One of the best things about booting and biking is its green light to indulge in tasty treats, free from self-imposed guilt about too many calories and too little exercise.
What with obligatory cafe stops, foil-wrapped sandwiches, wedges of fruit cake, slabs of chocolate and a few pieces of nutritious fruit, a day hike or ride can rapidly assume the proportions of a carbo-sugar pig-out, justified with the self-satisfied, ” I’ll burn off the calories anyhow.”
But, like most other aspects of food and exercise, there are myths, half myths and complete untruths and everyone has their own particular favourite foods they use to re-fuel en route. So, what do we munch en route and what do we avoid? And do we apply the same rules about eating on the move on a hike/ride as we do for our meals during the rest of the week?
Well here goes and, for the record, this menu is the personal choice of the writer and does not represent any kind of recommendation on nutritional grounds. Hopefully, it will provide a starting point for other favourites, ideas for allergy-free recipes and a forum for debate on the merits and practicality of a healthy lunchbox opposed to a carbo-sugar heavy rucksack:
Wholemeal bread/rolls, spread with butter and filled with cold meat, egg, salmon or sardines, plus salad leaves or cress
Apples, bananas, pears, orange/tangerine slices
Muffins, slab of fruit/cherry cake, foil-wrapped pieces of chocolate (not in not weather)
Water, small flask of coffee (in winter)
JUSTIFICATION?
Obvious personal preferences, like a life-long hatred of margarine and dislike of cheese are important elements. In addition, practical considerations, such as, ease of packing, weight, mess and stickiness also come into play. Carrying fizzy drinks is never very advisable and, as coffee and tea are diuretics they are not necessarily the best liquids to consume if you are planning a day in the middle of nowhere.
So now, have your say. What do you think of this list? What do eat on the move and why? Share your your recipes and nutritional advice for the great outdoors.
Coming soon: recipes for delicious varieties of muffins, cherry and fruit cake.