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Backpacker Magazine – May 2008

Eat Better

Want to hike farther, explore tougher terrain, and carry big loads without bonking? To achieve your biggest backcountry goals, you have to change how you eat.

by: Dorothy Foltz-Gray and Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, Photos by Justin Bailie

Photo by Justin Bailie
Photo by Justin Bailie

Sport-Specific Nutrition | Snack For All-Day Energy | Balance Your Backcountry Diet | Food Expert Q & A | The 10 Best Backpacking Foods | The Perfect Menu | A Day of Eating Healthy | The Burning Curve... | ...And a Radical Deviation

Sport-Specific Nutrition
Tailor your body for the trail with our perfect backpacking diet.

Sport-specific nutrition–eating strategies tailored to the demands of your activity–is all the rage these days, and with good reason. Knowing the best foods for your sport lets you turbocharge your engine for peak performance. As a backpacker, you log long days at moderate intensity. You grunt up heart-pounding climbs with 40-pound loads. And you do it at altitude or in marginal weather. These factors create significantly different nutritional dilemmas than running or cycling. Our experts scoured the latest nutrition research and turned it into a comprehensive plan for backpackers. You'll discover the best balance of carbs, protein, and fats for long-distance treks; get clear information about your calorie intake; and find out exactly what to eat for big climbs, high-altitude trails, and cold temps. We'll share their advice for men and women, then boil everything down into the ultimate backpacking menu–complete with delicious recipes.

Sport-Specific Nutrition | Snack For All-Day Energy | Balance Your Backcountry Diet | Food Expert Q & A | The 10 Best Backpacking Foods | The Perfect Menu | A Day of Eating Healthy | The Burning Curve... | ...And a Radical Deviation


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READERS COMMENTS

Two useful expert sources of fitness & nutrition:
1. U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion & Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) - Hooah Health: http://www.hooah4health.com/ http://www.hooah4health.com/body/default.htm

2. military.com: http://www.military.com/military-fitness/ http://www.military.com/fitness-center/military-fitness/nutrition/archive
Posted: Nov 06, 2009 JMP

I don't want to eat what Craig eats. It appears to make you grumpy.
Posted: Sep 09, 2009 George

Ground flaxseed goes rancid in no time. Take the seeds whole and grind them yourself.
Posted: Jul 11, 2009 CB

You really need to check your nutritional consultants credentials as she appears to be an imbecile.
Posted: Jul 11, 2009 Craig

Complex carbs breaking down slowly has absolutely nothing to do with why marathon runners eat it the night before a race. The reason they do that is to make sure their bodies' reserves of glycogen are full. The speed at which carbs are digested has nothing at all to do with how effective they are at replenishing glycogen, given that length of time. Stick to pitching tents and leave the nutrition to the experts.
Posted: Jul 11, 2009 Craig

Most retards who try their hand at being nutritionists these days are absolutely obsessed by carbohydrates. It's laughable that the only advice you have to offer is whether to eat simple or complex carbs. Here's a few facts for you about carbohydrates. 1) The human body can survive indefinitely with a bare minimum of carbs (even none) whereas eliminating protein or fat will result in certain death. 2) The diet our bodies evolved to eat and thus the one most conducive to good health consists of around 35% carbs, comprised from large amounts of vegetation and a moderate amount of fruit. 3) ALL the cereal grains you idiots are obsessed with are inedible in their natural state and are only made edible by heavy mechanical processing. I'm reasonably sure they didn't have the ability to process food when Palaeolithic humans were around and therefore these foods are ill suited to human consumption (regardless of how many dumbasses would claim otherwise).
Posted: Jul 11, 2009 Craig

Cheddar can go 4-5 days w/o refrigeration, it just gets oily and melty, but still tastes good (makes the best mac and cheese)
Posted: Jul 24, 2008 ellen

These are great recipes! One question though, how do you keep the cheese in the Tuna recipe cold on a muli-day trip?
Posted: Jul 16, 2008 JP

These are great recipes! One question though, how do you keep the cheese in the Tuna recipe cold on a muli-day trip?
Posted: Jul 16, 2008 JP

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