High energy lightweight foods ?

Rob G wrote

Quoted message said:

like some opinions on lightweight high energy foods, both main meal
and through the day.

Dried banana chips, especially. Dried fruit in general.
Take plenty of water though.

Big plate of pasta the night before.

8 pints and a huge mixed grill afterwards, simply because
you can :-D

Chris

Rob G said:

I would
like some opinions on lightweight high energy foods, both main meal
and through the day.

Well dehydrated food is the obvious choice for main meals. It's so light you
can carry a lot of it.

As for snacks, I'd recommend dried fruit and nuts. Not that light but a high
energy to weight ratio, and much healthier than bars of chocolate or sweets.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

As per other posts, dried fruit is good (try mixing in nuts, seeds and
chocolate drops to make it more interesting). If you fancy something
a bit more satisfying, try malt loaf, fig rolls, jaffa cakes and
Nutrigrain Elevenses bars (I'm not so bothered about healthy eating
when I'm clocking up lots of miles and ascent!). Also have some
Kendall mint cake handy (chocolate coated for preferences) and eat a
chunk five minutes before hitting a steep climb - you'll be surprised
how much of a boost it gives you!

My biggest hint though would be beef jerky - somehow it gives you a
lift disproportionate to it's energy content, especially when you're
feeling knackered and miserable - also it doesn't repeat on you all
day, unlike pepperami! (incidentally, apparently a pepperami contains
"106% pork", which by my reckoning means it should be bigger than it
looks,,,

I'd also recommend some crisps on a hot day - providing you've got
plenty of water.

Cheers

Anth

Please link to: http://www.wheresthepath.com/index.htm

Chris Gilbert said:

Big plate of pasta the night before.

I once read that loading up on carbs only worked if you did it for
several days in advance of needing it, as the body takes time to adjust
to dealing with that kind of food. The article said that at least three
days in advance were required, and that you should take plenty of water
during those days in order to enable your body to correctly process and
store this form of energy.

Any ideas on the validity of this? It seemed to work well for me for
the 2004 Grindleford Gallop, but perhaps it was just the pasta from the
night before rather than the week-long pasta/water regimen.

Quoted message said:

8 pints and a huge mixed grill afterwards, simply because
you can :-D

Oh yes! And because you deserve it!

--
Chris

On 16 Apr, 23:38, "www.wheresthepath.co.uk" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

As per other posts, dried fruit is good (try mixing in nuts, seeds and
chocolate drops to make it more interesting). If you fancy something
a bit more satisfying, try malt loaf, fig rolls, jaffa cakes and
Nutrigrain Elevenses bars (I'm not so bothered about healthy eating
when I'm clocking up lots of miles and ascent!). Also have some
Kendall mint cake handy (chocolate coated for preferences) and eat a
chunk five minutes before hitting a steep climb - you'll be surprised
how much of a boost it gives you!

My biggest hint though would be beef jerky - somehow it gives you a
lift disproportionate to it's energy content, especially when you're
feeling knackered and miserable - also it doesn't repeat on you all
day, unlike pepperami! (incidentally, apparently a pepperami contains
"106% pork", which by my reckoning means it should be bigger than it
looks,,,

I'd also recommend some crisps on a hot day - providing you've got
plenty of water.

Cheers

Anth

Please link to:http://www.wheresthepath.com/index.htm

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

Can I keep the thread going a bit please ?

I'm intrigued by the beef jerky. It would seem from the write up on a
googled site that it is just eaten in strips as you are on the hoof
(!). But can it also be used as the basis for a cooked dish?

The other thing I was hoping I would get from the thread is
recommendations for specific dehydrated foods. There were good ones
and bad ones 30 years ago and I'm sure that still exists. The usual
call without experience is to buy the higher priced ones but that may
not necessarily be the best option.

Another thing I explored was what was the basis of the rehydrating
salts - mixture of salt, baking powder and sugar (again several
googled sites have recipes) but does anyone know if you can get
powdered flavorings as the logical thing to do is to just add a
teaspoon to a mug each time you stop at a burn. Or does someone know
that this is not a good idea ?

Rob

Rob G said:

Can I keep the thread going a bit please ?

Quoted message said:

The other thing I was hoping I would get from the thread is
recommendations for specific dehydrated foods.

I recommend Vesta meals. They're very filling and use real freeze dried meat
rather than the soya protein that you find in many other dried meals.

