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Carbs needed for energy


DonnaGail

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I like to hike mountains and multi-day backpacking at high elevation and need carbs for energy.  The trail snacks I usually take along for energy are peanut butter, trailmix which I make my own with almonds, cashews, raisins and other nuts (no peanuts) and beef jerky.  I found the website for Chomps and ordered the jerky.  I also found a website, I think it was Elements? that provides Whole30 freeze dried meals which I usually take for breakfast and dinner.   If I am local hiking, I can bring fresh fruit, but it's too heavy for backpacking in remote areas of the wilderness.

Any Whole30 ideas of what I can use for high sustainable energy since I can no longer eat peanut butter? 

Thanks!

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10 minutes ago, DonnaGail said:

I like to hike mountains and multi-day backpacking at high elevation and need carbs for energy.  The trail snacks I usually take along for energy are peanut butter, trailmix which I make my own with almonds, cashews, raisins and other nuts (no peanuts) and beef jerky.  I found the website for Chomps and ordered the jerky.  I also found a website, I think it was Elements? that provides Whole30 freeze dried meals which I usually take for breakfast and dinner.   If I am local hiking, I can bring fresh fruit, but it's too heavy for backpacking in remote areas of the wilderness.

Any Whole30 ideas of what I can use for high sustainable energy since I can no longer eat peanut butter? 

Thanks!

Nuts and nut butters would be considered fat on the Whole30 so if you're looking to replace like for like in the peanut butter department, other nut butters (almond, cashew), olives would be a good fat choice.  If you're looking for carbs of which you only list raisins (the rest you list is protein and fat) then you could do baked sweet potato spears, roasted potato or other root veggie which along with fat would give you good staying power.

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I wonder what I would put the almond butter on since I can't have bread or crackers which is what I put the peanut butter on.  Not sure how long the potatoes would last on a week long trip.  Can't do the olives and I don't think those would pack well for days on the trail.  Hum...I may have to cheat.  Ha! 

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38 minutes ago, DonnaGail said:

I wonder what I would put the almond butter on since I can't have bread or crackers which is what I put the peanut butter on.  Not sure how long the potatoes would last on a week long trip.  Can't do the olives and I don't think those would pack well for days on the trail.  Hum...I may have to cheat.  Ha! 

Oh, I'd put the almond butter on a spoon but that's just me ;)

I would think raw potatoes that you then roast over a camp fire or camp stove would last just fine and not sure why you 'can't' do olives but there are places that sell prepackaged olives in little pouches (I've bought them from trader joe's before) that would keep just fine.

As far as cheating... well, there's no such thing ;)  But maybe you can plan a Whole30 around a time when you're not doing a week long trip - it's only 30 days and then you can reintro all your usual stuff and see what works best.

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Oh, you can definitely do this! I've done four-day camping trips and three-day backpacking trips while staying Whole30 compliant! You've got this! 

Here are some helpful tips.... 

First, here's a thread I've been maintaining with all the store-bought, Whole30-compliant backpacking meals I've been able to find: https://forum.whole30.com/topic/54278-whole30-approved-freeze-dried-meal/?tab=comments#comment-491563 You can now buy Heather's Choice on Amazon and you can buy Paleo Meals to Go at REI. So they aren't even that hard to find! 

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm fully planning on taking instant mashed potatoes and ghee on my next trip. The ghee I buy doesn't require that it be refrigerated and Bob's Red Mill has some Creamy Potato Flakes with dehydrated potatoes as the only ingredient. Just add hot water (and ghee) and voila! 

My favorite fat when backpacking is snack-packs of coconut butter. I just eat them right out of the pouch. Delicious! Here is what I buy: https://thrivemarket.com/p/artisana-coconut-butter-squeeze-packs

I also tend to take a few RXBars and Wild Zora Meat and Veggie bars for additional snacks (I really, really don't like to be hungry in the backcountry). With all that, I felt pretty darn good out there! 

 

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I backpack and canoe trip extensively and dehydrate everything we eat from scratch because I think every commercially prepared freeze dried meal I've ever had in the backcountry tastes the same. Any stew or casserole type meal that's compliant could be dehydrated - the trick is to use low fat meat (we eat lots of chicken and turkey); cut everything into uniform sized pieces so they dehydrate easily; cook it. Once it's cooked, spread it on a silpat in the oven at 140degrees and leave it for 6 -10 hours. When everything is dry and crunchy, it's ready to go. So many compliant options here!

