Hiking Nutrition

When on a holiday proper walking or hiking nutrition is important to keep your body fueled during the long hours of vigorous physical activity.

Eat quite a few carbohydrate foods for several days before your walking holiday. This will help load your muscles with glycogen and provide fuel for your body’s needs.  And replenish your carbohydrates as you go.

When the body does run out of carbohydrates then it will burn other elements including fat and then it will go to protein to use for energy output. When your body goes to fat usage for energy your level of performance will drop. When the body goes from fat to protein, it is beginning to take apart muscle mass and will cause performance to further drop significantly.

As you have often heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In European accommodation breakfast is usually included in the room rate and depending on your destination will either be a continental or light buffet. A continental breakfast includes coffee or tea and some sort of bread with jam which is usually not enough nutrition for your journey so you will need to take some snacks with you as well. 

Many hotels offer a breakfast buffet of cold meats, boiled eggs, cearls, yogurts, bread with jam, fruit. This is a great way to start your day. If on a North America walking tour order similar items from the menu.

Also to be considerd as part of your hiking or walking holiday nutrition are snacks such as banana’s, Clif bars, nuts, trail mix  are essential to give your body energy during your walk or hike.

For lunch it is best to go to a sandwich shop or grocery store to purchase items prior to departing for the day. In some destinations like Germany the deli counters of grocery stores will also make sandwiches to order for you. A good resource is Good Food for the Trail: All-Natural Recipes for Delicious Meals Outdoors

An important part of the overall walking holiday experience is to enjoy the local cuisine with wine or beer during dinner.

Hydrate your by drinking often during your hike or walk with water or a sports drink. Ensure the sports drink you choose should have less than 8 percent in total solids which includes both carbohydrates as well as electrolytes. If you go with something that has more, it is not easily absorbed into your body, delaying any benefit it may have. Dilute the sports drink by 50% if they contain over this amount.–

Research has shown that any athlete during an activity under the sun who were provided with water as a means of hydrating themselves only replace one and half to two thirds of fluid loss, while those who were given sports drinks have shown hydration nearly to hundred percent. We lose electrolytes when we sweat. Dizziness, muscle cramps, extreme exhaustion, and irregular heartbeat are the symptoms of electrolytes loss in the body. You basically lose endurance due to low level of electrolytes. 

 
Wilderness Cuisine: How to Prepare and Enjoy Fine Food on the Trail and in Camp (Cookbooks and Restaurant Guides)
Price: $13.95
Pages: 240, Paperback, Wilderness Press

Originally posted 2009-09-28 09:29:59.

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1. Your Accommodation Choice Changes the Character of Your Trip