I also recommend cous-cous, very quick to make (just pour on boiling water
and wait a few minutes - saves a lot of fuel) and very high in energy. Good
for breakfast to give you an energy boost to start your day. Of course, like
Phil Cook, you can prepare it in a more exotic way if you wish.

Those cheap packets of noodles are also very quick to make, just pour on
boiling water and wait a few minutes, no need to simmer.

A lot of dried meals recommend simmering for maybe 12 or 20 minutes. This
wastes a lot of fuel and isn't necessary. Just bring them to the boil, then
cover and turn the stove off. Wait for the appropriate amount of time and
you'll find that it's ready to eat. If it has cooled down too much, you can
always turn the stove back on and give it a short heat boost. Saving fuel is
a very important consideration in my opinion. The whole point of carrying
dried food is to save weight, but if you spend a lot of time simmering
you'll end up having to carry more weight in fuel.

Same principle applies for making cups of tea or coffee. While these are
good morale boosters, too many cups will drain your fuel.

Soups are good to carry too, particularly those 1 pint soups. Very light and
they make a lot. Okay, it's mostly liquid, but it helps to fill you up. You
can bread of course, but lately I've switched to carrying rice cakes to add
to soup. Okay, they're bulky, but they're almost as light as air.

Another thing worth carrying is instant mash (not Smash though, that's too
bulky). Good as an emergency reserve, and also as a soup thickener.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Rob G said:

I would
like some opinions on lightweight high energy foods, both main meal
and through the day.

I would think the nutritional value is close on zero but I find Vesta
Curries light to carry, jolly tasty and a morale booster when I'm
cold. I just put both sachets in and boil the lot up together. I
should think there's energy in the rice.

I should warn that I'm the only person I know who shares the 'Jolly
tasty' view. Also I write this with trepidation in the expectation
that a host of people are about to tell me I'm a fool and taking a
Vesta onto a hill is nigh on suicide!

toad said:

I would think the nutritional value is close on zero

I disagree, they use real freeze dried meat, so it must be better than most
dehydrated meals.

Quoted message said:

but I find Vesta
Curries light to carry, jolly tasty and a morale booster when I'm
cold. I just put both sachets in and boil the lot up together. I
should think there's energy in the rice.

Of course there is. If dehydrated meals had no nutritional value people
would starve after a few days. Obviously this isn't the case. Clearly dried
food is not the healthiest food on the planet, but it'll keep you alive and
well fed for a few days, or even more than a few. And it's probably better
for you than some of the junk that people regularly eat. You can go back to
eating healthy when you get home. A few days living off dried food won't
kill you.

Quoted message said:

I should warn that I'm the only person I know who shares the 'Jolly
tasty' view.

Not any more. I've always recommended them. Best tasting dried food I know
of.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

toad said:

Rob G said:

I would
like some opinions on lightweight high energy foods, both main meal
and through the day.

I would think the nutritional value is close on zero but I find Vesta
Curries light to carry, jolly tasty and a morale booster when I'm
cold. I just put both sachets in and boil the lot up together. I
should think there's energy in the rice.

I should warn that I'm the only person I know who shares the 'Jolly
tasty' view. Also I write this with trepidation in the expectation
that a host of people are about to tell me I'm a fool and taking a
Vesta onto a hill is nigh on suicide!

I'm amazed they're still available. They bring back nostalgic
memories of being a student in the late 70s in a hall of residence
with just a baby Belling counter-top cooker to use. Paella was my
favourite - the curries were ok, as was one of the "Chinese" options
(not the one that had noodles requiring deep-frying tho).

I only day-walk, so I can afford to carry what I like to eat. Imho,
nothing beats a Mars bar on a summit, so I always have one of one size
or another. (They have a similar calories/weight ratio to dried
fruit.) A banana skin is a damned nuisance to have to carry out, so I
only have one at the start of a walk and carry apples or grapes or the
like for a refreshing snack. Along with those go a butty or two and
always, always, some flapjack. Oats are excellent fuel, and I try to
make some porridge for breakfast when I'm out for a day in the cold.

[Oops, forgot to mention the emergency chocolate :-)]

Paul Saunders said:

toad said:

I would think the nutritional value is close on zero

I disagree, they use real freeze dried meat, so it must be better than most
dehydrated meals.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

but I find Vesta
Curries light to carry, jolly tasty and a morale booster when I'm
cold. I just put both sachets in and boil the lot up together. I
should think there's energy in the rice.

