Keto on the Trail: Hiking Through High-Carb Territory

I never expected our hike to turn into an endless search for avocados. I thought that resupplying would be a breeze, that local diners and grocery stores would have plenty of keto-friendly foods we could eat as we worked our way down the trail. Man, was I ever wrong.

Our typical dinner.

My husband and I came to the low-carb way of eating fairly recently. After our attempted thru-hike last year, we predictably regained the weight we’d lost.  The cause wasn’t anything mysterious, just our suddenly sedentary lifestyle combined with a reluctance to restrict our appetites (being able to eat whatever you want on the trail is fun). But along with the unwanted weight, we both developed serious medical issues we needed to address.  So, taking our doctor’s advice, we decided to go low-carb.

The theory behind low-carb eating makes sense if you’re a hiker. By restricting your carbohydrate intake, you force your body into ketosis, i.e., fat-burning mode.  This is exactly what happens on a thru-hike when your body can’t keep up with the energy demands; it uses your fat for fuel.  So by following a low-carb diet we’d be replicating our experience on the trail — but without the grueling hike.

It sounded great and worked even better.  We instantly dropped the weight.  Our health immediately improved.  (My painful bursitis disappeared, and my husband got off his blood pressure and cholesterol meds.) We were sold. The Standard American Diet (SAD) became history in our house.  We were committed to following the low-carb way of eating long-term.

But as we prepared to return to the trail, we had a couple of questions.  First, did we need more carbohydrates for energy while hiking? And secondly, exactly what were we going to eat?

The answer to the first question turned out to be no. Studies show that once an athlete’s body is fully keto-adapted, fat works as well or better than carbs for fuel.  There is no need to carbo-load.  You don’t need those raisins and M&Ms. (And our experience bore this out. We had no problems with hunger or fatigue during our hike despite our limited carbs.)

The second question was more difficult, but since we were doing this section with car support, we didn’t need to worry about weight.  We just needed quick, easy, non-cook food we could store in our coolers and stay within the 20-50 carbs per day range. We settled on the following foods:

Breakfast: deli meat and cheese, avocado, precooked bacon, tomatoes, coffee or tea.

Snacks on the trail: assorted nuts (with coconut thrown in to add interest), Manchego cheese, hard sausage, low-carb protein bars, electrolyte drinks.

Dinner: canned tuna or chicken, healthy mayonnaise, more avocados, olives, tomatoes, flax and chia seeds, blueberries and cream.

Since we had cars, we expected to eat dinners out whenever possible to break the monotony of our diet and fill in the missing gaps.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.  It seems there’s an appalling lack of low-carb options in rural America, which is ironic.  Back in my grandparents’ day, high-fat eating was the norm, especially in little towns.  Meals consisted of fresh vegetables (usually homegrown), free-range, grass-fed everything, all slathered with plenty of fat.  But in the last two generations American food has changed drastically. Everything is now processed, devoid of healthy fat, and filled with sugar and starch.

And every place was the same – local diners, chain restaurants, it didn’t matter.  Everything came breaded and served with potatoes.  We couldn’t find a dish without carbs. Organic beef? Spinach salad? There wasn’t a chance.  (And there are only so many hamburgers I can eat without a bun.)

Which is how we found ourselves on an endless quest for avocados, searching in vain through piles of overripe fruit in every small-town market we could find. It wasn’t just daunting. It was darned near impossible.  There didn’t seem to be anything we could eat.

And after several weeks without variety, we became thoroughly sick of our food.  I began regarding my cheese with loathing. The sight of my sausage made my stomach turn. And I could barely choke down those avocados, a food I have always loved. We were more than bored, we were losing our appetites — which we definitely couldn’t afford.

So now we’re back home, gearing up for the next phase of our hike — and I need ideas.  If you follow a keto/Atkins/low-carb diet, I’d love your input.  Any suggestions about what we might take on the trail?  Because pizza and subs aren’t an option, even if we are hiking through a low-carb wasteland.  Keto works.  We aren’t abandoning our diets.  But we desperately need to vary our meals.