The only commercial product I use is Ova-easy Eggs (www.nutriom.com) - what the reviews say about them is absolutely true. Super lightweight and a great start everyday for breakfast. Love them.

What to put almond butter on? Yes, a spoon. But I love it on dates and dehydrated apple slices (the best - especially if you make your own so there are no additives) too. 

Have fun!!!

 

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@Lorna from Canada Thanks for the tips for dehydrating your own food! I purchased a dehydrator last year because pre-packaged, Whole30-compliant is oh-so expensive! But, I've been slightly terrified to try it. LOL. In particular, I've been struggling to understand how to use it for whole meals. I get how to work it for ingredients as there are lots of instructions for that. But, if I want to make a chili, can I just dump it on a sheet and dehydrate the whole thing? From your comments, it sounds like I can (and we'll definitely use the tips you provided)! Maybe it's actually time to give it a try... Please do let me know if you have any other thoughts or tips or resources! I'd be very grateful! 

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10 minutes ago, kirbz said:

@Lorna from Canada Thanks for the tips for dehydrating your own food! I purchased a dehydrator last year because pre-packaged, Whole30-compliant is oh-so expensive! But, I've been slightly terrified to try it. LOL. In particular, I've been struggling to understand how to use it for whole meals. I get how to work it for ingredients as there are lots of instructions for that. But, if I want to make a chili, can I just dump it on a sheet and dehydrate the whole thing? From your comments, it sounds like I can (and we'll definitely use the tips you provided)! Maybe it's actually time to give it a try... Please do let me know if you have any other thoughts or tips or resources! I'd be very grateful! 

Be sure to cook as much moisture out as you can first, spread it thin, and mix it around during drying so you don't end up with moist patches :) 

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6 hours ago, kirbz said:

But, if I want to make a chili, can I just dump it on a sheet and dehydrate the whole thing?

The short answer is absolutely! (And Schrod is correct also!) But, you want things to dehydrate simultaneously so, they need to be the same size. Back when I ate legumes, I would cut kidney beans in half or use navy beans or black beans in the chili so they were the same size as the meat bits.

Laurie Ann March has written a very helpful cook book A Fork in the Trail that really helped me get going on dehydrating my own meals.  I don't follow her recipes (in her first book she used a lot of processed foods which I try to stay away from) but I adapted my favorites and followed her directions.

The downside is when you're backpacking in places like Glacier NP where they have common cooking areas. You will have a lot of hungry kids with wild eyes asking about your amazing Thai Green Curry or Moroccan Chicken or Chicken Marbella while they gnaw on their dry ramen.  (I'm not even kidding :) ) 

I don't like to dehydrate individual ingredients and cook that way on the trail - too much mess. But, I do dehydrate things like spiralized zucchini (AMAZING) and cole slaw veggies (ALSO AMAZING) which make for a nice refreshing salad or noodles for sauce. (I bring takeaway packets of Hellman's or oil and vinegar for dressing) Once I got over my fear of it, I just started throwing anything into the dehydrator (or oven) and seeing what worked. Onions are too smelly so I dehydrate them outside :) It is fun and adds to the anticipation of our next trip. I love the meal planning and thinking about what we're going to eat on the trail. This year I'm going to dehydrate cauliflower rice - I had such unexpected success with coleslaw that I can't wait to see if the rice works.

The 2 pictures I've attached - one is chicken curry with rice from last summer's weeklong trip on the Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa NP (Canada) and the second is 7 days worth of food ready to go. 

Dive in - it's fun!! And delicious.

 

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@Lorna from Canada Wow, thank you so much for the thoughtful and thorough response! I'm definitely dedicated to giving this a go! I really want to do stuff like kale chips and other variations of vegetables because most backcountry meals have very, very few of those and I always crave them! I'd be curious to hear more about how you do the coleslaw vegetables! And I'm also going to try cauliflower rice! 

Your comment about the Ramen kids made me laugh. Haha. Though I don't think I have to worry about that! I don't do National Parks (we have dogs and my babies aren't welcome in NPs) and we generally seek out less crowded spots so the dogs can enjoy offleash freedom! I'm pretty sure no one will be smelling our meals, let along ogling them! LOL. 

