---
title: "Tips for eating simply and efficiently on the trail"
description: "What should you eat on a trek so your body doesn't suffer, you don't run out of energy and your back doesn't buckle under the weight of your backpack? Tips for snacks, breakfasts, lunches and dinners."
canonical_url: "https://gramino.com/blog/tips-for-eating-on-trail"
last_updated: "2017-07-10"
---

# Tips for eating simply and efficiently on the trail

Authors: David Czempka

Date: 2017-07-10

What should you eat on a trek so your body doesn't suffer, you don't run out of energy and your back doesn't buckle under the weight of your backpack? Tips for snacks, breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

Without proper food we simply don't go anywhere, and on a long trek that goes double. Food will always make up a large part of the weight and volume in your backpack on our trips. Choosing the right food can save you a good few hundred grams, and that's worth the effort and time you put into the preparations.

Good nutrition on the trail is the same as good nutrition at home – a balance between fats, proteins and sugars (enough fiber, vitamins and so on) is simply important. While carbohydrates and fats are important sources of energy, you need protein to build and repair muscle fiber. On long treks you also burn an enormous amount of energy (easily up to 4000 kcal a day), which has to be replaced. Whatever you throw into the kilometer-crusher, you'll burn. And because you need a real lot of food and energy on a trek, it pays to watch the calorie-to-weight ratio (kcal/g). In other words, the amount of energy the food gives you relative to its weight.

## General tips

- Avoid canned food = heavy, low kcal/g ratio, creates unnecessary waste
- Repack whatever you can into your own bags = heavy original packaging, unnecessary waste
- Enrich your diet nutritionally with dried fruit and vegetables
- With a food dehydrator you can easily prepare your own tasty and nutritious meals ([recipes and how-tos](http://www.backpackingchef.com/))
- Choose foods with a short cooking time (fuel savings = weight savings, time savings)
- On short trips you can limit yourself to cold food
- If you can, cook over a fire or on an alcohol stove – you can take exactly the amount of fuel you need, and you can even [make the stove at home](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB1CB1CYhFU)

## Snacks

A very important part of eating on the trail – a constant supply of fuel

- Dried fruit
- Trail mix
- Energy bars (muesli or protein bars)
- Fruit rolls
- Nuts
- Chocolate
- Crackers and chips
- Dried meat
- Sweets
- Freeze-dried cheese

- [Freeze-Dried String Cheese – Chilli 50 g](/p/freeze-dried-smoked-cheese-strings-chilli-50-g.md)
- [Freeze-Dried Farmer's Cheese Cubes 50 g](/p/freeze-dried-farmers-cheese-cubes-50-g.md)
- [Freeze-Dried Blue Cheese Niva 50 g](/p/freeze-dried-blue-cheese-50-g.md)
- [Freeze-Dried Olomouc Curd Cheese 50 g](/p/freeze-dried-olomouc-cheese-50-g.md)
- [Freeze-Dried String Cheese – Gyros 50 g](/p/freeze-dried-smoked-cheese-strings-gyros-50-g.md)
- [Freeze-Dried Ricotta Cheese – Doubravák 50 g](/p/freeze-dried-ricotta-doubravak-50-g.md)
- [Freeze-Dried String Cheese – Greek Herbs 50 g](/p/freeze-dried-smoked-cheese-strings-greek-herbs-50-g.md)
- [Adventure Menu Trail Mix – Turkey, Cranberries, Walnuts](/p/adventure-menu-trail-mix-turkey-cranberries-walnuts.md)
- [Adventure Menu Beef Jerky](/p/adventure-menu-beef-jerky.md)

Try a nutty [trail mix](/p/adventure-menu-trail-mix-turkey-cranberries-walnuts), for example, or [beef jerky](/p/adventure-menu-beef-jerky) from Adventure Menu. Chocolate, protein or oat-and-date bars from [Moonvalley](/b/moonvalley) will give you energy too. Lately we've also become big fans of freeze-dried cheese – you can try korbáčiky cheese strings, either [natural](/p/freeze-dried-smoked-cheese-strings-natural-50-g) or [with Greek herbs](/p/freeze-dried-smoked-cheese-strings-greek-herbs-50-g), [blue cheese](/p/freeze-dried-blue-cheese-50-g) or even [Olomouc Tvarůžky](/p/freeze-dried-olomouc-cheese-50-g).

