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Energy food that doesn't taste terrible?

Brian E · · Western North Carolina · Joined Mar 2005 · Points: 348

My pack always has a banana, an apple, a jar of PB, a PB&J sandwich, and a bag of trail mix. I cut the apple into slices and put scoops of PB on there. It's delicious.

Superclimber · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 1,310

For breakfast a Bagel with summer sausage and Velveeta. During the day, Jolly ranchers or shot blocks and candy/energy bars.

Henryluedtke · · Wisconsin · Joined Mar 2014 · Points: 15

almonds

patto · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 25

chocolate

Bill Kirby · · Keene New York · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 480

PB on cinnamon raisin bagels.

BigFeet · · Texas · Joined May 2014 · Points: 385

Superclimber,

"sausage and Velveeta"... awesome! I love that processed cheese.

String cheese packs, chocolate, pb and bananas, homemade trail mix, and beef jerky is the usual. Sometimes I'll throw in Wheat Thins with a can of anchovies or Vienna Sausages - hardly anyone wants to share that when they run out of their own. :)

mountainhick · · Black Hawk, CO · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 120

Funny how popular designer "energy" food products have become. You can make a fortune by feeding the gullible masses with marketing hype. Food is energy. Eat what you like for your day of climbing. You'll be fine.

For concentrated "energy" food, I make what I call power balls: dates (carbs), shredded coconut (fat/fiber), choice of nut butter (protein/fat), mash it all together, add enough oats (helps to complete protein from nuts and adds a little more carbs) so it will form nice individual cohesive snack sized balls. Quite delicious. Not much different from eating a handful of nuts a handful of dried fruits and a piece of bread... or a PB and honey sandwich... or whatever. Carbs, fats, protein.

Dustin Drake · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 5

I eat food for energy.

DanielRich · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 5

This feedzonecookbook.com/portab… is amazing. It is slightly geared towards cyclists and runners but the third sport that it is aimed at is climbers. It is filled with endorsements of pro climbers(I know that may not mean much but still they thought about climbers) and my personal experience is it rocks.

The food is tasty easy to make and incredibly portable. Most of it can freeze so you fill your freezer with these little foil packets and then grab a few whenever you are going to be out and about climbing camping, biking or just around town.

Greg Pouliot · · Rumney NH · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 90

Make your own. Rolled oats with flax seeds, choco chips, any dried fruit you desire, and honey to roll it all together. Energy balls!

Mark Evans · · Cottonwood Heights, UT · Joined Sep 2007 · Points: 505
chapul.com/

The Original Cricket Bar!!

Cricket flour, fruit, and nut bars. Sounds funky, but these are actually really delicious! And don't taste at all like crickets. They are more like a laura bar. And the protein (other than from the nuts) is from roasted and ground crickets.

I know the idea of eating crickets creeps some people out, but its not weird tasting at all. And one of the main reasons for the use of crickets is sustainability. Think of the amount of water and resources it takes to grow food for a cow, for the 2 years of its life before it is processed for food vs. the resources needed to grow a cricket for only a matter of weeks! And ounce for ounce you get just about as much protein from crickets as from beef!!

There are a number of environmental reasons why these bars are worth your time and money, but when it really comes down to it, THEY TASTE GREAT and provide lots of ENERGY! And not to mention they are one of the most sustainable and water wise sources of protein on the planet.

Feed the Revolution and start eating insects!!
The Call Of K2 Lou · · Squamish, BC · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 20
Nectar of the Gods

+1 for Honey Stinger Waffles. Powerbar Harvest aren't too bad either.
I almost always bring an apple with me. No litter to worry about with that one.
joe caps · · Pasadena · Joined Nov 2010 · Points: 0

anybody else tried the cricket bars?

J. Serpico · · Saratoga County, NY · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 140
Kai Larson wrote:I can't stand energy bars. Pro bars, Cliff bars, Lara bars, Power bars, all forms of Gu. They all make me gag. I like Snickers and Baby Ruth candy bars. I like dried fruit (mango, apricots, oranges from Trader Joes are tasty.) I like nuts. I like dried coconut. I like halva. I like pepperoni. I like Dutch honey waffles. What are some other relatively easy to eat foods that people actually enjoy eating while climbing? What's your go-to breakfast when you don't want to crank up the stove and heat water to make oatmeal? What do you eat as the day goes along?
I tend to not eat anything packaged. I tend to not eat anything packaged with more than 3-5 ingredients...all of which are whole foods.

So with that being said:

Hard boiled eggs are a staple. They will keep for several days in moderate temps, and I've seen reports of them keeping for 3 days in heat. I've never pushed it that far, but boil them at home, put them in a cooler and bam, breakfast without a stove. Lunch. Dinner. Trail snack. Basically the finest food you can bring out with you. I eat a few per day.

