram of fat yeilds about 9 calories, each gram of protein or carbs about 4. So one gram of peanut butter ought to yeild about 6.5 calories. .8 pounds is 12.8 ounces is (at 28.34 grams per ounce) 362.75 grams * 6.5 is 2357, which is close enough to your 2000 that I think we agree. But where'd the 165 come from? What'd I miss?
It seems to me the calories per gram and/or per ounce figures for carbs and proteins are for those foods in their undehydrated state. So if I apply those figures to these foods in their dehydrated state, I'm really getting inaccurate figures. Does that make sense? If it does, then that might explain why we would not be hungry nor lose weight on a .8 pounds per person diet that included fats from olive oil, nuts and chocolate despite the increase in our exercise.
Hope your having a great holiday.
PS: thanks for the hammer nutrition info and link.
Sailor (The other one)
12-25-2009, 08:50
In stead if Xylitol, use Zsweet. It is pure organic, no after taste, 0 calories, 0 glycemic impact, kosher, non- GMO..I t much healthier for you and wont kill your dog...
You can purchase it at whole foos market or any health food store..
Here is a website to check it out:
www.zsweet.com (http://www.zsweet.com)
I am a Chef and do a lot of baking, I have clients who are both glucemic and diabetic. I began to use this as an alternative to suger and in nonaste-dairy recipes..such as no-dairy cookies and such..It very healthy for you and taste hust like suger and leaves no after taste..
Oh did I mention it is pue organic...
Graywolf
Thanks, Graywolf. I actually have Zsweet in the house and agree with you about it. I use it when I'm out of Xylitol, which I prefer because it helps to fight Candida and is supposedly good for teeth, and both of mine can use the help. It'll probaby see more use here when we get a dog.
BTW, I was a chef about 150 years ago.
Sailor (The other one)
12-25-2009, 09:00
Wow, lots of solid advice .... hike.
Wow is right, Dogwood. That's a great post for me. I have been advised to avoid all dairy by both an integratice western MD and a Chinese medicine doctor and I suffer from the running nose problems everytime I hike. I never thought of the connection before, so thanks a lot.
I also appreciate the information about the bars.
I love White Blaze.
Graywolf
12-25-2009, 17:35
Dogwood, one other thing you might want to consider is when you bake (granola bars, etc..) try using egg substitute. Instead of the whole egg, use only the egg whites (you can find prepackaged eggwhites, if that is helpful) and use the egg substitute for the yokes..It is the egg yolk that causes alot of the problems in people that have problems with dairy products..I am one of them..The egg white is all protein and is the part that gives the rise to baked goods..the reason why alot of recipes call for only the egg white and not the whole egg..
there is a recipe on the Zsweet site that calls for just this...But calls for flour..
Thats something else to consider, you can replace all purpose flour with arrow root flour..It is sometimes hard to find but google it..Arrow root is gluten free...
Just things to consider...
Graywolf
Graywolf
12-25-2009, 17:37
I meant to post this on my last post..
www.the-gluten-free-chef.com (http://www.the-gluten-free-chef.com)
Graywolf
RBrownKatz,
The Calories #'s given were as I stated based on dry weight and from the nutrition labels. Here is a site that has standard nutrition labels for all types of food and moore detailed information as well. They are in ABC order and searchable also has some brand specific foods including fast foods. http://www.nutritiondata.com/
Dry spegetti noodles have a 2oz serving size and 210 calories per serving=105/oz
Cookerhiker
12-25-2009, 23:28
On a brief section hike in NY in 2005 (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=103302), I met a long-distance hiker on his first day of a Pawling-to-Katahdin hike. He had hiked from Springer to Pawling the previous year. His Trail Name was Shadow and he was gluten-intolerant. I don't know what his real name was or how you could contact him; for all I know, he may be on WB. Perhaps you can check with the ATC.
Sailor (The other one)
12-26-2009, 10:41
RBrownKatz,
The Calories #'s given were as I stated based on dry weight and from the nutrition labels. Here is a site that has standard nutrition labels for all types of food and moore detailed information as well. They are in ABC order and searchable also has some brand specific foods including fast foods. http://www.nutritiondata.com/
Dry spegetti noodles have a 2oz serving size and 210 calories per serving=105/oz
Thanks Compass.
LaurieAnn
12-26-2009, 12:32
If you'd like a couple of gluten and dairy free recipes from my upcoming book (it should be out before summer) - just send me a pm and I'll send you a few. Learning how to cook with gluten free ingredients was definitely a challenge and I sure have learned a lot. I'm certainly glad that I was able to do this by choice and not have the physical issues that come with being Celiac.
delitaagain
02-28-2010, 02:17
Are there any other people who go hiking on this type of diet (or who have a need to avoid even just one of the two items--gluten or dairy)? Are there any AT thru hikers or potential AT thru hikers on these diets? I would love to compare ideas and notes.
Yep, me. I'm very grateful to have this thread and this kind of info available. I only started learning to hike in '99 after figuring out how to control exercise induced hypoglycemia by eating regular snacks of *good* foods. Good foods for me are wheat, dairy and sugar free. I'm not convinced I need to get off all gluten (but not convinced I don't, either). Artificial sweetners don't work for me, either, some due to their own badness, all because they still introduce the taste of sweet which ultimately follows with cravings. No eat wrong = no cravings. When I started talking this way in '99 few were on the bandwagon so this is great. I'm just coming back to hiking after 7 years off, so will have to dust off what I had learned and figured out. Want to thru-hike but have a ways to go to get prepared. My health is really good now after multiple divine healings but I still find I do better when I eat *right.* Thanks for all the good info, all - and keep it coming.
