Pringes tortilla chips are about like oil but with carbs and sodium 150 can/oz
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Good information in this article. Thanks
I think ramen is particularly damaging to health, because the oil easily gets rancid: even a little rancidity is harmful to health and nutrition.
Whenever a hiker says they are relying on ramen, I can pretty much know they are gorging food in town. Nevertheless, they never catch up with their nutritional needs because rancidity of oils or fats interferes with nutrients in other food items. It is a lose - lose situation.
In fact, ramen was a WWII post-war "invention" to have "the public" "feel full" before there were agricultural food crops available again.
Udon noodles are better.
Feel free to correct me however...
I'll bet that 'there' has been many studies!
that's probably a decent rule of thumb.
I did 18-19 MPD regularly on the AT (except in NH and ME!), and I burned in the low 3000's, plus the extra calories in town stops that brings the total close to 4000. My question is this: have others actually closely monitored their actual calorie intake and weight? I have, hence my claim that 5000 is a bit exaggerated, except for fairly unfit folks, or those carrying a good deal of extra body weight. I did this study some years back when planning for a couple long (2-3 week), un-resupplied mountaineering expeditions, because every ounce counts on those trips. I was downright anal about accuracy. I carried this data forward when I did the AT and closely monitored stuff for a good part of my AT hike, the first 700 miles.
Back to the topic..
Diet sure seems easier in the winter months when the temps are in the thirties and forties, cheese and summer sausage can be carried for a week at a time, even bacon and egg tortilla sandwiches are possible! Hey, nothing beats real food!
Not too sure how much 'better' for you butter is than olive oil which is so much easier to transport.
Another vote for sunflower seeds here, fairly lightweight as well. Variety of diet is always a welcome thing though they tend to leave a trail of shells.
Avocado is also a good addition , good fat I am led to believe, though again probably a short shelf life in the summer heat without the pip and skin.
Colorado_Rob was correct in correcting me, I had in my mind that one study that is frequently referenced so I should have used the singular in my comment.
That said, some Googling will show that there are other studies on diet and health of Korean school children that take in account Ramen noodle consumption. So those of you who say there are multiple studies are also correct.
And I'm going to go enjoy this beautiful day. We all win
I agree with the overall sentiment from the OP. I have been focusing on fats and protein first and filling in with carbs. I also use a higher end electrolyte mix with magnesium twice a day and feel recovered every morning.
Although I totally disagree about nutrition being a leading cause of drops. A heavy and poorly fitted pack combined with the reality of the GA mountains will drop someone before a diet of honey buns will.
Ten, fifteen years ago I realized, or maybe noticed for the first time, that there were two competing food strategies with an infinite range of variations between them: carry your entire, carefully chosen food needs for a long stay in the woods, or deprive yourself to some degree, travel fast and light, and hold out for good meals in town or near trail heads.
I'd always gone the former route, so the fast/light option had some appeal. I think this has been the general trend among AT thru hikers and LASHers, particularly with the abundant infrastructure that's grown up along the way.
Seeing as how most thru hikes really are a succession of short sections, a no-brainer for almost any hike is to bring fresh town food with you, to be consumed in the first day. Eg. I always order up a nice deli sub, and that's dinner for the first night or brunch the next morning back in the woods.
AT is way easier than many trails to get the nutrition you need, and frankly it isn't difficult unless someone ignores it completely.
Gotta love the 2k calorie restaurant stops at reasonable prices, the multitude of resupply, etc
If I do a hike where I'm cramming things into a bear canister or have to carry 9 days of supply, I'm much more likely to eat like a bird for the last couple days before resupply
Although highly favored by the food science industry as a cheaply derived by product from the glut of GM corn in the U.S. as a thickening, binding, and somewhat sweetening agent that prolongs shelf life and in the sports nutrition science recovery, running, and weight gaining industry maltodextrin is still a highly processed polysaccharide(SUGAR) with a rather HIGH Glycemic Index that raises blood sugar. For some, including myself, maltodextrin in the form of various maltodextrin containing gels as the primary ingredient causes energy spikes and energy let downs. This may very well be why manufacturers are adding stimulants such a caffeine, green tea extracts, herbal supplements such as Gotu Kola, etc. to these concoctions. Plus, since maltodextrin is a sugar, it feeds the bad gut flora, the bad bacteria, including possible bacteria in trail side drinking water adding to the completion the "good gut flora" has to contend. Of the two dozen or so gels and sports recovery drinks I've tried I find the energy recovery is only of limited unsustained duration for 10 hrs or more of backpacking which has me reaching for another gel or energy drink. In affect I could have been mediating the blood sugar and energy levels grazing on a fiber and much wider nutrient rich trail mix or such whole minimally processed food(s) using the so called "drip method" of gnoshing to get calories.
ON the trail: snickers bars. Lipton sides, cheese. in town... the entrees (all of them) and a couple desserts!
Interesting that you've had bad experiences with spikes and crashes with malto. I use it specifically to avoid them (there's no longer anything in my normal food bag that contains significant added sugars). I initially bought a jar of pure malto specifically for putting together homemade energy gels for long training runs.