Healthier camping food

[Dimitry]

Hi,

Just wondering if there are any serious fellow campers here who also incorporated healthier foods into their trips. I've recently started to do more backpacking/canoing backcountry trips, so the type of food I can bring altered drastically.

Whereas before (for car camping) I had a cooler and could bring pretty much anything I wanted, here since you can only carry so much, you really have to bring stuff that doesn't mind being out of the fridge and also will fill you up. Most people's provisions for food would include such things as smoked meats (esp in winter in the fat would keep you warm and would fill you up faster) and lots of dried veggies since they are smaller in size but expand upon boiling.

Does anyone here do these kinds of trips and figure a better alternative for food? I don't mind eating meats and stuff I just know that smoked isn't really all that great for you. (Though mind you I don't eat any cold cuts or smoked meats outside of these trips so my exposure to them is very little, but maybe even halving the amount taken during the trips would be better).

[Dimitry]

Any ideas anyone?

I have the basic things like trail mix and stuff down but do you think dehydrated veggies are an ok alternative for trips? They are just so compact and economical and seem like a good thing to have rather than some other compact junk food.

Any ideas would be great that are practical in the scenarious.

[Natasha]

I go camping a lot, but it is very different from what you describe. The camping I do is with a medieval dweebs group, and we have a canvas pavillion, slat bed, take apart-able wooden furniture, and a cooking area with stove and coolers, among other luxuries.

Anyway, some food I use a lot that might make a good crossover to backpacking type camping include:

-Fruit chews made out of 100% dehydrated fruit.
-Kashi Bars
-Hummus and Flat or Pita Bread (I think the hummous would be ok without a cooler for a while.
-Of course, nuts always have a lot of bang for the buck.
-Applesauce- Make sure you get the 100% fruit kind, otherwise they have lots of added sweeteners.
-Raisins

I do not eat meat so that is not a problem for me. I do eat processed fake-meat products, though. Especially Quorn, and I like the added benefit that it does not have to be as fresh or well-prepared and is still safe for consumption.

About the veggies question: We just use regular vegetables, because we do not have to carry them around, and therefore the weight is not important. Brocolli, Baby Carrots and Cucumber are great for us! I can do all the chopping before we leave, and can eat them separate, or put hummous on them, or make a Veggie Sandwich!