Nutritious Snack Considerations

[goedde2]

A snack consideration you might think about when hiking and refueling at the same time before you stop for a real meal might be cereal, packed in cup sized portions in a zip lock baggy. It's light, won't melt, and some high in carbs like Grape Nuts, give you a bit of an energy boost. My favorite is chocolate Cheerios, and/or Kellogs puffed oats. Just sayin'. DSCN4711.jpgDSCN4712.jpgDSCN4713.jpg

[Odd Man Out]

I'm partial to these.

http://www.planters.com/varieties/nutnutritionbars.aspx
http://www.quakeroats.com/products/c.../cinnamon.aspx

[Grampie]

It's good but takes up a lot of volumn in your pack.

[Rocket Jones]

Gorp + honey nut cheerios makes me happy.

[max patch]

I don't think cereal which is refined carbs and sugar can be described as "healthy". Tasty perhaps, but not healthy. I think nuts and dried fruits would be preferable. Throw in some M&Ms if you want.

[Coosa]

Carbs before an Uphill trek can help you get that Kick you may need. [Snickers is good]

And complex carbs and protein after you get down the hill for recovery.

[Malto]

I wouldn't call it nutritious but it would be effective and yummy.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

General Mills also puts out a cereal w/milk bar....HN Cheerios and Cinn Toast Crunch...basic breakfast cereal & milk nutrition in a convenient form. Snacktime loves them!

[Cookerhiker]

Mixed salted nuts and dried fruits (include banana chips) are the best.

[BirdBrain]

Macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts and M&M's. Caloric density for me.

[Dogwood]

I don't think cereal which is refined carbs and sugar can be described as "healthy". Tasty perhaps, but not healthy. I think nuts and dried fruits would be preferable....

+1 Ditto to that.

[Dogwood]

Macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts and M&M's. Caloric density for me.

+1 Ditto. That's more nutritious

[goedde2]

+1 Ditto to that.

I guess I misread the notation on the big red heart on the box which said, "May reduce the risk of heart disease". My mistake. It's only a "consideration", just like all the other wonderful considerations mentioned, that are also really good choices. Never understood the attraction to Pop Tarts though. Love the nuts and M n M's. A couple pinches of jerky seem to help sometimes.

[Dogwood]

I guess I misread the notation on the big red heart on the box which said, "May reduce the risk of heart disease".

You didn't misread it you just read and focused on what the marketing people wanted you to read and focus on. This is going to be met with some hostility but it's the same as the makers and marketing dept's of Snickers want us to focus on the possible benefits of cocoa or raw cocoa beans and Taurine or some hetahfood stores use buzz words like "Natural" or "Superfood" to push our health concerned buttons. Give you some more. made of SPACE AGED materials, designed for astronauts, and homestyle. How about these WAY WAY overuse marketing terms in the hiking gear markets; HIGHLY BREATABLE, Light wt, UL, etc

[Rasty]

I guess I misread the notation on the big red heart on the box which said, "May reduce the risk of heart disease".

You didn't misread it you just read and focused on what the marketing people wanted you to read and focus on. This is going to be met with some hostility but it's the same as the makers and marketing dept's of Snickers want us to focus on the possible benefits of cocoa or raw cocoa beans and Taurine or some hetahfood stores use buzz words like "Natural" or "Superfood" to push our health concerned buttons. Give you some more. made of SPACE AGED materials, designed for astronauts, and homestyle. How about these WAY WAY overuse marketing terms in the hiking gear markets; HIGHLY BREATABLE, Light wt, UL, etc

This years marketing word for food is "Protein"

[goedde2]

This years marketing word for food is "Protein"

And once again, off topic, and taken out of context. Then the inevitable "cyber war" with the resident "cyber bully", experts that offer up meaningless dribble, perhaps intent on just adding another number to the post count. Using certain cereal products as a snack on a hike was only a SUGGESTION, one might CONSIDER. All of a sudden the word "nutritious", also taken out of context, is the focus, and the entire original thread disintegrates into a kaleidoscope of comments that might well have been more accurately posted as a new thread or new opinion, not as a criticism or registered as a personal attack. If you think the words, "heart healthy" labeled on ANY product is only a propaganda stunt, or gimmick, designed as a marketing tool for increased sales, you haven't thought much about how it was authorized to be put there in the first place.