I'm gluten intolerant and to varying degrees, lactose intolerant. I'm usually more lactose intolerant when hiking.
Hot chocolate made with coconut milk powder is MAGICAL. Hot cocoa is a nice drink after a day of hiking, but the best tasting milk substitute (Dari-free) is made with potatoes and has no fat which tastes crappy after a day of hiking. I don't even particularly like coconut and it's so wonderful. It's also so fatty I only enjoy it while hiking. I find powdered coconut milk at a local asian market.
You can find gluten free oats online or at some health stores. You may be able to tolerate them. I couldn't, but I have other intestinal problems.
I can't tolerate chickpea flour, so I can't have a lot of glutino products. For energy bars I usually have Enjoy Life bars and a sesame seed and honey crisp thing I found at the local outfitter. Enjoy Life also makes some of the best gluten and dairy free chocolate chips. Fruit leather is also really good for energy and is typically gluten free.
A lot of my dinners are powdered Idahoan potatoes, foil pouches of protein, and some dried veggies. My favorite butter substitute is Earth Balance which is dairy and gluten free. Almost as good is Smart Balance which is lactose and gluten free.
Corn tortillas are also nice for making wraps. You can get rice wraps but the only brand I've tried is kind of nasty.
Baby basmati is a quick cooking rice, if you don't want to go with minute rice and aren't up to making your own minute rice.
Amy's brand makes some really nice gluten free stuff. On day hikes I've made their pizza and brought it in foil and ziplocks. They have gluten and dairy free pizza options.
Cream of rice works for breakfast, but you can't get away without cooking it a little bit (about a minute). It's also hard to clean up unless you use something like a freezer bag with a bakepacker or rocks or foil in the bottom of the pan.
Some people really like quinoa, and it's a really great grain. It's so complete that I think one could sustain life if that was all they ate. Personally, I think it tastes like burnt hair and I've tried all of the brands I could find, pre-rinsing since it has a soapy tasting shell. A lot of other people I know love it, especially for breakfast.
Millet is supposedly good too, but I've only used it in breads, not alone.
Tinkyada is THE rice noodle. They have the best taste and texture. You can also cook them for a minute or two and then take them off heat and let them sit until done.
For general cookbooks check out the Gluten free Gourmet. A lot of her stuff isn't dairy free but can be converted to dairy free. The bread recipes are especially nice.
Always read the label. Always. It's a habit that took me about a year to assimilate. I would forget it for things like pain relievers, toothpaste, mouthwash or on items that on the last visit were gluten/dairy free but weren't this time.
Somehow, I didn't notice this thread until today. I look forward to reading it again more carefully and want to thank everyone who has contributed.
Also, if you like asian food you can find gluten free soy sauce. It's typically called tamari. I can find it at all of my local grocers.
Minimus.biz also has gluten free soy sauce packets, and other gluten free goodies. Unless you live in AK or HI, shipping is free for orders over $20.
I've also had some of the gluten free stuff from packitgourmet.com. Not bad.
Mary Jane's Farm also has gluten free freeze dried meal options.
Just thought of another thing. I don't know if you're a beer drinker or not, but there are gluten free options if you do occasionally enjoy a beer.
Redbridge is the one most commonly available where I'm at. It's actually pretty drinkable (even by the non-gf crowd). It's made by Anheuser-Busch.
Bard's Tale Beer is pretty good too, if it's available in your state, and so is Ramapo Honey Beer.
I've tried a few others, but those are the ones I found drinkable.
See this website for more options http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art30583.asp
One more tip. If you're hiking with friends or a partner and sharing meals, beware cross contamination!
I once got glutened when friend used the pot lid pan to fry some bagels (if you can't have dairy, coconut oil works great) and we later used it when boiling water for dinner. We had washed and scraped the lid, but he had burned it a little bit and it didn't all come off.
I have too many stories like that.
The best thing to do is just use your own pots for everything, even boiling water. And also make sure to portion out food items to everyone instead of letting their hands/utensils which may have just came from something wheat/dairy laden to dig into supplies.
FYI:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free/
(http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free/)
http://www.bobsredmill.com/baking-aids/index2.html
If you don't have sensitivities, Bob's Red Mill has a lot of great stuff to make gorp.
I have heard that soy powder is a substitute for egg, but don't quote me on that.
I am an unpaid spokesperson for Bob's. :rolleyes:
Hawkwind61
03-02-2010, 18:47
I'm glad this thread came up again!
I too am gluten and lactose intolerant. I've had success with instant rice, dehydrated veggies and fruits. I have some coconut milk powder on the way and have been experimenting with freeze-dried fruits in my breakfast food packets.
I will soon be experimenting with freeze-dried meats, veggies, and veggie powders. I've found that freeze-dried reconstitutes in my home-made recipes without having to soak my foods as long, or at all.
I love Mrs Dash spices and have been buying pre-mixed Indian spices online to add variety to my food packets.
