Backpacking for someone working around serious food sensitivities – ideas?

[Dena Kelley]

Bob-

Coconut, unfortunately, is a high salicylate food. I miss it so much! I used to use coconut oil, snack on Dang! coconut chips, and used coconut milk as “cream” in my coffee. I really, really want my food sensitivities to resolve because I truly miss some good (and for most people, healthy) foods.  Olive oil, also, is high salicylate. :(

Your recipe looks delicious!

Unsure on whey. Possibly. We never dug down into what I was allergic to when it came to dairy. For most people, it’s cassein. I’ve been tempted to try whey protein and see what happens.

[BC Bob]

Whey concentrate (or perhaps the isolate) would be a good way to get a quality protein if you can handle it.

This is the whey concentrate I use (and like).  The unflavored & unsweetened version should be pretty “clean” of additives.  Grass fed New Zealand cows so they say.

This is the US site of a Canadian company.  Sample pack for $1.99.

Sample Pack – Grass-Fed New Zealand Whey Protein Concentrate

This is a good article that I posted in another thread.  Perhaps a bit to wade through because it is a research journal intended for researchers.  There’s a helpful section (Take-home points) at the bottom.

Protein “requirements” beyond the RDA: implications for optimizing health
Stuart M. Phillips, Stéphanie Chevalier, Heather J. Leid
Journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism
Published on the web 9 February 2016.

Some of the topic headings…..

– Protein nutrition in the aging population
– Timing of protein consumption
– Optimal protein intakes for athletes
– Meal planning for athletes
– Take-home points

“….Athletes appear to benefit from protein intakes as much as 2× the RDA, with a per-meal dose of about 0.4 g/(kg·meal) consumed 3 to 4 times per day. Meal planning should be centred around postexercise protein provision to amplify the protein synthetic response….”

————————————————

Another journal article (pdf file)……

Supplemental Protein in Support of Muscle Mass and Health: Advantage Whey
Michaela C. Devries and Stuart M. Phillips
Journal of Food Science · March 2015

“….Higher protein diets have been shown to: (1) promote gains in muscle mass, especially when paired with resistance training;(2) spare muscle mass loss during caloric restriction; and (3) attenuate the natural loss of muscle mass that accompanies aging. Protein quality is important to the gain and maintenance of muscle mass. Protein quality is a function of protein digestibility, amino acid content, and the resulting amino acid availability to support metabolic function….Consumption of whey protein has a robust ability to stimulate muscle protein synthesis….”

 

[Colin M]

Bob, I’ve tried doing this with dehydrated granola and Muscle Milk and while it gave plenty of energy the taste and consistency was… less than ideal! Does this whey mix pretty well and not overpower the granola or oatmeal with sweetness and weird consistency?

[BC Bob]

I find the whey concentrate mixes pretty well.  I’m happy enough with it.  The one I use is unflavored & unsweetened so there is nothing other than 2g of natural sugars (lactase I’m assuming) in a 30g scoop.  I don’t sweeten the granola either.  I’ve never tried Muscle Milk.

 

[Colin M]

Thanks Bob, I’ll give that one a try!

Muscle Milk is pretty great tasting stuff (on it’s own) as it has lots of fats along with a good dose of protein, amino acids and some all the daily vitamins. Best part is it has 150 kcal per 35 grams so is definitely worth carrying and really helps with big days.

[Sam C]

I was vegan for eight years through the 90s, a time when the food industry was nowhere near where it is today.  Meaning, there were not many prepared/processed/packaged vegan foods on the market and what was available tended to taste like cardboard and had to be purchased from a co-op/natural foods store.  For the most part, back then I simply carried vegan food items that did not require refrigeration:  peanut butter, nuts, dark chocolate, vegan ramen, vegan tortillas, peanut butter, nuts, more nuts, raisins and dried fruits, nuts, vegan meal bars, and peanut butter.  I was not a UL back then but did go stoveless.  For the ramen and other food items like it I simply let them soak in a Nalgene-styled bottle and ate them cold.  Not ideal, not tasty, but survivable for sure.

I have worked in the food industry for longer than I care to admit to and when it comes to allergies have heard it all and only believed less than a quarter of them were legit with the rest being fad/psychosomatic.  Whichever the case, we had to treat each and every “allergy” as though they were real because for those who truly have them a dining experience can lead to a horrifically uncomfortable evening, a trip to the hospital, or even death.  BS or not, they had to be taken seriously; I have my own opinions but don’t judge.

With that, if you know what you can and cannot eat it won’t be difficult to figure out what you can carry on the trail, with adjustment, of course.  For example, if you can’t find anything to snack on then simply don’t snack.  Instead, eat larger meals. If you have to dehydrate and prepare meals at home, well, then that is what you are going to have to do.  Granted, I was vegan by choice but I think my advice still holds:

1.  Change your thinking/frame of perspective.  Instead of thinking in terms of “what I can’t eat/do” focus instead on what you can eat and do.  With a little research and trial/error you might be surprised at how much you can do when you view the dietary restrictions not as a cage but instead as a blank page.
2. This too will pass.  Zen Buddhism aside, you are only going to be on the trail for a short period of time.  If you have to eat raw kale the whole time, so be it.  That’s a heckofalot better for you than Snicker’s bars.  Point being, don’t allow your diet to be the limiting factor.  There is a lot of talk about trail foods, in particular amongst long-distance hikers/thru hikers, but in reality the food is only a part of the experience.

