Rethinking carbos.....

[le Voyageur]

 

If it's one thing that most trail foods have in common are the carbos. But are the carbos (meaning both simple, and complexs sugars/starches) the best way to feed ourselves in the backcountry.

That is, is the amount of calories that we are intaking equal to, or greater than the amount of calories being expended during a giving period of backpacking.

For myself, that answer is no. Sugars and starches tend to burn much too quick, not enough calories for the weight being carried for the miles to be covered. Instead, most carbos are now being weaned out of the pack and being replaced with protiens and fats. Now carried is a 16oz bottle of olive oil (for 5 trail days), which is liberally added to almost everything, and has reduced the pack's food weight by a full 2 1/2 lbs.

As an example...

instead of that heavy bag of gorp, it's now croutons (the large chunky kind flavored with garlic and herbs) dipped in olive oil, along with sun dried tomatoes, also dipped in olive oil, and sprinkled with basil.

 

For breakfast, instead of the gooy and energy worthless oatmeal, potato flakes, with Butter Buds, real bacon bits, and a tablespoon or two of O. oil. Munch a few croutons dipped again in the O.oil, add some jerky and you've got a lot more calories to work with....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[acco40]

For most of us who live in the civilized world, a backpacking adventure us usually a day long event and a week long at best. Most of us could survive on water alone for that duration.

 

Eat what agrees with you. Complex carbs help glycogen stores (long term energy). Simple carbs (aka sugar) break down quickly into the bloodstream and provide immediate energy (or more usually fat when most of us do not expend that energy!).

 

If your primary goal is caloric density per weight, oils are a good bet (soybean, olive, etc.)

[le Voyageur]

 

Fully agree with your observations, however,this was written more for those long distance trekers living out of their packs for weeks at a time, as well as the ultra light backpacker who striving to get the weight down...hopefully now that I've clarified abit I'll still say for serious weight savings caloric density is the better way to go. The other downside to too much refine sugar is that this stuff eats up the body's stored B vitamins in order to convert it to useable energy. Additionally, most of this stuff has added additives along with food dyes that I prefer leaving out of my diet.

Now, for myself, I'm leaving the carbo camp, and looking at how our pioneer ancestors met their food energy needs....believe me, they didn't pack pop tarts, nor sugar cookies for a meal on the trail.

[Mike F]

Great idea!

Along similar lines, I like to get more protein in the evening meal than standard Philmont and other freeze-dried fare usually have. Those little flecks of so-called chicken in the rice are hardly enough to help rebuild the muscles Ive been tearing down all day. Since I get tired of chewing so much jerky, Ive started carrying protein bars or ready-to-mix lo-carb protein shakes in packets.

 

[le Voyageur]

Yep, I've had that Chicken and Rice meal myself more times then I care to remember, along with a short stack of Pilot Biscuts...

Besides the protien bars, take a look at the protien powders sold at health food stores. I would suggest staying away from the lactose base ones, going more for those made from soy,or egg whites (albumen). The reason is that lactose (milk sugar) is mucus forming and tends to block the sinus cavatives a wee bit (which is not a good thing to have going on when backpacking at high altitudes).

[LovetoCamp]

Has anyone tried any of the different omelets the trail food makers offer? A lightweight Western Omelet sounds like just the ticket after a day lugging a backpack on the trail. I'm going to buy some instead of making my own for my next trip in September and am curious about others experiences eating them, please.

 

Pounder

[eisely]

I would still carry some "bad" carbs in snack bars for emergency situations. I have gotten weak from low blood sugar myself a couple of times on the trail and have seen at least two youth who did not eat proper breakfasts suffer the same. Having some easily digested quick carbs available on the trail is, IMHO, a necessary first aid item for leaders to have available, although I would not recommend relying on these as the primary food for the trek.

[Mike F]

Trail Pounder - I've used the Western Omlet breakfast recently - sure a lot better than they used to be! Need a little oil, and a Teflon pan will be worth the weight, although in a pinch I've cooked them right in the packet (add water, mix, suspend in pot of boiling water -- it's odd, but it's protein and a lot easier to clean up). Still kinda bland -- a pinch of dried peppers or splash of Tobasco (after cooking) helps a lot. Salt & pepper a must. Good idea to use in the evening!