I've done will using stevia powder for sweetening. Luckily I tend to drink my coffee and tea black now...but I was bringing non-dairy creamer with me for my am coffee prior to going black.
I was going to mention Lara bars, I've been using them on my hikes. I see someone else did and I also had to have two Lara bars to one of the 'other' kind.
I'm going to start mixing my own nutbutters and dried fruit mixes to snack on as well. I've been mixing my own gorp for years.
One of my next experiments will be with quinoa. I've been making it at home and still have to see how it will do as trail food. I buy Bob's Red Mill Brand as there is no need to rinse. It's worth the higher price.
Hawkwind61
03-02-2010, 18:50
*I've been using stevia ...
sometimes my brain and fingers just do not co-operate!
If you haven't tried them, Kinnikkinik K-Toos are an oreo look-alike. My non-gf friends say they're better than real oreos. I know they are because I can have them! Oreos are one thing I never thought I'd miss, but they are pretty nice after a day of hiking.
Mrs Dash is great. We also really like Simply Organics All Purpose seasoning. You can buy it in a teensy little plastic jar, like it's made for backpacking.
I have to be careful about nuts and seeds because of my other intestinal issues, but one of my favorites is sunbutter. I think it's better than peanut butter. Also Peanut Butter & Co's White Chocolate Wonderful is kind of like crack.
I've never tried stevia, but I did like xylitol. It was actually nice that it was a milder sweet.
I'm really glad about this thread too. A few years ago when I had to drop all kinds of things out of my diet I found a lot of substitutes... but nothing really suited for backpacking. And there weren't a lot of good options due to where I live, shipping gets really expensive. I really had to think about food a lot differently, and just realize that there were a lot of things I'd never get to eat (like Krispy Kremes), or could never have again unless I wanted to put in A LOT of work, like croissants.
One of the things that stunned me were that some seasonings weren't safe. I was very sad when I had to throw away our Lawry's seasoning salt after it became very obvious that I was reacting to it. Fortunately the store brands in my area are safe.
One of the other things was just how BAD some of the gluten free options were. It's gotten a lot better over the years, with some substitutes even tasting better than the gluten ones, like the K-Toos and Amy's Pizza and Pamela's pancake mix. And even though I'm not much of a beer drinker, it's great to find (drinkable) gluten free beer at my local grocery stores. You know it's good when the German in your group asks for another one!
delitaagain
03-03-2010, 01:09
One thing I have used a lot is the *instant* brown rice. Yes, I could make my own but this is on the shelf. Make my own *instant* meals using that, dehydrated or freeze dried veggies and seasonings including the *good* boullion type powders.
mkmangold
03-03-2010, 01:34
1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2976181/Swiss-restaurant-to-serve-meals-cooked-with-human-breast-milk.html
2. It may be the gluteomorphins. Would a good digestive enzyme tablet take up the slack?
Hawkwind61
03-03-2010, 10:51
That was in interesting article!
I've tried digestive enzymes and lactaid tablets. Doesn't really help my tummy all that much, but enzymes do make it easier to digest beans.
I have to avoid soy like the plague also. I haven't heard that mentioned. But I found that if I try to add things like soy bars into my trail diet I suffer for it.
Luckily I have three specialty stores all within an hours drive that carry gluten-free products as well as rice and almond milk. I do a lot of shopping online for ingredients. Some places have free shipping over various amounts. But even when I pay shipping it is almost always less than driving out to one of the stores for me.
I have done really well with instant brown rice, Mrs Dash seasoning and dried veggies for dinners. Gluten free oatmeal with freeze-dried fruits and stevia, or turbinado sugar, and spices like cinnamon for my breakfasts. I've only done short trips so far...so I bring tuna packets with me as well and they tend to be my lunch along with gorp and a Lara bar.
I've decided to purchase freeze-dried veggies, fruits, and meats to make/mix my own food packets for my various short treks this year. I will use some dried. But freeze-dried is light, reconstitutes in a shorter amount of time, stores longer, and preserves nutrients and important amino's verses dehydrating.
(I also have fibromyalgia and Hashimotos...so I need all the nutrients I can get to keep going.)
I'm excited because I found sweet potato powder! As well as zucchini and other veggies that I can eat.
This is my absolute favorite bouillon: http://www.voguecuisine.com/index.html. I found it in the organic section of my local grocery store. It ends up in most of my hiking dinners.
Hawkwind61
03-03-2010, 22:29
I haven't seen that before! Thank you for the link!
I am on a gluten free diet. There's a gluten free shopping guide that I purchased and used religiously when grocery shopping. Takes alot of the guesswork out and having to read every label. They check with the manufacturers on gluten free products. Doesn't cover everything but it's the best thing out there I've found. http://www.ceceliasmarketplace.com/
CampGirl
03-04-2010, 09:37
We've split out many of our meals by diet:
http://www.packitgourmet.com/Special-Needs-Diets-c85.html
Currently we have them split by:
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten-Free
Dairy-Free
We didn't end up with very many vegan or dairy-free options but we actually have a lot of vegetarian and gluten-free meals to choose from!
rambunny
03-04-2010, 12:32
Just a heads up-when you are staying at a hostel that cooks for hikers -call way ahead of time and warn them.It is quite annoying when someone 10 min. before dinner tells you their special needs.Myself on thru hikes made alot of my meals ahead and dehydrated them. Try making an xtra portion of what you like at home for meals and dehydrate it.Good Luck.
