Energy Food Dos and Don'ts For Long Days on Trail

[HikerChick]

Hi! What are folks finding makes great trail food (i.e. lunch, energy boosters, food that keeps you feeling great versus feeling sluggy) for long days hiking or biking? We have a 4-day mountain bike trip coming up, other trips over the summer. My first thought is raw sweet potatoes cut into sticks, but have never seen it suggested. How many calories should I aim for (if that's the right measure). We'll be doing about 25 miles of ups and downs (Maah Daah Hey trail) each day. We will be out in the Badlands of North Dakota, in heat, and while we'll have the luxury of a shuttle service moving our camping gear and ice our cooler from one campsite to the next, there is no opportunity to restock. So better to take more than less ...

I did a little perusing the 11/15 hiking advice thread and will go back to that again, but my question is a little different.

This is a year of new WFPB-LF challenges and learning. We've been eating this way for 2+ years, but seems we've had an adventure trip hiatus during that time. Game on!

[vgpedlr]

I would never do raw sweet potato. Looks like GI distress to me. But then, I would never eat one raw anyway.

I like rice based snacks and cooked potatoes and sweet potatoes. Race day breakfast for me is a cooked sweet potato, plain or seasoned. Another good potato trick is to cook small potatoes, peel them and toss them with salt and nutritional yeast. A tasty savory snack, though a bit messy. You can keep small potatoes in a small plastic cup in your back jersey pocket.

My favorites are nigiri, Japanese rice balls, and Allen Lim style rice cakes. Onigiri is "lazy sushi" a handful of cooked rice with a little something stuffed inside wrapped in more. Popular travel and picnic food in Japan, my favorite is the traditional umeboshi, great in hot weather. Allen Lim is a physiologist who worked with pro cycling teams and developed a savory food that was easily portable for training and racing to get away from the sticky sweet stuff. Basically you mix in whatever you like into a pot of cooked short or medium grain white rice. I make curry, black bean, auk I bean, tofu scramble, spinach mushroom, chocolate berry, and fig nut. Just finished wrapping some up for my training ride.

More info and pix are on my training table blog below.

Sounds like a great trip, that trail is on my bucket list.

[vgpedlr]

Also:

Don't try out new things on the big trip. Experiment beforehand to see what works best. You don't want to ruin the trip with GI distress!

Some people like various fruits, like dates or bananas but I don't. I also use commercial gels and drinks occasionally for variety and convenience, especially when racing. Fortunately hiking and cycling are easier on the stomach than running, so you should easily find something you like.