One of the best thing about hiking is to eat a lot! Hiking is not just walking, since I picked up hiking again, it is mostly walking and eating. My previous long hike resulted quite fast in a foot injury that may have been prevented if I had been eaten well. So for the next journey I will eat more and better! But how much and what exactly?
If going with a light pack, less than 15% of your weight, and easy terrain to hike, you only have to eat about 500kcal extra than usual. If however your pack gets heavier and/or the terrain is more rough you can increase your intake with 500-1000kcal extra. For example, next time I would bring around 3500kcal a day, I am a female of 70kg, having mostly a 15kg pack and hiking through mud or having many elevations.
So can I just eat candy and cookies? Your body will use glycogen, from carbohydrates, to fuel your muscles, but as your heart rate will be comfortably low, it will also use fat as fuel. Besides that, also protein will be an important nutrient as your muscles have to be recover. As a rule of thumb, have your diet consist of carbohydrates for 50% of your total calorie intake, 35% from fats and 15% from protein.
This information and more is captured in the information sheet below! With those tips you can go scavenge in the supermarket to find any appropriate food! Look especially in the dried food sections. Off course, internet and Pinterest are ideal for inspiration.
Eat on and hike on!
Dr. Brenda Blaaten helped me out through her articles. Having a degree in nutritional biochemistry and finished the Appalachian trail she is the perfect person to teach us about this topic. For more information about nutrition and hiking, I advise to visit those websites:
http://thru-hiker.com/articles/pack_light_eat_right.php
https://thesummitregister.com/nutrition-for-thru-hikers-part-1-food-for-fuel/
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