Nutritional and Energy Requirements
Eating is one of the times I look forward to most on a trip. It gives one an excuse to sit and relax. So, if you're going to look forward to eating, the eating should be worth looking forward to. My philosophy is much different than many avid backpackers who eat humus on crackers, make their own jerky, and eat rice cakes. My philosophy is: food you take should be light, easy to prepare, and good to eat. Also, there must not be too much monotony in the meals (in other words, I won't eat ramen for breakfast, lunch, and supper--in fact, I won't even eat ramen). I try to not make a big deal with the whole food thing. I don't want to take the time drying out meat and finding all of these weird ingredients to make weird meals, and I especially wouldn't even think about eating a powdered egg. So, my meals may seem a little strange to the die-hard, go-as-light-as-you-can hiker. But, oh well, I enjoy my food to the fullest.
Food plays important roles in:
1. Staying healthy
2. Building and repairing body tissue
3. Attitude
4. Energy
5. Mental Alertness
Therefore, for hikers own well being, he/she should eat enough and eat things that will help keep them at their peak performance.
As you plan meals, you must look at the amount of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in your food.
Calories
It is important that the food you eat be high in calories. The calorie is a unit of heat energy your body takes in from food. It is also the measure of energy your body gives off. This being the case, you need to eat as many calories as you burn to maintain a high energy level. You will be using between 2,500 and 3,500 calories per day while you are hiking. Therefore, you will need to replace these calories with high calorie foods. Don't ever shortchange yourself of these calories. Your body needs the fuel and you will be "cutting your own throat" if you starve yourself by thinking you can lose weight by not eating as much.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are quick released energy usually making up about 50 percent of a person's caloric intake. When hiking, this percent needs to go up to about 60 percent.
The two types of carbohydrates are simple carbs such as sugar, which gives quick energy, and complex carbs such as pasta, which releases energy more slowly.
Fats
Fats are another form of energy. Fats release energy slower than carbohydrates and are a better source of long-term energy. Foods eaten while on the trail should contain between 12 and 20 percent fat.
Proteins
Proteins are the building blocks of body tissue. Protein should make up about 15-20 percent of the diet.
Technical Stuff: Proteins are made up of 22 amino acids. Of these 22, all but eight are produced in our bodies. These eight must be obtained through proteins in food. Complete proteins are proteins that provide the 8 amino acids our bodies cannot produce. Foods that provide these proteins are: meats, fish, and soy products. Incomplete proteins include some, but not all, amino acids. Examples of foods that provide these incomplete proteins are: cereals, vegetables, and legumes (beans, peanuts, lentils). Incomplete proteins can be made complete by combining two or more foods together in the same meal.
Meal Preparation
There are two ways meals can be planned. One is the meal-by-meal plan and the other is the "take-a-gob-of-stuff-and-figure-it-out-when-you-get-there" plan. Believe it or not, many hikers use the latter. I, on the other hand, use the first plan. By planning each meal, you can do all food preparation in your kitchen rather than on the trail. This method of planning also means less waste because you are only taking what you need.
The first step in meal planning is to determine how many of each meal (breakfast, lunch, and supper) you will be eating on the trail. I have a list of meals I like and pick from them for each meal. When determining your meals, take into consideration the ease of preparation, weight (carry very little food with water content), cost, and spoilage time.
It is also important to determine when I will eat each meal. Meals that use perishable foods and have heavier ingredients should be eaten first.
Always take 1 or 2 freeze-dried meals with you. They weigh next to nothing and can be a lifesaver if you need a quick meal or you get stuck out in the wilderness for an extra day or two. Good emergency food.
After I determine my menus and have purchased the food, I take the food out of it's packaging and put it in zip-loc bags along with the directions. This way, the food takes up less space and leaves me with no packaging to dispose of.
I also measure all ingredients I may need to add to my meal so I don't have to mess with it later. For example, if I take instant pudding that needs 2 cups of milk, I measure out the amount of instant milk to make 2 cups when water is added and put it in the bag with the pudding. Then, all I have to do is add the 2 cups of water to the zip-loc bag, squeeze the bag to mix everything thoroughly and set it in a cold stream to firm up.
Write the name of the meal on the zip-loc bag. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between a yellow cake mix and vanilla pudding.
Many hikers take breads with them on a trip. Being very "smushable", I have tried to take it and really be careful with it. It never fails; I have always ended up with a large dough ball. So if you want to take bread, take bagels. They are literally indestructible. The best ones are from Safeway's bakery. Lots of different flavors and they make great sandwiches. The other option is to take English muffins or use an outback oven and make your own bread by measuring all of the ingredients into a zip-loc and add water just before baking or frying.