Avocado packets. People bust on me because making guacomole isn't hard. I agree, I don't use these in place of fresh guac. But I freeze them, toss them in my pack or a cooler and I've got some guacomole on me hard boiled eggs. Try carrying an avocado in your pack...just don't yell at me when you find out why I don't recommend it.

Salmon packets. Salmon is a bit more nutrient dense than tuna, but tuna works just as well. Add some egg and avocado to the packet. Oh, and if you buy the salmon steaks (vs the chopped salmon) you don't even need a spoon. Slide steak out, eat with hands.

Dark chocolate. At least 70%, preferably 85-92%. At 92% it's no longer candy, it's a food. A filling, antioxidant, nutrient dense food.

Coconut oil capsules. I love taking these on alpine days. I pop them in my mouth, chew them. Tasty, filled with brain boosting MCTs and don't stress my digestive system by overloading it.

Coconut paste (mana, I think). Same as above, only it's a solid in cool weather and a gel packet in summer. They make both a natural (just coconut) and a chocolate version. Love me both types.

Trail mix. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, almonds and walnuts. Sometimes some coconut flakes and a few cranberries. Great mix of Omega 3s, fats, protein and amino acids. Lots of energy per ounce, just be careful at first, a lot of fiber to poop out.

Macadamia nuts. Bundles of energy.

Kind bars (macadamia nut and cranberry). Basically a much more expensive but easier to consumer version of my trail mix. Usually snag them for $1 a piece.

Olives. Single serve foil packs. I believe the brand name is O-loves. Delicious, fairly crush proof.

Nut butter packets. Brand name: Justin's. Almond or hazel nut. Easy to consume, but bring a baggy for the packet since it's messy once open.

Baby food. Not a joke. Much less sugar than the stuff in the adult section, more nutritious, basically the same concept. A puree of veggies and fruit. I'm partial to the sweet potato and apple or sweet potato and beets. Low sugar, high nutritional density.

Sweet potato. If you can get the red (japanese) or Okinawan (purple inside), they are very dry, almost cake like vs the slimy and wet orange ones more common in the US. Purple is best, same antioxidant compounds as blueberries to give the purple color. Taste like cake. Even when crushed they don't get nasty. Did I mention they taste like cake but are packed with nutrition?
Mtn. Dumass · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2014 · Points: 0

Breast milk.

Bill Kirby · · Keene New York · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 480

Depends.. Who's carrying the pump?

Sherpthederp · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 40

Paydays, beef jerky and peanut butter packets... but mostly paydays

J. Serpico · · Saratoga County, NY · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 140

Breast milk straight from the tit is an excellent option. Add that to my list.

Jon Zucco · · Denver, CO · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 245

Whatever you do, don't eat any of these:

naturalgrocers.com/store-in….

At least not right now. But when they're salmonella free, they're awesome.

John Farrell · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 85
Kai Larson wrote:I can't stand energy bars. Pro bars, Cliff bars, Lara bars, Power bars, all forms of Gu. They all make me gag. I like Snickers and Baby Ruth candy bars. I like dried fruit (mango, apricots, oranges from Trader Joes are tasty.) I like nuts. I like dried coconut. I like halva. I like pepperoni. I like Dutch honey waffles. What are some other relatively easy to eat foods that people actually enjoy eating while climbing? What's your go-to breakfast when you don't want to crank up the stove and heat water to make oatmeal? What do you eat as the day goes along?
Something I am starting to do for backpacking and also climbing is eating "Super Spackle." It's really just a peanut butter and "jelly" ish concoction that you make.

shockinglydelicious.com/sup…

It might seem expensive to make at first, but it makes a lot, and you just freeze a bulk portion of it and then place the rest in the fridge when you're not using it. It goes good on fruit, tortillas, I assume bagels, straight from the bottle, etc. I stuff it into a small 1 liter soft Platapus, makes it easy to squeeze out when you want it. I make mine with peanut butter, cashew butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract (double it, no almond extract.) Following the recipe will make me enough for several months.

For breakfast, I'll either do Bobo Bars:
bobosoatbars.com/

Or I make another thing :

3/4 Cups of Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup crushed nuts (not climbing, peanuts, cashews, etc)
1/4 Protein Powder (I use soy protein powder from the bulk section of my grocery store)
1/2 Cups Raisins/Cranberries or what ever I have on the shelf.
1/4 Powdered Milk (I use powered soy)
2 tbs vanilla extract
Some Cinnamon

Super Spackle goes good in there too. I mix it up in a zip lock bag. You can eat it cold or hot. If you're a calorie pincher, keep in mind, that's a high calorie breakfast.

John...
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

General Climbing
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