More grocery store options.

[Idiot Savant]

The grocery store, where I shop, just moved to a much larger building, meaning selection has increased.
A few things I found, that might work on a canoe trip:
Starkist Smart Bowls- meals in a pouch. A little small. One pouch probably won't be enough for a hungry man. But cheap and don't take up much room.
Starkist Creations- Pouches. Not just tuna, they have beef and, probably, chicken. They go on bread. I'm going to try them on tortillas, since they are easy to take on a canoe trip.
For instance, they have sloppy Joe with beef and Deli style tuna salad. I think they have a chicken salad too, but I wouldn't swear to it.

 

[Blukanu]

I’ve used the canned chicken before for making chicken quesadillas. It’s ok but all the canned/preserved meat has a ‘tuna-like’ flavor to it. I can burn off/sanitize a can of lingering odors better than a pouch.

I use the pouches of tuna all the time for work lunches. Never took them camping because I can smell that from a mile away. Just wonder if the smell of tuna and/or smoked fish wafting through the forest is akin to illuminating the sky with the batman logo for all hungry predators.

 

[clemency]

I use the pouches of tuna all the time for work lunches. Never took them camping because I can smell that from a mile away. Just wonder if the smell of tuna and/or smoked fish wafting through the forest is akin to illuminating the sky with the batman logo for all hungry predators.

Common fare for Applachian Trail thru hikers due to weight. Proteins are otherwise hard to come by on the trail. Never heard of any issues with critters except the common problems that occur around shelters.

 

[Alan Gage]

I've always been more concerned with fat and carbs than protein when I'm working hard on a canoe trip. Lots of stories from the "good old days" when explorers/trippers had all the fish they could eat and still craved more food because they weren't getting the fat and carbs their bodies needed for hard work.

Protein as always seemed to take care of itself in the forms of various foods that fit into the carb and fat heavy diet (nuts, legumes, peanut butter, quinoa, oatmeal, bannock).

Alan

 

[Jmharrick]

I use the chicken pouches quite often on trips for easy quesadillas or burritos. My kids will also eat the chicken right out of the pouch. I just make sure I have an extra gallon ziplock baggie along as a garbage bag for the empty pouches.

 

[clemency]

I've always been more concerned with fat and carbs than protein when I'm working hard on a canoe trip. Lots of stories from the "good old days" when explorers/trippers had all the fish they could eat and still craved more food because they weren't getting the fat and carbs their bodies needed for hard work.

Protein as always seemed to take care of itself in the forms of various foods that fit into the carb and fat heavy diet (nuts, legumes, peanut butter, quinoa, oatmeal, bannock).

Alan

I'm not a dietician, so I'm sure I could be wrong on the whole protein thing. Fats and carbs sounds good too.

 

[Alan Gage]

I'm not a dietician, so I'm sure I could be wrong on the whole protein thing. Fats and carbs sounds good too.

Yeah, me either.

My understanding is that during exercise/activity the body uses fat and carbs for fuel. Protein is more difficult for the body to break down as a fuel source so it's generally used for recovery.

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable could come along and tell me how wrong I am.

I seem to remember PG Downes talking about how hungry they were on a diet consisting mainly of pike as that was all they were able to catch. Whenever they met a group of indians they always tried to procure some whitefish from them, which is much higher in fat content.

I also remember the Moffat expedition eating an incredible amount of fish each day and never feeling full.

The Inuit obviously eat a ton of protein as their diet consists mainly of meat but the meat they eat is also very high in fat.

I'm sure a lot of it comes down to your tripping style as well. I tended to like working hard and putting in long days and I think concentrating on carbs and fat is probably best for that. But with a more moderate pace that probably isn't so important.

Alan

 

[yknpdlr]

If you are going with cans anyway, Dinty Moore, or any other hearty soup, or evn a pouch soup mix cn be made much more hearty and filling with a handfull of couscous during a boil.

 

[Tumpline]

I've always been more concerned with fat and carbs than protein when I'm working hard on a canoe trip. Lots of stories from the "good old days" when explorers/trippers had all the fish they could eat and still craved more food because they weren't getting the fat and carbs their bodies needed for hard work.

Protein as always seemed to take care of itself in the forms of various foods that fit into the carb and fat heavy diet (nuts, legumes, peanut butter, quinoa, oatmeal, bannock).

Alan

I’ve heard it called, rabbit starvation. When the body runs out of fat it starts consuming itself. Woodsmen and trappers suffered in the winter without sufficient fats. Read of on fellow that was known for using a large part of his winter flour making greasy donuts to keep him going.

 

[Idiot Savant]

I’ve used the canned chicken before for making chicken quesadillas. It’s ok but all the canned/preserved meat has a ‘tuna-like’ flavor to it. I can burn off/sanitize a can of lingering odors better than a pouch.

I use the pouches of tuna all the time for work lunches. Never took them camping because I can smell that from a mile away. Just wonder if the smell of tuna and/or smoked fish wafting through the forest is akin to illuminating the sky with the batman logo for all hungry predators.

My sniffer isn't that good, but haven't noticed them to be especially smelly. Certainly not the chicken. If you really want to attract bears, cook up a little bacon.

 

[Idiot Savant]

I watch a lot of those survival shows on the Discovery Channel, etc.. They seem to be more concerned with protein intake than carbohydrates. I wouldn't have thought that, but I'm assuming they know something I don't.
I wouldn't worry too much about fat intake unless it was a really long trip. Short term, carbs and protein are going to be more important. That is, except for taste. Food with a lot of fat tends to taste better. I would live on bacon if I didn't think it would kill me.

