Eating well in the mountains

The first rule we all know

a rich, balanced diet

Your body won’t appreciate it if you force-feed it only slow sugars (such as pasta, rice or bread), as the mountain cliché goes: “a good plate of pasta is enough”. It’s a bit more complicated than that: on the plains as in the mountains, your body needs carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

You need to maintain a balance between these three types of intake in the following proportions:

Around 60% carbohydrates

These are slow sugars such as noodles, rice, potatoes, bread, cereals (anything that is not sweetened to taste) and fast sugars, sweetened to taste: sugar, chocolate.

Fast carbohydrates are more effective in an emergency because they provide energy quickly, but you can’t store them (they’re a flash in the pan). They go into the bloodstream and if you don’t use them, they go out in the urine. Slow carbohydrates, on the other hand, are stored in the muscles and liver in chain form. They are then released when needed, during an effort for example (it’s a fire).

You should always mix fast and slow sugars, as swallowing only fast sugars can cause hypoglycaemia.

In the same way, you shouldn’t eat just sugar after exercise, but a mixture of the two, in the form of a cereal bar or a slice of jam, for example.

25% lipids

Saturated animal fats are less easily exploited, but they have characteristics that should not be ignored. Unsaturated vegetable fats, such as olive oil, sunflower oil and soya, have a high energy content. Take half unsaturated, half saturated.

Lipids are very energetic provided you have enough oxygen in your blood.

So if you walk slowly and for a long time, you can make the most of this source, which is better than carbohydrates in the long term. But you need to know how to manage your effort. To sum up, lipids are the fuel of a diesel engine: they don’t give you great power, but they do give you endurance.

15% protein

Meat, egg powder, milk powder, Gruyère cheese, fish. This is generally what you eat the least of in the mountains.

It is essential to maintain this balance, as each category has its own qualities.

Proteins are necessary to prevent muscles from melting and, with them, losing strength and power. Protein also helps to store carbohydrates.

But also …

Controlling your calorie intake according to your activity

You should also bear in mind, when preparing your rations for a hike, thatyou eat more in the mountains than on the plains.

A normal day requires 2000 to 3000 calories. During a sporting activity in the mountains, the body can consume 5,000 to 7,000 calories, i.e. double the energy intake required. For example, at the base camp of an expedition, without any effort, you need to allow for 3000 calories a day.

Vitamins

You don’t need them for short days. On longer hikes or treks, vitamin C is essential because it is fragile, the body does not produce it and cannot store it. The only way to get it is to eat fresh produce such as fruit (oranges, apples, carrots).

This is not possible with expedition, as the food is freeze-dried (stripped of its water), so you have to take vitamin C tablets, about one 500 mg tablet a day, in the morning (studies show that this vitamin, contrary to widespread belief, does not seem to interfere with sleep).

Vitamin B is very useful: it manages carbohydrates and allows them to be used during exercise. It is found in particular in cereal husks (found in wholegrain cereals such as wheat and rice).

The most interesting foods

For the mountains, oleaginous fruits (walnuts, hazelnuts, olives) have a good quality/weight ratio, containing unsaturated fats, carbohydrates, proteins and vitamin B.

Interview by Gérard Avalin / Free Presse

Ifremmont*: Institute for Training and Research in Mountain Medicine. www.ifremmont.com