How Much Should You Eat When Hiking?
How much should you eat when hiking? This is a question many hikers face. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the excitement and forget your hydration levels. Don’t forget that you are working hard to cover the distance and stamina for the next leg, so make sure you replenish what you’ve eaten during your hike.
First of all, you need to get started by eating a huge breakfast. You don’t have to go hungry, but it’s definitely important to start your day off with a full stomach. If you skip breakfast, you’ll be tempted to snack throughout the day. Snacking will cause you to lose water weight very quickly, which makes it more difficult the next time you are out hiking. If you want to avoid this, be sure to start your day full of food!
After your morning breakfast, limit yourself to drinking a half liter of water per person, per day. This is the recommended amount per day for healthy hikers. You can always buy bottled water if you prefer, but you should still drink the water from the stream or lake you’ll be hiking in. Water is the best food for hiking. If you’re trying to conserve food, you shouldn’t have too much water!
If you are an active hiker, chances are you will be eating at least some dehydrated food as well. Dehydrated food does not stay hydrated as well, so you need to make sure you pack plenty of food for this type of hiking. You might need to buy some store-bought food mix specifically designed for hiking, if you plan on being in situations where you need to eat in the wild.
As far as how much you should eat, it’s a good idea to bring food with you that has some calories in it. Bring food with you that has some protein as well, such as chicken breast or fish. Don’t bother bringing chocolate or cheese with you, though. There’s no reason why you need them anyways. Chances are your body will be providing what these things would normally provide.
When you’re hiking through forests and other wild areas, you should dress accordingly. Wear as much clothing as you feel comfortable with. If you’re hiking in the woods, you don’t want to be overheating in the summer. A cotton T-shirt and shorts should be enough in most circumstances.
If you’re going to be eating in other people’s campground or other public park, make sure to bring along a portable stove. The gas and electricity in many stoves aren’t very efficient, so you may find that you waste a lot of food by not cooking it properly. You should also take along food and drinks to avoid running out while you’re hiking. That said, if you absolutely can’t bring any food or drinks with you, consider leaving some behind in your tent or backpack.
When you’re done for the day, you should make sure that you’ve collected all of your unopened food and drinks. Wash them down thoroughly before packing up any leftovers. The amount of food and water you pack into a day depends on how long and how far you hike, but you should aim to have a bit left over for a quick snack at some point. Pack wisely, and you should have a wonderful outdoor adventure.
There are several different reasons why you might want to eat more than you normally do when hiking. One is that you may feel more energetic and fit when you eat a substantial meal. You’ll find that the extra calories help you burn more fat. On the other hand, if you’re used to eating only once or twice a day, when you add a large meal to your usual eating habits you might find that your appetite returns along with the extra energy, which can make you hungry for more when you’re finished for the day.
Another reason that you might want to eat more food when hiking is that you don’t usually have any kind of cooking facilities available to you. It’s not uncommon for most seasoned hikers to carry a number of small portable cooking devices with them, but for long hiking trips you might find that you need to eat much more meals than you would like. Cooking food in such conditions can be a real problem, so bringing along a portable stove, and even an outdoor campfire, can really help. It can save you a lot of time and let you eat in peace, without worrying about the range of possible fire hazards when using a campfire.
Finally, one of the biggest considerations you have to make when thinking about the question of ‘how much should you eat when hiking?’ When hiking, especially in the woods, it’s important to bring plenty of water. In many cases, this means using a water bottle or a hydration pack. If you’re going to be doing a lot of hiking in very cold weather, or worse, in extremely wet weather, a waterproof container will be of great benefit to you. And don’t forget to take some kind of hiking medicine, at least when you’re really sick.