 

[Bob B.]

When I have been on long solo trips in the past, my idea was food makes every thing happen. Therefore, calorically dense food was needed. I dehydrate hamburger to aquarium gravel size and add it to many dehydrated pasta type dishes. I cooked with olive oil often and about once a week made whole wheat bannock cooked in lard. I would lose weight on a trip, some times many pounds. However my hunger was satisfied after a meal and felt I had energy to keep on during my trip. Like Alan said, nuts provided good protein , as did peanut butter. But I think what helped me recover from long open water paddles and arduous portaging was the pasta and lard kicking in.

These food items do not take up a lot of pack space and is very light in weight … except the peanut butter. Care must be taken with the lard to keep it from getting warm and runny … oozing into other areas of your pack.

 

[Idiot Savant]

When I have been on long solo trips in the past, my idea was food makes every thing happen. Therefore, calorically dense food was needed. I dehydrate hamburger to aquarium gravel size and add it to many dehydrated pasta type dishes. I cooked with olive oil often and about once a week made whole wheat bannock cooked in lard. I would lose weight on a trip, some times many pounds. However my hunger was satisfied after a meal and felt I had energy to keep on during my trip. Like Alan said, nuts provided good protein , as did peanut butter. But I think what helped me recover from long open water paddles and arduous portaging was the pasta and lard kicking in.

These food items do not take up a lot of pack space and is very light in weight … except the peanut butter. Care must be taken with the lard to keep it from getting warm and runny … oozing into other areas of your pack.

My other main interest is cycling. My understanding is that fats only becomes important on longer events, like the Tour de France and carbs are the way to go for shorter events. I'm not sure where a five day canoe trip would fit in. I add a drink mix, like Accelerade, to my water bottles, so I get a little boost of carbohydrates and protein every time I take a drink. It shouldn't be too hard to find out what pro cyclists eat during stage races. Maybe I'll do a search and post a link sometime in the next day or two.

 

[Alan Gage]

. I'm not sure where a five day canoe trip would fit in.

I'd guess the majority of the day would be zone 1 and zone 2 with short periods of higher exertion on difficult portages or paddling harder than normal when bucking wind or paddling up rapids.

I think fat is important because it's a pretty easy to convert energy source for the body but mostly because it's so calorie dense.

Alan

 

[Art D]

There’s a backpacker on YouTube who says he aims for 100 calories per ounce, and that he typically gets 2,400 calories per 1.25 pounds of food per day. One day included instant oatmeal, three energy bars and a freeze dried meal. He noted freeze dried meals are expensive for long thru hikes and generally unavailable when resupplying at a grocery store and offered up the various rice and pasta based side dishes from Knorrs and others.

 

[Idiot Savant]

You should find some good tips on fueling up here.

I'd guess the majority of the day would be zone 1 and zone 2 with short periods of higher exertion on difficult portages or paddling harder than normal when bucking wind or paddling up rapids.

I think fat is important because it's a pretty easy to convert energy source for the body but mostly because it's so calorie dense.

Alan

Fat has a ton of calories, but the body can't convert it to energy quickly. That's why they don't recommend it for shorter efforts. The fat you eat today fuels you a day or two later. My guess is that you are better off with carbs for a trip of two or three days, but you want fats for longer trips. I took a quick look at a couple videos on fueling for the TDF. Pretty informative. They have professional nutritionists and chefs along to feed the athletes.

 

[yknpdlr]

I find that may be difficult for the gut to accept nutrition in infrequent waves, particularly during high energy requirement long distance paddling race events. As I have said, I provided main meal (breakfast and dinner) high calorie dehydrated meals for my team during marathon Yukon River races, but each individual was responsible for their own intermediate snacks and lunch during the long hours of the day (and "night"). I came to realize my stomach and muscles needed frequent input of lighter faire that the gut could tolerate. I found that cherries were in season and very available in local Whitehorse markets at race time. Snack sausages seemed very popular as well. So I would mount a bowl of cherries on the bow deck where I could easily reach to grab one or two every few minutes. Every hour to 90 minutes or so, something more and different is desirable. A small link of fatty summer sausage, another kind of cut fresh fruit, or a candy bar. Others liked to down a boiled egg or a boiled potato. Another team who traveled with us bought a whole pizza before race start to take and snack on during the first day.

On Lake Laberge:

 

[jdeerfoot]

I remember reading in the Lewis & Clark journals that they learned to use trade goods with the Indians for dogs which their group really liked because the wild game they mostly ate lacked much fat and the dog meat provided it.

 

[Chip]

I’m not a nutrition expert, but I think the Lewis and Clark crew was on the Atkins diet before there was an Atkins diet. After their store-bought food was gone, they ate meat, meat, meat, and lost weight. Of course, they were probably working off thousands of calories per day. I think it points out the value of carbs and a balanced diet.

I’m a fan of sourcing camp food from the grocery store.

So was Chasimos. About twenty years ago there was a character who spent his summers on the rocks near Stubblefield rapid on the Potomac. He was usually naked and moving rocks around in the river (“to help aerate the water”). Some paddlers asked him his name and he replied Chaotic Cosmos, which we shortened to Chasimos. He had a little hut among the rocks, and the story was he was living out there. Somebody asked the naked guy where he got his food. He supposedly got an incredulous look on his face and replied, “at the grocery store, of course.” So there you have it. Source your river camping food from the grocery. But, keep your pants on!

 

[Gamma1214]

...But, keep your pants on!

Hmm... lots of stores around here have "no shirt, no shoes, no service" signs. (imagine a couple of banjos as background music)
I never seen one that says nuthin' 'bout pants.