Hiking through mountainous terrain amounts to working out because your body is constantly moving from a lower elevation to a higher one. Consequently, you ought to know what to eat before a hike. The body needs foods that provide energy, such as whole-grain pasta, to get through a long, strenuous hike.
Foods essential for various body functions before, during, and after a hike should be packed. The best pre-hike meals to consume include complex carbohydrates, energy bars or dark chocolate, and cold foods with healthy fats. Trail mix, energy bars, nuts, and snacks you can eat during the hike are also good options.
Best Foods to Eat Before Your Hike
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Water
Your body requires a constant supply of water before, during, and after the hike. Going on a long hike means your body will lose lots of water through sweat, thus requiring regular replenishment to provide hydration. You should drink water even if you don’t feel thirsty. Besides quenching your thirst and maintaining hydration, water will help cool your body temperature in hot weather.
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Oatmeal
Oatmeal, just like energy bars, is essential for supplying the body with energy throughout the journey. It contains rich fiber nutrients and complex carbohydrates, and you can add honey, brown sugar, and fruits, including carb-rich foods. So besides being the ideal food to eat before a hike, it is also essential to your daily diet.
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Lean Meats
Lean meat is a rich source of lean protein, whose macronutrients help boost the body’s energy levels. Foods containing lean protein help increase the rate of metabolism, especially when you hike steep terrain requiring much effort to climb. It also repairs weak muscles by replenishing their soreness.
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Nutrition Bars
Nutritionists recommend a nutrition bar as part of the foods to eat before a long and strenuous hike. Like trail mix and carbonated beverages, dark chocolate contains essential carbohydrates, minerals, protein, and vitamin ingredients. As you prepare for your strenuous hike, these ingredients are necessary for your pre-hike meal.
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Eggs
Eggs are a protein-packed pre-meal option to eat for breakfast. Eggs can be consumed along with other foods high in carbohydrates. Furthermore, eggs help provide a boost and muscle recovery faster than carbohydrates.
Foods You Should Avoid Before a Hike
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Spicy Foods
Spicy or salty foods accelerate the burning of more calories. However, they do not provide the energy you need for hiking if you include them in your meal. Furthermore, spices may cause heartburn or stomach upsets during the journey, thus causing unnecessary discomfort.
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Burgers and Fries
Fast foods such as burgers, chips, and other fatty foods should be avoided before your hiking expedition. It is because high-fat-content food is not easily broken down compared to carbohydrates or proteins that convert to provide a quick energy boost.
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Cheese
Cheese is essential to your everyday diet but is not recommended before hiking. This is because it contains essential nutrients like fats, which take time for the body to digest. So, meals containing cheese will only help weigh you down, thus worsening your hiking experience.
Best Foods to Eat During a Hike
Before, during, and after the expedition, your body needs food. However, snacks like granola bars and trail mix are useful for refueling while hiking. Later in the day, your hiking group might take a break for lunch or dinner. The following foods might be your best options during these breaks.
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Whole-Grain Tortillas
Your best choice is whole-grain tortillas if you’re trying to limit your sodium intake. Nevertheless, compared to regular table salt, tortillas have a salt content of less than 50%. Along with lean meats and low-fat yogurt, this would make a great lunchtime meal for muscle recovery. To improve your carb loading, sip lots of water, including carbonated beverages.
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Dried Jerky
Dried jerky is among the foods to eat while on the trail, especially when you don’t have enough food at your disposal. So pack plenty of smoked, dried meat for your body’s energy supply. The good news is that dry meat doesn’t contribute to additional calories.
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Instant Oatmeal and Dried Fruit Packs
Along with various trail mix nuts, you can also include dried fruits, lean protein, sweet potatoes, and fruit-based beverages in your package.
Fiber-rich foods with essential nutrients can help you get through the next hiking phase.
Although we advise eating dried fruits like apples, apricots, bananas, and raisins, they can also be combined with other foods to increase energy.
Regardless of where you are on your hiking journey, nutrition is important.
Best Carbs for Hiking
Hiking is great for your body because you enjoy conquering challenging terrain while exercising. However, prolonged or strenuous hikes can leave you exhausted, hungry, and dehydrated. A long, strenuous hike requires good nutrition, lots of water, and carb-loading the muscles with ingredients like complex carbs that increase the body’s energy levels.
When carbohydrates get broken down from complex sugars to glucose, the muscles regain their lost vigor, thus enabling you to hike further on your trail. Likewise, slices of bread with nut butter spread, including rice and honey, help rejuvenate or fuel body muscles.
FAQs
1. Do I need to eat much before hiking?
Although experts recommend eating less before heading for a hike, you should not go on a hiking trail on an empty stomach. On the other hand, overeating will make you feel sluggish. Therefore, eat light food such as brown rice at least one hour before hiking. Target a meal like whole grain pasta that would provide you with about 400 calories. These precautions ensure your body will digest the right food once you hit the trail.
2. Is it okay to hike on an empty stomach?
You need to eat before hiking to have the strength and energy to help you climb difficult terrain. Then again, the body will burn fat reserves if it does not receive the required carb loading.
3. What shouldn’t I eat before a hike?
Avoid deep-fried foods, such as fried chicken, before a hike, as they only inhibit your body’s energy performance.
Conclusion
Prepare your body a day earlier for your hiking endeavors. Proper hydration and nutrition should come before everything else. Drink moderate amounts of water, preferably a glass full every hour. Be sure to include complex carbohydrates and important nutrients in your dinner, as well as what to eat during the hike.
Have a snack every hour to replenish your energy while climbing the steep terrain. You will be able to get the most out of your hike if you stay hydrated and energetic.
