Mythbusters: Sports Drinks and Trail Mix

[griffin]

If you wouldn't sit around and scarf m&m's and beef jerky in your work cubicle, why do it on the trail...

The idea of bringing candy bars hiking is as crazy to me as wearing jeans and a leather jacket on the trail. Sure plenty of people do it - but why?

Because toblerone tastes better at higher elevations

Kidding aside, let me turn the other question around: why would I eat the same food on the trail that I do in my cubicle when I"m putting very different demands on my body? I'm burning more calories, far more quickly. I'm depleting minerals faster.

I want to keep my momentum going so I don't have the time to assemble and eat the same kinds of food. Not to mention that some foods I normally love become totally unappealing when I'm doing something physically taxing (and vice versa - I love beef jerky on the trail, but back home I have no interest in it. Same with hard-boiled eggs).

Not advocating an all-snickers bar hiking diet, but what I pack for lunch on the trail looks very different from what I pack for lunch at the office.

 

[Artex]

Good thread. It's interesting to see what works for others. I think what works well for some folks might not work as well for others. Just a matter of experimenting to find out what your stomach can take and also what you enjoy that still provides what you need, me thinks.

Peanut butter bagels used to be my food of choice for hiking. Still are. Found my stomach doesn't like them so much when doing longer trail runs. Need something easier to digest. Though I agree about the nasty preservatives in pop-tarts, they work for me. I'm actually normally very paranoid about preservatives in foods (which makes the target of a lot of good natured teasing from my students and fellow teachers), but that's one exception I'll make, and only when on the trail.

 

[bryan]

i have been tempted to start a thread that is food related, but in a different way. i'll tag it on here.
what do any of you folks who have intestinal diseases/problems do to keep energized while hiking? for the last 10 years i have had issues you would likely not want to hear the details of, that have made it difficult to keep my body fueled on the trail. the only real thing i have found that makes a difference is using some sort of energy drink and i have also found i can usually stomach those "clif bloks". gels are ok, but the thought makes me nauseous due to overuse in the past. i know the lack of nutrition effects the way i feel over the course of a long day and i guess i'm wondering if anyone out there has anything that has worked for them. i've considered meal substitues, but i really know nothing about them.
thanks.

 

[forestgnome]

The idea of bringing candy bars hiking is as crazy to me as wearing jeans and a leather jacket on the trail. Sure plenty of people do it - but why?

For the mild buzz Food is enjoyable. I bring an assortment of yummies on every hike and I eat whatever stikes my fancy. It's part of the ritual of a hike.

I always start with a sausage/egg/cheese/bagel sandwich and a large hot chocolate. Then I pack nuts, dried fruit, cheese, jerky, and chocolate. Mmmmmm...chocolate. I like truffles because they are wrapped in single doses, so each time I'm blessed with a craving ( about every half hour ) I get to enjoy another one.

I drink water, or Gatorade cut 50/50.

Happy Trails

 

[dvbl]

...The idea of bringing candy bars hiking is as crazy to me as wearing jeans and a leather jacket on the trail. Sure plenty of people do it - but why?

Regarding the candy bars: Hiking is a license to pig out. Candy bars as a steady hiking diet...not for me. But a couple of treats spread out during a long hike...heck yeah.

Regarding jeans and a leather jacket: Coming down Tuckerman Ravine trail, I saw a woman near Crystal Cascades who...hmmmm.....let's just say she captured my attention. She was wearing jeans and a suede jacket (does suede count as leather?). After nine hours of seeing nothing but sweaty smelly polypro and nylon, it was a lovely sight. If she had been on top of Adams (so to speak) dressed like that...not so good. But she was on a 1-mile hike on a well-travelled trail.

Like most things, it depends on the situation. In many many times and places, candy bars and blue jeans are just fine on the trail.