 

 

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Comments 34

  • Shirley : Jul 11th

    Hi Gail,

    As a newbie to Keto life and a 2019 AT thru-hiker, I too am worried about food on the trail.
    Since you have access to coolers can you use prepared guacamole instead of whole avocados? Boiled eggs, turkey jerky?

    I’m sketching out my menu and trying different options while in the land of a/c and grocery stores. I plan to heat water, so that adds dehydrated and powdered foods to my options.
    Would love to keep in contact so we can bounce ideas back and forth.
    HYOH
    Shirley

    Reply
    • Gail Barrett : Jul 11th

      Hi Shirley. Guacamole is a great idea, and I’ll add that to my list. Part of the problem, though, is that even with car support, refrigerated food only lasts so long. Then I’m back to resupplying from stores in little towns, which has proven to be hard. I didn’t worry about eggs this trip because I assumed (wrongly) that we’d be able to find omelettes easily enough. Unfortunately, we were always on the trail by breakfast time, and we couldn’t find many restaurants that would serve omelettes for dinner (Mojos in Damascus did, but it was an exception). There weren’t any IHOPS where we were. I’ve been looking at jerky but haven’t found any that is sugar-free. And I just found out that sausage contains gluten, so we probably need to limit that… This is frustrating, but I’m determined to find a way through. I’d love to keep in touch, so if you discover anything, let me know!!!!

      Reply
      • Melinda : Jul 12th

        We make a delicious dried sausage called jagerwurst that is gluten-free. It does contain a little sugar . It is delicious! Working on a sugar free formulation. And we do ship

        Reply
        • Gail Barrett : Jul 12th

          I’ve been looking for gluten free sausage. How does it hold up in the heat?

          Reply
        • Ron : Jul 13th

          I’m intrested in your sausage could you send me the link ?

          Reply
          • Matt : Jul 24th

            That’s an interesting pick-up line.

            Reply
      • Evan Parker : Feb 2nd

        If you can find a recipe you like I might suggest pemmican, it’s basically carb free, loaded up with fat and protein, and when made correctly will last a long time. Only downside is it can be bland.

        Reply
      • Melissa : Sep 23rd

        Just FYI, but IHOP mixes pancake batter into their scrambled eggs and might do the same with omelettes. You have to specifically ask them not to, and even then I’m skeptical if they follow through. Plain fried eggs there are the safest bet.

        Reply
    • Gail Barrett : Jul 11th

      Oh, I should add that a couple of the hotels we stayed in included breakfast, and if our hike wasn’t too long that day we waited for that. But I doubt the eggs they served are real. I’m sure they are reconstituted, so who knows what else they contain.

      Reply
  • Bill : Aug 21st

    I have been keto for 2+ years. These are what I take. Cured meats such as bacon, country ham, salami pepperoni. Fresh eggs (in shell). Pemmican or you can brown ground beef and incase in butter, won’t be as stable long term as pemmican but I have kept it for a week. Canned or pouch meats and mayo packets. Trail side ham salad is great. Olive oil. Jerky. The best option is intermittent and extended fasting. People will think you are crazy but your food bag will be lighter than everyone else’s.

    Reply
    • Gail Barrett : Aug 22nd

      Thanks for the suggestions, Bill. Where do you get your pemmican? I love the idea of intermittent fasting because of the benefits to the brain. I’ve been trying it at home (6-18), but I have trouble getting enough calories and protein in just six hours and find that I lose too much weight. Has your weight stabilized?

      Reply
      • bill : Aug 24th

        i have made the pemmican. i prefer the ground beef and butter. my weight has plateaued. I Still have a bit to lose.

        Reply
        • Gail Barrett : Aug 24th

          Thanks, Bill. I’ll look up some recipes. One thing I love about keto is that I don’t get as hungry while hiking. My blood sugar remains stable throughout the day, so it seems I don’t need to eat as much, and I still have energy. Unfortunately, I do have to be careful not to lose too much weight. I don’t mind being skinny, but I don’t want to look skeletal. But that’s a problem regardless of diet. Last year on our attempted thru-hike I got very thin while eating carbs, so that’s not the cause. I just have to be careful that I don’t get bored with my food and eat even less when my energy expenditure is so great. I appreciate the suggestions so I can mix things up.

