A common question we get from backpackers is, “What backpacking meals do you have that are low in sodium?” Low sodium is a regulated term for food containing 140 mg of sodium or less per serving. Most packaged food will not meet this definition because salt functions as a natural preservative and drying agent. Fresh food and water-packed meals are your best bet for finding low sodium food. Beyond that, dried single ingredients, especially freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, are more likely to be low in sodium than dried packaged meals. A small amount of sodium is found naturally in many plant foods, although most get added […]
Sweat
5 posts
When you get overheated and sweat, your skin appears pinkish because the capillaries open up near the skin and release water and salts. As the sweat evaporates, it transfers internal heat from the core to the surface of your skin for rapid cooling. The blood near the skin’s surface becomes cooler as it releases your body’s heat into the air. This cooler blood then recirculates through the body. The perspiration and evaporation process is the primary method used by the body to cool itself down; however, it is effective when sweat can evaporate. The rate at which water or sweat evaporates depends […]
Your hiking companion won’t hike in the bitter cold, so you compromise by taking the winters off. When spring arrives, you are eager to hit the trails. You head away from home at every opportunity. Life is good. But now summer has arrived and it’s blazing HOT! If there is Heat, the diagnosis is Sweat Moisture will seep out from your skin and your clothing will feel damp and clingy against your skin. You’ll wish for clouds to capture the intense radiant heat blazing down from that luminous yellow disk in the afternoon sky. The sweat on your forehead will drip past your eyebrows and burn your eyes. Dried sweat […]
It is summer here in the South and that means high humidity with daily temperatures in the 90s. Engaging in almost any outdoor activity will surely bring plenty of sweat. Sweating is good for us because it is our body’s built-in mechanism to keep us cool, although it does not feel always feel refreshing. For instance, when the surrounding air is damp and stagnant, sweat clings to the skin and clothing gets heavy and uncomfortable. When the sweat finally does evaporate, it leaves behind salts on your skin, which is why your face might feel chalky or lips taste salty. When we perspire, […]
Do you ever notice your lips tasting like salt or feel grainy salt crystals on your face after hiking in hot weather? Maybe your eyes burn as sweat drips off your eyelids. Those are electrolytes—what is left when the water component of sweat evaporates. They need to be replenished by drink and diet. An electrolyte imbalance is not just a theoretical concern. It can lead to muscle cramping and fatigue, especially during prolonged activities like backpacking or hiking. This imbalance is caused by the loss of water through sweat or elimination. If you do not consume enough minerals from food or […]