Meal Ideas
Here are a few of my favorites. You can add to them or use them to come up with your own.
Breakfasts
Instant FLAVORED oatmeal, bagels, cold cereal with BOXED milk (I can't drink the powdered stuff), dried fruit, Tang, pancakes (add water mix) with syrup in a small bottle, fried biscuits, hash browns, Betty Crocker "add water only" coffee cake, granola, and for coffee I use the "singles" and take along my own creamer.
Lunches
For lunch, I usually do something fairly simple and quick so I can get back on the trail again fairly quickly. Therefore, I usually have something like: Dried fruit, bagel sandwiches, nuts, hard cheese, hard salami, pepperoni, jerky, macaroni and cheese, tuna helper, packaged tuna salad with crackers, freeze dried foods, soups like: Lipton Cup-o-noodle or Bear Creek Country Kitchens makes a great Cheddar Broccoli Soup that you just add water to, candy bars or energy bars.
Suppers
For supper, I usually prepare something more substantial than I do for lunch. When supper rolls around, I am done hiking for the day and I can settle down and relax and enjoy taking the time to prepare something more complicated. Here are the suppers I enjoy: chicken fajitas, pizza, freeze-dried meals, tuna helper, scalloped potato mixes, spaghetti with tomato sauce, biscuits, rice with brown sugar, instant soups, and any kind of "add water only" mixes I can find at the grocery store such as rice mixes.
Desserts
Dessert is not an option. Dessert is a necessity. It's something I look forward to at the end of the day. It doesn't have to be right after the meal, it is usually better latter in the evening with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. My favorites are: instant puddings, Betty Crocker "add water only" mixes of brownies, carrot cake, and chocolate cake, freeze-dried desserts, cookies, Jell-O made the night before with extra gelatin to make it firmer so it can be enjoyed all the next day after setting up in the cool night air, candy bars, GORP, and if you are near snow, cheesecakes are good but the fruit is canned and adds a lot of weight.
Snacks
Jiffy pop popcorn, GORP, candy bars, and energy bars
When cooking meals, it is important to have the right equipment. This includes the right stove, pots and pans, and equipment for baking.
I think it is important to have a stove that boils water fast to save fuel and has an adjustable flame. It is also important to find a stove that is quick and easy to fire up and use. Therefore, I use either an MSR Superfly stove that uses multiple types of canisters or a Coleman Peak stove. Each of these stoves does all of the above.
As far as pots and pans go, find ones that have a non-stick finish. These make it easy to clean up. They should also be light and nest inside each other. If you do use non-stick pans, make sure you use plastic or wooden utensils so as not to scratch up the non-stick surface. And when washing, use grass as a scrubber rather than sand.
Another important piece of cooking equipment is the "Backcountry Oven". This oven fits nicely on a stove and makes it possible to make pizza, breads, cookies, and anything else you can bake in an oven. And, it's not very expensive--around $30.
Menus
Most of these meals have easy to follow recipes on the box. That's what I like about them. So I've included a few hints and opinions to each meal I suggest.
Instant Oatmeal
Oh please!! Follow the directions on the package. Hint: add a little water at a time. If you dump a lot of water in at first, you may end up with yucky watery oatmeal. And never, never add raisins--that is sooo gross.
Cold Cereal
Another no-brainer. Hint: Put the cereal in a non-squishable container. I hate pulling out a zip-loc bag with cereal dust in it.
Pancakes
The key is to get the griddle hot and the pancakes thin so they cook faster. This is where the non-stick griddle comes in--you don't need to oil the pan. Bring a small container of syrup or get syrup packages from McDonald's so you don't have to worry about them leaking.
Fried biscuits
Get an "add water" biscuit mix, measure out the amount you need for each meal you want to have biscuits and place in separate bags. This way, there is no measuring. You just add water to the bag, close the bag, and squish the bag to mix it. Then cut a small hole in one corner of the bag and squeeze dough onto a hot, lightly oiled frying pan. You can fry these, or use the "Backcountry Oven" and bake them.
Hash Browns
Add water and fry. Remember to let them cook for a while before stirring them if you like them browned and crunchy (is there any other way to eat them?).
Coffee Cake
Betty Crocker makes an excellent coffee cake with a brown sugar topping. You just add the right amount of water, put in a pan, use your Backcountry Oven, and bake. This stuff is really awesome!!
When looking for meats and cheeses to take along, find hard meats and cheeses. They will last several days in the Alaskan wilderness because it is cool. Cheddar, Colby, Parmesan, etc. are good choices as well as hard salami, pepperoni, and beef jerky. A good idea is to find the small packaged meats that need no refrigeration. I don't take a lot of these because they are spendy and heavy, but they are a nice treat once in a while.
