Eating ... not IF, but HOW

[knolltop]

Guess there's no getting around the need to eat on my x-c tour.
So that much is settled.

My culinary skills are limited and am happy to keep it that way.  And my tour budget is also limited. 
Told the wife eating/sleeping would avg $25/day.  So NOW I'm trying to figure out how to keep that promise.  Typical decision-making process for me ... shoot then aim.

Obviously, tent will be typical abode.

OK, on the eating front, here's where I'm at now:
>> Breakfst - Need at least 1 carbo-loading meal per day and I love breakfast.  So will plan on breakfast being left to the "pros" at restaurants/cafes/convenience stores.
>> Lunch - will do the multi sandwich thingy using fixin's from groceries/convenience store/etc.  Will need to find space in the bags for these goodies.
>> Dinner - similar to lunch but, whenever possible, purchase before arriving at cg and limit volume to what can mostly be consumed that eve.

So, am I on a doable strategy so far?

Cooking ... like I said, skills are limited & so is interest.
So if I haul any cooking equip it will be very basic:
>> pot
>> alcohol stove
>> necessary tag alongs
So now gotta find room for basic cooking equip and a bit of food.

Any of you been successful with this strategy?  I'm all ears as to how-to's and details!
Thanks!!!!

[gregg]

Yep, that should work just fine. I do it a bit different in that I like to eat before I start my ride. So I carry breakfast food (dry cereal or instant oatmeal, powdered milk, banana) and eat before I set out early in the morning. Either way, you should have a great trip!

[sprocketman]

Hi Mike,

I did 1500 miles in 24 days last summer (Pennsylvania to Florida). $25. a day will be tight. You must eat on a long trip. Carbs are easy. I got most of my carbs from stuff I could find at small grocery stores and gas stations - pretzels, hot dog buns (yes, hot dog buns!), bananas, raisins, and baked potatoes when I stopped at a restaurant. More importantly, I drank loads of Gatorade (I did my trip in 90 - 105 degree heat). Not once did I bonk. If you don't know what bonking is, research it. IT IS CRUCIAL. On a long ride you must constantly feed yourself every 10-20 minutes with small snacks) or you will hit a wall and run out of gas. My Gatorade and water bill averaged 8-10 dollars a day. If you will be traveling in cooler weather, obviously plan on less. Beware of filling your water bottle at sinks in bathrooms to save money. Sometimes you get well water that your body may not be used to. Avoiding the shits is critical. Protein is tougher to come by. I drank a lot of milk and ate Greek yogurt when I could find it, but never passed a steak house at dinner time. If your budget does not allow for (reataurant) steak, (self cooked) eggs are a great source of protein. Cheap and fast. However, you wind up throwing away what you cannot eat because you obviously cannot carry them. But even if you buy the dozen and eat four, that with some bread and a banana makes for a three dollar meal. I am not a picky eater so basic carbs and protein were what I looked for. Not fancy meals. Like I said, I did my trip in a heatwave and in the northern section of my trip, I had lots of long hills. I had 30 pounds of gear in two panniers and averaged 73 miles a day. I started my trip at 219 pounds and rolled into St Augustine at 215 pounds, so I didn't lose much weight. I only got stronger as the weeks rolled on so I figure my diet plan worked. If you will be passing and Waffle House Restaurants - they were my favorite. Three eggs, two chicken breasts, toast, and milk always powered up my day in the morning - for about ten bucks. By the way, I averaged about 40 dollars a day for food. Tell me a little about your trip. Where are you going and when and where are you starting from?

Eric   

[johnsondasw]

You can do it on $25  a day camping.  I rely on basic staples, and lots of snacks--bagels, oatmeal, fruit, cheese, PB, chocolate, etc.  I rarely eat in restaurants.  Dinner is easy on a camp stove if you boil pasta, pour off the water and then brown the meat purchased at the last store before camp, add a can of tomato sauce, a clump of cheese and fresh veggies bought at the store with the meat. It keeps me going!  Of course, variations are necessary, but you don't have to be a good cook for bike food.  It always tastes good after 50-100 miles.

[Tandem4Rider]

Gatorade was mentioned, and can be a very helpful source for what you will need while riding.  Keep in mind, though, that it is high in sodium.  While a little extra is good when sweating a bit, a build up through the day of high amounts of sodium can have negative affects as well.  You'd do well to dilute it with water - my preference is 50/50.  I also use the powder form carried in a baby formula container - already measured out, light, and easy to use when on the road.  The powder form also costs a fraction of buying in bottles.  Also, many restaurants will gladly fill your water bottles so you can avoid the restroom sinks, etc...