And if you've got a serious craving for something sweet plus the time to quickly boil water, you can also try trail desserts for those with a sweet tooth – [custard with apple crumble](/p/summit-to-eat-custard-apple-crunch), [rice pudding with strawberries](/p/summit-to-eat-rice-pudding-with-strawberry) or [chocolate mousse with granola and cherries](/p/summit-to-eat-chocolate-mousse-with-granola-and-cherry). For some people it can also be an interesting alternative to a sweet breakfast.

## Breakfast

- Powdered milk
- Granola (muesli)
- Various bars
- Trail mix, dried fruit
- Seeds
- Instant porridge
- Oats
- Tea/coffee
- Cornflakes, etc..

Ready-made oat porridge works great as a breakfast, for example [with dried raspberries](/p/summit-to-eat-morning-oats-with-raspberry), or [rice porridge with raspberries, plums and cinnamon](/p/adventure-menu-rice-porridge-with-raspberries-plums-and-cinnamon) or [coconut rice porridge with tropical fruit](/p/adventure-menu-coconut-rice-porridge-with-tropical-fruits), which is also suitable for vegans. And if sweet breakfasts aren't your thing, the freeze-dried scrambled eggs from [Summit To Eat](/p/summit-to-eat-scrambled-egg-with-cheese) or [Adventure Menu](/p/adventure-menu-creamy-scrambled-eggs-with-ham-and-cheese) are definitely worth a try.

- [Adventure Menu Coconut Rice Porridge with Tropical Fruits](/p/adventure-menu-coconut-rice-porridge-with-tropical-fruits.md)
- [Summit To Eat Morning Oats with Raspberry](/p/summit-to-eat-morning-oats-with-raspberry.md)
- [REAL Turmat Chocolate Muesli](/p/real-turmat-chocolate-muesli.md)
- [Summit To Eat Custard Apple Crunch](/p/summit-to-eat-custard-apple-crunch.md)
- [Adventure Menu Rice Porridge with Raspberries, Plums, and Cinnamon](/p/adventure-menu-rice-porridge-with-raspberries-plums-and-cinnamon.md)
- [Summit To Eat Rice Pudding with Strawberry](/p/summit-to-eat-rice-pudding-with-strawberry.md)
- [Adventure Menu Rice Porridge with Strawberries, Mango and Vanilla](/p/adventure-menu-rice-porridge-with-strawberries-mango-and-vanilla.md)
- [Summit To Eat Chocolate Mousse with Granola and Cherry](/p/summit-to-eat-chocolate-mousse-with-granola-and-cherry.md)

And if you're one of those people who won't even crawl out of their sleeping bag on a trek without coffee, try the travel coffee from [Drip It](/b/drip-it) or [The Brew Company](/b/the-brew-company).

- [The Brew Company Colombia Coffeebrewer](/p/the-brew-company-colombia-coffeebrewer.md)
- [The Brew Company Brazil Coffeebrewer](/p/the-brew-company-brazil-coffeebrewer.md)
- [The Brew Company Guatemala Coffeebrewer](/p/the-brew-company-guatemala-coffeebrewer.md)
- [Drip It Tasting Pack 5× 10 g](/p/drip-it-tasting-pack-5x-10-g.md)
- [Drip It Colombia Sierra Nevada 10 g](/p/drip-it-colombia-sierra-nevada-10-g.md)
- [Drip It Ethiopia Legesse Borsamo 10 g](/p/drip-it-ethiopia-legesse-borsamo-10-g.md)
- [The Brew Company Ethiopia Coffeebrewer](/p/the-brew-company-ethiopia-coffeebrewer.md)

## Lunch

You can swap this around with dinner however you like, depending on whether you feel like cooking or not, and on when you happen to have the appetite, the mood and the time.