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PS: Have you ever visited Tombstone Territorial Park? I really, really want to go there someday! Canada has some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen! Those Canadian Rockies sure are something else! 

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My apologies to @DonnaGail for hijacking her post but...

Yes and yes! Hubs and I met working in the Rockies in 1980 (sweet mother of jelly beans, that's a long time ago!) We've backpacked extensively in the mountains all through the west and in northern Ontario. We have some of the most spectacular canoe country in the world - the Boundary Waters/Quetico Provincial Park (Minnesota/Ontario) is our heart place. This year we're back packing the Long Range Traverse in Newfoundland - around North America's only fjord. At 59 we're both aware of time ticking and knees cricking and backs buckling but we're still out there. Check out Pukaskwa NP Coastal Trail - one of the top 3 most difficult trails in Canada - we did it last year - unbelievable achievement! And dogs are welcome :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

These are all good ideas, which I hope will give me the energy and calories needed for long backpacks.  It's not about just backpacking for a week then starting the Whole30, which I have already done, but I hope to make it a sustainable lifestyle change.   I hike several times a week 8-10 miles, so I am looking to replace my trails snacks to Whole30 that provides ALL energy items during the hike. When I backpack, I usually do not have a fire.  A long 15 mile day carrying a 45pd backpack in the Rockies, a campfire is not a good match as you are so exhausted by the time you pitch your tent, you just use a backpacking stove, freeze dried meals and go to bed.

I have used instant potatoes while backpacking because it is such a lightweight item, but I haven't read through the ingredients to see if it is Whole30 compliant. Of course, instant potatoes would not be a viable source of energy while actually hiking from Point A to Point B.  

I found 'Elements' that provide backpacker meals which I plan to try.  Guess I need to also learn how to freeze dry carb loaded trail snacks.  Thanks for the tips.  I prefer purchasing ready made snacks, but it looks like I will have to spend a lot more time in preparation when I am hiking or backpacking.  UGH!  

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There are options to make your own jerky, too, if you're already making the effort of dehydrating your own meals.
https://unboundwellness.com/cranberry-beef-jerky-bites/
I keep wanting to try that one, and keep coming up with reasons why I don't (right now is that I can't seem to put my hands onto any dried cranberries that have no added sugar - but eventually I'll make my own, I just need the time and willpower to coincide).

I LOVE the idea of dehydrating my own stuff, though. I don't do the long hike or camping thing, like ever, but we practically lived off of dried foods for about 6 months a while back, and it was actually amazingly good (we didn't get any pre-mixed stuff, just ingredients that we used to make our own meals). I'd wanted a fancy dehydrator for a long time, but now after visiting their website I think I need a Silpat collection.

Why, Lorna... why? Why did you have to have such a great idea and mention such an awesome-looking kitchen utensil that I don't have?! :D

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Yea, I saw that word 'silpat' and have no clue what she was talking about so I figured I would Google it.  I purchased Chomps beef jerky sticks, but that is more protein isn't it that carbs.  Guess I will learn to dehydrate and make some potato slices for the trail and eat them like chips since you have to eat during the hike, right?  I guess as a trail snack you gotta snack to keep the energy level up.   :-)  

When and if you find cranberries Jihanna with no sugar let me know.  I suppose it has to have 'some' natural sugars, right?  Just like tomato sauce and paste has natural sugars occurring during the cooking process. 

 

 

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They'd have natural sugar, yes, but most dried cranberries I've seen around here (and the big brands) add sugar... for example, the ingredients list on Craisins looks something like this: "cranberries, sugar. Refined sunflower oil is used as a processing aid". I've gotten some great tips on how to do them at home (such as soaking them in apple juice to add a bit of natural sweetness, prior to dehydration), I just haven't gotten around to doing it. I guess if Sprouts has an amazing sale on cranberries sometime soon, I'll have to bite the bullet and try it out :D and then explore other dried fruit options from there!

Yes, the jerky bites would be more protein than carb. I only mentioned them because you'd noted buying some, so I figured I'd toss out the option of making your own (which could cut down costs).

You could also use sweet potato slices with those potato slices, to change things up and keep the carbs :) 

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I found it amazing that everything I had in my pantry had added sugar!  And learning to eat without the added sugar in food doesn't even change the flavor.  Guess it is all about getting people hooked. 

The soaking in apple juice sounds like a great idea! 

 

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