Whether you are a recreational hiker, a serious mountain hiker who hikes every day, or a general outdoor enthusiast who loves getting outside and being active, there is no doubt that you expend enormous amounts of energy to maintain your essential bodily functions during all activities. Suppose you are not consuming sufficient nutrition during these outdoor activities to help sustain your overall workout. In that case, the result will be an imbalance in your overall energy levels, ultimately depleting the body of its natural stores.

Suppose you’re a keen hiker who loves nothing more than getting outside into the mountains or following a long local walking trail days outside on a multi-day trip. In that case, you will need to replenish the energy levels you are consistently expending regularly, especially if the terrain is undulating and hiking in the mountains, where you naturally tend to exert more energy to power you along. 

For maximum benefit and a hike without further difficulties and challenges, you must stick to an optimal diet regarding the quality and quantity of the food you choose to eat. It would help if you habitually eat well-balanced meals that are nutritious, healthy, and varied so your body can perform at its highest level possible.

Hikers must follow a specific diet as closely as possible to the recommended composition: 60% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 10% fats. Your overall diet should also contain the necessary range of vitamins and minerals, either found within your daily food intake or in the form of widely available nutritional supplements. Following such examples, it should allow you to maintain optimal performance and enjoy your time outdoors.

A hiker’s essential nutrients

Carbohydrates

What are carbohydrates? Carbohydrates are found in a wide array of healthy and unhealthy foods—bread, beans, milk, popcorn, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, soft drinks, corn, and cherry pie. They also come in a variety of forms. The most common and abundant forms are sugars, fibres, and starches. Carbohydrates are said to be the foremost source of fuel for providing power to your muscles during activities. Eating an adequate amount of carbohydrates before, during, and after a hike will help to sustain critical energy levels and then postpone the onset of fatigue during your walk. In turn, it will enable a faster recovery once you've finished your hike and reflected upon the memories of your wonderful day.

Simple Carbohydrates

The body breaks down simple carbohydrates quickly to be used as energy. Simple carbohydrates are found naturally in foods such as fruits, milk, and milk products. They are also processed and refined sugars such as candy, table sugar, syrups, and soft drinks. The body can break down sugary foods quickly, providing a quick burst of energy. The problem is that this spike in blood sugar stimulates the pancreas to discharge a large amount of insulin. This causes blood sugar levels to plummet, which makes you hungry again and want even more sugar. In addition, a range of simple carbohydrates doesn’t supply the vitamins, minerals, and all the other nutrients essential to good health.

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are sugar molecules strung together in long, complex chains. Complex carbohydrates are found in beans, whole grains, and vegetables. Both simple and complex carbohydrates are turned into glucose (blood sugar) in the body. They are used as energy-complex carbs, are rich in fibre, and take a lot longer to break down in the body, reaching the bloodstream little by little, which is why they keep the level of sugar in the bloodstream steady. By consuming complex carbohydrates, you can continue your activity or hike for a more extended period of time.

Good complex carbohydrate sources are brown bread, fruits, grains, vegetables, and whole-wheat pasta. Other carbohydrate foods and meals rich in nutrients include:

• Fibre-rich cereals with added milk

• Cereal bars

• Fruits mixed with plain or flavoured yoghurt

• A range of blended fruit smoothies

• Whole wheat sandwiches, including various types of wraps

Simple Carbs vs Complex Carbs

Outdoors Magic has written a good article that summarises some of the best energy bars suitable for outdoor pursuits like hiking and running. You can read that post here: The Best Energy Bars To Fuel Hiking And Running | To... (outdoorsmagic.com)

Protein

It would be best to consume protein after a long hike because you are tearing muscle fibres apart. Your body then has to repair torn muscle tissue, which requires protein. Protein naturally improves the body and builds bones, muscle tissue, skin, cartilage, and blood vessels.

How do I calculate how much protein I need?

It is essential to work out how much protein your body requires, as finding the right balance will benefit your body and how it functions. You can easily calculate protein requirements by weight. To do this accurately, you will need to divide your weight into pounds by 20 and multiply it by seven. You need more than seven grams of protein for every 20 pounds of your body weight. Thus, for someone weighing 200 pounds, the protein requirement will be 70 grams daily.

Good protein sources are legumes, meat, fish, and dairy products. For a more compact and convenient way to get the carbs and protein, energy bars and liquid meal supplements are easy to take with you on your hike or to consume when traditional foods are unavailable or too cumbersome to carry around.

Meal supplements and replacements

It is not usually my thing, but if I had to choose something easy to carry and fill me up if needed, I would choose: Ready-to-drink Protein | Health & Nutrition | For Goodness Shakes I have often used them, and they tend to suit my stomach. They taste good and provide the necessary nutrients you will need if you need them. There are several options in their range, but I tend to drink the protein shake (if required) and, like the recovery drink, if fatigue has set in after the alk. Otherwise, I prefer to let nature prevail by eating good food, but I find these options outstanding, especially if you are out for a long day.

Fats

Fats are crucial for the body to function correctly as they help us with essential energy resources. They’re necessary to include in a hiker’s diet, as are fat-soluble vitamins and, of course, essential fatty acids. Fats help us stabilise the internal organs, keep them operating smoothly and correctly during periods of exercise, and maintain a constant body temperature.

Although suitable for our bodies, Fats should only be consumed in moderation. Select a range of fats that are good for you, like polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which are found in nuts, fish, seeds, avocados, and olive oil. Other fats, mainly processed foods, are not necessarily good for us and should only be eaten in moderation.

I prefer to carry some nuts with me as they always seem to give me what I need and replenish the fat stocks when I need them to be replenished. I tend to opt for unsalted nuts and generally find something from the supermarket with fruit thrown in. They are tasty and good for you.

Water

Water is the most critical nutrient for anyone going on a hike, however long that hike might be. Drinking water before, during, and after a hike is essential for keeping the body hydrated and at the correct temperature. Like with all forms of exercise, when you exert yourself and complete a form, your body naturally produces an abundance of sweat to help it cool down. Hikers who walk and climb for long periods in hot weather can begin to lose large quantities of bodily fluid by sweating (up to 3% – 4% of their body weight), which inevitably can cause increased levels of dehydration. As a result, hikers need to drink about 2.5 litres of water per day or more, depending on how intense their physical activity is.

Most hikers carry enough water to start the hike, usually in the form of water canisters, containers, or bladder pouches inside a backpack. Once consumed, it is crucial to find natural flowing water to fill up periodically along the routes and help maintain a good level of water consumption.

When fluid losses become high, the foods and drinks consumed must also contain enough sodium to replace the salt lost in sweat.

More Blog Posts

Thank you for reading this and more of my blog posts. Of course, my blog posts are not written to express that I am right. Moreso, it reflects what I might do out in the field. Of course, many other variations and choices can be made, and if you would like to share them, I would love to hear what you use.

You can read more of my blog posts here: Gareth Mate - Blog