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Packing Light – Food

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Question:

heavily on high fiber foods. It will make no difference on a day hike, but, if you go out for several days eating foods with excessive amounts of fiber (maypo, fig newtons, granola, gorp, etc.) you will become exceedingly constapated. This A sudden change to a high-fibre (read "fiber" in the US) diet is more likely to produce diarrhoea (US "diarrhea" – when *are* we going to learn speak the same language!) rather than constipation. The only conditions in which constipation is likely is if the intake of fluids is deficient, as one of the effects of fibre is to retain free water in the intestine which would otherwise be absorbed, thus making the faeces bulky but soft.

Actually, just a sudden change in diet will often cause constipation. I eat *plenty* of fiber at home (vegeterian) but tend to get constipated when my diet changes, especially if I suddenly switch to camping food. Dried prunes work for me. time your eating them carefully, though — there’s nothing like sitting on a latrine in the Boundry Waters of Minnesota watching a huge thunderstorm rush at you over the lake ’cause you had to go … NOW. ;) — [X] Molly Bowling Why do I put my two cents in, while you give me a penny for my thoughts? Someone’s making a penny here.

Response:

Sorry to comment on my own article, but I’m afraid my figures, which were from memory, were a bit inaccurate. The point remains however: The body cannot store water, lack of sufficient water results rapidly in disabling symptoms. It is important to get enough water. My sources give 2 litres as the approximate water requirement for an inactive person.

Should be 1.5 l If active, higher evaporation, metabolism and sweating result in higher water requirement. 3l is given as the daily minimun requirement, but if physical activity is intense, and especially if there is a lot of sweating, much more can be needed.

2.5..3l Insufficient water intake results rapidly in dehydration and various symptoms, muscle cramps, exhaustion etc. I seriously doubt that it is possible to hike with less than 2l for much more than a day or two in any conditions.

Perhaps a bit pessimistic. 3% dehydration leads to "at least a 25% decrease in ability to work" what ever that might mean. 3% is something like 2.5l, approximately the minimum dehydration of 24h without water. 10..15% dehydration leads to total exhaustion and possibly death. Source: Armen: Overlevnad (Swedish Army). I hope I got it correct now . Markus Bjorksten

Response:

The recommended fluid intake is about 2 litres (about 8 cups) a day. Hiking in drier areas I’ve found this difficult if not impossible to do, but if the water is available drink it freely.

My sources give 2 litres as the approximate water requirement for an inactive person. If active, higher evaporation, metabolism and sweating result in higher water requirement. 3l is given as the daily minimun requirement, but if physical activity is intense, and especially if there is a lot of sweating, much more can be needed. Insufficient water intake results rapidly in dehydration and various symptoms, muscle cramps, exhaustion etc. I seriously doubt that it is possible to hike with less than 2l for much more than a day or two in any conditions. Many people perceive the daily water requirement as high, because they do not realize that they get a large percentage of it in their food and not directly by drinking. Markus Bjorksten

Response:

A sudden change to a high-fibre (read "fiber" in the US) diet is more likely to produce diarrhoea (US "diarrhea" – when *are* we going to learn speak the same language!) rather than constipation. The only conditions in which constipation is likely is if the intake of fluids is deficient, as one of the effects of fibre is to retain free water in the intestine which would otherwise be absorbed, thus making the faeces bulky but soft. So, rather than including fat in your hiking diet, drink more. The recommended fluid intake is about 2 litres (about 8 cups) a day. Hiking in drier areas I’ve found this difficult if not impossible to do, but if the water is available drink it freely. Kevin Grant — PO Box 100 | Fx:+(61-6)2398531 | nature’s way of Woden ACT 2606 | If HSH/TGA hold these opinions they may | filling a vacuum. Australia | be wise, but they didn’t get it from me. | -WGP

Response:

: This is one possible criticism that I have of your hiker’s : diet. You rely very heavily on high fiber foods. It will make : no difference on a day hike, but, if you go out for several : days eating foods with excessive amounts of fiber (maypo, fig : newtons, granola, gorp, etc.) you will become exceedingly : constapated. This would be a highly unpleasant state on the : trail. Try to eat a little sausage or cheese to provide fat : that will lubricate movement of excretum through the colon. This is a common misconception. It is this kind of diet which is considered to be the chief cause of colon cancer because of it’s adverse affects on the digestive tract from lack of lubrication, concentrations of harsh chemicals/acids/bacteria and rough matter. Water is the natural lubricant here and few things hold water as well as fiber. The human system was designed to handle a diet of primarily soluble fiber. : PH Odd… In my experience, its the exact opposite. Hte high : PH fibre stuff keeps me flowing smoothly. Too much cheese, and : PH its like trying to squeese glue out of a 5 year old tube. : PH -Pete : My experience as well. Not only does fiber keep you running smoothly, : but sometimes more cleanly as well, requiring less TP. I’ve found the dried packaged trail meals also cause a problem and I try to balance them with additional fiber bearing foods and plenty of water. —