- Tortillas
- High-calorie bread
- Cured salami and sausages
- Hard cheese
- Honey
- Peanut butter, jams

## Dinner

- [Freeze-dried food](/c/cooking/food)
- Semi-instant meals (pasta, rice, …)
- Semi-instant soups
- Instant noodles
- Couscous
- Tuna in a pouch
- Powdered mashed potato (potato flakes)
- Pesto

If you've had enough of instant noodle soups and want to lift your lunches or dinners to restaurant level, try the dehydrated meals from [Adventure Menu](/b/adventure-menu), [Summit To Eat](/b/summit-to-eat) or [Real Turmat](/b/real-turmat). There's something for everyone – carnivores, vegetarians, lovers of the exotic and of spicier food.

- [REAL Turmat Cod in Curry Sauce](/p/real-turmat-cod-in-curry-sauce.md)
- [Adventure Menu Chilli con Carne](/p/adventure-menu-chilli-con-carne.md)
- [Adventure Menu Chicken Korma with Basmati Rice](/p/adventure-menu-chicken-korma-with-basmati-rice.md)
- [REAL Turmat Beef Stew (new recipe)](/p/real-turmat-beef-stew.md)
- [Summit To Eat Vegetable Tikka Masala with Rice](/p/summit-to-eat-vegetable-tikka-masala-with-rice.md)
- [REAL Turmat Meat Soup](/p/real-turmat-meat-soup.md)
- [Adventure Menu Fusilli with Spinach and Walnuts](/p/adventure-menu-fusilli-with-spinach-and-walnuts.md)
- [Summit To Eat Chicken Fajita with Rice](/p/summit-to-eat-chicken-fajita-with-rice.md)
- [Adventure Menu KIDS Beef in Tomato Sauce with Pasta](/p/adventure-menu-kids-beef-in-tomato-sauce-with-pasta.md)
- [REAL Turmat Tomato Soup](/p/real-turmat-tomato-soup.md)
- [Summit To Eat Pasta Bolognaise](/p/summit-to-eat-pasta-bolognaise.md)
- [Adventure Menu Cricket Protein Penne in Sauce with Beans, Spinach, and Olives](/p/adventure-menu-cricket-protein-penne-in-sauce-with-beans-spinach-and-olives.md)

## Extras and condiments

- Olive oil
- Small packets of ketchup, mayonnaise, jam, butter
- Hot sauce
- Cinnamon
- Salt, pepper and other spices
- Powdered hot chocolate
- Powdered sports drinks (e.g. [Moonvalley Sport Drink](/p/moonvalley-sport-drink))

[Moonvalley Sport Drink](/p/moonvalley-sport-drink.md)

- [Moonvalley Oats & Dates Bar](/p/moonvalley-oats-dates-bar.md)
- [Moonvalley Nuts and Dates Bar](/p/moonvalley-nuts-and-dates-bar.md)
- [Moonvalley Chocolate Dipped Protein Bar](/p/moonvalley-protein-bar-chocolate-dipped.md)
- [REAL Turmat Chocolate Muesli](/p/real-turmat-chocolate-muesli.md)
- [Summit To Eat Vegan Thai Green Curry](/p/summit-to-eat-vegan-thai-green-curry.md)
- [REAL Turmat Kebab Stew](/p/real-turmat-kebab-stew.md)
- [Summit To Eat Macaroni Cheese](/p/summit-to-eat-macaroni-cheese.md)
- [Adventure Menu Rice Porridge with Raspberries, Plums, and Cinnamon](/p/adventure-menu-rice-porridge-with-raspberries-plums-and-cinnamon.md)
- [Adventure Menu Creamy Risotto with Asparagus and Broccoli](/p/adventure-menu-creamy-risotto-with-asparagus-and-broccoli.md)
- [Freeze-Dried String Cheese – Chilli 50 g](/p/freeze-dried-smoked-cheese-strings-chilli-50-g.md)
- [Freeze-Dried Ricotta Cheese – Doubravák 50 g](/p/freeze-dried-ricotta-doubravak-50-g.md)

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