Endurance marathons such as the annual 4 Deserts Race, a series of 250-kilometer (155-mile) races across four deserts, require competitors to carry their equipment and food. The 4 Deserts Race covers 7 days, and participants must carry a minimum of 2,000 calories per day during the race or 14,000 calories (min). You can only take this amount of food by eating three calorie-dense meals daily, 2-3 daily snacks, drinking calorie-rich mixes such as smoothies, and having a recovery shake or dessert. Accordingly, you must carefully plan your menu by considering caloric food density.
To keep things simple and light, leave the backpacking stove at home. There’s no need for it. Drinking water is available at all checkpoints, and hot water is available at campsites.
Avoid wet-packed foods entirely, or you’ll carry more bulk and burn extra calories taking wet food. The last thing you want is to exhaust your energy reserves and stress your joints while lugging around excessive food weight.
Be sure to pack only calorie-dense (high-energy) foods. Since you will carry all your food for the event, we recommend taking only dried portable meals meeting this definition.
High-Calorie Food Definition
Cal per 1 ounce (Kcal): 124 | Cal per 100 grams (Kcal): 438 | KJ per 100 grams (kJ): 1832
High Energy Density Food List
Fat, by weight, contains the most calories of any food. A single gram of fat, at 9 calories, has more than twice the amount of calories per gram as carbohydrates and protein at 4 calories per gram. The highest energy density foods are high in fat with low water content, such as nuts, seeds, and dried cheese. Consequently, your primary food sources must contain a high concentration of fat.
We recommend you carry an assortment of flavors for taste variety and nutritional needs. Boost the calories and flavor of all meals by including foods from the following list –
1. Plant Oils
Fat is the most concentrated source of food energy and is necessary for the body to utilize vitamins. Fat also protects the body’s organs from injury and insulates against shock and temperature changes. Also, fat helps keep you satisfied by slowing down the digestion process.
Add a squirt of oil to all of your meals to boost the calorie content and enhance the flavor. Carry a small travel container of oil or take along the single-serve packets. We recommend plant-based oils that are high in healthy monounsaturated fat.
Calorie Density of Plant Oils (Avocado / Canola / Olive Oil)
Per 100 gram: 883 cal (3692 kJ)
Per ounce: 250 cal (about 2 TB)
2. Nuts and Seeds
After pure fats and oils, nuts and seeds are the highest caloric density food we eat. Nuts and seeds are high in unsaturated fat and offer a small amount of protein and fiber. Snack on mixed nuts and add to cereals, pasta, and rice meals. The highest calorie nut is the Macadamia.
Dry or oil-roasted nuts offer the most caloric density. Roasted nuts will be lighter, smaller, and crunchier because the roasting process evaporates the water from the kernel. Oil-roasted nuts have slightly more fat (calories) than dry roasted or raw because more oil is added.
Keep in mind that the nut roasting process can unfavorably alter nutrition. Depending on the roasting temperature and duration, antioxidants and healthy fats can be destroyed. Acrylamide, a known carcinogen, can be produced with heavy roasting. Dark roasted nuts have a much higher amount of acrylamide than lightly roasted nuts. If you are concerned with how nuts are commercially roasted, we suggest you get raw nuts and roast them yourself. To minimize vitamin loss and prevent acrylamide, roast nuts in the oven at less than 285 degrees F (140 C) for 15 minutes.
Calorie Density of Nuts (Varies). See the complete list.
Per 100 gram: 720 cal (3013 kJ) Macadamia (highest) to 491 cal (2053 kJ) Chia Seed (lowest)
Per ounce: 204 cal Macadamia (highest) to 139 cal Chia Seed (lowest)
Nut and Seed Butters are also available in powdered or paste form. Spread nut butter on a tortilla or dense travel bread/cracker. We like hummus powder (sesame tahini) and peanut butter powder spread on a tortilla. Nut butter also adds creaminess to oatmeal or noodle dishes.
Calorie Density of Outdoor Herbivore Instant Hummus Powder Mix
Per 100 gram: 469 cal (1968 kJ)
Per ounce: 133 cal (makes 1/4 cup prepared hummus)
Calorie Density of Outdoor Herbivore Organic Peanut Butter Powder
Per 100 gram: 529 cal (2215 kJ)
Per ounce: 150 cal (makes 1/4 cup prepared peanut butter)
Dense crackers that are sturdy to stuff in your pack include Crispbread, Pilot Bread, and Hardtack. Compressed barley cakes or rice cakes may also be an option.
3. Coconut
Dried shredded coconut will boost the flavor and calorie profile even further to already high-calorie cereals such as granola and muesli. Coconut milk powder is excellent for richening curries, noodles, and smoothies. An easy dry pudding recipe: mix together equal portions of chia seed, coconut milk powder, and dried fruit.
Calorie density of Coconut
Per 100 gram: 660 cal (2762 kJ)
Per ounce: 187 calories (large handful)
4. Dark Chocolate
Chocolate is a favorite snack that happens to be loaded in calories. Not all chocolate is durable for the desert or tropics! You’ll want the chocolate to remain solid in the heat but melt in your mouth. The best heat-resistant chocolate is non-dairy dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher). Milk chocolate and white chocolate is more likely to melt and turn into a gooey mess. In general, dark chocolate can resist melting up to 90 F/32 C and milk chocolate up to 84 F/29 C.
Calorie Density of Dark Chocolate
Per 100 gram: 600 cal (2511 kJ)
Per ounce: 170 cal (2 squares)
5. Dried Banana Chips
Most manufacturers bake or fry banana slices in coconut oil and added sugar to achieve a crunchy texture and sweet flavor, which means they are high in calories. Although this snack is not considered healthy, it is better than eating candy. Banana chips contain some nutrients, such as magnesium and potassium, to restore electrolytes after heavy sweating. Look for banana chips that do not contain artificial flavoring.
