Keto canoe tripper looking for backcountry meal ideas

(mole person) #1

I need some help. I’m a long term canoe tripper. In the past I’ve gone on backcountry trips as long as 10 days in the bush without refrigeration. For many years I’ve been too ill to do any of it, but a year ago I started keto to lose a few pounds and it seems to have cured me of just about everything that has plagued me (and confounded my doctors). So here I am wanting to go back into the wilds in summer but having no idea what to eat.

What I used to do was dehydrate foods and then rehydrate them in the bush. This kept food extremely light but it is a very carb heavy and fat light way of eating. Food with fat doesn’t dehydrate and goes rancid fast.

Because of the fact that keto is keeping me well, I can’t go off the diet for ten days and then get back on it, I’d immediately get sick again. I’ve tried it, I’m a mess after two days of noncompliance.

So, what can i do? Here is what I’ve thought of so far.

I can still dehydrate lean ground meat, but instead of things like chilli over rice, or meat sauces over pastas, I will bring a couple of big jars of fats (tallow, maybe ghee) and a few spice blends and add the fat back to the rehydrated ground beef and veg in the bush. The different spices will keep it from being too dull.

Beyond this I’m stuck for meal idea that are light and pack well. Eggs are a problem, although I’m going to give it a try. Salamis that keep unrefrigerated are a clear winner, but what else?

Are there cheeses that will keep well in warm weather without refrigeration for several days?

Does anyone have any good keto trail bar type ideas that would maintain their texture/form etc over a long trip?

Anyhow, all ideas are welcome. I imagine I won’t need three meals + snacks as I used to but food preperation and eating are big pleasures while camping and I don’t want it to come down to salami and nuts if I can help it.

(Ron) #2

Here is a previous discussion about that.

(mole person) #3

Oh thanks! Actually, reading that thread has made me remember other issues. Fish is out as my husband is fatally allergic. Also, tinned foods are too heavy, there is just too much water weight + garbage to pack out Finally, I also camp in bear country so the entire food supply has to pack light and small enough to sling up into a high tree and also be easily portagable (portages can be over a kilometer).

(mole person) #4

Oh, and EFing is a no go, both my husband and I are already at maintenance weights. EFing while exerting ourselves would weaken us too much.

(Edith) #5

What about powdered eggs that can just be rehydrated with water?

Also, here is a recipe from Diet Doctor for granola bars:

Have a fun trip! Congratulations on having the health and will to go!

(Chris W) #6

So I never ended up going on that trip, at least canoeing but I did go dry camping for several days in that time frame. A few things I have figured out in the interim and since.

I would consider coconut oil, I took some chilled preformed cubes and vacuum sealed them so when they melt they are confined. That worked very well for me and the amount of space they take is minimal. For me at least 1-2 of those a day is a big help at about a tablespoon each. Things can be added to them for flavor so its basically a fat bomb.

I would try and use farm fresh eggs so they don’t need to stay cold, the breaking hazard is there and they are a little bulky but if you use a proper container it should be ok.

Fully cured/cooked bacon works well, and it is light and easy to get.

Just plain nuts work well, no need to make a bar,

I find summer sausages to work very well for their size, you can get several smaller ones or summer sausage stick which keep and a nice size.

Cheeses that are hard like Parmigiano-Reggiano, aged gouda, and pecarino all travel well but they typically expensive. Cheese crisps are a great alternative, I make them for snacking while driving, they are supposed to last but to be honest I have never had them last more than a day because I ate them.

I am a biker more than anything else and can go for around 20 miles a day depending upon terrain and company going with( I will tow my dog in a trailer often since he cannot run full out for 20 miles). In doing this I have found that I can fast for several days after the intial 18-24 hours has passed and still maintain very high energy as long as I ingest salt(during) and fat the day before. I am normally 2MAD right now, I am also at or near my maintenance weight most of the time. I don’t EF myself anymore outside of 48 hours, but I would consider it if I planned it a little better. I did boost my fat intake by 100% the day before I left, slightly bloated I survived, in fact I only ate because some one made dinner, I was not hungry and could have gone longer more like 48 hours easy. So consider this…

I over this last weekend I was 18 hours fasted, rode 18 miles on moderately hilly terrain, towing my 55 pound dog and then after about 1.5 hour break paddled a kayak around a lake for 2 hours. Now the kayak was not loaded, but I did have the to ford it by myself several times a few hundred feet. Also set up and took down my campsite which was a lot of heavy lifting twice(because I cannot read signs) in a couple hours. Never felt spent, only needed salt, and did the bike ride the next day again. So if I were to do the way I planned for multiple days I think I would fast the first few days, then eat decently(i have refeed issuses after 48 hours), and fast the last few days. I would boost with excess fat the day or two before you leave.

