[Mewalkinwoods]

We all know how important our water consumption is while we are hiking. I have read that you should drink 1 quart of water every hour you hike. I have also read that you can die within 2-3 days without it.

We have all seen many articles about dehydration, and how to prevent it. One thing that I don’t see many articles on is calorie and nutrition consumption while hiking.

We need the energy to make it to our next destination, right? I have read that while hiking you should consume 4000 calories per day (That a lot of food), and the body can die without food within 10 days.
I pack trail mix, energy bars, etc… for “trail munchies”. I usually pack some type of quick noodle soup, bread and cheese for lunch.
I judge the amount I pack by site, not by calories. “This looks like enough and some left over”.

I feel like I have the most energy after lunch. I’m rested, and my body feels warm and full of energy. So I’m thinking that if I get more scientific about what I eat, maybe I can duplicate, or at least gain a portion of the energy that I feel after lunch.

So, here is my question for you folks.
Does anybody calorie count, and if so, do you see a difference in your performance?

[dudley]

This is a regular topic of discussion over on http://www.whiteblaze.net/
For long distance hiking it's a real issue and some of the folks over there go as far as to drink olive oil to keep their calories up during their hike.
Eating nutritious food during a long hike is difficult
Protein, carbs, vitamins and minerals, and the ever important fiber can make for some heavy food to lug around.

For day hikes, I never gave this a lot of thought until recently.
On the trail, my buddy is eating almost as often as he 'hydrates'
He says doing this keeps his energy up and that he doesn't loose his steam along the way.
I've always thought that burning some calories before lunch did me no harm, but the last couple of times out, I've been munching along the way and I've got to admit I do feel better.

[Mewalkinwoods]

dudley, on 03 Dec 2009 - 02:03 PM, said:

This is a regular topic of discussion over on http://www.whiteblaze.net/
For long distance hiking it's a real issue and some of the folks over there go as far as to drink olive oil to keep their calories up during their hike.
Eating nutritious food during a long hike is difficult
Protein, carbs, vitamins and minerals, and the ever important fiber can make for some heavy food to lug around.

For day hikes, I never gave this a lot of thought until recently.
On the trail, my buddy is eating almost as often as he 'hydrates'
He says doing this keeps his energy up and that he doesn't loose his steam along the way.
I've always thought that burning some calories before lunch did me no harm, but the last couple of times out, I've been munching along the way and I've got to admit I do feel better.

dudley,
Thanks for the new link. I'll check it out.

For the record, you won't see me drinking olive oil. LOL


If anyone else has an opinion on this, I would love to hear it.

[dudley]

I found this hiker's food pyramid over on whiteblaze.net

[Mewalkinwoods]

dudley, on 03 Dec 2009 - 02:55 PM, said:

I found this hiker's food pyramid over on whiteblaze.net

I live by that pyramid.

Well that puts me at ease. LOL