There is more, but those two covered it well.

[Dena Kelley]

Bob- thanks for the superb info on whey protein, I’m going to read it all!

Sam- You make good points- my backpacking trips aren’t likely to last more than a couple days, and I’ll live even if the food sucks. Mostly I just don’t want to bonk (run completely out of energy). I have thyroid disease and as a result I find I bonk hard when I do.  As to psychosomatic on the food sensitivities, for me I’m certain it’s not. I hadn’t even heard of my sensitivities prior to developing them and was in horrible pain for 6 months until we figured it out. Even the meds didn’t help much. I made dietary changes on my own and saw no relief because I wasn’t changing the right things. It was only after eliminating histamine and then salicylates that I finally got relief. But I also see it as a bit of Karmic justice for me, because my boss has a gluten sensitivity (but not celiac) and I pretty much always thought it was in her head. I figure this is God’s way of giving me a dose of empathy.

[Larry De La Briandais]

I think you already know this, but just in case, when you are reacting badly to foods you eat you can react to ANYTHING you eat.  My dad had food allergies/sensitivities and he would get to a point that everything he ate caused a problem.  Only after going back to a known good diet and being symptom free for 30 days (that was the time frame the Dr. suggested) did he then start to introduce one new food at a time.  i don’t remember how long he waited between introducing new foods, but it was measured in days or weeks.  It seems that once you are irritated everything is irritating.  ;)  Good luck on your search for tasty foods.

 

[Dena Kelley]

Larry- I have a core diet I follow that is about 25 foods at this point (all carefully tested). When I do add foods now, I take it from the Failsafe list (a diet designed for people with my specific sensitivities) and I have a pretty good success rate. I do one food at a time, and won’t try anything else new for 3 days as it can take up to 3 days to react to something although it never has for me. I generally know within 24 hours if I’m going to react, as I’ll begin to have stomach or intestinal pain/bloating. I am actually probably being overly cautious at this point, because it’s likely I could eat anything on the Failsafe list and be fine, but after experiencing long term pain I have decided it’s less of a hardship to take my time and do it one food at a time.

Thanks for the info and well wishes!

[Larry De La Briandais]

I was lactose intolerant before many doctors knew what it was.  My Dad figured it out.  So, I understand the frustration when they can’t give you an answer.  Interestingly, I am no longer lactose intolerant.  I have my own theory why, but who knows.  There is a possibility that once you are symptom free for a long time (whatever a long time turns out to be), and have a much healthier diet for you, you might tolerate foods that you don’t now.  And maybe not.  ;^)  Again, good luck on your journey to a healthier you.

 

[Colin M]

Dena, I think we could do a whole thread for support of people with digestive issues!

My entire life I’ve thrown up if I ate much bread, pasta or beer. Stayed away from the bread and pasta but the beer is always a challenge (I can handle 1 IPA or a couple lighter bodied beers)and I scoffed at the gluten free craze. Past few years had been much worse and my MD thought I had arthritis in my hands because of chronic pain (I’m 39). By pure chance I did a 5 day backpacking trip with no gluten foods and had not eaten any gluten for several days before I left. On my way off the Wonderland Trail I realized for the first time in over a year, my hands didn’t hurt! Lasted a couple days until I had 2 IPA’s and they hurt again.

So here’s the funny part. My Dr. said there’s a good chance I’m Celliac and wanted me to eat gluten for a few weeks so they could do the small intestine test. Why the heck would I spend money and make myself feel like crap for a few weeks to do that?! So I just avoid gluten, simple as that. I don’t need a test to tell me it makes me feel horrible. Had 2 cookies the other night and suffered through 5 days of hurting hands and digestive issues, it was a nice reminder.

[Dena Kelley]

“Dena, I think we could do a whole thread for support of people with digestive issues!”

Colin,I think you are right! It’s definitely interesting to see what different people are experiencing, and encouraging to see how many of you are able to backpack despite the intolerances/allergies.

Larry, Years ago I was diagnosed as being allergic (not intolerant- I actually would break out in hives and get migraines) to dairy. And yet now I can consume it. I don’t go crazy but I do use grass fed butter and I do use organic cream for my coffee. It’s interesting how our bodies will change over time. So I am hoping that I will also get over these sensitivities.

[natasha korotkova]

Dena, as a vegetarian with food sensitivities (including gluten) and GI problems, I can totally relate. There are actually a lot of foods I can eat, so it’s not a problem as long as I’m in charge. However, some of the things that I don’t eat are very popular in our culture (think cream or vinegar), which makes eating out challenging.

As far as backpacking goes, home-made meals rule. Unlike trail towns…

 

Couple protein-rich suggestions — if they are safe for you, of course: millet, buckwheat, and tofu/soy in general. Tofu jerky is delicious.

Good luck and stay healthy!

[Dena Kelley]

Natasha- thanks for the protein suggestions. Tofu jerky, I hadn’t even heard of. I’m willing to try it since you say it’s delicious. I actually do like Tofu. I’ve been known- back when I could still eat at restaurants- to order tofu instead of meat with my thai dish because I preferred it. :) Thanks again!

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