Best Hiking Nutrition Tips
To Keep You Going On A Hike

By Diane Spicer

Hiking nutrition for day hikers and backpackers may not be the first thing you consider when planning your hike.

• But it should be!

Eating the right food on a hike, regardless of its length, is a big, big deal.

But one concept underlies all of the types of hiking food which female hikers can choose:

Food = Fuel

This page gives you everything you need to know about what to eat (i.e. best fuel sources) on a hike for strength and stamina.

Eager to jump right
into the kettle?

Hiking nutrition is just one big umbrella term I use to share tips on these topics, so you can get started quickly:

• general tips on hiking food
• trail snacks
• best trail bars 
• food for day hikes
• backpacking food
• backpacking nutrition
• best antioxidants for hikers

Or keep reading for a complete smorgasbord!

Here's the
hiking reality of food

Your body needs fuel before, during, and after the hike.

So that explains the big appetite that goes along with big hikes.

Think of it as "refueling".

Do I hike to eat?

You bet!

And so should you.

For a thorough discussion of what hiking calories are worth to you, read this.

Also check out how many calories you burn on your hike.

• This big calorie burn can be used to your advantage if you're hiking for weight loss.

Do you winter hike (also known as snowshoeing)?

You need even more calories to keep yourself warm and fueled.

 What kind of hiking nutrition do you need?

Trail food selection is a vast topic, so use that link to get to an overview.

But it's also a smart approach to break hiking nutrition into the types of hiking you're planning to do.

So let's take a look.

• Each link will bring you to a wealth of practical tips.

How to fuel your day hikes

Day hike food choices can ramble around a lot: 

• There's tasty.
• And then there's tasty AND nutritious!

You can always rely upon tried and true portable foods such as jerky (protein) and bags of gorp (carbohydrates, fats and proteins from nuts and dried fruits).

But there are many creative ways to pack a hard working hiker's lunch sack, without overdoing it.

• Here's an ever evolving alphabetical list of great day hike nutrition ideas for you!

Tip:

It's easy to overlook food safety on a day hike.

It's also easy to read these tips on how to keep your food safe on a hike.

Thinking of planning an overnight trip?

If you've never done one before, use these overnight planning tips to get ready in terms of gear and logistics.

Then turn your attention to your menu, with this in mind:

• Weight is an issue when you're only gone for one night, or doing a short weekend trip.
  
• Taste is a definite concern, along with cost.
  
• Easy preparation needs to be taken into consideration, to maximize your precious time on this short trip.

Dive into the best overnight food selection tips here

Fuel for the long haul (literally)

As you plan a multi day hiking trip, don't neglect cost, taste, nutrient content, and ease of preparation of your backpacking menu.

It's one of the keys to a successful hiking trip!

Use these detailed backpacking tips, related to specific aspects of trail nutrition, so you don't miss a thing:

• Make your own dehydrated food? Or purchase the light weight freeze-dried stuff
  
• Stick with a tried and true company like Mountain House
• Beginner backpacker food planner
  
• Want to go organic for your next backpacking menu?
• Need to go gluten free?
• What about paleo backpacking food?
  
• Satisfying backpacking food
• Select the best backpacking nuts for protein and healthy fats.
• Select your protein sources carefully.
  
• Favor rice as a backpacking staple? Choose the right types for you!
• Don't forego daily vitamin C just because you can't carry fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Sip a cup of backpacking tea for nutrition and comfort

Tip:

While I may not be able to create a great backpacking recipe each and every time, I know one when I taste one!

• Get started with these ideas
• Try these, too
• And just for fun, try some backpacking food ABCs to jazz up your backpacking menus

How will you dish up good hiking nutrition
on a backpacking trip?

A backpacking stove, of course!

Choosing a stove is a major decision to make, so use these tips.

You'll also need some lightweight, durable kitchen essentials for cooking and serving your food.

• Get started on your selections here

And finally, some tips for keeping your cooking pot, utensils and dishes clean so you can completely avoid food borne illness.

Snacks are vital fuel for every hiker

Snacks every so often along the trail are important bribery components of any hike, especially if you're hiking with kids.

I use them to reward myself, keeping my motivation, as well as my energy level, as high as possible.

Here are my favorite hiking nutrition tips for hiking snacks!

• Yummy, and worth the weight.
  