Response:

This is one possible criticism that I have of your hiker’s diet. You rely very heavily on high fiber foods. It will make no difference on a day hike, but, if you go out for several days eating foods with excessive amounts of fiber (maypo, fig newtons, granola, gorp, etc.) you will become exceedingly constapated. This would be a highly unpleasant state on the trail. Try to eat a little sausage or cheese to provide fat that will lubricate movement of excretum through the colon. PH Odd… In my experience, its the exact opposite. Hte high PH fibre stuff keeps me flowing smoothly. Too much cheese, and PH its like trying to squeese glue out of a 5 year old tube. PH -Pete My experience as well. Not only does fiber keep you running smoothly, but sometimes more cleanly as well, requiring less TP. -Michael

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I also snack constantly, mostly on a mix of raisins and sunflower seeds. Beth Crespo

Response:

Edward Hartnett urges non-use of over-packaged foods. Anyone else out there do this? Or is everyone reading this thinking "what a nutcase!"

Why certainly – nuts are highly nutritious, and come in their own good biodegradable organic packing. Nutcase!!! Seriously though – good point. However, if your non-packaged foods comprise ingredients which require cooking, and you use a fire, then I’ll support the packaging as a lesser of two evils. Not that I’m suggesting someone as thoughtful as Mr Hartnett’s posting suggests would light a fire! Nick Kew.

Response:

Odd… In my experience, its the exact opposite. Hte high fibre stuff keeps me flowing smoothly. Too much cheese, and its like trying to squeese glue out of a 5 year old tube. -Pete — Communication Services | or (if desperate) | behind, the more time Ottawa,Ont. Canada K1N 6N5| (613) 564-7646 |

Response:

: This is one possible criticism that I have of your hiker’s diet. You rely : very : heavily on high fiber foods. It will make no difference on a day hike, but, : if you go out for several days eating foods with excessive amounts of fiber : (maypo, fig newtons, granola, gorp, etc.) you will become exceedingly : constapated. This : would be a highly unpleasant state on the trail. Try to eat a little : sausage or cheese to provide fat that will lubricate movement of excretum : through the colon. You won’t get constipated by eating loads of high fiber foods (fiber is a laxitive, after all). You’re more likely to have trouble eating a high fat diet for a long period of time. Fat won’t lube you up because it is efficiently digested in your small intestine. Fiber is not digested well, and reaches your large intestine largely intact, which is why it works. The gas comes from bacteria in your large intestine that are able to break down some of the stuff your body can’t. — David Hinds

Response:

| This is one possible criticism that I have of your hiker’s diet. You rely | very | heavily on high fiber foods. It will make no difference on a day hike, but, | if you go out for several days eating foods with excessive amounts of fiber | (maypo, fig newtons, granola, gorp, etc.) you will become exceedingly | constapated. This | would be a highly unpleasant state on the trail. Try to eat a little | sausage or cheese to provide fat that will lubricate movement of excretum | through the colon. Is this is meant to tongue-in-cheek, then please forgive me my lack of sense of humor. Otherwise, I have to object: your suggestions directly contradict everything I’ve ever heard or read about the role of dietary fiber, as well as personal experience. I would much appreciate any references to any material which indicates that fiber causes constipation and/or that fat aids regularity. Computer Science Department Oregon State University

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I end up drinking at least 2 – 3 liters of water in addition to the 2 I drink before heading out, and find that I get much less muscle fatigue/cramps in my legs and just feel better. Also, eating smaller quantities continuously means I don’t get that all-my-blood-is-going-to-my-stomach-and-my-legs-can’t- move feeling plus I don’t run out of energy so quickly. Would welcome any comments! As I read this, it looked more and more familiar; you’ve re-evolved the eating regieme for long-distance aerobic athletics (long-distance bicycling and rowing in my experience). This specifically seeks to avoid the dreaded "bonk" where your body runs out of glycogen and you just want to lay down and pant like a winded cheetah (scared the hell out of me the first time it happened to me).

