About 2 years ago I remember I felt that my athletic past was no longer an asset, and started to look back at the past as a waist. Was I really excellent at any one sport, sure I played all the sports I could but was I exceptional? No, I worked hard at them and was on some good teams and that was enjoyable. That gave me confidence but now I was coming onto 30 years old and what was I really achieving by pretending to be an athlete. Had I turned it into a profession, was I being uplifted by my achievements?
Its easy to see how I blew my weight out to 106 kilos around Christmas 2009 with this type of mindset.
What has changed, is it just my mental health, is it just that I've made it a priority to be fit..... I think it is all of the above but even more so I believe it has been educating myself about food. No matter what I have done in the past I have always ate what I wanted when I wanted, and my weight has fluctuated accordingly.
Understanding how food works, what affects it has on my energy levels and mind set has been an educational learning curve which has seen me eat things I would never have touched in the past and I am feeling all the better for it.
Anyways - here is an article I read recently to assist in getting my pack meals for the hike right. I have not doubt that the mental and physical strength required to complete our 35-40 days in the Alps will require the support of a good diet and tasty food.
The food you take with you on a hike can be the difference between a euphoric sense of wonder and a gruelling trudge across seemingly endless, inhospitable countryside. Yet many hikers think of food as just another necessary item on their kit list. I’d argue that it should be appetising, filling and tasty. This may seem at odds with an outdoor lifestyle but there are good reasons why hiking food should also taste good. It can lift the spirit after a hard days’ walking and recharges you mentally as well as physically for the journey ahead.
Nutritionally your food supply should be predominantly made up of carbohydrate that has a low glycemic index (low GI). This simply means food that releases energy slowly. Generally foods that are unrefined, such as wholegrain bread as opposed to white, are low GI. Complex carbohydrates such as fruit, yoghurt and vegetables take the body longer to break down while simple carbohydrates like sugar release energy quickly.
The trick is to identify foods that are high in calories but have a relatively low GI. The calorific content of food tells you how much energy it contains. When hiking it makes sense that you need more energy than usual, so you can afford to consume more calories than you would otherwise but you need to spread them out during the day to sustain your activity. You should include a few more sugary foods then usual as they give you a quick energy hit when you need it.
The rest of your hiking diet should consist more or less equally of protein and fat. Both are important in regulating body condition and function. Protein intake should include as much ‘complete’ protein as possible. Complete protein is simple protein combined with other essential amino acids. This combination is typically found in meat. Although freeze-dried meat is are available, good substitutes are nuts, seeds, pulses and certain vegetables and fruit eaten in combination. Like protein, fat is an essential part of any diet. Most importantly for hikers, it is needed for certain vitamins to be absorbed into the body.
You shouldn’t forget vitamins and minerals. These ‘micronutrients’ are important for regulating digestion, warding off infection and enabling other body functions that are essential to physical well being. Electrolyte fluids are a convenient way of supplying the essential minerals your body needs during a hike. Hydration is crucial to this so you should drink water regularly in small amounts, whether you’re thirsty or not.
Eating little and often is also best when hiking. Ideally your largest meal should be breakfast, which should be packed with low GI foods. A snack mid-morning, a light lunch and snack in the afternoon should see you through the day. If you feel like a big dinner, allow time for the food to digest before sleeping (at least three hours). This way your body will replenish itself overnight. If you’re too tired to wait up, eat a small dinner instead. Something is better than nothing. Metabolically this is a healthier, more nourishing eating regime. Eating the right amount per meal is more important when hiking. We’re used to eating until we’re full but this isn’t helpful as there is a time lag to feeling full. If you continue to eat until full, you’ll have already overeaten.
Basic nutrition theory is useful to have but all you really need to know is what food to take. Hiking food should be a balance between nutrition, practicality and taste. Wet food can be heavy, takes up more space and the empty cans and containers are a nuisance. Dried food in packets is preferable. Dried fruits provide more intense nutrition than their hydrated counterparts. If you do carry fresh fruit, choose pieces that will not be crushed easily and make a mess inside your pack. Nuts and seeds make good snacks, are light and easy to pack. Mint cake is best for instant energy. For hot drinks, tea and coffee are fine in moderation. Herbal tea or yeast drinks are good alternatives.
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