Calorie Density of Banana Chips (Coconut oil coated)
Per 100 gram: 501 cal (2097 kJ)
Per ounce: 142 cal (10 chips)
6. Tiger nuts (tuber)
Tiger nuts, also known as nookon or chufa, are a root vegetable (tuber) native to Africa, which has been used as a primary energy source for millennia. The high content of starch makes it a great energy source for trail running. Tiger nuts have a sweet and slightly nutty flavor and are best when eaten peeled as a snack.
Calorie density of Tiger Nuts (Chufa)
Per 100 gram: 494 cal (2068 kJ)
Per ounce: 140 cal (handful)
7. Precooked Dried Beans (Chickpeas, Pinto, Edamame)
Overall, beans are a great source of protein, fiber, carbohydrates, and some are high in calories. Roasted chickpeas make an excellent high-calorie spicy or savory snack for runs. Add roasted chickpeas to pasta for a hearty and meatless meal. Hummus and crackers also make a nice high-calorie snack. Look for hummus powder mix. Dried bean flakes are another great choice. Instant Bean flakes will soften in cold or bot water in less than 10 minutes. Another good choice for a crispy and salty snack is roasted edamame. The more mature form of the edamame bean is soybean, which makes an excellent meat substitute (tofu) and dairy-free milk (soy milk).
Calorie Density of Cooked Roasted Edamame
Per 100 gram: 438 cal (1831 kJ)
Per ounce: 124 cal (handful)
8. Dried Oil-Cured Olives
Olives are a remarkable source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients and a good source of iron. Oil-cured dried olives are fatty and salty with a chewy texture. The olives aren’t really cured in oil; instead, they are cured in salt and then soaked in oil to make them plump.
When you’ve been sweating in the desert all day, dried olives will most certainly cure your salt cravings. Make sure you choose olives that have been pitted to avoid extra weight and waste. The most common oil-cured olive is the black Moroccan.
Calorie Density of Oil Cured Pitted Dry Olives
Per 100 gram: 438 cal (1831 kJ)
Per ounce: 124 calories
9. Fresh Avocado
Fresh fruit seldom makes sense to pack for a race. It is calorie-light and water-heavy, plus it spoils and damages easily. The exception is the avocado. Avocados don’t contain much water, and the flesh is rich in healthy fat and nutrients. Clearly, packing fresh avocado only makes sense if you can get a ripe one at a local market before your race and can eat it within the first few days.
Prepare the avocado for storage in your pack: cut it in half (leave the skin on), remove the pit, rub the exposed flesh with lemon or lime juice (to prevent browning), and secure the two halves back together with a rubber band or hair tie (nice, but not required), then place in a ziplock bag or aluminum foil. Keep it cushioned by clothing in your pack to prevent crushing. When you are ready to eat it, remove the rubber band, grab a spoon, and dig in! You will not be disappointed.
Calorie Density of 1 Medium Avocado: 250 Calories
10. Dairy
We’re not advocating dairy as food but will mention it because it is ubiquitous worldwide. Dairy, commonly produced from a lactating cow, is intended to rapidly strengthen and enlarge a calf. Unsurprisingly then, dairy (and its byproducts) contain a high amount of fat calories, and nutrients. Yet, dairy also causes inflammation and bloating for many, plus there is the issue of animal welfare. You’ll have to decide if it makes sense.
We suggest organic whole milk powder, organic cheese powder, and organic butter powder if you consume dairy. Ghee is another option to consider because it requires no refrigeration. When it comes to cheese, certain flavors pack a lot more calories than others: Gruyere, Parmesan, and Manchego.
Calorie Density of Cheese Powder
Per 100 gram: 452 cal (1890 kJ)
Per ounce: 128 calories (1.5 TB)
11. Instant Noodles
One block (3oz 85 g) of prepared ramen noodles has about 380 calories. Ramen and other instant noodles are not nutritious, but you can add freeze-dried vegetables to make it healthier. Outdoor Herbivore also carries bulk organic pre-cooked pasta that requires only hot water to cook.
Calorie Density of Ramen Noodles
Per 100 gram: 448 cal (1876 kJ)
Per ounce: 127 (one block)
Calorie Density of Outdoor Herbivore Instant Penne
Per 100 gram: 370 cal ( 1549 kJ)
Per ounce: 283 cal (1 cup)
See the complete list of high-calorie foods.
Here’s two no-cook salads that pack a flavor and calorie punch!
Waldorf Salad – a refreshing fruit and nut salad in a creamy dairy-free dressing. 1440 kcal (6024kJ) for the double-size meal pouch.
Hop Pea Slop – a protein-packed salad featuring freeze dried green peas, carrot, walnut, and sunflower seed in a creamy dairy-free ranch dressing. Just add cold water to the contents of the pouch, stir, and enjoy! The herbaceous, punchy flavor of ranch makes this salad a winner! 980 kcal (4100kJ) for the double-size meal pouch.
See also Outdoor Herbivore Meals For Races and Competitions.
More information about the 4 Deserts race:
The race series currently includes the Gobi March in China, the Atacama Crossing in Chile, the Sahara Race in Egypt, and The Last Desert in Antarctica. The fifth event changes to a new location each year.
4 Deserts series: 4deserts.com
RacingThePlanet: racingtheplanet.com
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About Outdoor Herbivore:
Produces real food for outdoor travel. Take us backpacking, bikepacking, paddling, motorcycling, sailing, horseback riding, RVing, air traveling, hoteling, yoga retreats, and more. Our specialty is vegetarian backpacking meals, but you don’t have to be a herbivore to fancy our food. Enhance your travel experience and taste buds with the addition of Outdoor Herbivore in your pack. Cheers to good health and joyful adventures.