• Try something different on your next hike, including good-for-you dark chocolate.
• Mix up the right combinations of trail mix as fuel
  
• Think outside the box: seaweed trail snacks

Ever get the urge to munch
what you see along the trail?

If that luscious red berry or glistening mushroom looks tempting, then you'd better know what you're doing, right?

Especially if you find yourself in a (hopefully temporary) survival scenario. 

It's called foraging: finding wild edibles like seeds, nuts, berries, mushrooms, roots and shoots, all provided by Mother Nature.

Recovery and support foods
for hard working hiking bodies

Sometimes you just can't carry enough of the right types of food to keep yourself out of a nutritional hole.

That's when lightweight supplements and supportive nutrients can play a big role in keeping your stamina high.

And is there such a thing as superfoods for hikers?

Coming soon: best recovery foods for hikers

Hiking water as a nutrient

Here's a fact of life on the trail:

WATER is a nutrient.

You mean water is cellular fuel?

Yes, indeed.

Water is a required daily nutrient, biochemically speaking.

Your trillions of cells are water-based chemistry labs.

Without adequate water, it's harder for your body to

• eliminate waste
  
• utilize oxygen
  
• manufacture important biomolecules for energy production
  
• repair damaged structures such as micro-tears in your muscles caused by hiking

The right type of clean water, in the right amount, is essential to feeling good on the trail.

• As important as the right mix of carbohydrates, fats and protein!

That's why staying hydrated should be a top priority on the trail.

And what about water in the form of sports drinks?

But the most important thing: make sure your hiking water is clean and free of microscopic trouble makers.

Digestion problems on the trail?

Have you ever heard the expression "You are what you eat?"

Words of wisdom, tied to another expression:

"Garbage in, garbage out."

The reason I bring up these cliches is to urge you to consume the best quality hiking nutrition you can afford (see above for tips).

But we need to go a bit beyond that.

You are what you digest and absorb.

And that requires a bit of knowledge about the human digestive system.

If you're getting feedback from your gut (pain, unease, gas, bloating, weird stools), listen to another tried and true saying: "Go with your gut."

When your body sends you a message, heed it or ignore it, but it won't go away.

And if you're an older female hiker (at least 45 years and approaching menopause), your digestion might be changing a bit.

• You might find this hiking nutrition information useful.

Latest nutrition news

I happen to like reading medical research articles on nutrition and fitness because it might contain a nugget of wisdom to make me a stronger, happier hiker.

I never know what I'm going to stumble across, on the trail or in the library!

So send me your questions about hiking nutrition, or hiking in general, and I'll do my best to find answers.

• Just use this contact link.

Also, let me
extend this invitation

Here's a sweet  and savory deal:

Let me read through the piles of information published every day (including geeky jargon), and summarize it to give you the bottom line on all things hiking, including what to eat (or not) for better trail performance.

I also summarize the latest news in hiking injuries, gear developments, good deals, useful resources for hikers, breaking news, and whatever else lands on my hiking radar.

What am I talking about?

A free, easy to sign up for monthly newsletter called Happy Trails, and it's even easier to unsubscribe if you don't find it useful.

And of course I don't share your email address, or use it for anything other than delivering the monthly hiking news to your virtual inbox!

Just pop in your email address in the box below, and watch your inbox for the next edition.

And while you wait, enjoy the Happy Trails back issues.

Looking for even more specific
hiking nutrition tips?

I've pulled together lots of useful detailed information to answer your questions about which trail foods to select for day hikes, overnights, and longer trips.

Take a peek at available titles in my Fast Hiking Facts.

Fact filled, but never boring.

No hype, no fluff, only the good stuff you need!

The current selection includes:

• Nutrition Tips For Dayhikers
• Nutrition Tips For Backpackers
• Nutrition Tips For Solo Hikers
  
• Nutrition Tips for Gluten Free Hikers

Your hiking nutrition overview is now complete!

Please don't make the mistake of thinking that it doesn't really matter what you eat while you're hiking.

Your body and your car operate on the same basic principle: fuel in = movement out. 

How you feel about your hike is also related to how much fuel is in your tank.

So you're one smart cookie (oooh, one last hiking nutrition pun!) for paying attention to the food you're carrying in your backpack.

I salute you with a swig of water and - why not? - a generous handful of delicious trail mix.

Why not put these tips on your Pinterest boards?

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