 

[griffin]

i have been tempted to start a thread that is food related, but in a different way. i'll tag it on here.
what do any of you folks who have intestinal diseases/problems do to keep energized while hiking? for the last 10 years i have had issues you would likely not want to hear the details of, that have made it difficult to keep my body fueled on the trail.

What about nutritional shakes (like Ensure)?

I have a friend who needs to be very careful in general about what she eats due to a gastric bypass. She's particularly sensitive to GI issues while hiking, but also needs to eat at regular intervals - too little, she bonks, too much or the wrong thing, she's in "you would not want to hear the details" land, but the shakes seem to work for her.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I think that in summary you have to find what works for you. What works for other people may, or may not work for you, but will give you a starting point.

Perhaps the only 'universal' suggestion is to hydrate properly. Of course properly for you is different than properly for me. I drink twice as much as my regular hiking and cycling partner, just as an example. I sweat twice as much too

Tim

 

[mtn.goat]

I think that in summary you have to find what works for you. What works for other people may, or may not work for you, but will give you a starting point.

Perhaps the only 'universal' suggestion is to hydrate properly. Of course properly for you is different than properly for me. I drink twice as much as my regular hiking and cycling partner, just as an example. I sweat twice as much too

Tim

This statement is right on. I've become a huge fitness person over the past 4-5 yrs.. lifting weights, trail running, long hikes, climbing, etc and I've tried many a weight lifting program only to realize after alot of testing that every person's body is different. Simple as that. What may work for one person may or may not for another.

I treat my trail runs and hikes as if they were a very long weight lifting session. You have to supply your body with the right fuels and quality fuels at that and you have to hydrate properly. After all your body is a machine just like your car.. would you put in some super low quality gas in your car? or not change your oil for 10,000mi? I put a mixture of carbs and protein in my water (studies have show that somewhere between a 3:1 - 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein provides a greater uptake and consequently improved recovery by the muscles over just carbs). Also hiking (or trail running) is a physical activity and your muscles need protein to keep them in tip top shape so protein is included in every meal. Following this "routine" I've never bonked, always had quick recoveries and never had to ride the "sugar roller coaster." For lunch I generally eat a pbj sandwich or cold cuts but otherwise I drink my pro/carb mix, eat homemade energy bars and for breakfast have yogurt (or dried milk if an overnight) and homemade granola. I'm a big proponent of the homemade route as I know exactly what is in my food, I can steer clear of preservatives, I can tailor the food and nutrient breakdown to my specifications and best of all it's cheaper and far tastier.

Now after the hike is a different story. That's when I eat whatever I've been craving that day. With all that exercise why shouldn't I get to reward myself?

 

[Mongoose]

Fig bars, power bars, snickers, squashed pb&j sandwiches, a hand full of nuts; it all works, along with plenty of 50% gatorade/water to wash it down.

I've heard a lot of people say that Gatorade should be diluted with half water/half Gatorade when you exercise with it. Why is that?

 

[DougPaul]

I've heard a lot of people say that Gatorade should be diluted with half water/half Gatorade when you exercise with it. Why is that?

Many commercial electrolyte drinks assume that you are consuming nothing else. For instance, up to about 7% sugar/carbs helps liquid absorbtion, more slows absorbtion and gives you a stomach ache. The salt content of many drinks is about .5 gram/liter--enough to replenish salt lost in sweat, but not so much that it will dehydrate. (Too much salt requires extra water to flush it from your system.)

Now if you eat solid food in addition to an electrolyte drink, you are adding extra sugars/carbs and salt to your intake and can end up with too much of either or both.

Anecdote: when I was doing some early experiments with my homebrewed electrolyte drink (described in links from an earlier post in this thread), I got a stomach ache from consuming full strength electrolyte plus some solid food. Drank some pure water (which diluted the mixture in my stomach) and the stomache ache went away. I now make a mix of ~2% sugar and ~.25 gram of salt/liter and have no problems with it. I also carry some pure water (also useful for first aid) and dry mix, which if needed is only added after all premixed electrolyte is gone.

Doug