I would second what Dogwood suggested as far as bars go. I have tried many of the same he mentioned and enjoy many of those brands when on trail. They are fairly calorie intense so i dont use them to much in everyday life but like them on trail. Like Dogwood I can say yum to the Larbar cashew cookie but not only were they yum for me on the trail but i found out the hard way mice seem to find them yum as well!
I have also used almond meal and almond flour and even almond milk in many recipes lots can be found on line this may be a doable option for any one with the no dairy no wheat issues.
astrogirl
04-18-2010, 20:12
I have celiac, and after being gluten-free for several months, I could have dairy again. I did do a trip without dairy though.
Some of my fave items:
Powdered coconut milk (wilderness family naturals)
thai rice sticks (many brands, soften up really fast)
instant rice
instant mashed potatoes
extra virgin coconut oil (I use nutiva - I can eat it out of the jar or add it to any food)
concentrated coconut cream (Let's Do Organic has no sugar added, I eat it straight!)
Lara Bars
Clif Nectar Bars (different taste and texture, about 5 ingredients)
I made coconut curries when I was still cooking. I'd whiz thai red curry paste and coconut milk powder in the food processor, put that in a freezer bag with instant rice or rice noodles, add dehydrated veggies and meat or add a foil pack of chicken instead of the dehydrated meat. Add boiling water and coconut oil in camp - it was super awesome!
RockStar
01-14-2011, 18:14
I have suffered from a broad spectrum of symptoms since I was a teenager. The severity went and came with the ebb and flow of the tide, or so it seemed. I would even lose hearing in one or both ears for a period of time and get double vision off and on, lasting for weeks. Finally my new doctor did a full set of labs on every function possible and found out I am highly allergic to cows milk and wheat. She mentioned that not testing positive for gluten intolerance didn't mean I wasn't sensitive to it, so she advised I get Gluten free things. Ultimately the allergies caused serious vitamin deficiencies, particularly Vitamin D and B12. Like magic all of the symptoms I had grown to accept as "getting older" or "genetics" vanished.
Im afraid of trying to plan a long distance hike without a dehydrator, having allergies that drastically limit foods I lived on during previous long distance hikes. SO, I'm glad this info is here!
BTW: My doctor suggested trying Organic Milk. I tried that and the symptoms were minimum, but built up over a week to prove I was better off with Almond/Coconut/Soy/Rice Milk.
astrogirl
01-14-2011, 19:02
One of my symptoms of gluten intolerance was tinnitus, and my ears did swell up sometimes. I and would *swear* my eyesight is better, but I haven't had that tested yet.
Also, what you want to try is not organic milk, but grass-fed milk, raw if you can get it.
RockStar
01-15-2011, 00:17
One of my symptoms of gluten intolerance was tinnitus, and my ears did swell up sometimes. I and would *swear* my eyesight is better, but I haven't had that tested yet.
Also, what you want to try is not organic milk, but grass-fed milk, raw if you can get it.
I will definitely try that! Thanks!
mweinstone
01-15-2011, 07:59
im a glutton for gluton. cant get enough. anybody know whats the highest gluton food?
im a glutton for gluton. cant get enough. anybody know whats the highest gluton food?
Probably what you're currently eating. :)
And is glutton for gluton anything like coo-coo for Cocoa-Puffs?
Probably what you're currently eating. :)
And is glutton for gluton anything like coo-coo for Cocoa-Puffs?
Rats...haven't sent in my editing fee yet.
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/unexpected-effects-of-wheat-free-diet.html
Jim Adams
01-15-2011, 15:53
Megladon completed a thru hike in 2010 gluten free. He didn't have a hard time but he did have alot of food sent from home.
geek
astrogirl
01-16-2011, 07:48
im a glutton for gluton. cant get enough. anybody know whats the highest gluton food?
Probably Vital Wheat Gluten. This is made into a fake meat called Seitan.
It has rather the texture of lung, but some vegan/vegetarians seem to like it.
A year ago, doctor recommended that I remove two things from my diet--due to suspected sensitivities to those items: gluten (which would include wheat, rye, barley, oats) and milk products (including casein and whey). My health and well-being improved immensely when I made the dietary switch. And, I usually feel like crap once again if I eat any food products containing gluten or dairy. Thus, the doctor's theory seems to have some validity.
This summer, I successfully completed a 10 day 104 mile hike on Isle Royale (in Lake Superior). The hike was gluten-free and dairy free. HOWEVER, finding "hikeable" food for the journey was a bit of a challenge and a pain. I plan on attempting a thru hike in 2012--so I am starting to plan ahead now for the dietary issues. (I will be testing various food options on section hikes between now and 2012).
Are there any other people who go hiking on this type of diet (or who have a need to avoid even just one of the two items--gluten or dairy)? Are there any AT thru hikers or potential AT thru hikers on these diets? I would love to compare ideas and notes.
