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A friend and I are going to be doing the Meanest Link canoe route at the beginning of July this year. I love to cook and generally eat really well on trips, but we have opted no food drops. Weight will obviously be an issue, matched only by a massive calorie requirement.
Ideas for low-weight high calorie foods? Or any other meanest route banter
Last edited by ryanmorin (4/18/2019 8:55 am)
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fish.
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If you're looking purely for efficiency and not enjoyment, you can bring weight-gainers. Most have added micronutrients which will be helpful assuming you won't be eating a variety of nutrient dense foods...they're also high in protein, low weight/high calorie, and are fairly priced when you consider the calories and protein you're getting. Easy to transport, quick to make.
A quick google brought me to these...
One is higher protein per calorie than the other which is good when you consider $$ and the lack of protein options in the backcountry. Ignore the recommended serving sizes it's just a marketing tactic to claim "1,250 calories per serving!"... just look at the calories per gram and protein per calorie (and anything else you'd want to consider)
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Both of those are under 4 calories per gram, which is not particularly impressive; butter is closer to 9, pure carbohydrate is 4. The high protein content is good though.
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rgcmce wrote:
Both of those are under 4 calories per gram, which is not particularly impressive; butter is closer to 9, pure carbohydrate is 4. The high protein content is good though.
But are you going to bring a stick of butter on a trip, and eat it plain? If you're talking purely about highest calorie/gram then yes you'd want to choose a fat source since fat = 9kcal/g, but comparing this to a stick of butter isn't a fair comparison.
Peanut butter, trail mix, homemade protein bars are also all good options... but depending on the person they may find it difficult to actually eat all of the calories that they need. There's an argument to be made about liquid calories being less satiating than solid food; so meal replacement powders like this are a quick and easy way to help maintain caloric needs if OP thinks it will be difficult to do otherwise.
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trippythings thats actually a pretty good idea i've never considered..
Also yes, of course, I will be adding some ffresh fish to the menu
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trippythings wrote:
rgcmce wrote:
Both of those are under 4 calories per gram, which is not particularly impressive; butter is closer to 9, pure carbohydrate is 4. The high protein content is good though.
But are you going to bring a stick of butter on a trip, and eat it plain? If you're talking purely about highest calorie/gram then yes you'd want to choose a fat source since fat = 9kcal/g, but comparing this to a stick of butter isn't a fair comparison.
Certainly not to eat it plain; but I am bringing a stick of butter. If you want to keep your food weight to a reasonable level, you need to average about 4 calories per gram. On that basis, the protein powder makes the grade, but it just makes the grade. It is not effective in raising that average. You went on to list some more effective alternatives -- Peanut butter, trail mix, homemade protein bars -- for that purpose.
With respect to its being less satiating, fair enough, I guess, but my experience is usually the opposite, that is, I am usually looking for more satiating snacks/meals. Tripping is a somewhat different situation than "bulking".
However, the protein content of the powder is good. Getting enough protein is usually a harder issue than getting enough calories.
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I would suggest bringing ghee instead of proper butter. Ghee is clarified so it won't spoil as easily.
As for food, oatmeal or pancakes for breakfast (pancake batter doubles as fish fry batter). Hard cheese and pepperettes, pouched tuna, and whatever else you can cram in a wrap for lunch. Pasta with dehydrated sauce and ground turkey for dinner. Chili also dehydrates great. Soup, hamburger helper, instant mashed potatoes, dried fruit...
Dried apricots are crazy high in protein for their weight.
If you've got the time and don't care too much about taste, making pemmican is easy and bulletproof as a canoe ration.
Look forwards to seeing how your trip goes!
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When we did ours we packed only pre packaged dehydrated meals. Expensive but ultra light. Keep everything organized so you don't really have to think about much when it come times to eat. We also had cliff and protein bars for snacks through the days and protein meal replacement shakes. Keep in Mind the Brent store has no debit. Cash or credit card if you plan to buy anything there. Have Fun.
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Yes I have had Mr. Pigeon at Brent lecture me about how not to rely on debit in the bush before hahah