Snacks/pick - me - up while hiking ?

sporina

Hi I do a lot of hiking and sometimes I get hungry and need a pick me up.
Alot of others eat jellies - I don't eat them in general myself - but can anyone recommend the best brand of "natural" jellies - if there is such a thing?

I usually have some grapes and raisins - but jellies are popular with fellow hikers..

I defo do not like the really sugary ones or those with lots of e numbers - and hate the plaque on teeth... are there a less offensive brand of jellies out there?

mathie

Have you tried dried fruit like dried Mango?

Wanderer78

mathie wrote:

Have you tried dried fruit like dried Mango?

I eat dried fruits like banana chips while exercising, also eat nuts and berries. Work a treat. Rarely eat snacks while on the move on the mountains but eat reasonably well prior to and on lunch breaks during walks.

sporina

Wanderer78 wrote: »

I eat dried fruits like banana chips while exercising, also eat nuts and berries. Work a treat. Rarely eat snacks while on the move on the mountains but eat reasonably well prior to and on lunch breaks during walks.

yeah i think i'll just stick to the dried fruits, nuts seeds etc... scrap the jellies..

yeah i don't normally either but the last hike i was on I was defo feeling hypo - it was a long hike and b'fast was long gone and lunch was a hr or two to go...

thanks folks..

Wanderer78

sporina wrote: »

yeah i think i'll just stick to the dried fruits, nuts seeds etc... scrap the jellies..

yeah i don't normally either but the last hike i was on I was defo feeling hypo - it was a long hike and b'fast was long gone and lunch was a hr or two to go...

thanks folks..

experiment with different foods, before and during walks to see what works for you. even though i do eat sugary foods such as jellies(and too much of), i do think more natural foods such as fruits, nuts and berries are not only good for you but release energy more gradually whereby sugary foods tend to release energy in bursts. experiment with things such as flapjacks and muesli bars. i still take an isotonic drink with me on walks, but im finding im not as dependent on it for energy and hydration as i was.

sporina

Wanderer78 wrote: »

experiment with different foods, before and during walks to see what works for you. even though i do eat sugary foods such as jellies(and too much of), i do think more natural foods such as fruits, nuts and berries are not only good for you but release energy more gradually whereby sugary foods tend to release energy in bursts. experiment with things such as flapjacks and muesli bars. i still take an isotonic drink with me on walks, but im finding im not as dependent on it for energy and hydration as i was.

i hear you on all the above - although i don't bother with the isotonic drink - i have a water bladder to reply on that for hydration..
would prefer the energy to come from food rather than a sugary drink..
and defo the slow release foods are the way to go..

i think the reason people use jellies is for the immediate hit (though not sure if this is beneficial as then you get a low) and also the are easy to have in a pocket so easy access whereas fruits, bars etc are more bulky - kind need to have them in the back pack - takes time to take it off and on.. unless one uses a belly bag or something but then thats another item to carry,.
think i'll just keep nuts dried fruit seeds in small plastic bags and keep in pockets in small quantities

MysticMonk

High fat foods are your friend.
Sugar is a poor source of energy and can result in you crashing..avoid all sugar except honey.
You can eat nuts which are high in fat but unsustaining. I usually pack a few sausage sandwiches. Calorie dense and tasty.

sporina

MysticMonk wrote: »

High fat foods are your friend.
Sugar is a poor source of energy and can result in you crashing..avoid all sugar except honey.
You can eat nuts which are high in fat but unsustaining. I usually pack a few sausage sandwiches. Calorie dense and tasty.

nuts unsustaining?

sausage sandwiches thanks but no..

i am all on for the slow release - maybe small flap jacks.. or the naked bars perhaps.. easy to pack and fairly natural

marialouise

MysticMonk wrote: »

High fat foods are your friend.
Sugar is a poor source of energy and can result in you crashing..avoid all sugar except honey.
You can eat nuts which are high in fat but unsustaining. I usually pack a few sausage sandwiches. Calorie dense and tasty.

what's magic about honey?

ford2600

Eat nothing, throw away the crutch of pick me ups etc.

It's a walk, fat is the fuel for that. You probably have 50000-100000 calories of that on board.

This is what's possible for a proper athlete doing a 268mile run in winter

https://eoinkeith.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/the-spine-race-2016-nutriton/

But us ordinary folk can do quite a bit also.

Isotonic drink to go for a walk in North Western Europe, seriously

sporina

ford2600 wrote: »

Eat nothing, throw away the crutch of pick me ups etc.

It's a walk, fat is the fuel for that. You probably have 50000-100000 calories of that on board.

This is what's possible for a proper athlete doing a 268mile run in winter

https://eoinkeith.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/the-spine-race-2016-nutriton/

But us ordinary folk can do quite a bit also.

Isotonic drink to go for a walk in North Western Europe, seriously

i don't have a lot of fat to burn.. i'll stick to my snacks and enjoy the hike with feeling light headed but thanks

ford2600

sporina wrote: »

i don't have a lot of fat to burn.. i'll stick to my snacks and enjoy the hike with feeling light headed but thanks

If you weight 60 kgs and are 10% bf fat (which is really lean) you have about 48000 cals; given how efficient we are at walking you do a lot more than a days hiking on that...

Being light headed could be a lot of things.

Needing sugar to do low to medium intensity exercise isnt necessary with minimal adaptation but most people want the quick fix or nonsense "energy" marketed wonder food. As you were so

Wanderer78

ford2600 wrote: »

Eat nothing, throw away the crutch of pick me ups etc.