Macaroni and Cheese
By far, this meal is eaten by more backpackers than anything else. But don't skimp on this meal. Don't buy the cheap stuff. Buy the real "Kraft Mac and Cheese". According to Backpacker Magazine's team of taste test experts (May 1997), this is the best out there. It is definitely worth the 94 cents per box.
Tuna Helper
This is a good filling meal. The only problem I have with it is carrying the weight of the tuna and then having to pack out the can. But it is nice to have one night anyway.
Freeze-dried Meals
Never believe the package when it says "1 serving". One serving means, "there is enough in this little bag to make us lots of money while starving a backpacker in the woods who thinks he's getting a full meal--ha ha ha." Therefore, get packages containing 2 servings. Also, don't depend too heavily on these nice, simple, and easy to prepare meals. They are full of salt and will kill you quickly if you're not careful. Another warning: Never, ever take a bunch of them as your only food source. I guarantee after two meals of freeze-dried, you will want to eat pinecones over the freeze-dried meal.
Pizza
Here's where a little more explanation is needed. First, I take 2 small Boboli Pizza crusts (they come in packages of 2 and they hold up well in a backpack), spread pizza sauce on each from a small squeeze bottle or a "ketchup pack" type of package, add mozzarella cheese that I grated at home (keep the cheese as cool as possible so it doesn't melt into a ball) and neatly arrange pepperoni. Place in a frying pan and put your handy dandy "Backcountry Oven" over the top and cook until the cheese has melted. The nice thing about these pizzas is everything is already cooked, so you can even eat these things cold without heating them up.
Chicken Fajitas
Bring along as many of the little indestructible soft taco shells you will eat in a meal. I usually pack these at the bottom of my pack to keep them flat. Hydrate and warm up freeze-dried chicken, and add water, fajita mix, onions, and green peppers. Put chicken mixture in the shells and add cheddar cheese and salsa sauce from packets you got from your last trip to Taco Bell.
Suggestion: Don't cut up the onions and green peppers and put in Ziploc bags thinking you will save time in the field. The onions and green peppers get mushy. Just take whole ones.
Spaghetti
Get a spaghetti sauce powdered mix and a small can of tomato paste. Follow the directions on the powdered mix and add dried mushrooms if you like (mushrooms are pretty expensive though). Bring water to boil and place noodles in the water until "done" --whatever that means. I usually make the noodles first, set them aside, and warm up the sauce. I would rather have cold noodles and hot sauce than the other way around.
Puddings and Jell-o
When preparing pudding for your trip, put the powdered mix in a zip-loc along with the amount of powdered milk you will need to make the milk when you add water. Then in black marker, write on the bag how much water to add to the bag. After you add the water, seal the bag and mix the pudding by squeezing the bag until all mixed. Place the bag in a snowdrift or in a cold stream. It will take several hours, but it is really good to have along. For Jell-O, before you go on your trip, pour the Jell-O into a zip-loc bag (how we lived without these bags I'll never know) along with some gelatin powder. This extra gelatin makes the Jell-O firm up faster and harder making it so it doesn't melt during the day. Therefore, you can make lots and eat it during your next day's hike. Place the Jell-O in the open cool night air to harden overnight. Make sure you use a pan to make your Jell-O in rather than let it harden in a zip-loc bag for obvious reasons.
Candy Bars
Some people can't believe that I would mention eating candy bars on the trail. Believe it or not, they have some good stuff in them. For instance, candy bars have calories, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. All that stuff we talked about needing. I know, they also have other yucky stuff in them. I'm not suggesting taking a lot of them, but they sure are a nice break from energy bars once in a while. My suggestions for a good "well-rounded" candy bar are Snickers and Butterfingers. They have about the closest percentages of what you should be eating.
GORP
The term "GORP" comes from unknown origins and stands for many different phrases such as "Good Old Raisins and Peanuts" or "Gross Old Rotten Pushballs" or ... well, you get my point. Anyway, after extensive research, the best GORP in the areas of nutrition, economics, and taste is an equal mixture of peanuts, raisins, and M&M's. You can take this recipe and add anything extra you may want to make it even better. Just don't add those gross banana chips, you'll ruin a great snack.
Cheesecakes
Cheesecakes are great, but tricky. The filling is heavy, you have to bring a foil pie pan, and you must have ice or snow available to make sure the cheesecake hardens up right. But again, it's all worth it as you are stuffing your face with this delicious dessert.
So, there you have it. The above list is not all-inclusive. There are hundreds of recipes out there that taste great. Like I said before, my goals are ease in preparation, taste, cost, and weight. The recipes above meet all of these requirements. Another thought is to take time to walk down the aisles of grocery stores and find new ideas.