I am gluten free; feel free to PM me anytime. :)`
lutefisk
02-02-2011, 12:24
My daughter has celiac disease and she hikes with me quite a bit. Here's a list of some of the foods we rely on:
Thai Noodle mixes (better than ramen - Thai Kitchen has an allergen spreadsheet (http://www.thaikitchen.com/public/thaikitchen/TK%20Food%20Allergens.pdf) available. Most of their products are gluten free)
Rice and rice mixes (several flavors of Uncle Ben's ready rice are gluten-free - check ingredients. They are not dehydrated so there's a slight weight penalty)
Instant Potatoes
Grits
Rice Cakes
Corn Tortillas
Chex Cereals (corn, rice, honeynut, chocolate, and cinnamon)
Lipton Cream of Chicken Cup-a-soup
Supplement with tuna, chicken, peanut butter, bullion, seasoning, etc.
We've never done an AT thru-hike, but we manage pretty well for 4-5 weeks in the summer.
I am glad a friend forwarded this thread to me. I will be doing a 2012 AT thru hike, and will be Gluten Free and Dairy Free. I have a sensitivity of about 5ppm, so I am concerned with cross contamination, and commercially available GF products. I basically live on fat, the more saturated the better. I love Ghee, which is basically clarified butter. The mil proteins have been removed. I also have a dehydrator that my wife has been experimnting with. We want to also make some pemicans and hard tack.
I will try and post my discoveries, and hopefully some new ideas will be thrown out there as well.
Cheers,
Oddbird
astrogirl
09-03-2011, 08:00
Oddbird - have you tried the Let's Do Organic coconut cream packets? I can eat those straight, they are so tasty.
What does 5ppm mean in practical terms? I have no idea what level of gluten causes me to become sick. The thing that seems to cause me the most crippling sickness is barley malt, for some reason. Luckily, that's less prevalent than flour.
Pedaling Fool
09-03-2011, 09:25
Oddbird - have you tried the Let's Do Organic coconut cream packets? I can eat those straight, they are so tasty.
What does 5ppm mean in practical terms? I have no idea what level of gluten causes me to become sick. The thing that seems to cause me the most crippling sickness is barley malt, for some reason. Luckily, that's less prevalent than flour.
That's 5 parts per million http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-free_diet It's a real issue for those that don't do these diets as a fad, rather as a real necessity.
Pedaling Fool
09-03-2011, 10:07
Oddbird - have you tried the Let's Do Organic coconut cream packets? I can eat those straight, they are so tasty.
What does 5ppm mean in practical terms? I have no idea what level of gluten causes me to become sick. The thing that seems to cause me the most crippling sickness is barley malt, for some reason. Luckily, that's less prevalent than flour.
That's 5 parts per million http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-free_diet It's a real issue for those that don't do these diets as a fad, rather as a real necessity.
AG, I think I misread your question, sorry. I think your asking how to determine food is gluten-free to no more than 5 ppm. The only way to do that is to buy certified gluten-free food to that level http://marvelousfoodco.com/fda-gluten-free-labeling-standards/ There really is no way someone can do that at home. And then you really don't know, because you're taking the word of the company and I would imagine it doesn't take too much contamination from other foodstuff to increase that above 5 ppm.
I'm not sure if anyone is really sensitive to 5ppm of gluten, whether that sensitivity be from an allergy, Coeliac disease or whatever. Personally I wouldn't worry about it unless it is a real medical condition and that medical condition/sensitivity varies between people.
Thanks for the clarification John. Sorry about the lingo AG, and as John said, you have to test down to that level. There are now test kits you can use at home, but they are expensive. There are a couple of places you can send food for testing, but as John said, I don't always trust a food company doing their own testing. I am lucky in that my wife can test to that level. Thanks for the suggestion about coconut cream. Coconut is one of my favorite sources of fat.
Tanka bars are gluten and dairy free, tested to 10 ppm. They are having a sale and Mark's Daily Apple has a coupon code on the regular priced products too.
http://www.tankabar.com/cgi-bin/nanf/public/order.cvw?affiliatecode=8f8f206fd6c156d84cc091e047 6687a800b204e9800998ecf8427e
-Mrs. Oddbird
I like Lara Bars a lot, especially since the ingredient list is simple and doesn't include any mystery additives. I prefer to just buy them, but I know a lot of people make their own (if it's just dates and cashews, it's not hard to replicate in your kitchen). You can google for recipes.
I'm intolerant of dairy and gluten, too.
The way I figure it, 120 days of hiking with an average of 4000 calories a day is 480,000 calories.
Fat has 9 calories in a gram so that's where to start. Here's the list of foods with the majority of calories from fat in Oddbird's mail drops:
Ghee (this is clarified, ie casein-free butter)
http://www.pureindianfoods.com to cook with, stir into coffee, spread onto hard tack, mix into dried sweet potatoes
Beef tallow - used in pemmican, more on that later
http://www.grasslandbeef.com/Categories.bok?category=Grassland+Beef%3ATallow%2C +Marrow+%26+Broth+Products
Coconut
http://www.tropicaltraditions.com (http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/coconut_cream_concentrate.htm) coconut shreds
http://www.artisanafoods.com/ stirred into coffee
http://www.greenpasture.org/public/Products/CoconutGhee/index.cfm a blend of coconut oil and ghee, made macaroons with this
http://edwardandsons.com/ldo_info.itml Let's do Brand - flakes, coconut cream bars The flakes are in trail mix mostly; he's eating the bars straight as suggested by Astrogirl.
