The Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW Incorporated

Bushwalking Food

About Your Body and Food

Your body is a very complex mobile chemical factory. The inputs are food and water (in various forms) and the outputs are energy, water and waste products. There is a great variety of food available nowadays and the selection depends on personal preferences. The basic requirement is to provide a balanced healthy diet to give you enough energy to complete the walk. This will usually require in the order of 8,000 to 16,000 kilo Joules (kJ)/day for adult males depending on the distance, terrain and your load - about 10% less for women. The costs can be minimised by using 'Home Brand' products. A small packet of noodles costs about 20 cents.

Ideally, the food should be light in weight, have high energy value, be easy and fast to prepare (5 minute noodles), palatable, not fragile, not bulky and not spoil in hot weather whilst sitting in your pack. With freeze-dried and dehydrated foods now readily available in the shops, the day of the modern gourmet bushwalking cook has arrived. Just add water, wait, heat and eat. Nothing could be simpler ! Some clubs have a dehydrator so when you become a member ask if you can use it and for the recommended heating times for the various vegetables and meats. (The secret is knowing how thin to cut the slices.)

For those times when you're extra hungry, take along some (two) high energy food bars or a small pack of sultanas or dates and nuts. These may also be used for emergencies if your group get forced to spend another night in the bush. Always leave something to eat in your pack.

The secret is to eat small amounts often. Keep topping up your energy intake. Adopt the same principle for drinking water. Your engine needs both to perform efficiently.

Be careful when using water from rivers and creeks

Food for Day Walks

Basically take what you like, as long as you can carry it. You may decide (as some clubs do) to leave a picnic in the cars for when the group returns - all hungry and thirsty. It provides a great opportunity for discussing the highlights of the day and what is happening next weekend. Remember that your body requires water to convert the food into energy so make sure that you have a drink after your lunch (not before as it dilutes your gastric juices).

Food for Weekend Walks

Select what you need and then put meal-size portions into small plastic bags which are then placed into a larger bag to keep dry. Take only what you will need. Don't take whole packets if you will only use half. Minimize tinned food. A good leader will ensure that water can be found near to your camp site or at creeks along the way so don't carry more than 2 litres unless you're heading for a 'dry' camp.

Usually you will start the walk on Saturday morning, so that you need to cater for Saturday lunch and dinner, and Sunday breakfast and lunch. Fire bans during the summer may prevent the use of camp fires or stoves. Check with your leader. Share your stove with a friend. It helps to reduce the weight by one stove but more fuel is needed. The following is a small list of some of the foods observed on recent walks. Check out your local supermarket for other foods.

Refer to bushwalkers favorite recipes.

Breakfast

- cereals (Eg. rolled oats, Weetbix, muesli, etc)

- meat (Eg. sausages, bacon) or vegetarian (yogurt and fruit packs)

- drinks (Eg. tea, coffee, water (drink at least 500ml of fluid to prepare for the day)

Morning tea

- fruit, nibbles, cake, assorted pastries (from that shop we stopped at this morning)

- high energy snacks (Picnics, Marsbars, honey logs, apricot bars, etc)

- drinks - usually water

Lunch

- meat (Eg. salami, sardines) or vegetarian

- cheese, salads, sprouts, tomatoes,

- bread, cracker biscuits, pita bread (thin,flat and round)

- fruit (Eg. apple, orange - something that won't spoil in your pack - like bananas)

- drinks (Eg. tea, coffee, water, fruit juice)

Afternoon tea

- fruit, nibbles, barley sugar, sweets

- high energy snacks (Picnics, Marsbars, honey logs, apricot bars, etc)

- drinks - usually water

Dinner

Entre (for happy hour) with Robinsons and Rum

- Smoked salmon pate on cracker biscuits (or anything else)

- tinned oysters

- cheese slices on cracker biscuits

Main course

- Cup-a-Soup (to warm you up whilst waiting for the fire to die down)

- meat (Eg. dehydrated mince) or vegetarian

- mashed potato, pasta, rice, spagetti, sauces, noodles with ....

- vegetables (Eg. peas,beans,carrots, onion, dehydrated .....)

Dessert

- fruit (Eg. dehydrated apples, peaches, ...) and custard

- dumplings and caramel sauce

- pancakes with honey or jam (also great for breakfast)

After dinner

- mints or mint slices

- assorted sliced cheeses and cracker biscuits

- wine, port, Baileys Irish Cream, etc

Miscellaneous Checklist

Milk powder, condensed milk, yogurt

Sugar

Salt, pepper

Herbs, spices, sauces, dips, spreads, cheese

Honey, jam, peanut butter, vegemite

Bread, crisp breads, pita bread, rice cakes

Biscuits, cake, fruit slices

Nuts, chocolate, jelly beans, sultanas, dates, dried apricots

Sprouts, capsicum, garlic, onion, tomatoes

Custard powder, pancake mix, dumpling mix

Pate, tuna, salmon, sardines, oysters

Pre-cooked + frozen stews, sausages, steak

Dehydrated fruit, vegetables, meat (for long trips)

Reading the above list could lead to an impression that bushwalking is more about eating than walking. I would suggest that bushwalking increases your appetite and food cooked over a camp fire tastes much better than a meal cooked at home.

Contributed by Nuri Chorvat