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We live in a world of hiking nutrition advice that is often contradictory. You’ve seen peanut butter denounced as a “bad spread” in one article and hailed as a protein-packed powerhouse in another. One year high-fat foods are shunned while another year they’re touted as the answer to weight loss, ketosis, and eternal youth.
While hiking nutrition advice tends to be more practical, it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Much of the advice we receive is filtered into the hiking realm through layers of diet culture and sensationalist media. And the truth is, we still don’t know much about how the body works. Digestion, and the effects that certain foods and nutrients have on the body, are incredibly complex and tremendously diverse. They’re rarely the same from person to person. That’s why diet fads like probiotic supplements, intermittent fasting, and even increased protein intake are so poorly understood.
To clear up some of the most common misconceptions, we spoke with Katie Barylski, lead nutritionist at Revival Nutrition Counseling in Boulder, Colorado, and a lifelong hiker. Here are her thoughts on eight common misconceptions.
Myth: Simple sugars are bad for you. Complex carbohydrates are always a better choice.
fact: When people say “sugar” or “simple sugars” are bad for you, they’re mainly talking about processed sugars — the kind of sugar you find in candy and cookies, not the kind you find in sweet potatoes or dried fruit, Barilski said.
“I don’t want to say that overeating has zero adverse health effects. [processed] “Sugar can definitely be a nutritious, satisfying and sustainable part of your diet, and it can really help on longer or more challenging hikes,” she explains.
Simple sugars are a readily available source of glucose, the main fuel for your brain and body. They can boost your mood and keep your energy levels up while hiking. And when you’re in a hurry, you get energy faster from simple sugars, making them a better choice than complex carbohydrates like starches or whole grains. “Complex carbohydrates can cause digestive upset and negatively impact performance,” says Barilski.
Myth: Sugar causes inflammation.
fact: Chronic inflammation, the type of systemic inflammation associated with chronic disease, is a fairly new and poorly understood concept, and while many people tend to point to sugar as a scapegoat, there isn’t really enough research to back this up, Barilski said.
“I think we generally overemphasize the role of diet, when there are many other factors that contribute to chronic inflammation,” she explains. “Stress, discrimination, access to safe and clean water, environment, home life — these factors have a much bigger impact on our health than we think and increase the likelihood of chronic inflammation and chronic disease.” In fact, research shows that diet and exercise account for only one-third of the factors that contribute to our health; the rest are related to genetics and environment, factors that are mostly outside of our control.
Although some research shows that a diet high in simple carbohydrates correlates with increased inflammation, that doesn’t necessarily mean sugar is the enemy, says Barilski.
“Regular consumption of simple sugars as part of a nutrient-dense diet is no cause for concern, especially if you’re protected against other factors unrelated to diet,” she says. In other words, unless you’re suffering from systemic discrimination, lack of drinking water, or chronic stress, your sugar intake is probably just a little low.
Myth: I bonk because I didn’t eat enough on the trail.
fact: Hikers often think of bonking as the result of running out of fuel while climbing, but bonking can actually have a variety of possible explanations, says Barilski. It could also be a sign that you didn’t eat a big breakfast that morning or the day before your hike.
A bonk can also commonly be caused by eating too little. This is common among dieters, thru-hikers, and picky eaters. If you’re operating in a calorie deficit in your daily life, eating a big breakfast may not be enough to restore your energy to a level suitable for hiking.
“Long-term eating habits are important,” Barilski says, “and it’s not just about what you eat that day. If you’re not eating enough or have a complete imbalance in your diet, it can really ruin your hike.”
Myth: Eating a high-fat snack before getting into your sleeping bag will keep you warm at night.
fact: Barilski hasn’t seen any scientific studies on this (probably because there aren’t any), but he’s skeptical of its veracity. He explains that thermoregulation has to do with having a sufficient and balanced intake of macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) throughout the day and throughout your life in general. Even in the short term, having a single snack right before bed is unlikely to have a significant effect on your body temperature. (You’d be better off hugging a hot water bottle or doing sit-ups before bed.)
“If you’re normally in a calorie deficit, you’re much more likely to have a hard time regulating your body temperature than if you’re well-nourished,” Barilski says.
Myth: I should avoid eating protein on a hike because it’s hard to digest.
fact: Hiking-related publications ( Backpacker Hikers are often advised to prioritize fats and carbohydrates on the trail, and the general advice is that the best way to recover muscles is to refuel with protein once in camp, but Barilski says that’s not necessarily the best advice.
“Certainly, focusing on carbohydrates may be more appropriate on high-intensity hikes, since carbohydrates don’t require as much energy to digest,” she says, “but for day hikes or more moderate paced hikes, the best advice is to combine carbohydrates with protein for sustained energy.”
Protein is a little easier to digest than high-fat or high-fiber foods, she says, and pairing protein with carbs (think pretzels and jerky or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich) slows down digestion, meaning less blood sugar spikes and crashes and a steadier release of energy.
“Fats, when consumed along with carbohydrates, have a similarly slowing effect on insulin response,” Barilski says, “but fat is one of the harder substances for our bodies to break down, so eating fatty foods on the trail can increase the chance of digestive upset.”
Myth: Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods are less nutritious than fresh foods.
fact: Contrary to popular belief, dehydration does not cause food to lose its nutritional value.
“[Backpacking meals] “Supplements retain most of the nutrients, minerals, and vitamins,” says Barilski. “However, those concerned about vitamin and mineral degradation can supplement with a daily multivitamin.” She recommends taking vitamins with meals for better digestion and making sure they’re high-quality vitamins. Because supplements aren’t regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), look for “USP” on the label, which is the highest level of regulation available.
Myth: Skipping breakfast before a hike will help you burn more fat.
fact: Intermittent fasting folks, we’re taking note: “Skipping breakfast may affect the type of energy your body uses while hiking, but it’s not the most metabolically efficient option and it’s not without its costs,” says Barilski. “The most likely risks are hitting the wall too early, irritability, nausea, and indigestion.”
Sure, some people can skip breakfast with no ill effects, but most people experience symptoms as a result of low blood sugar, such as lack of energy, irritability, and brain fog (hunger). When blood sugar drops, cortisol and other stress hormones spike, making you feel irritable.
Another problem, Barilski adds, is that fat isn’t the only thing that gets broken down when fuel is scarce.
“Your body also needs amino acids, and you get them by breaking down muscle,” she says. Weight-loss doctrine typically teaches that fat breakdown happens first, and muscle breakdown only happens once the fat is gone. But Barilski says these processes often start at the same time. Our bodies aren’t as picky as we’d like, and there’s really no way to control or target fat burning.
Myth: Losing weight will make you a better hiker.
fact: We often see comments on social media (in this publication and others) that being overweight makes you a worse hiker, and some people seem to believe that being thin is a good indicator of health and fitness. Barilski says these are simply stereotypes that are objectively untrue. A wealth of scientific research shows that weight is not actually a determining factor in health.
“Culturally, we’re taught that it’s okay, even reasonable, to judge someone’s health based on their appearance,” says Barilski. “This is unhelpful at best and harmful at worst. There are many factors that go into weight. Some people can be thin and unhealthy, and some people can be fat and healthy.” So just because a hiker is skinny doesn’t mean they’re okay with not eating well on the trail. Similarly, larger hikers don’t necessarily need to adjust their eating habits or lose weight to improve their hiking performance. And you have no right to make comments about others, regardless of their size.
