Hikers often ask, “What are your best backpacking meals?” These are Outdoor Herbivore’s customer favorites. 1. Best Trail Breakfasts The time between dinner and the following morning is a long time for your body to go without food, so don’t skimp on eating in the morning. Eating after waking can supply the energy your body needs to start the day and improve your metabolizing energy during the rest of the day. Breakfast on the trail can range from eating a snack bar while walking to sitting down to a giant breakfast burrito with coffee. What you eat in the morning […]
Food
Wildland firefighting, a role that demands immense physical and mental strength, requires careful meal planning. To sustain this work output and maintain a healthy immune system, fireline firefighters will typically need to consume 6,000 calories daily. Getting proper nutrition from ultra-processed Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), packaged snacks and backpacking meals can be challenging. That’s why we recommend a less processed, plant-based diet made from freeze-dried food, which provides the most antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to fuel the body. These are the key components we recommend for making up a wildland firefighter’s diet while in the field: Carbs Carbohydrates are […]
We are often asked, “What’s new for the season?” We’re excited to introduce our newest no-cook meal crafted with garbanzo beans, chopped walnuts, carrots, and diced celery in a creamy dill dressing. When paired with crackers or flatbread, it makes a delicious and quick on-the-go trail-side lunch. With 530 calories per pouch, it’s packed with complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein to keep your energy levels up. Just like all of Outdoor Herbivore’s no-cook backpacking meals, preparing this one is a breeze. Simply add water to the pouch (or a serving bowl) and allow it to hydrate for about 6 […]
Inexpensive and filling, lentils are often a forgotten food. That needs to change! Lentils are an excellent source of energy and protein and can be easily incorporated into trail recipes. Find out how lentils can help you boost your energy and find some easy ways to use them in backpacking meals. Lentils are the edible seeds of legumes, a type of pulse, along with beans, field peas, and chickpeas. Like other legumes, lentils have a low glycemic index (GI) to slow the rate of energy released into the bloodstream. Their high fiber content also makes them filling and beneficial for […]
Consuming a surplus of calories long-term leads to the accumulation of fat in the liver and pancreas that causes type 2 diabetes (T2D). Any activity that decreases intra-organ fat can put diabetes into remission. Backpacking is an excellent activity for people with diabetes. It’s a moderately intense aerobic activity that reduces weight and builds muscle mass, improving insulin sensitivity and lowering blood glucose. In fact, for every 10% increase in muscle mass, you get an 11% reduction in insulin resistance.[1] With some planning, you can find trail food to keep blood sugar levels in check. Here are some suggested diabetic-friendly […]