That being said, go ahead, reach for that block of lard to deep fry your French fries, get that Mega Mac with half 1400 calories coming from fat, loaded with cholesterol and carbohydrates, and make sure you include that "value meal" soda typically loaded with 10 teaspoons of sugar, and of course make sure you take advantage of the free refills 2-3 times and take another with you for the ride home. If you prefer an alternative, grab that processed meat product like a hot dog or baloney, and don't forget the processed cheese product. For dessert you might top things off with a Krispi Kreme doughnut or a handful of potato chips fried in hydrogenated oil. Just a guess, but I don't think you will see any of these choices labeled, "May reduce the risk of heart disease". Diabetes might be inevitable as well.

So, eat whatever you want. Ignore the "heart healthy" labels. Avoid anything considered "nutritious".

[Malto]

That being said, go ahead, reach for that block of lard to deep fry your French fries, get that Mega Mac with half 1400 calories coming from fat, loaded with cholesterol and carbohydrates, and make sure you include that "value meal" soda typically loaded with 10 teaspoons of sugar, and of course make sure you take advantage of the free refills 2-3 times and take another with you for the ride home.

hey buddy, you're all wrong.... I drink diet coke with my mega Mac.

[goedde2]

hey buddy, you're all wrong.... I drink diet coke with my mega Mac.

Thank you. You just proved my point. Cyber bully, personal attack, has no idea what a posted thread is all about, and most of all, you are NOT MY BUDDY. What you actually are is misinformed, careless with your food choices, and ignorant of the consequences of poor judgement. Albeit, your response was probably intended to be humorous, and I did in fact get a chuckle out of it, but seriously, do your homework, for your sake. Happy Hiking. Hope to see you out there in a few weeks.

Diet soda is the constant companion of dieters everywhere, who feel that they're getting a bargain by getting flavor and hydration, all for zero calories. While diet soda may be free of calories, it's not free of health side effects. Let's look at a few of the risks associated with dietsoda.
1. Kidney Damage

A 2009 Nurses' Health Study of 3,256 women found a 30% drop in level of kidney function for participants who drank 2 or more servings of diet pop daily. This means that those who drank at least 2 cans, bottles or glasses of diet drinks daily had 30% less kidney blood filtering ability than those who drank regular sodas or other drinks. The kidney function decline was noted even when consideration was made of other factors which may have affected participants, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Why does diet soda harm the kidneys? Evidence is still coming in, but it's thought that the sweeteners used in diet soda may scar kidney tissue over time.
2. Weight Gain

Perhaps surprising, but true: studies have tied diet soda consumption to an increased risk of obesity. In fact, a 2005 University of Texas Health Science Center study found a 57.1% risk of obesity for those drinking more than two daily servings of diet pop.
How could a zero-calorie drink raise your risk of obesity? Researchers have a few theories. Some people may feel that drinking diet soda gives them a "free pass" to eat more foods that may not be so low in calories, thereby leading to weight gain. Another theory posits that the sweet taste of diet pop alerts our digestive system that high-calorie foods are coming. When they don't, our bodies are confused and our appetite increases in anticipation of the food it's expecting.
3. Tooth Enamel Damage

Soda is hard on tooth enamel, with the sugar and acid being the most problematic ingredients. Diet soda eliminates the sugar, but not the acid content of pop. Most of us are familiar enough with acid that we can imagine its impact on our tooth enamel, which is the main barrier our teeth have against decay.
Phosphoric acid is found in many diet sodas, and its purpose is to promote carbonation. But it also erodes tooth enamel. [COLOR=#009900 !important]Check your favorite diet drink to see whether it contains phosphoric acid; generally, darker colas are more likely to contain it than lighter diet drinks.[/COLOR]
Citric acid is another ingredient added to many diet sodas in order to preserve carbonation. Like phosphoric acid, it eats away at your tooth enamel.
If you can't give up your diet soda habit, try sipping it through a straw in order to reduce its contact with your teeth.
4. Bone Loss

Drinking diet soda can also lead to bone loss. This is because the phosphoric acid in the soda causes calcium in your bloodstream to be excreted more quickly than normal through urine. Your bones then give up some of their calcium in order to keep the bloodstream calcium level constant.

[Rocket Jones]

Lighten up, Francis.

[goedde2]

Lighten up, Francis.

Sorry, thought I had. Didn't mean to come off as harsh, or intimidating, just trying to make a point. By the way, my name is not Francis. It's John, just like the toilet. I get crap from everyone. If you think you've had a rough time of it, try going through life being named after a toilet.

Happy Hiking. Hope to see you out there in a few weeks.