Cooking during a mountain hike

The Best Food To Take When Mountain Hiking

Max. D Gray
By Max. D Gray. Updated: January 16, 2017
The Best Food To Take When Mountain Hiking
Image: travelhub.insureandgo.com.au

Spending a few days away from the bustle of the city is certainly a rewarding experience, and much more so when we choose to go on a hike. But venturing out on this type of trip requires good preparation. Besides bringing a well-stocked backpack for your trip, you should also take care to choose suitable foods that can withstand the trip and the heat in good condition. If you don't know where to start, at OneHowTo we explain what the best food to take when mountain hiking is.

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Steps to follow:
1

No matter if your trip lasts a day or a month, what is really important is that you plan your meals well in terms of how they will be made and what foods you will need, otherwise we run the risk of ending up carrying food that we won't eat, and that take up space and mean we are carrying more than we should.

You should also take into account you need a balanced diet, though you need a bigger amount of protein and carbohydrates, it's important to get all the rest of your nutrients.

2

For day trips, for which we won't be taking utensils nor staying too long in one place, there are several nutritional options that are lightweight and provide good nourishment:

  • Pasta salad, can withstand the trip with no problem and provides good nourishment if you have it with protein like chicken or mixed vegetables. Take a foldable plastic fork with you, it's all you'll need. Potato salad will also provide you with the nutrients you need to go through the day with no problem.
  • Sausage sandwich, life's classic sandwich is a nutritious choice and not too heavy, allowing you to do make trip hassle-free. For vegetarians a good and nutritious option is a veggie burger sandwich with lettuce and hummus.
  • Rice with ham and vegetables, salad style, is also excellent as it can be stored for several hours, no problem.
  • Canned foods are an easy option and quick to eat on an excursion.
The Best Food To Take When Mountain Hiking - Step 2
3

In the case of longer excursions, which will last a few days, you should think of options that are not only lightweight but also aren't very greasy and not very different from our usual diet to avoid stomach upset. If you are hiking for more than three days, it is recommended to take a small pot for cooking and salt to flavour your foods. You can choose to have:

  • Cold meats as a substitute to our normal meat and to give our diet the necessary protein: ham, turkey, sausages, chorizo, etc.
  • White rice cooked without seasoning, then add a little salt. It is a good choice because it keeps for days. If you want to add more flavor, you can bring canned crushed tomato and canned mushrooms for extra nutrients and flavor.
  • Pre-cooked pasta without sauce, which you can then add to any sauce that has been properly packaged up. It can be kept for several days without going off.
  • Canned soups, perfect to boost energy and heat when your body temperature drops.
  • Canned proteins such as tuna, sardines, ham, etc.
  • Rye bread, as this kind of bread has more calories than normal.
The Best Food To Take When Mountain Hiking - Step 3
4

Snacks can't be missing from the foods for your trip, and they will allow you to boost your energy when there is no time to stop and eat. The essentials are:

  • Nuts: practical, nutritious, satisfying; they take up little space and don't weigh much.
  • Chocolate, for when you need to boost your energy quickly.
  • Olives, but only for short trips where you don't need as much space.
  • Fruits that don't weigh much, such as strawberries, cherries and bananas, all very nutritious.
The Best Food To Take When Mountain Hiking - Step 4
5

Of course among the foods that you should take on a trip is the liquid should never be forgotten, plenty of water, sports drinks in case you suffer any dehydration, chocolate drinks for some energy and juice in case you want a change.

Work out the amount you need to take so that you never lacking in liquids during your trip.

6

There are some useful tips that OneHowTo would like to give you in order to save up space in your backpack and so cooking while hiking is much easier for you:

  • The perfect stove for hikers who want to cook is a liquid fuel stove as it is cheap, fast and will work even in the highest of altitudes.
  • Purchase a cozy so you can wrap your food in it to heat your food properly.
  • Bring dehydrated food. If you want to save space in your backpack and want real food in your meals, re-hydrating food is a good option.
  • Save your water for drinking and try to camp and make meals in places where you have water in hand to cook such as close to rivers or springs.

If you want to read similar articles to The Best Food To Take When Mountain Hiking, we recommend you visit our Recreational activities category.

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The Best Food To Take When Mountain Hiking