Of course there is. If dehydrated meals had no nutritional value people
would starve after a few days. Obviously this isn't the case. Clearly dried
food is not the healthiest food on the planet, but it'll keep you alive and
well fed for a few days, or even more than a few. And it's probably better
for you than some of the junk that people regularly eat. You can go back to
eating healthy when you get home. A few days living off dried food won't
kill you.

Quoted message said:

I should warn that I'm the only person I know who shares the 'Jolly
tasty' view.

Not any more. I've always recommended them. Best tasting dried food I know
of.

Yes, I hadn't spotted your post recommending Vesta's when I made mine
so I put a bit of a negative spin on assuming I was about to get
soundly shouted down for suggesting them. I'd have to agree with all
your points.

I found your point on boiling too long and wasting fuel quite
interesting too. I take no care at all with my fuel use yet it's on of
the heaviest things I carry.

John Laird said:

On Apr 18, 11:32 am, toad <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I should warn that I'm the only person I know who shares the 'Jolly
tasty' view. Also I write this with trepidation in the expectation
that a host of people are about to tell me I'm a fool and taking a
Vesta onto a hill is nigh on suicide!

I'm amazed they're still available.

They said last year in a blaze of publicity that they'd stopped doing
them in the UK, but the last few times I've bought them I've had no
problems getting hold of them at all.

Quoted message said:

They bring back nostalgic
memories of being a student in the late 70s in a hall of residence
with just a baby Belling counter-top cooker to use. Paella was my
favourite -

Paella is tasty _but_ IIRC the beef curry is the largest quantity per
sachet so I always get that.

Paul Saunders said:

I also recommend cous-cous, very quick to make (just pour on boiling water
and wait a few minutes - saves a lot of fuel) and very high in energy. Good
for breakfast to give you an energy boost to start your day. Of course, like
Phil Cook, you can prepare it in a more exotic way if you wish.

Huh, Wassat!

Mmmmm. Cous-cous. Before you go crumble half a veggie stock cube, and
a few porcini mushrooms into the stuff. Add some dried mixed herbs and
a good grind of black pepper then put it in a 500ml container that
Co-op luxury ice cream came in. At your campsite finely slice half an
onion and fry it in a little olive oil. Then add about 750 ml of
water, bring to the boil and add half the pot of cous-cous mix. Give
it a good stir, turn off the gas and put the lid on. Wrap it in your
fleece or spare hat to keep it warm. Wait ten minutes (that's the hard
part) add good drizzle of oil and give it a good stir. Delish! The
other half or the container will do another meal. You could have it
for breakfast but I prefer my morning repast to be porrige a la
ecossaise; half milk, half water and salt. No sugar, no golden syrup.
:-|

Quoted message said:

Another thing worth carrying is instant mash (not Smash though, that's too
bulky). Good as an emergency reserve, and also as a soup thickener.

Yes, you need to get the stuff made only of real potato. Mr Mash is
one brand http://intersnack.co.uk/index.php?/products/mrmash/
--
Phil Cook, last hill: Heron Pike via Nab Scar.

Paul Saunders said:

Rob G said:

Can I keep the thread going a bit please ?
The other thing I was hoping I would get from the thread is
recommendations for specific dehydrated foods.

I recommend Vesta meals. They're very filling and use real freeze dried meat
rather than the soya protein that you find in many other dried meals.

I also recommend cous-cous, very quick to make (just pour on boiling water
and wait a few minutes - saves a lot of fuel) and very high in energy. Good
for breakfast to give you an energy boost to start your day. Of course, like
Phil Cook, you can prepare it in a more exotic way if you wish.

Those cheap packets of noodles are also very quick to make, just pour on
boiling water and wait a few minutes, no need to simmer.

A lot of dried meals recommend simmering for maybe 12 or 20 minutes. This
wastes a lot of fuel and isn't necessary. Just bring them to the boil, then
cover and turn the stove off. Wait for the appropriate amount of time and
you'll find that it's ready to eat. If it has cooled down too much, you can
always turn the stove back on and give it a short heat boost. Saving fuel is
a very important consideration in my opinion. The whole point of carrying
dried food is to save weight, but if you spend a lot of time simmering
you'll end up having to carry more weight in fuel.

Same principle applies for making cups of tea or coffee. While these are
good morale boosters, too many cups will drain your fuel.

Soups are good to carry too, particularly those 1 pint soups. Very light and
they make a lot. Okay, it's mostly liquid, but it helps to fill you up. You
can bread of course, but lately I've switched to carrying rice cakes to add
to soup. Okay, they're bulky, but they're almost as light as air.