Chocolate
87% dark chocolate (no casein)
http://shop.dagobachocolate.com/Eclipse-Bar-87-Cacao/p/DAG-CBECLIPSE&c=DagobaChocolate@Bars
100% dark chocolate
http://shop.dagobachocolate.com/Unsweetened-Chocolate-Baking-Bar-100-Cacao/p/DAG-BBUNSWEET&c=DagobaChocolate@Baking
Melted, with nut butter and/or coconut shreds to make his own chocolate bars.
Cocoa butter
http://worldwidechocolate.com/shop_callebaut_cocoa_powder_butter_praline.html
added to the home made chocolate bars for more calories
-Mrs. Oddbird
Protein
These foods have more grams of protein per serving than anything else.
Biltong (South African beef jerky)
http://www.southafricanfood.us/product_info.php/pName/04-beef-biltong-sliced-10lb-bulk-pack/cName/biltong-boerie-winkel
Bacon bits
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11302316&whse=BD_115&topnav=bd&cat=7043&hierPath=6363*&lang=en-US
jerky
bars
http://www.tankabar.com/cgi-bin/nanf/public/main.cvw
http://www.vtsmokeandcure.com/
homemade
There’s also some smoked sablefish jerky, some jerky from beef heart, chicken hearts, and a little lamb jerky
Canned fish in olive oil, mostly Crown prince and Seasons brand
Country ham and smoked bacon
http://bentonscountryhams2.com/
Homemade Pemmican, more on that later
Pemmican
This is the recipe we’re using
www.traditionaltx.us/images/PEMMICAN.pdfSimilar (https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&q=related:www.traditionaltx.us/images/PEMMICAN.pdf+lex+pemmican&tbo=1&sa=X&ei=BtgmT4ulL4KJtwePmpykCw&ved=0CCkQHzAA)
We made some of the jerky but are mostly using biltong.
We rendered some of the tallow but are mostly using US Wellness
We’ve made some of the pemmican in muffin tins, but mostly have used silicone molds to make “bricks” weighing about 5 ounces. They have about 600 calories apiece.
It is easy to make, but the drier the jerky or biltong, the better. The biltong supplier allows you to specify if you want lean and dry (perfect for pemmican) or fat and moist (great for snacks). I’ve seen a book on making your own biltong on Amazon.
The hard part is how to eat it; how to make it palatable. So far, the best dish involves gluten free rice pasta, dehydrated pasta sauce (Enrico’s is GF), and then stir in a brick of pemmican. Another option is to stir it into buckwheat noodles with dried kale, or into dried sweet potatoes, particularly the Japanese sweet potatoes.
more on pemmican
Black sesame seeds and soy sauce are a nice addition to the buckwheat noodles/kale
Pemmican variations:
Beef fat and bacon bits
Coconut oil/cream and biltong - be careful melting the coconut - this is best with the smallest silicone molds because more likely to eat as a snack rather than heated at a meal.
if you can't get tallow and need to render your own, there are several options. The crockpot method seems the best for low stress and large batches. http://paleodietlifestyle.com/rendering-fat/
A traditional variation is to add dried berries. We’ve not done this yet.
I ordered some of those US Wellness Beef pemmican bars. I realize they aren't shelf-stable, but I can use them for section hikes. Any experience with them? I'm now afraid that I won't like them. It seems people either love them or hate them.
Sidewinder
02-14-2012, 21:04
Gluten Free snack bars
Bumble Bars
Pure Organic bars
Think Thin bars, but not all flavors
Zing bars
Kind bars
some Tiger Milk bars
so far I've had no problems with any of these, good tasting too
sbhikes, I tried them, but it has been a while. I don't think I was crazy about them, but then again, I make my own. We buy beef tallow from them, and mix it with biltong. Biltong is dried beef from South Africa. I like the biltong because it tastes better than traditional jerky, and has fewer ingredients. I am beginning my thru hike this weekend, and pemmican will be a staple. I will mix it with pasta, ramen, and sweet potatoes.
sbhikes, I tried them, but it has been a while. I don't think I was crazy about them, but then again, I make my own. We buy beef tallow from them, and mix it with biltong. Biltong is dried beef from South Africa. I like the biltong because it tastes better than traditional jerky, and has fewer ingredients. I am beginning my thru hike this weekend, and pemmican will be a staple. I will mix it with pasta, ramen, and sweet potatoes.
I looked at making my own with that PDF from Lex Rooker. However the equipment needed was daunting, especially equipment to grind up the dried meat. The US Wellness Pemmican arrived yesterday. I tried it this morning and fortunately I think it's quite good. I got the plain salted kind, figuring I can doctor it up in various ways. If I go backpacking this weekend, I will be bringing it with me. My food bag will be so light. I can probably eat just two or three bars per day.
Do you purchase the biltong or do you make it? Are you able to grind it okay? I do not have any kitchen equipment capable of such a thing and I find it hard to believe some ordinary gadget available in a regular store could handle the job. In the future I might be willing to make my own if I can avoid actually making the jerky and if grinding the jerky can be done easily. Rendering the fat (or finishing rendering it as I've heard the US Wellness tallow still contains moisture) doesn't look like it would be a huge problem.
We bought biltong and ground it with a Kitchen Aid. This was pretty rough on it but I was making quite a lot of pemmican. I ended up changing over to a MagiMix brand food processor $250 on sale. They also sell grated biltong but it is very pricey; made the MagiMix look cheap.
We made some home made jerky, got it really dry and it ground very well in the KitchenAid. To make all the jerky we needed, I should have started months and months ago.
