Hiking can be a lot of fun for many people, especially if you love the outdoors. Your day pack is all packed up with rain-wear, extra clothing, bug repellent, a camera, and sunscreen. The other two very important items are bottled water to stay hydrated and some delicious snacks that have carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Candy and chocolate should be avoided because of the sugars that will give you a quick energy, but will then shoot you straight back down into a slump very quickly. Here are some great healthy snacks that are healthy for your body and lightweight for your day pack which are the best snacks to take on a hiking trip.
Best Snack to take on a Hiking Trip: Trail Mix
Trail mix is the perfect snack to take on a hiking trip. It is very lightweight and has a lot of nutritional value. In a trail mix you may find nuts, peanuts, dried fruits, chocolate chips, granola, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, carob, banana chips, or coconut. You can find trail mix in any grocery, convenient, or drug store. You can also make your own trail mix to take on your hiking trip. Spark People has a great high-energy trail mix recipe that you can make yourself. There is a link at the end of this article.
Best Snack to take on a Hiking Trip: Energy Bars
Energy Bars are another great snack to take on a hiking trip. They are lightweight, which is perfect inside your day pack and there are many different brands on the market that you can choose from. There is one very good energy bar called Soyjoy. The energy bar is made to keep your blood sugar steady. The bar is made of whole soy and real fruit that is converted to energy very slowly by the body. You can find these at grocery stores, drug stores, and Target. You can find a store near you by logging onto their website on the link below.
Best Snack to take on a Hiking Trip: Beef Jerky
Beef Jerky always seem like a popular staple and a must have to take on a hiking trip. Chewing on some jerky is fun, especially when it is Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, a popular beef jerky that many people love. This snack is also a great lightweight snack to put in your day pack. Jack Link’s Beef Jerky comes in many varieties which include the original flavor, peppered, teriyaki, sweet and hot, barbecue, original turkey jerky, buffalo jerky, and much more. You can visit their website for the complete list. The beef jerky has protein that will help give you some energy you need when hiking.
Best Snack to take on a Hiking Trip: Peanut Butter and Crackers
Peanut butter and crackers are a great snack to take on a hiking trip. Peanut butter has a lot of protein, which will give you lots of energy. Jif brand peanut butter has new “on the go” packs. There are six 1-2.25 oz cups per package. These are lightweight and great to put in your day pack for your hiking trip.
Best Snack to take on a Hiking Trip: Raisins
Raisins are great to take on a hiking trip. You can purchase them in little individual boxes or pouches and they are lightweight for your day pack. Sun-Maid is a great brand that has delicious plump raisins. They also have other dried fruits that are mission figs, calimyrna figs, pitted dates, chopped dates, apples, cranberries, mixed fruits, and more.
Best Snack to take on a Hiking Trip: Carrots and Celery
Cut up some carrots and celery and pack them in a Ziploc bag. These are great munching snacks to take on a hiking trip and you can dip the carrots sticks in the peanut butter. The combo is very delicious. If you have children with you, add a little peanut butter on a celery stick and top with some raisins. You will then be serving them “ants on a log” and you will see a smile on their face.
Best Snack to take on a Hiking Trip: Apples
Apples are a great sweet snack food to take on a hiking trip. Apples can easily be tossed into your day pack and they don’t go bad quick and will give you the energy you need to keep on hiking. Remember the proverb, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”? There is a lot of nutritional value in an apple and they are high in carbohydrates and has natural sugar which is great for the energy you will need on your hiking trip.
Best Snack to take on a Hiking Trip: Tuna in pouches
StarKist tuna in a fresh pouch is great to take on a hiking trip. The pouch is lightweight and very easy to open with no draining involved. It has a fresher taste and firmer texture. This product is a great protein source that has 13 grams of protein in a serving size of 2 ounces. You can bring some small mini packages of mayonnaise or lemon to put on your tuna. StarKist also has some new products called StarKist creations where you don’t need to add mayo because they are so flavorful.
Best Snack to take on a Hiking Trip: Olives
Olives are a great delicious snack to take on your hiking trip. They are just so refreshing. Lindsay Olives has a convenient “to go” package that makes it easier to put in your day pack. They come in garlic seasoned flavor, Italian seasoned flavor, and original flavor.
Whatever snack you choose, it is important to remember to keep it healthy for your body and lightweight for your day pack.
Trail Mix Recipe: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/recipes.asp?category=7&recipe;=7686
Soyjoy: http://www.soyjoy.com/
Jack Links: http://www.jacklinks.com/
Jif: http://www.jif.com/products/details.asp?prodID=572
Lindsay Olives: http://www.lindsayolives.com/our-products/snackers.html
Sun-Maid Raisins: http://www.sun-maid.com/en/products.html
StarKist: http://www.starkist.com/template.asp?section=products/index.html
