Download Winter Camping Food

Winter Camping Food
Special Considerations for Food in Cold Weather Environments
Rigorous winter exercise leads to burning up wards of 3600-6000 calories per day (upwards of
two pounds of food). Considering this, increasing your caloric intake is paramount. Increasing
your caloric intake does not mean bringing a fruitcake load of food. It means bringing foods that
are high in calories not necessarily high in weight and volume.
General Food Considerations
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You will be more tired than hungry so make the meal appetizing.
All food items that contain water will freeze. Water is heavy and ice is hard.
Butter turns to concrete so take margarine.
Pre-slice items at home (bagels, salami & cheese).
Pre-cook items at home (ground beef, chicken, sausage).
Repackage everything prior to leaving home.
Use instant ingredients or pre-cooked items (rice, noodles & beans).
One pot meals only! Examples include soups, stews, chili’s, curries, etc.
Minimize any intricate work with your hands needed to prepare food (prep home).
Dry items, or those with lots of fats (no trans fats), remain soft & chewable in cold temps.
A cup with a top (different from your water bottle) helps keep liquids warm.
Cooking Considerations
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Always remember that everything takes more time & fuel to cook due to low temps.
Use lids & wind screens for pots to help transfer heat from stove to pots/pans faster.
Always cook on a level surface and exercise extreme caution around stoves.
Trip leaders must refill stoves & cut wood with an axe.
No stove will be available to cook lunch both days.
Good snacks include GORP, dried or high in fat, items such as brownies or cookies.
Meal Considerations
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Avoid taking fresh fruit, vegetables, & eggs.
Cheese, butter/margarine & meats are staple foods.
Try to take dries foods (cuscus, quinoa, instant noodles & rice, & baked goods).
Ideas for Breakfast (simple, warm, & ideal if containing liquids)
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Eat and drink as much as possible to give you a solid energy/hydration surplus for the day.
Breakfast – have something you can make in a bowl or cup.
Instant oatmeal, with brown sugar & cranberries is an old classic.
Ideas for Personal Lunches
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Make lunches that can be eaten throughout the day (no stoves will be available for lunch).
Dried meats, cheeses, nuts, dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, cookies, chocolate, granola
bars, peanut butter, bagels, crackers are all desirable food options.
Ideas for Dinner
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One pot meals, usually some type of glop/stew.
Consists of a liquid base (soup or sauce), include starch (rice or noodles) some frozen
vegetables, & protein (sandwich meat, cheeses, pre-cooked chicken or tuna, sausages).
o Instant rice combined with a handful of dried fruit and nut trail mix and curry powder
o Cream of anything cup-of-soup mixed with instant mashed potatoes and cubes of
cheese
o Instant Chinese noodle soup with dried onions, peas, celery, garlic powder and soy
sauce
Drinks to accompany meals which are prepared first, to keep you warm while cooking
(Tang/tea/hot chocolate/jello).
References
The Winter Trekker & Camper’s Online Community. Food. Retrieved on Feb 14,
2014 from, http://wintertrekking.com/equipment/food/
Rick Curtis. (2010). Outdoor Action Guide to Winter Camping. Retrieved on Feb
14, 2014 from, http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/winter/wintcamp.shtml
Food Nutrition for Winter Camping
All foods are made up of varying proportions of the three basic food types carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water, vitamins and minerals. Each of the three
major types can be converted into simple sugars and burned by the body to
produce energy but the time required for conversion increases as the complexity
of the molecule increases, so carbohydrates are quicker to convert than proteins
and proteins quicker than fats.
Dietary
Percentage for
Winter
Camping
50%
20%
30%
Food Type
Nickname
Description
Simple Sugars
kindling
5 calories/gram (1,800 cal./lb.) - released quickly.
Complex
Carbohydrates
sticks
5 calories/gram (1,800 cal/lb.) - released quickly.
They are easy to digest. Candy, cereal, bread,
rice, macaroni, dried fruit, vegetables.
logs
5 calories/gram (1,800 cal/lb.) - generally released
slowly. Proteins are primarily used for
maintenance and building of body tissue. Meat,
fish, cheese, milk, eggs, nuts, grains.
logs
9 calories/gram (4,100 cal/lb.) - released very
slowly but are useful because they release heat
over a long period. However, it takes more energy
and more water to break down fats into glucose.
Margarine, nuts, cheese, eggs, and fats from
pepperoni, salami.
Proteins
Fats
Rick Curtis. (2010). Outdoor Action Guide to Winter Camping. Retrieved on Feb 14,
2014 from, http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/winter/wintcamp.shtml
Picture from: http://blog.sublimma.com/health-beauty/howmany-calories-do-you-burn
Picture from: http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/weightloss-tips/10-calorie-burning-myths-busted