What do you suppose the calorie count is on 3 bars from US Wellness? One way he's doctored is with rosemary - very nice flavor!
I did notice the US Wellness being damp on top for one tub; I used a paper towel to dry it off and was careful to let it render fully. It did not take long.
-Mrs. Oddbird
I suppose maybe I was a little generous in my estimate. I would probably need 3-4 bars to get through the day. They are about 400 calories a bar. For dinner I could probably make a coconut curry with one of the bars and add wild, foraged greens and rice noodles. I usually am not very hungry on short backpack trips. Rosemary sounds like it would go great with the pemmican.
A year ago, doctor recommended that I remove two things from my diet--due to suspected sensitivities to those items: gluten (which would include wheat, rye, barley, oats) and milk products (including casein and whey).
I was just getting ready to pack my food and noticed that one of my favorite energy snacks, GU Chomps, says on the package it is Dairy and Gluten FREE!!! Might be something good to try. I get the boxes on Amazon. Best prices I've found.
Each individual snack packet is 2.1oz and contains 2 servings, 90 cal per serving. (blueberry pomegranate rocks!) They're kind of like gummy candy but not so tough. They also have amino acids, vit C + E, and electrolytes. I use them when mountain biking also. Love the portability.
I went back thru the foods and tried to get the items with the highest # of calories per ounce. Anything close to 100 calories per ounce is great. bacon bits do really well.
Finally getting back to finishing up these notes on how to thru-hike gluten and casein free.
I've already posted notes about fats and protein sources. The rest of the nearly half a million calories will come from carbohydrates (ie sugar) both complex and simple.
Dried sweet potatoes and Japanese sweet potatoes (peel, chop, boil in salted water, mash and dehydrate)
Buckwheat noodles and ramen King Soba brand (Eden brand is also GF but made in a shared facility)
Rice pasta - Tinkyada brown rice GF noodles
Cornmeal or grits - Kinnikinnick brand is certified
Gluten free hardtack - more on this later
Sweets
King Leo peppermints - GF!
Altoid mints
Prince of Peace ginger candies
jennies macaroons
danielle roasted coconut chips
home made coconut chips (Let's Do brand, soaked in sugar water over night and then dried. Much cheaper than Danielle brand)
Epic xylitol mints (these are not caloric; but the xylitol is good for your teeth)
Variety
still working on this!
Dried green beans
plan to try drying some chard
drinks:
rum
starbucks via french roast
Tazo green tip tea
sbhikes, your name is coming up frequently searching for methods to do primal or paleo on a long thru-hike. The BPL thread is pretty interesting. It looks possible, but logistically challenging, lol. Home-made pemmican seems like a necessary staple. My kid is on the AT now, I would love to do it after he and his sister are out of college, so unfortunately I have lots of time to figure this out.
finally, the hardtack notes
various blends of GF flours, mostly non-grains. You can experiment to your hearts content.
1c oat flour (certified GF)
½ c tapioca flour
¼ rice flour
2t salt
5/8 cup water
Approx 700 calories
1 c chufa aka tigernuts
½ c tapioca flour
¼ c rice flour
2t salt
½ c water plus 1 Tablespoon
Nutrition info from LaTienda: (cheaper to buy tigernuts from Cabellas or Bass Pro shops)
Serving size 1oz (28g). Servings per container 3. Calories 120. Calories from fat 60. Total fat 7g 11%, Saturated fat 1g (5%), Monounsaturated fat 5g , Sodium 10 mg (1%), Cholesterol 0mg (0%), Potassium 170mg (5%), Total carbohydrates 16g (5%), Dietary fiber 3g (12%), Sugars 4g, Protein 3g. Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 15%, Calcium 0%, Iron 0%, Phosphorus 8%. * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
1c chuno flour (Peruvian Dried potato)
1t salt
¾ cup water
Mostly, I mixed these with as little water as possible, rolled them out on a silicone sheet with a 2nd sheet on top (the sheets used in the dehydrator)
and baked at 350 for at least 30 minutes. It definitely varied, but don't let them get too brow or it all starts to taste scorched. Then I turn the oven off and let them in the oven overnight.
I still have a few flours left to try - teff and sorghum.
Hitchin' Post
06-11-2012, 16:20
I'll throw in a plug for Mary Jane's Outpost. I think you'll find some organic, gluten- and dairy-free dinners there.
http://www.backcountryfood.org/shop/default.asp
Discover Buckwheat. It is deliiiisious.
hardtack notes and links
this post is a good intro to the topic
http://kenanderson.net/hardtack/recipes.html
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/1980-03-01/Hearty-Hardtack-With-Variations-on-the-Theme.aspx?page=2#ixzz1oldaFpP6
https://mail.google.com/mail/images/cleardot.gif
I was kind of interested in bannock, but finally decided that it wasn't portable enough. It is a better choice for a weekend or section hiker.
I've not tried the parched corn; it sounds interesting.
there's plenty of discussion of hardtack on the web, try the search terms:
traditional trail foods or portable calories hiking, also check out the survivalist sites.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/rohdenburg81a.html
I finally found GF hardtack recipes here: (a very cool thread!)
http://planetxtownhall.com/index.php?topic=2980.0
before I found this one, the only gluten free hardtack recipe I had found used oats, but wasn't dairy free.