Another thing worth carrying is instant mash (not Smash though, that's too
bulky). Good as an emergency reserve, and also as a soup thickener.

Paul
--http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk

Many thanks Paul and others

Vesta packs bring back memories; never used for through-the-week
cooking when a student but often enough when packing at the weekends.
That was 40 years ago and I was hoping that someone would tell me if
they were acceptable still.

One particular memory is living off them for several weeks on end in
remote Turkey and finding that whatever we did the sulphur dioxide
preservative did nasty things for one's wind generation !!! We were
all about as bad as one another so it didn't matter who you were
sharing a tent with.

Rob

toad said:

John Laird said:

toad said:

I should warn that I'm the only person I know who shares the 'Jolly
tasty' view. Also I write this with trepidation in the expectation
that a host of people are about to tell me I'm a fool and taking a
Vesta onto a hill is nigh on suicide!

Quoted message said:

I'm amazed they're still available.

They said last year in a blaze of publicity that they'd stopped doing
them in the UK, but the last few times I've bought them I've had no
problems getting hold of them at all.

They're probably in that aisle in the supermarket to which I pay no
attention. Aka the Pot Noodle zone.

A quick Google turned up a US import site (so obviously lots of ex-
pats reliving their yoof), and the fact that the brand may have been
part of Brooke Bond, or Unilever. No one actually claims to still
make them ! Another top Google hit was Greenpeace who listed Vesta
meals in an article on GM soya.

Officially, they are now Ambient Ready Meals. So now you know.

I'll get me coat...

toad said:

I found your point on boiling too long and wasting fuel quite
interesting too. I take no care at all with my fuel use yet it's on of
the heaviest things I carry.

I've made a 'cosy' for my Titanium Kettle using 2 layers of radiator
insulation foam/foil, with a lid made of the same. I bring the water to
the boil and put in red lentils and bulgar wheat, and bring back to the
boil. I then turn off the stove and put the kettle into the cosy, and
forget about it for 10-20 mins - or even 40 mins if I'm busy with my
tent. I then stir in a packet soup for flavouring (leek and potato is a
favourite). Even after as long as 40 mins, it's still too hot to eat.
It's also handy to leave the kettle in the cosy when eating, to keep
warm and prevent burning of the hands. The cosy is one of the most
useful cooking accessories I have - and I wouldn't be without it!

Jim Ford

Paul Saunders said:

Quoted message said:

I would think the nutritional value is close on zero

I disagree, they use real freeze dried meat, so it must be better than most
dehydrated meals.

Interesting logic.

Judith

Judith said:

Paul Saunders said:

Quoted message said:

I would think the nutritional value is close on zero

I disagree, they use real freeze dried meat, so it must be better than most
dehydrated meals.

Interesting logic.

Perfectly logical for carnivores :-)

I've always wondered why vegetarians want to eat facsimilies of meat
products.
--
Phil Cook, last hill: Heron Pike via Nab Scar.

Phil Cook said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> I would think the nutritional value is close on zero

I disagree, they use real freeze dried meat, so it must be better than most
dehydrated meals.

Interesting logic.

Perfectly logical for carnivores :-)

I've always wondered why vegetarians want to eat facsimilies of meat
products.

So have I, and I generally don't.

"Meat" can include a nice juicy bit of muscle, or a slither of scrotum
or eye-lid. Yummy. That /must/ be better than a veggie meal.

Judith

On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:30:00 +0100, Phil Cook
<[email hidden]> wrote:

|!Judith wrote:
|!
|!>On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:43:10 +0100, "Paul Saunders"
|!><[email hidden]> wrote:
|!>
|!>>> I would think the nutritional value is close on zero
|!>>
|!>>I disagree, they use real freeze dried meat, so it must be better than most
|!>>dehydrated meals.
|!>
|!>Interesting logic.
|!
|!Perfectly logical for carnivores :-)
|!
|!I've always wondered why vegetarians want to eat facsimilies of meat
|!products.

Because for 100,000 years or so humans and our ancestors were omnivores and
ate cooked meet when they could get it because it is a High Energy Food as
compared with vegetables, grains etc. So our taste buds are designed to
like cooked meat. Vegetarianism is a relatively modern phenomenon only
some few thousand years old in India, even more modern in the UK/West.
--
Dave Fawthrop <sf hyphenologist.co.uk> 165 *Free* SF ebooks.
165 Sci Fi books on CDROM, from Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page Completely Free to any
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