Nutrition for Your Next Adventure

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Fueling on the Go…

As an adventurer, you burn an extraordinary amount of calories while on-the-go, which makes refueling essential for optimal performance. Without proper fueling, you will deplete limited glycogen/carbohydrate stores within your muscles, triggering muscle fatigue, poor immune function and a diminished thermoregulatory response (meaning you’ll be more vulnerable when the mercury rises or falls).

Fortunately, the aerobic nature of adventure sports means more oxygen is available to the gut/stomach to aid digestion and absorption of calories. Therefore, most adventurers can replace as much as 50 percent of their expenditure during the event without serious GI detriment.  

In general, aim at an average of 100 calories per hour with the understanding that more calories may be consumed at certain stopping points (e.g., transitions, picnic at the peak, at the finish of a relay leg, etc.). While fat and carbohydrate serve as the body’s preferential fuel during such events, the best foods for consumption during an adventure are those that are compact with the highest energy density (calories per ounce) and that provide a balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat.

These foods can be in the form of “sport foods” such energy bars and gels and sports drinks or non-sport foods like dried fruit and nut mixtures, instant oatmeal, crackers or pretzels, hard candy, vacuum-packed meat, hot cocoa packets, nut butter sandwiches and dehydrated meals/soups. On especially tough sections of an adventure course where heart rate may spike momentarily, be sure to lay off fat and protein, which require more oxygen for digestion. Instead, focus purely on liquid carbohydrate sources like sport drinks that also facilitate hydration. 

Adventurers planning multi-day events that include a prolonged resting period each night need to schedule a higher calorie buffet to help make up part of the energy deficit incurred during the day. The focus of the meal should be carbohydrate (e.g., pasta, instant rice, potato flakes, quinoa) as muscle glycogen stores will be partially depleted; but adding fat (e.g., oil, ghee, nuts, nut butter, parmesan cheese, sour cream powder) will allow the caloric density of your meal to rise without excessively weighing you down.

Balance out the meal with some protein (such as dehydrated ground beef/chicken/tuna, dehydrated tofu crumbles, dried refried bean flakes or textured vegetable protein) and dehydrated or freeze-dried vegetables using spices to enhance the flavor of the meal.

Dinner creations using the above listed ingredients can be packed ahead of time in single-serving bags, which simplifies preparation (only need to add boiling water and let meal cook for a couple minutes) when energy levels are a bit drained at the end of the day.

Start with your dinner base (starch) and then add dehydrated vegetables, meat, tofu crumbles and spices. Label each bag with the amount of water and oil (or ghee) needed for preparation (generally one cup of water is needed for every cup of dry ingredients). Including the calorie content of the meal on the label can also be useful as more energy-dense meals can be consumed when additional calories are needed, such as on longer adventures or on days where climbing or pace was more intense.

Looking to fine tune your nutrition as you prepare for your next adventure? Kimberly J. Mueller, MS, RD, is a registered sports dietitian and competitive endurance athlete who provides nutritional counseling and meal planning to athletes all around the world. More information on her services can be found at www.kbnutrition.comor e-mail her at kim@kbnutrition.com.

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