Note - be very careful with the millet. A recent study showed that millet is often cc'd.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20497786
The main flours I have used are
oat (low avenin, GF certified from http://www.montanaglutenfree.com/index.html)
buckwheat (I started with groats and ground them up)
potato starch (potato flour contains the peel)
tapioca starch
rice flour
All the articles say that hardtack crackers taste terrible, but most of the GF ones actually taste fine. I tweaked them a little so that they taste best with a little ghee on them. They are great fat delivery systems and that's where you get the calories.
This post has some how to info:
http://www.6thtx.org/Making%20Hardtack.htm
I did poke holes into the crackers, but I did not bake them twice. I had read somewhere else that the thing to do is to bake them and then leave them in the oven overnight. I think I would try the 2 bake system if I were making them in humid weather.
-Mrs Oddbird
Powdered soy mixes, you might find one palatable to you. That could help for a quick breakfast.
Be careful with soy. The majority of protein bars get their protein source from either whey protein (dairy), or soy protein. Over 90% of soy is genetically modified in this country. So, to add a new level of difficulty, make sure the soy you purchase is non-GMO. "Organic" soy is non-GMO. Here is a website to get you started on avoiding GMO poison: http://truefoodnow.org/shoppers-guide/
That is attractive, thank you for sharing !
flours I forgot to list for hardtack
Timothy grass (timtana) http://www.montanaglutenfree.com/gluten-free-store/products.php?category_id=62
best used in smaller amounts
teff
buckwheat
Oddbird completed his thru hike 8/5 - no gluten, no casein!
mtnkngxt
01-16-2013, 09:25
I've found most of the Larabar flavors to be quite good.
What about making your own bars with:
natural almond butter
gf flour of choice
honey
green powder
dehydrated fruits/veggies
coconut flakes (optional)
ascorbic acid (preservative)
chopped nuts/seeds (optional)
Mix, dehydrate until desired texture, cut, wrap.
ever4ward
02-22-2013, 17:23
www.outdoorherbivore.com has a good selection of gluten and dairy free backpacking meals.
When losing weight my hiking diet is about 20% protein, 50% carbs, 30% fats for about 1 to 1.5 pounds per day.
If I ever get all the weight off, it should be closer to 10% protein, 30% carbs, 60% fats 1.5 to 2.5 pounds per day.
In absolute terms I try and keep my carbs below 300g a day. I eat oats but avoid all other starches. Sugars I try and get from dried fruit, and I can handle milk also. I like lentil soup on the trail also. In your situation I would keep the carbs low, like no more than 30% of total calories burned each day, and no more than 50% of diet, maybe even push those limits lower to 20% of calories burned and 40% of diet. See how your body responds to more fats and protiens in your hiking diet. That should make it eaiser to find the right carbs and avoid gluten and dairy.
I can't say this enough. Try to work green herbs like parsley into your diet, for the iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C. They are basically green vegetables, and easier to find than having to dehydrate alot of spinach. Even mixed in with lentils you will only be able to choke down about 30g a day tops, but it's all you need as its full of vitamins. Mostly parsley so its not to strong, plus some others with more flavor.
Night Soup = 50g lentil, 50g dried veg mix, 25g dried green herbs, spices, and up to a litre of water.
Haven't tried it yet but mix in some pemmican maybe. I usually just use some olive oil or canola oil.
I would be at a loss for breakfast without oats.
WingedMonkey
02-22-2013, 20:44
When losing weight my hiking diet is about 20% protein, 50% carbs, 30% fats for about 1 to 1.5 pounds per day.
If I ever get all the weight off, it should be closer to 10% protein, 30% carbs, 60% fats 1.5 to 2.5 pounds per day.
In absolute terms I try and keep my carbs below 300g a day. I eat oats but avoid all other starches. Sugars I try and get from dried fruit, and I can handle milk also. I like lentil soup on the trail also. In your situation I would keep the carbs low, like no more than 30% of total calories burned each day, and no more than 50% of diet, maybe even push those limits lower to 20% of calories burned and 40% of diet. See how your body responds to more fats and protiens in your hiking diet. That should make it eaiser to find the right carbs and avoid gluten and dairy.
Haven't you been on a weight reducing plan for like 4 years now? Maybe you need more hiking.
:sun
I like this recipe. I think it is gluten free but honestly don't know
1 large ripe banana
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Mash together
Cook in waffle iron or fry as a pancake. It makes a great waffle.
Wise Old Owl
02-22-2013, 22:28
This is a very old thread 2009 and Prain4u -- Your doctor is FOS and wrong... There were better solutions back then and they work now... life sucks find a better doctor.. he is old .. PM me.
In post #1, oats were incorrectly identified as containing gluten. Absolutely not true. Oats are naturally gluten free. Mass produced commercial oats may have trace amouts of grains containing gluten and therefore may not be labeled as gluten free. Montana Oats, and several other companies, sell certified gluten free oat productes. A 30 second internet search will find them.
There are numerous corn and rice based pasta and noodle products on the market.
Wayne
Chaco Taco
03-06-2013, 19:10
Oat flour and almond flour are great alternatives as well. We make lots of gluten free cookies and dishes at home. On the trail, Glutino makes great english muffins. Many bakeries and pizza shops are now making gluten free pizza and breads. Its much easier to do now than it was say 3-4 years ago