When you are preparing a hiking route, you need to have in account a sort of things, no matter which is your level or which route are you planning to start, there is always the same difficulties for the hikers. No doubt, expedition foods are always one of the most necessary issues that need to be faced for our excursions, but it also needs to be treated in a proper way.
These are some advises you need to take into account if you are planning an outdoor activity that means to eat outside for long periods:
You should pack just the exact measure you will need
If you are doing a long trip, you will need to save some space into your bag, or merely trying to avoid carrying unusable weight.
Avoid glass as packaging
For sure you already know how fragile glass is, so it is not a good idea to use it for packing. Not only is easily breakable, but also is a really heavy material. Another reason for not wearing glass is because it is not a biodegradable material, so you will be obligated to take it back with you once you use it, due to the fact that it can cause fire if you leave it there when you finish using it.
Avoid large big cans
Cans and, in general, aluminum packages have the same disadvantages than the ones that are made by glass, so you should remember the same issues: they are not biodegradable and they are so heavy, and also that you need to take them back.
Do not prepare the expedition foods with food that needs fridge
If you are preparing your own meals, you should think about your resources. You cannot afford to lose food in the middle of your trip, especially if you have prepared the exact quantity. So, if you are going to do it by yourself, it is very important to prepare all the meals just with non-perishable food products.
Which are the nutrients that you need to include into your expedition foods?
These are some of the nutrients that you cannot miss on your hiking diet:
- Proteins
You can find them on foodstuff coming from animals (as meat, fish, eggs…) and in some vegetables (legumes, dried fruits, fruits…). It is used by the body to repair our muscle tissue after a strenuous activity.
- Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are nutrients that are located mainly on vegetal food. Their most important function is to provide our body of energy and generate a reserve in case you need to keep doing an effort.
There are two types of carbohydrates. The simple ones (which come from sugar, as candies or sweets), and the complex ones (from cereals, potatoe, lugums…).
- Fats
Fats have more or less same functions as carbohydrates because they provide energy. The only difference is that fats help to transport vitamins and they are usually part from muscular tissue.
- Vitamins and minerals
Their main function is to help our body to auto-regulate our metabolism. They are also very important for the process that frees the energy of the rest of the food consumed.
- Water
The water is what keeps us alive. It helps to transport oxygen through our blood and muscular tissue.
What should I take account for my expedition foods?
You cannot forget to follow this nutritional advises, especially if you are doing outdoor activities, where the caloric expenditure is higher than in everyday activities.
The World Health Organization recommends taking at least:
- 50-55% of carbohydrates
- 30-35% of fats
- 12-15% of proteins
- Determinate quantities of fiber, vitamines and minerals
Breakfast
This food should provide you the 20% of the caloric expenditure of the day. Here you are some tips to prepare your expedition foods for breakfast:
- Dried bread
You can carry it easily and prepare toasts or sandwich with individual packs of jam.
- Cereals or cookies
These kind of food doesn’t need the fridge so you can eat them easily too. Moreover, they are a good source of carbohydrates.
- Juices or powdered coffee and milk
Another good source of energy and carbohydrates that will accompany your morning food.
Snacks during the hiking
It is very important not to forget the snacks. As you will know, it is very important to keep your body energized, so you should take smalls snacks during the hiking, in small quantities in order to make easier your digestion. These are some recommendations:
- Dried fruits
You can use them as a quick source of carbohydrates and, as a consequence, as energy. Here you are some ideas if you don’t want to make your own mix recipes for trails you can try our energy bars.
Lunch and dinner
On here you should provide around the 30% of the energy of the day.
- Deshydrated foods
That’s a good option of you are wearing your own kitchen stuff , cause you can just mix it with water and have it cold.
- Ready-to-eat meals
Just in case they don’t need to be in the fridge.
If you want to enjoy a different experience. You can check on our website which different recipes you can enjoy with Forestia. Moreover, you don’t need to fire a light, because our self heating pouches include their own heater, which works just with water.
We hope you enjoy this article, I we hope you found it useful.