          Reply
    • frank adams : Jun 30th

      Could you share some of your experience with Intermittent fasting and Keto combo on an extended hike? Just got rid of my Diabetes with this diet combo and not sure about it on a long trail.

      Reply
  • DeeHikes : Oct 1st

    You can buy any protein freeze dried in #10 cans so you can make up your own freeze dried meal packets: freeze dried eggs and sausage, onions peppers, bacon; freeze dried bone broth w/ meat and veg, Keto gravy, meat, w/LC veg, etc. Carry plastic bottles olive oil, coconut oil. Make your own fat bomb bars using coconut oil, whey,, collagen, stevia, cocoa powders, flavorings, ground nuts, freeze dried berries 300-600 calories each. Use Indian spices or dehydrated cream base for dehydrated spinach, green beans, sausage gravy, etc. Make your own green drink protein powder concoctions w/spinach powder, spirilina, kale, whey, peanut butter powder. Get squeezable natural peanut or nut butter packets. Dehydrated bone broths. Pick up fresh veg, fruit or berries in town, make sure they have hard exteriors, cucumber, unripe tomato, apples, oranges etc, or pack in sealed rigid plastic containers or bubble wrap. Dried meats, salami, jerky, meat sticks, or packets, such as tuna, or salmon, or any nuts you like, hard cheeses or cheese sticks. Some people eat the same thing every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the trail, but eat like crazy on town stops. There’s no reason why you couldn’t order a pizza or a sandwich or taco and pile everything but the bread/tortilla onto a salad with a fat or dairy based dressing. Also, ask for extra cheese often, and order sandwiches protein style with a lettuce wrap instead of bread, buns, or tortilla (very common to do this these days). Many proprietors will accommodate that kind of request. Thru hikers often eat all the butter pats or oil dressings they can get when they eat in towns, and then ask for extra, & order extra side dishes of veggies/salads. You can also find coconut based wraps and carry those with you.

    Reply
    • Gail Barrett : Oct 2nd

      Thank you so much! This is exactly the information I was looking for. I’ll check for the dehydrated things, especially, right away.

      Reply
      • Willow R. : Sep 24th

        The suggestion of a drink powder got me thinking — I know this is something even non-keto hikers try to pay attention to, but are you certain you’re getting enough electrolytes, especially on the trail? I mention this because 1) I’ve found electrolyte imbalances really kill my appetite and make the thought of food nauseating, as you described, and 2) I recently started keto and found “ketoade” (an electrolyte drink) to be life-changing. I figured I was fine, because I was eating so many salty foods, but the before/after of that first 16oz of electrolytes was like night and day. It’s not just about getting sodium, but also potassium & magnesium. If you haven’t looked into it, you might want to try a ketoade and see if that helps a little with the appetite.

        Though of course, eating the same foods every day sucks no matter what!

        Reply
        • Gail : Mar 29th

          Yes, I take electrolytes. They make a huge difference!!!!

          Reply
  • DeeHikes : Oct 1st

    Oh, and I forgot to add, fats will not take you out of ketosis, but if you’re practicing Intermittent Fasting, and consume meats, the protein stops curative autophagy that would kick in after about 24-48 hours of fasting in most people, although it sometimes takes longer than 2 days to kick in. You would still get IF blood sugar results by not eating for a shorter period of time though. The key would be to consume as much fats as possible so your body doesn’t cannibalizes its own fat stores, and then you’d end up not losing so much weight. Dr Mercola makes Ketogenic diet enzymes, named Ketozyme, to help the body assimilate fats and nutrients, especially good for those of us in the 50+ range doing LCHF.

    Reply
    • Gail Barrett : Oct 2nd

      Right, the protein would convert to glucose, correct? So far I’ve only done the 16/8 type intermittent fasting, but never while hiking.

      Reply
      • Melissa : Sep 23rd

        Protein is only converted to glucose on an as-needed basis. Excess protein will not create excess glucose. It’s a demand driven process, not a supply driven one.