 

eisely - concur. During the day, heavier on the carbs is the way to go (complex carbs best for slower release). And a handful of simple carbs (sugar) is sometimes just what the doctor ordered to get energy (and spirits) up. Extra protein at night.

[sctmom]

For many of us just going car camping can expend more calories than we normally do in one day. The trend in the dieting world is to get people off of carbs and eating more protein (i.e. Dr. Atkins diet).

 

I also have problems with low blood sugar. The best remedy for me is protein -- peanuts, peanut butter crackers, cheese. These may not be easy to carry on long treks but if you are camping with an ice chest and such, these are easy to keep on hand and your body does not rebound like it does from simple sugars (candy bar).

 

[AnneinMpls]

G'mornin

I'll preface this by saying I have a small amount of backpacking experience - not extensively enough to experiment much and compare and contrast, nor am I degreeed in physiology or anything!

 

Seems to me that men and women metabolize sugars differently - that piece of hard candy or caramel at a rough spot in the trail doesn't seem to give women that same sort of burst of energy - small meals more often of the peanut butter/cheese/crackers sort seem to work better for us - I'd suggest to plan plenty of trail protein snacks for your co-ed venture crews!

www.melpomene.org here in the Twin Cities is a cool resource.

 

[Mike F]

I would personally NOT go high-protein during the day while on a trek. The metabolic by-products of turning protein into energy -- what it takes to get over that ridgeline, etc. -- are much harder for the body to handle and lead to early fatigue. Under these conditions, not all calories are equivalent. Carbs and fats are easiest to burn during the exercise. Balanced evening meal restocks the glycogen reserves for next day and rebuilds muscle so you're ready to go again.

 

I've used Atkins a few months before a trip to get down to fighting weight, so I'm familiar with it, but gotta be careful - it's hard on the system. I can really feel the difference while running long distances (5-10 miles). And the difference in running ability is incredible after switching back over to more normal diet -- makes the miles much easier.

 

For weight loss, low-carb/hi-protein works. For optimum performance (i.e., keeping up with the boys), balanced is best.

[SagerScout]

Well, isn't that bizarre. My experience on Atkins is that after day 3 or 4 I have far more energy and 'staying power" and need far less sleep. Eating almost any carbs other than green vegetables, even the complex and theoretically good ones like 100% whole wheat bread or baked potatoes, makes me very prone to SEVERE fatigue and fogginess. (I had a bit of a problem with this at summer camp, since I didn't want to take the trouble to try to fight the mess hall food plan.)

 

However, since Atkins is such a champion diuretic diet, I could easily imagine that dehydration could be a hidden hazard as you really do need to drink more fluid.

 

My metabolism and immune system are both demonstrably screwed up so my results may not apply to otherwise normal people.

[packsaddle]

That olive oil idea is intriguing. I must try it next time. I go with the protein, not so much out of calorie balancing as I just like it. This should also relate to another thread on ADD and medications, but I have found that the calorie-rich items like oils and protein tend to steady ADD kids a bit, me included. The quick buzz of sugar or starch followed by the dive is hard, and medication doesn't compensate for that.

 

But a lot depends on the venue. Before I take a group out to a reef for a day of snorkeling, I watch for the persons laying up a huge omelet at breakfast. Then I stick with them. Sooner or later they chum the water and man, what great fish-watching!(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

[Mike F]

SagerScout,

Interesting observation! I know what you mean about feeling of energy, but for me that's only for "normal" activities like office work or working around the house. I've never tried it for prolonged heavy physical exertion, like a day (or 10 of 'em) on the trail. A 10-mile run definitely has me dragging worse than normal if low-carb -- I'm extrapolating that experience into assumption about the trail, but could be off target.

-mike

[le Voyageur]

This "rethinking" is based on my experiences in the back country where you need a lot of calories.

 

I know for a fact that I can do a 30 mile day in the canoe on only one high fat/protein meal for the day (a strip of jerky, 4-6 slices of bacon, and a few pieces of dried fruit), whereas carbo meals that require nearly constant snacking will cut those miles in half.

 

I tend to suspect that what is happening at the metabolic level is what I call hepatic carbohydrate overloading, and is the reason for the fatigue and fogginess. The body is simply trying to detox from an overdose of sugar.....