Enjoy the ride!

[paddleboy17]

You might want to switch your purchased meal to lunch.  Oatmeal or grits are pretty cheap and make great breakfast food.  Your choice of restaraunts for lunch is larger, and it is an opportunity to get some vegetables in your diet.

[Pat Lamb]

Gatorade was mentioned, and can be a very helpful source for what you will need while riding.  Keep in mind, though, that it is high in sodium.  While a little extra is good when sweating a bit, a build up through the day of high amounts of sodium can have negative affects as well. 

While it depends on the individual, no doubt, my daughter and I learned to consume all the sodium we could find on our cross-country ride.  More than once we were dragging until we had more salt.  Nuun pills were good to add to water, and if you pour a lot of salt on scrambled eggs, you just need to drink enough water to balance it.

Strangely, if you start reading the labels, Gatorade isn't that high in sodium; orange juice and chocolate milk have more.  I think Gatorade is just a sweet drink the makers can sell for lots of money -- think Kool-Aid in a bottle.

[rvklassen]

Gatorade was mentioned, and can be a very helpful source for what you will need while riding.  Keep in mind, though, that it is high in sodium.  While a little extra is good when sweating a bit, a build up through the day of high amounts of sodium can have negative affects as well. 

While it depends on the individual, no doubt, my daughter and I learned to consume all the sodium we could find on our cross-country ride.  More than once we were dragging until we had more salt.  Nuun pills were good to add to water, and if you pour a lot of salt on scrambled eggs, you just need to drink enough water to balance it.

Strangely, if you start reading the labels, Gatorade isn't that high in sodium; orange juice and chocolate milk have more.  I think Gatorade is just a sweet drink the makers can sell for lots of money -- think Kool-Aid in a bottle.

Hmmm. 
Tropicana Orange Juice (8oz): 0 mg sodium http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/tropicana/orange-juice/.
Gatorade Lemon-Lime Powder (1 scoop): 210 mg sodium. http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/gatorade-powder/lemon-lime/
Lucerene Chocolate Milk (8 oz): 200 mg sodium http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/generic/lucerene-chocolate-milk/.

The OJ is higher in potassium, which you also need, but the milk has no measurable potassium.  And powdered Gatorade is sure a lot easier to carry.   Of course it will depend on the dilution rate you choose to use.  We find that when we're low on sodium a higher concentration gets more attractive.

[sprocketman]

PDLAMB,

You are correct. Although I did my trip in 100 degree heat and I never worried about sodium. Just one look at the caked salt perspiration on my shirt at the end of the day told me how much salt I lost through sweating. Label watching is for people who sit in a chair all day. If you are riding across the country over hills, against the wind, and with 30-50 pounds of gear, pile  it on - carbs, protein, and don't sweat the salt.

[Galloper]

You can approach this from another direction.   Cycling 8 hours a day will (roughly) require about 4000 calories, although, as mentioned above, headwinds, hills etc. can increase this.   Then add in the average daily maintenance requirement of about 2000 calories and that leaves you needing 6000 a day.

Hobbits know what this means.   A good breakfast, something mid morning, lunch, afternoon tea (hey! I'm a Brit and a good evening meal.

As a young soldier I was given a good tip about salt.   Take a pinch of salt and taste it.   If it doesn't taste salty, you need salt, otherwise you don't.

[Tandem4Rider]

http://www.ultracycling.com/nutrition/hyponatremia2.html

I believe the key is understanding how your body works and the healthy, balanced approach to athletic activity.  I'll admit much of what I have learned was at the arm of my chair, and also through a sampling of experience on the road or on the side of a mountain.  That, however, has never stood in the way of my having a fun, safe and healthy time on my bike or climb up a mountain.

Enjoy the ride!

[indyfabz]

The broader your cooking knowledge, the more likely you will be able to keep your promise and give yourself the calories and proper nutrition your body will almost certainly be craving.  There are a wide variety of books on camp/backpack cooking out there.

Buying just what you need for dinner each night is fine in theory (and doing to at a grovery store rather than the campground store will likely be less expensive), but I like to carry around a 1/2 lb. of pasta with me just in case the store I planned to shop at is closed for the day, went out of business or burned to the ground the week before (actually happened).  That and the olive oil and spices I always carry will do in a pinch.