        Reply
  • Brooks O'Dell : Jan 30th

    I’ve been on a paleolithic ketogenic diet (carnivore diet) since around October 2018 to treat my auto-immune disease, and I too am worried about my diet while attempting a thru-hike. I’ve been happily eating almost exclusively beef since I began the diet. I plan on taking advantage of mail drops as much as possible, but I’m a bit worried about the resupply options. I plan to rely mostly on canned tuna in EVOO, salmon, and spinach. I also plan to take 16oz containers of both EV Coconut and Olive Oil. A great way I’ve found to consume large amounts of coconut oil is by combining it with green tea. Very similar to Bulletproof coffee. I use a Stanley french-press to make my tea with Matcha powder, and then just add as much coconut oil as I can tolerate. I actually really enjoy it. It makes the tea thick and milky and is perfect for a ketogenic breakfast. I would definitely recommend a camping French Press, as they make it much easier to get the coconut oil to merge with the hot water. Just give it a violent shake for about 15 seconds. If not, the oil will sit on the top and it’s less than ideal. Other than that I just plan to take chugs of olive oil throughout the hike and get my protein and vitamins from canned foods. I’m also taking Flaxseed Oil capsules to balance out my Omega 6 intake. I’m sure it will get pretty monotonous over time, but it will actually be more variety than I’ve had in months.

    Reply
    • Gail : Mar 29th

      Let us know how you do. Good luck!

      Reply
  • Laura Leonard : Feb 7th

    I have recently discovered Next Mile Meals. They are keto dehydrated meals. I haven’t tried them, but the ingredients are good, and a hot meal on the trail would be welcomed I’m sure. I am looking forward to ordering a few before our next trip to try them out.

    Reply
    • Gail : Mar 29th

      Wild Zora is another good one.

      Reply
    • Chris : Apr 15th

      Me too. And I’ve had them– they are pretty tasty, and a great palette on which to paint with other keto-friendly additions such olive oil, ghee, coconut oil, cheese, jerky– you get the idea. Convenient, tasty and healthy.

      Reply
  • Lawrence Constantino : Oct 5th

    Will be doing our annual section hike Oct/Nov 2019, miles 368 – 502 on the aT. This time what’s new other than rain gear is a keto diet.
    Breakfast – trying out ‘Next Mile Meals’ sausage scramblers, instant coffee (ok, Starbucks instant) with heavy cream powder.
    Lunch – Trader Joe’s (3) crispbreads (gf), topped with either Trader Joe’s Valencia peanut butter, or avocado and tuna.
    Snacks – perfectketo bars (2/day) and 4oz seeds and nuts allowed.
    Dinner – ‘hamburger helper’ stroganoff or lasagna both of these I pitch out the pasta and substitute with ‘low carb bread co.’pasta 2oz/meal, and each fortified with dehydrated spinach, mushrooms, heavy cream powder, and (sour cream powder for stroganoff), then add about 3/4c. Mtn house freeze dried ground beef.
    Also third option my wife’s pork sausage kale stew, then add can of diced tomatoes with green chillies and put in bone broth powder, all of which I dehydrate and vacuum seal.
    Use only Esbit stove to boil needed water to add to vacuum sealed meals in pot with pot cozy.

    Reply
    • Gail : Mar 29th

      Great suggestions! I love Perfect Keto Bars.

      Reply
  • scubasteve : Mar 26th

    Hi Gail,

    Have you ever heard of “bulletproof” coffee, or butter coffee? It seems like this may be exactly what you are looking for!

    By combining MCT oil (coconut oil) and ghee (clarifies butter) with black coffee, you will get all the healthy fats you need to sustain your energy on the trail and keep your mind clear. I use organic grass-fed ghee and organic virgin unrefined coconut oil and whatever coffee is handy. I tend to have trail coffee daily as is, so adding fats seemed perfect! Big thanks to my friends for putting me on to this.