On this last trip I did have a fridge, however the only thing I kept in it was refreshments and a chunk of 6 year old cheddar, the rest of my food was dry including canned fish, spam, farm fresh eggs, nuts, sausages, and bacon. I had it in a 12x12x12 box it was enough for 4 days less one meal I did not cook.

Let me know what you end up using.

(mole person) #7

This is a really good idea. These used to be terrible and I swore off them but apparently they’ve gotten much better tasting since then.

That bar looks amazing. I’m going to try it today. It’s EXACTLY the sort of thing I wanted to find. Thanks so much!

@VirginiaEdie

(mole person) #8

@In2steam I’ve read this sort of thing before. Is there a reason why store bought eggs wouldn’t work? Is there something about them that makes them need to stay cold when farm fresh eggs do not?

What are cheese crisps??

Thanks for all the tips. I’m going to go out and buy a bunch of that stuff today. I don’t mind spending more on food for a camping trip. Overall, on keto I find I spend way more on individual meals but eat far fewer of them and enjoy them way more. It’s a net plus for me. :smile:

I should be doing a shorter shakeout trip next week and a longer one in August. I’ll report back on it in this thread.

#9

Why is egg a problem? Weight? Salmonella?
I am norwegian and salmonella is never a problem with egg. I store eggs in room temperature (both from the store and from our chickens) for months.
My sister and I have never had any problems bringing eggs with us at canoetrips. We have plastic egg containers that protects the eggs.
The longest trip we had was 16 days, us two and 4 childern( 4, 8, 10 and 13) . We did dehydrate and make tomato soup, chicken curry etc. We did bring fresh eggs , butter( it was not to hot weather, so biggest problem was hard butter) , small boxes of coconut milk that we used in soups, curry, bolognaise and coconut flour pancakes. We also had peanutbutter.
The first days we had smoked high meat, high fat sausages, that kept really well., that we put in tomato soup. We ate maximum 20g carb each day, moderate protein and high fat. We used butter on everything.
We did calculate the macros in every dish and made up enough for the whole summer. The dehydrated food was kept in zip lock bags, one bag for each meal, and all bags in a big zip lock bag for extra protection.

The weight was no problem at all, we did have one canoe each, and we actually could have brought more stuff with us.

We have had one week trips with no problem, often with just fresh and tinned food. It don’t have to be that complicated. Eggs are a really good base. Coconut flour pancakes contains a little amount of carbs, but are really good breakfast(eh, or breakfast at lunchtime) .

Zip lock bags are a good tips for storing ready made flour mix for pancakes. And search on you tube, there are many tips on dehydrating meat and veggies.

(Chris W) #10

If you are an American and I cannot confirm but I think in Canada as well yes it is a problem, I work in the food industry non-farm eggs are washed and sanitized before they are sent to store and they are kept cold at it. If you were to let them stay at room temp for an extended period they will develop salmonella as well as other things I am sure.
Eggs (any)which have otherwise cooled and returned to ambient will stand a greater chance to develop these issues as well. The egg supplier(farmer) can tell you what to expect from them more than anyone else.
Farm fresh eggs can be kept at room temps for extended periods as long as they have not been cooled. Its my understanding that often in other countries the chickens are immunized and the eggs are left alone that is not the case in store bought eggs in the US.

Butter can be kept at warm temps, but at least here it gets way to warm and would be melted and separate.
Salted butter is better and will last longer from going rancid.
Cheese crisps are awesome, a little tedious but awesome. It mainly you basically take cheese in your preferred form that is thin and cook it until its done. I have used silicone molds and paper plates both work well. Here is a slice example The BEST easiest no carb cheese crisp tostadas, taco shells, chips ever - new version I use a microwave, I have noticed it varies greatly between the cheese and the microwave other use the oven.

(mole person) #11

Thank you. Did you dehydrate your own chicken or buy it freeze dried for your curry? I’ve never tired dehydrating chicken. Also, what did you eat the pancakes with as a topping? Just butter?

(mole person) #12

Thanks for that answer. I’m going to track down some farm fresh eggs for our longer trips. I’ve always brought store bought in for breakfast the first morning but never felt ok about having them unrefrigerated for longer.

#13

We did dehydrate in our oven. You can’t buy dehydrayted in Norway. We use butter and peanut butter for the pancakes. Only butter is ok too. The butter did taste really good after two weeks, it becomes sour in a good way. If it’s hot weather , you can chill it down in buckets of water.

#14

Take a look at this book…

https://www.amazon.com/Ketogenic-Backpacking-Lighter-Farther-Fueling-ebook/dp/B077Q8CT6H/

I think that his recipes will be perfect for your purposes.