It's a walk, fat is the fuel for that. You probably have 50000-100000 calories of that on board.

This is what's possible for a proper athlete doing a 268mile run in winter

https://eoinkeith.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/the-spine-race-2016-nutriton/

But us ordinary folk can do quite a bit also.

Isotonic drink to go for a walk in North Western Europe, seriously

i use isotonic drinks regularly while walking the mountains in ireland, have been for years. very refreshing. was only drinking them today while mountain biking

sporina

ford2600 wrote: »

If you weight 60 kgs and are 10% bf fat (which is really lean) you have about 48000 cals; given how efficient we are at walking you do a lot more than a days hiking on that...

Being light headed could be a lot of things.

Needing sugar to do low to medium intensity exercise isnt necessary with minimal adaptation but most people want the quick fix or nonsense "energy" marketed wonder food. As you were so

i know my body at this stage lol.. and i know when i have low blood sugar - too well in fact - i can't do hunger - i've seriously high metabolism.. hence the lack of fat - thats another issue which I leave with my doctor - no need to elaborate here..

and no i am not looking for a "quick fix" or nonsense "energy"..

I said "pick-me-up" - but in hindsight and after some wise words from some posters here, I know what I need - and that is just slow release snacks when the time between meals is too long when hiking

but thanks again for your thoughts

ford2600

sporina wrote: »

i know my body at this stage lol.. and i know when i have low blood sugar - too well in fact - i can't do hunger - i've seriously high metabolism.. hence the lack of fat - thats another issue which I leave with my doctor - no need to elaborate here..

and no i am not looking for a "quick fix" or nonsense "energy"..

I said "pick-me-up" - but in hindsight and after some wise words from some posters here, I know what I need - and that is just slow release snacks when the time between meals is too long when hiking

but thanks again for your thoughts

Unless you have a medical issue you haven't disclosed, in a normal healthy person low blood glucose and hunger are not the same thing.

Review here of a simple study testing that
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.ie/2016/09/do-blood-glucose-levels-affect-hunger.html

On your blood glucose levels, if you are starting your hike
* not hungry
* eat well generally
* sleep well
then doing low intensity exercise, after a few hours I don't see why your blood sugar should be low. Glucose/glycogen is stored in muscles, liver and blood and is just one of fuels used by body to produce ATP.

If you don't have a medical issue, and the majority of your energy is coming from glucose rather than fat while hiking it would suggest to me a very carb heavy diet.

Say you walk for 4 hrs at 6.4km/h at 60kgs you'll burn about 1235cals. You have a capacity to carry about 2000cals of glucose/glycogen so even if all energy is coming from glucose your blood sugar(and in a healthy individual it shouldn't but should be coming from fat) should still have perfectly fine blood glucose levels.

You have very high metabolism; what does that actually mean? As stated if you weight 60kgs at 10%bf which is very lean for a male and underweight for a female you have 48000cals of fat; so your contention that you have a lack of fat makes no sense; you probably have 20 times more fat than sugar even after consuming a huge meal.

I've had my metabolic rate measured it Trinity, and also very lean but a 20km before breakfast or a 150km cycle would be trivial to me. i.e. if you blood sugar is that low after a 4 hour walk it isn't got anything to do with your high metabolism but your body's preference of burning glucose/glycogen at low moderate heart rates due to dietary choices (At higher heart rates the body will always choose glucose as it has a lower oxygen requirement per calorie).

Eat, what you want, pick yourself up with flapjacks, fruit whatever but on a scientific basis, for a healthy individual it shouldn't be necessary.

Culturally in the western world, it is the norm to eat on the go, always need food etc. In the developing world, and in particular in Africa, where most of DNA was forged it is not. We have a host of hardware to deal with feast and famine. Being constantly exposed to feast mode (living in the west) isn't ideal for metabolic health but as you were...

sporina

was out on the hills yday...

stuck to the fruit and nuts when i felt the need and worked a treat.. no major slumps.,

conclusion - won't bother with the jellies = was just curious about them as so many others use them.. but nah not for me

thanks for all the posts and advice

happy hiking

MysticMonk

marialouise wrote: »

what's magic about honey?

Not magic exactly but as an energy source it's in a league of it's own. Here's an article

sporina

MysticMonk wrote: »

Not magic exactly but as an energy source it's in a league of it's own. Here's an article

well in comparison to "power gels" which is what the article is about, i could imagine the logic..

ford2600

MysticMonk wrote: »

Not magic exactly but as an energy source it's in a league of it's own. Here's an article

A league of its own?

To quote your link
suggests that honey could be another option for endurance athletes, and possibly strength athletes, for improving athletic performance."

It's primarily sugar

MysticMonk

ford2600 wrote: »

A league of its own?

To quote your link
suggests that honey could be another option for endurance athletes, and possibly strength athletes, for improving athletic performance."

It's primarily sugar

Okay,then dont use it. Simples.

Spanish Eyes

I am not an athlete nor do I hike the mountains, but I do go on long walks where stopping somewhere at a cafe is often not feasible.

I always pack a banana, a full fat Greek yogurt (and spoon!), whole wheat bread, butter and cheese, and of course water. Lovely.

Maybe I am on the wrong forum. Carbs jayzis.

Yeah if OP wants a snack while out hiking I don't see the issue
Glad the nuts worked

mathie

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Carbs jayzis.

Carbs for energy. :eek:
Who would have thunk it?