A Picky Girl's Guide to Eating on the Trail Part One: Day Trips

Not a bad lunch spot! High up on a ridge on Broken Top

During some downtime caused by my almost year-long recovery from an injury, I took a good, hard look at my diet and overall health. Based on the recommendation of my acupuncturist, as well as encouragement from my own improving health during this journey, I cut lots of junk out of my diet including wheat, dairy, soy, and sugar. Caffeine and alcohol were cut back to rare occasions.

Then I started the anti-candida diet and even more junk came out: anything with mold or fungus (mushrooms, fruits like melon, decaf coffee, kombucha); all vinegar except organic apple cider vinegar; starchy vegetables including potatoes, carrots, and beets; processed meats; beans; commercial sauces and condiments... my grocery list became limited to certain veggies, greens, berries, eggs, meat, oils, and nuts.  

The greens in my garden going off in June!

A typical day's meals were eggs and greens or a smoothie for breakfast, a giant salad for lunch, and a salad with something else (roasted chicken, grilled peppers and squash, soup, etc) for dinner. Similar to the Paleo diet (from what I've been told), but with less bacon! After about six months of this new way of eating, I had multiple health issues (like eczema) spontaneously resolve, lost weight, gained endurance, and felt much healthier in general.

But how do you eat like this on the trail? My traditional standby trail food was all of the sudden off limits: chunks of salami and cheese, pita bread, Clif bars, and chocolate!

My first full day trip after all these changes was a climb and ski of South Sister. I packed a salad, a bag of raw almonds and cashews, a bag of strawberries, and some Oskri bars.

Kind of excited to chow down on some South Sister Salad!

South Sister Salad

Fill a gallon zippered bag with the following:

• Mixed greens like lettuce, mesclun, kale, chard, collards
• Tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Red bell peppers
• Avocado
• Roasted chicken
• Strawberries
• Pine nuts

Dress it with some olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon and lime, salt, and some dried herbs.

It was a big-ass, stick-to-your-ribs kind of salad. It filled me up without weighing me down, didn't take up a lot of room in my pack, was easy to digest, and allowed me to be on my way quickly!

I also packed a bag of strawberries and two Oskri bars. The strawberries satisfied my sweet tooth, but they get a little funky in your pack so make sure you eat them during your trip (they won't survive!)

As for the Oskri bars... well, the Oskri bars are simply outrageous. They have two ingredients: coconut and rice syrup. Eating an Oskri bar is sort of like strapping on a jet pack: all that fat and sugar gives you an incredible burst of energy, without feeling all gross or heavy in your belly.

Yes, I like these bars... just a little bit!

My food experiment was a success; I felt well-fueled all day.

Some other ideas for day trip trail food:

• Carrot and celery sticks
• Justin's Almond butter packs
• Spiced, mixed nuts and seeds (try curry powder or pumpkin pie spices -- just add the spices to the bag)
• Beef jerky (look out for the MSG!)
• GoRaw cookies or bars

What do you eat on the trail if you have allergies or other health concerns that keep you from eating typical trail food? Please add your ideas to the comments below!