Nutrition for Thru-Hikers

Although being vegan is a lifestyle that guides ones decisions regarding most aspects of life, most people think first of how it effects ones diet. Thus, an intro to trail food seems an appropriate way to kick-off this blog.

I am by no means a dietitian, nutritionist or other expert on human dietary needs, but I have been vegan for about 8 years now and didn't have any dietary problems during my PCT thru-hike (after the first 2 weeks - more on that later). Brenda Braaten, however, is a PhD dietitian and has written a series of extremely useful articles on nutrition for long distance hikers and other endurance athletes. These articles can be found at:

http://thru-hiker.com/articles/pack_light_eat_right.php

The page includes articles on sugars/carbs, fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, recipes and even wild harvesting. Although the articles are not vegan specific, she writes mostly in general terms and does make a few specific recommendations for vegetarians. Additionally, her tables and charts of suggested foods tend only to refer to jerky and powdered milk - nearly all of the rest of the info is vegan.

Her primary suggestion is to create a diet that is approximately 50% Carbs, 35% Fat, and 15% Protein by calories. Although her fat recommendation is far higher than normal suggestions, fat tends to contain more than twice the energy of sugars by weight and since thru-hikers will burn the calories almost immediately it is okay. Braaten also focuses a great deal on carbohydrates. Carbs are our primary energy source - they feed both our brains and our muscles. Braaten recommends munching on carbs throughout the day and avoiding simple sugars (particularly before exercise has begun). She says that the protein recommendation for a long distance hiker is only slightly higher than that of a normal person - and as most vegans know, the average American consumes twice as much protein as they need. Protein is an inefficient source of energy, so it is really just needed for building new tissue.