Eating on the Trail: Three Essential Food Tips for Hiking

Have you ever been the one who plans an event with family or friends, and ruined it? It's definitely not fun. You're just trying to have a great time and do something different, and you miss one step in the plan and people don't enjoy it. Well, hiking is a great activity to do with your family, but they will get hungry, and it is your responsibility to bring some good food to keep them energized, that won't go bad on the trip and hopefully tastes good. Sound tough? Not at all...Read on:

Fruits Are Best

Fruits are an excellent choice for hiking. Fresh fruits and dry fruits will both work just fine. Things like apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, plume, peaches, etc. are very nutritious, they taste good, and give plenty of energy from natural sugars and essential vitamins. They can go bad if not taken care of, but just be sure to do these 3 things before you go:

1) Wash each piece of fruit before you leave

2) Make sure they are ripe enough

3) Pack them in a bag, roll it up and put it on top of the rest of what you packed to prevent bruising

Also, avoid fruit that spoil quickly like strawberries, blueberries and even some bananas if you're going on a long hiking trip. If you'll be out for one day only, you should be fine with just about any fruit, provided it isn't too ripe when you leave.

Trail Mix and Other Dry Goods

There are some really great tasting dry goods to take on hiking trips that can't spoil, have lots of protein and taste good, too. It is fine to bring things like saltine crackers, chips and pretzels, but it is much better to avoid things with high levels of sodium to prevent dehydration. (Remember to bring enough water for everyone, too!) Trail mix is a common hiking snack because it has protein from assorted nuts, raisins and sometimes sweet M&M™ candy for the kids (or the kid in you). There are many vegetables that are easy to bring, too, like carrot sticks, celery, broccoli, etc. Just be sure to wash them and protect them like the fruit.

Cereal and Cereal Bars