"Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit--part 1" Planning meals

"Hazelnut Cornmeal Pancakes," "Mediterranean Stuffed Trout" "Barley Corned Beef Soup with Dill..."
The authors of these and similar so-called "backcountry" recipes claim that they were field tested at a 12,000' camp (on an exposed ridge,) after a 14 mile day. I don't believe it for a second. As for the trout recipe, I'm sure that if I'm lucky enough to catch one, I'll dine on it "a la Gollum;" raw, while crouched at the side of the river...
In short, planning my meals and stocking my pantry for this trip is proving to be quite the undertaking. The challenge is to provide your body with the carbohydrates you need to fuel your hike, the complete protein it needs to rebuild the muscle you break down (and provide the raw material to build new muscle,) as well as essential fats, which serve a number of functions. Since your body can convert all of the above into energy, foods from these 3 groups will provide almost all of your calories, or fuel.
In addition, your menu must also provide the vitamins and electrolytes you require on a daily basis and should include antioxidant rich foods to help your body repair and protect against the free radical damage that results from exertion, as well as from the increased UV dosage at elevation.
And I need to accomplish all in about 15 lbs for each trip. Not a problem in Canyonlands, a 5 day trip, but quite a challenge for 10 days in Idaho, as it is tough to cram enough calories (and nutrition) into 1.5 lbs of food a day. So I know that on the longer trips, it will be necessary to carry dehydrated foods. Plenty of prepared, dehydrated/freeze dried meals are available, but these tend to run on the expensive side, and I need over 60 dinners. Plus, few are designed for one, and the flavor leaves a little something to be desired in most cases.
Lucky for me, the "Dean of Dehydration," Frankie 'Two Thumbs' DiCerbo is my ally in this endeavour. Many have been fortunate enough to sample his world renowned beef jerky and sundried tomatoes. In fact, one esteemed chef claimed that his faith in the sundried tomato had been restored after sampling Two Thums' delicacies...
I'll start by going into a little detail for each of those requirements I mentioned above, starting with--

Complete Protein: As I write, Two Thumbs is likely laboring at the dehydrator, or perhaps putting some more steak into his succulent marinade. The resulting beef jerky will provide a very valuable source of complete protein for me on the trail. Dried meat of any sort (beef, turkey, chicken, venison, etc) is an exceptionally valuable food to have with you; only meat offers all 7 of the amino acids (building blocks of protein) that the body is unable to synthesize for itself, therefore making it a “complete” protein.
However, almost all foods contain some amino acids, and if you know how to combine them, you can create a complete protein at a meal. This is easier than it may appear at first-- all types of Dairy foods (milk, cheese, etc) contain the same amino acids. The same is true for all types of Grains (wheat, oats, etc) as well as Legumes (beans, peas, lentils) and Seeds (and nuts.)
To create a complete protein, remember the following mnemonic device that I learned from a vegetarian friend-- Dont Get Left Standing. Any to items from sequential groups served together makes a complete protein. For example an item from the Grains group with an item from the Legumes group, such as rice and beans, or wheat and lentils. Powered milk from Dairy with granola from Grains would also work, as D and G are sequential in the little saying. There are scores of combinations...
Depending on body weight and exertion level, protein requirements will range from 35-75g a day. Vegetarians and those who just don't relish the idea of eating dried meat every day can certainly attain these protein requirements without meat. However, just 3-4oz of jerky a day would easily meet even the highest protein requirements, giving it an exceptionally good nutritive value/weight ratio. Additionally, getting your complete protein in one place means one less thing to consider while planning meals. Protein should make up about 20-30% of total daily calories.

Carbohydrates:
These will make up 50-65% of your total calories. Carbohydrates may be grouped into 2 categories; simple and complex. Complex carbs are whole grains, such as wheat and oats, whereas simple carbs are sugars, such as in fruit, jelly and candy. Because complex carbs take longer to be digested and absorbed, they provide sustained energy--think oatmeal at breakfast. Simple carbs are converted into blood sugar quickly, providing a concentrated, but brief, burst of energy--think a few handfuls of dried fruit and chocolate trail mix before the final hour of tough climbing to a summit.
In short, I usually plan for a mix of simple and complex carbs in the am and aim for complex carbs at dinner to replenish depleted muscles.

Essential Fats:
Will provide 20-30% of your total calories. Good sources are nuts, seeds, olive oil, cheese, and fish. These fats are not only a concentrated source of energy (9 cal/gr for fats, only 4 cal/gr for carbs and protein,) but provide fatty acids that repair damage, are essential for proper neural function and fight inflammation. I plan to eat a lot of nuts and seeds, use olive oil for all cooking, and hopefully catch some fish! It is also possible to carry hard cheeses such as pecorino romano or parmesan for a few days without spoilage. Softer cheeses don't fare as well... Although heavy, the flavor and nutrient boost provided by 6 oz of good Italian hard cheese makes it worth carrying.

Vitamins, Electrolytes, and Antioxidants:
Fresh fruit and vegetables are excellent sources for all of the above, but are very heavy. As a good alternative, I carry dried fruits and vegetables. Apricots, bananas, and plums are all excellent sources of potassium, a electrolyte that you'll sweat out and need to replenish. The other electrolyte you sweat is sodium, which is easily replaced by enjoying a packaged soup (ramen, knorr) a few times a week.
Two Thumbs' dried tomatoes will be an excellent source of vitamins A and C, and I'll also be sure to include dried asparagus, spinach and the like, all of which are vitamin rich. I'm also a big fan of dried berries (cran, blue. etc) as they are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins, and add great flavor to everything from breakfast to trail mix to dinner.

So that's all the nutrition one needs to cram into 1.5-3 lbs a day. There will be more on the specific meals that we're planning after I get a chance to pow-wow with my advisor this weekend. At that point I'll also get into daily caloric requirements and why hiking is the only guaranteed weight loss plan ever!!!!