Hiking Food

Most people are aware of the need to drink plenty of water when exercising. Dehydration can cause discomfort in the form of thirst, cramping, exhaustion, and eventually unconsciousness or death. The easy way to ward off dehydration is to simply drink water. When participating in a strenuous activity, it's best to drink before you're thirsty. If you're thirsty, you're already partially dehydrated.

On a long hike, a supply of water and a good hiking stick will probably not be enough. When the weather is hot, you'll sweat more than usual. This causes a drop in body salts, commonly referred to as electrolytes. The way to replace salt in an emergency situation is simply to consume salt in the form of tablets dissolved in water. A better solution is to not get into that emergency situation in the first place by consuming energy drinks and eating good hiking food.

Energy drinks contain needed electrolytes and usually some combination of vitamins. While this can be an effective way to replace some fluids, you should not attempt a long, strenuous hike (such as the Grand Canyon) powered solely by water and energy drinks.

Hiking food has one main function -- replenish calories. Most Americans do not get enough exercise, so diets high in calories, salt and fats are generally considered bad. However, if you're doing something strenuous for a long period of time, a lot of those rules go out the window. Your body is burning through calories, but if you try to replace it with a "heavy" meal, you'll get sick. The best solution is to eat before the activity to get your body fueled. An hour should give the food time to digest. Once you start exercising, the food won't digest well because blood flows away from your digestive system to your muscles.

If it's going to be a full day of hiking, you'll need some snacks, because breakfast will not last all day. Aim for a high percentage of carbohydrates, some protein and a little fat. The more strenuous the activity, the more easily you want the food to digest. Some examples of effective fuel for hiking include bread, bagels with honey, a mix of peanuts and raisins, dry cereal, or dry fruit.

Regular fruit is fine to eat, but often doesn't survive the ride in the pack. Apples and carrots travel well and don't usually get too smashed. Steer clear of bananas on a hike. Even though they are pretty hefty calorie-wise and contain plenty of potassium, which helps ward off cramps, a banana will invariably turn to soup in a backpack. Eat a banana with breakfast before the hike.

Hiking food is best eating in small quantities, but frequently. This is especially true when the activity is particularly strenuous. Energy gel is the best thing for high-intensity, long duration exercise. It resembles honey or cake frosting, and contains a mixture of carbohydrates to fuel your body without taxing your digestive system.