    Its okay to drink while fasting as it’s carb free and promotes ketosis/autophagy! To avoid severe autophagy from long days on the trail as thats a concern of yours, you can increase your dosage to prevent diving too deep into the body’s fat stores. You’ll find yourself able to intermittent fast with ease, and capable of much longer fasts if required. They say to start with a teaspoon of each and work your way up. It’s common for some to consume multiple tablespoons of each as you become more fat-adapted. One can sustain multi-days fasts or grueling hikes with a few bulletproof coffees throughout the day. Decaf can be used too if caffeine throughout the day is a concern. Or combine a bulletproof in the morning with some of those keto meals you’ve described once you feel the fats wearing off and you may enjoy them for the duration. One cup with a tablespoon of each has about 265 calories and 28 grams of fat. One thing to note is the fats and water won’t mix on their own. Most people use some sort of blender while at home to make it very creamy and frothy but I’ve found you can accomplish the same by shaking a mason jar, perfect on the trail. Hope this helps!

    Best wishes on all your adventures!

    Reply
    • Gail : Mar 29th

      Thanks for chiming in. Yes, I do know about Bulletproof coffee, and it’s a great idea. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I use Bulletproof’s MCT oil in my tea. (My husband does the coffee). We usually don’t like taking the time to heat water for breakfast, though, unless we are day hiking and staying in a hotel. We always carry food like that when we do. I did try Keto Bricks, which are a meal replacement with lots of MCT oil in them, but found them pretty unpalatable and hard to eat (they do work nicely if you melt them down and use them in fat bombs or other desserts). They aren’t a Bulletproof product but are great for energy.

      Reply
  • Goldilocks : May 15th

    WalMart sells a Keto Coffee and Keto creamer (to add more fat)–get a mini-frother to froth it up in the morning (mine only weighs 10 oz–worth the weight!). You can add stevia and/or cacoa powder to this to have variety.
    Are you not sending re-supply boxes to different stops along the trail?
    Next Mile Meals are good (add extra butter, dehydrated kale or broccoli and cheese to some of them for more fat) and i also pack dehydrated meals that i make myself–dehydrated zoodles, riced cauliflower w/different meats (ground beef, chicken, tuna, salmon-either dehydrated or in packets, other dehydrated veggies (broccoli, corn, tomato, peppers etc), sauces (tomato or alfredo). butter. cream–yum! i add bone broth protein powder to most of my meals. Zoodles w/beef tomato sauce — add shelf stable parmesan cheese on trail–great meal–so many options. Clean up is easy too as i follow the freezer bag method.
    Dehydrated chili rehydrates well to put in a coconut wrap w/some dehydrated cheese for lunch— add the hot water to the bag of chili in the morning, put in the cozy and by lunchtime it is reconstituted, still warm and ready to eat.
    For breakfast other than an RX bar slathered in Almond, Cashew, Macadamia or Sunflower butter — make a “no-oatmeal” – dehydrated coconut milk, chia seeds, ground flaxseed, dehydrated blueberries — when cooked and ready top w/ Lily’s choc chips, more nuts, coconut flakes etc.
    Jerky stick, cheese sticks, baby belle cheeses, cheese crisps, olives in single serve packages, nuts.
    So it does take more planning to stay keto as a backpacker–worth it though–i’m always dehydrating something to add to my pantry–for example when berries are 3 packs for $10–one is dehydrated, one is frozen and one is eaten….and i am always looking for deals on those items that have a longer shelf life. Some things after dehydrated go into the freezer.
    Check out the Ketogenic Backpacker group on FB for more ideas–many post photos of what they pack and how they plan for long treks.
    Happy trails!

    Reply
  • Tre : May 21st

    Pork rinds, low carb tortillas, organic peanut butter with blackberries, tuna packets in oil, chicken packet with ranch dressing and Parmesan cheese, Nick’s Keto Snack Bars, Next Mile Meals, almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts.

    Reply
  • DeAnne : Jan 8th

    I’m dehydrating my own meals. I made a coconut curry dish with chicken. Tastes better than Next Mile meals version imo which wasn’t my favorite. The other flavors are very good though, just too expensive to rely on. I’m going to make chili (no beans) and not sure what else. Noatmeal is good for breakfast. Put all the ingredients in a bag with some heavy cream powder and when ready to eat, just pour boiling water into the freezer bag. I add butter or you could add oil. I’m hiking a section of the AZT in Mar/Apr this year.

    Reply
    • Gail Barrett : Jan 9th

      I’m coming to the conclusion that dehydrating your own meals is the best way to go. It’s cheaper and you can control what goes into the dish.

      Reply

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