Exactly what I was thinking! The single thing that works best for me to ward off the bonk while hiking are graham crackers… probably because of the relatively low fat/high sugar content. No good for biking (too dry) but I swear by them for hiking. Take with plenty water at the first sign of grumpiness or shaky legs and you’ll feel like new 10 minutes later. I always toss in a package as emergency fuel. Of course ideally you wouldn’t even get close to bonking, because you’ve been nibbling steadily, but if you do, try it! Barbara

Response:

Fih Newtons are really great for cycling and camping. I went on a 5,000mile bike trip a year ago and constantly ate fig newtons. Fig Newton are broken down by the body at a very steady rate. They have a cookie and fruit filling that provides two spikes of energy instead of one (two different sugars are involved that are broken down at different rates.) The only problem with eating newtons constantly is that they can produce enormous amounts of gas. This is one possible criticism that I have of your hiker’s diet. You rely very heavily on high fiber foods. It will make no difference on a day hike, but, if you go out for several days eating foods with excessive amounts of fiber (maypo, fig newtons, granola, gorp, etc.) you will become exceedingly constapated. This would be a highly unpleasant state on the trail. Try to eat a little sausage or cheese to provide fat that will lubricate movement of excretum through the colon.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve been experimenting with lightweight, durable, foods over the past year. I especially have a problem with getting very, very, lethargic and grumpy when I get hungry, and with running out of energy on hikes. I seem to have come up with a system that works for me but would appreciate any comments from other people. Start out drinking 2 liters of water/juice BEFORE I hit the trail. I keep a PowerBar, TigerMilk bar, or hard ‘n crunchy granola bar in my pocket and munch on it while I hike. This also keeps PowerBars from freezing in the winter. Also keep water on my waist belt and drink all the time. Stop to pee a lot, too, but… stopping for a few minutes pretty often means I don’t need to take longer rest stops. Only eat a small lunch, gorp and dried fruit, bagels or crackers, maybe cheese or peanut butter or hard-boiled eggs. Drink, drink, drink – in winter I carry a thermos (heavy, but..) and have soup or hot cider, maybe a cookie or candy bar. Dinner is usually some dried miso soup, Fantastic Foods chili or other soup with Uncle Ben’s minute brown rice or instant potatoes (taste yucky at home, but not so bad on the trail), maybe some hydrolized vegetable protein thrown in (I’m a vegetarian, can you tell?), herbal teas or instant cider. Breakfast is always oatmeal or Maypo (if I have a stove, which I usually do) or granola with instant powdered milk – again, not too bad on the trail but don’t try this at home. Things I’ve learned to avoid are: anything with caffeine (well, maybe one chocolate bar) – really, caffeine makes me pee so much that I can’t stay hydrated in winter, so no more hot cocoa. Also now get unsalted nuts for my gorp, and have upped the percentage of fruit in it, too. I end up drinking at least 2 – 3 liters of water in addition to the 2 I drink before heading out, and find that I get much less muscle fatigue/cramps in my legs and just feel better. Also, eating smaller quantities continuously means I don’t get that all-my-blood-is-going-to-my-stomach-and-my-legs-can’t- move feeling plus I don’t run out of energy so quickly. Would welcome any comments!

As I read this, it looked more and more familiar; you’ve re-evolved the eating regieme for long-distance aerobic athletics (long-distance bicycling and rowing in my experience). This specifically seeks to avoid the dreaded "bonk" where your body runs out of glycogen and you just want to lay down and pant like a winded cheetah (scared the hell out of me the first time it happened to me). There’s no shortage of commentary about this kind of thing in bike touring manuals and related topics, but what you’ve found on your own is just what is recommended: lotsa carbos in small quantities at short intervals, keep hydrated and avoid (too many) fats and caffiene. If you do the pig-out thing do it last thing at night so your body has a chance to regenerate glycogens and you won’t get bogged down. Cheers! Scott

Response:

To me it seems he height of irony to take food on a backpacking trip that comes with a lot of packaging. Plastic bags can — and should — be washed and reused when you get home. — Peter Dorman

that also lessens the amount (and weight) of trash you carry with you… assuming,that is, that you are a decent minded camper who doesn’t throw his trash alongside the trail… Jim Patten s1019218

Response:

To me it seems he height of irony to take food on a backpacking trip that comes with a lot of packaging. P Plastic bags can — and should — be washed and reused when you get home. Yes, but so often people buy individually packaged items, take them out of the packaging, and then put them in plastic bags. You can reuse the plastic bags, but not the original packaging, which is sitting in your trashcan at home. Furthermore, though I try to buy products with as little packaging as possible (I buy as much bulk food as I can), I still end up with a constant stream of plastic bags coming into the apartment. Fortunately my local Giant Foods has plastic bag recycling. On a related note, I have sworn off Girl Scout cookies for reasons of packaging, and I urge others to do the same. I bought three boxes recently and all the cookies from all three boxes fit in one ziplock bag, and the amount of packaging was truely disgusting. It really pissed me off, in fact. — (301) 286-2396 fax: (301) 286-1754 Geek code: GAT d? -p+ c++++ l u+++ e- m+ s+++/++ n+ h— f? !g w+ t++ r y++

Response:

To me it seems he height of irony to take food on a backpacking trip that comes with a lot of packaging.

Plastic bags can — and should — be washed and reused when you get home. — Peter Dorman

Response:

D Hot tip! Repackage those Fantastic Foods or Nile Spice soups in ziploc bags D and save space. It is also a lot more likely that the soup cups will be D crushed and make a horrible mess than some ziploc opening. Repackage pretty D much everything. Save the cooking instructions — but if they are more D complicated than add boiling water and cook until its done, you shouldn’t D have brought it. This brings something up that I have been struggling with for some years – packaging! To me it seems he height of irony to take food on a backpacking trip that comes with a lot of packaging. I mean, here I am out in the wilderness, eating my breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which all came in individual packaging that are now in the garbage bag. Does this seem wrong to anyone else? All that packaging ends up in a landfill that was once as beautiful as the land you are hiking in, but is no longer because it was too much trouble for people to make their own food, so they bought it prepackaged and tossed the packaging. Ah the beauty of the outdoors, as long as I can throw my trash somewhere else that I don’t have to see. OK, I don’t mean to lay it on too thick. I create a lot of trash too, and I am not happy about that. But when I am camping I try to make a special effort to bring food that involved less packaging. Of course I try to do this all the time, but particularly while camping. Anyone else out there do this? Or is everyone reading this thinking "what a nutcase!" — (301) 286-2396 fax: (301) 286-1754 Geek code: GAT d? -p+ c++++ l u+++ e- m+ s+++/++ n+ h— f? !g w+ t++ r y++

Response:

I’ve been experimenting with lightweight, durable, foods over the past year. I especially have a problem with getting very, very, lethargic and grumpy when I get hungry, and with running out of energy on hikes. I seem to have come up with a system that works for me but would appreciate any comments from other people. Start out drinking 2 liters of water/juice BEFORE I hit the trail. I keep a PowerBar, TigerMilk bar, or hard ‘n crunchy granola bar in my pocket and munch on it while I hike. This also keeps PowerBars from freezing in the winter. Also keep water on my waist belt and drink all the time. Stop to pee a lot, too, but… stopping for a few minutes pretty often means I don’t need to take longer rest stops. Only eat a small lunch, gorp and dried fruit, bagels or crackers, maybe cheese or peanut butter or hard-boiled eggs. Drink, drink, drink – in winter I carry a thermos (heavy, but..) and have soup or hot cider, maybe a cookie or candy bar. Dinner is usually some dried miso soup, Fantastic Foods chili or other soup with Uncle Ben’s minute brown rice or instant potatoes (taste yucky at home, but not so bad on the trail), maybe some hydrolized vegetable protein thrown in (I’m a vegetarian, can you tell?), herbal teas or instant cider. Breakfast is always oatmeal or Maypo (if I have a stove, which I usually do) or granola with instant powdered milk – again, not too bad on the trail but don’t try this at home. Things I’ve learned to avoid are: anything with caffeine (well, maybe one chocolate bar) – really, caffeine makes me pee so much that I can’t stay hydrated in winter, so no more hot cocoa. Also now get unsalted nuts for my gorp, and have upped the percentage of fruit in it, too. I end up drinking at least 2 – 3 liters of water in addition to the 2 I drink before heading out, and find that I get much less muscle fatigue/cramps in my legs and just feel better. Also, eating smaller quantities continuously means I don’t get that all-my-blood-is-going-to-my-stomach-and-my-legs-can’t- move feeling plus I don’t run out of energy so quickly. Would welcome any comments!

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