[pct-l] vegetarians/vegans

[t.n. turner]

I'm not a strict vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have quite a few dietary restrictions, some self-imposed, some body-imposed. To start, I'm lactose intolerant, so I couldn't depend on dairy for any protein/fat/nutrients in that arena, but I found powdered soy milk (at Bob's Red Mill here in Oregon, not cheap!) and I added it to almost everything. Along with TVP (textured vegetable protein, sort of dried soy protein), which I added to lots of things as well. But I really like dehydrated refried beans (black and pinto), hummus (can get at Winco stores and Bob's) and my very favorite dinner - Curried Lentil Soup which I would eat with either rice or tortillas - very tasty. All of these were bought in bulk at various stores in the Portland area and then shipped to me, I have the best logistics manager in the world (well my world anyway). However, I did see some of these things in stores along the way. Fantastic Foods makes all kinds of interesting dehydrated meals - veggie chili, tacos, sloppy joes (all the same with a few spice changes<smile>), tabouli, hummus, refried beans too. The Curried Lentil Soup I saw in a couple stores as well, one in Big Bear Lake or City(?). Also Idlywild had a great 'alternative' foods grocery store. OH and I also took some Almond or Soy 'Cheese' a couple times and had it in the first few days out and it was okay, not great, but not terrible! 
I don't eat mammals, peanuts or chocolate - yes I know sucks to be me (peanuts and chocolate are body imposed) - but I did have turkey jerky and hummus almost every day for lunch and really enjoyed it! I too had soy jerkey that I could add to dinners, but occasionally would just eat as a snack/lunch. But I had a Cllif bar that I think is called Pro-bar(?) that has a ton of protein per bar and a couple that were covered in carob (yum!), well my Mom actually found and sent me (sorry, she lives in Maine and I don't know where she got them). But they were REALLY good and almost a meal by themselves. There are Pemmican bars, that some people couldn't stomach after many miles of eating only them, but I really liked them, vegan I believe. 
But I also hiked with a couple folks along the way that had made their own food at home, dehydrated it and they seemed to be doing fine!! I don't have the technology yet to do the dehydrated food thing yet. Anyway, just a couple other thoughts on veggie choices. 


> Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:11:54 -0700
> From: vincent.rupp at gmail.com
> To: janetgr at cableone.net
> CC: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] vegetarians/vegans
> 
> I'm planning a vegetarian thru-hike this year. I'm not always 100% strict,
> but it's so much easier than dealing with how to bring meat along.
> The only issue seems to be adequate protein, but it's not too hard to get.
> Here are my favorites:
> Soy Jerky: 14g per package (1.65 oz). This is really tasty stuff, and lower
> in saturated fat, sodium, and cost than beef jerky (which I also love). I
> read a thru-hiker's blog online about it (sorry, don't remember who) and
> ended up ordering about 12 lbs from Lumen Soy
> Foods.<http://www.soybean.com> It's
> great as a snack or cut up and thrown in with pretty much any dinner.
> 
> Powerbar Protein: 23g per bar. These aren't great, but they're okay, and
> they're very satisfying to eat. They are pricey relative to a normal Clif
> Bar or a Snickers, but grocery stores have 3/$5 sales pretty often.
> 
> Clif Bar: 10g per bar (I'm looking at Oatmeal Raisin Walnut - the best
> flavor). 99cents at Trader Joe's and one of the best things I ever eat when
> hiking-hungry.
> 
> Dairy, grains, legumes, and nuts all have some protein. The Complete
> Backpacking Handbook says if you get any two of those in order (Dairy +
> Grain = Mac & Cheese, Grain + Legume = Rice & Beans, Legume + Nuts =
> Peanut/Cashew Mix), you get a complete protein. Soy is a complete protein by
> itself.
> 
> I'm not sure how much I actually need a day, but my resupply boxes will each
> get me over 60g. Resupplies in town may take a bit more work, but I'm not
> planning to resupply at many gas stations (just the one).
> 
> With a couple tasty supplements, it doesn't seem too hard. I've also found
> soy protein powder combines really well with powdered milk for cocoa or
> oatmeal (that might have been a tip from someone on this list, but yum!
> either way). Ground or powdered beans sound like a great idea too.
> 
> 
> On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 5:33 PM, Janet Grossman <janetgr at cableone.net>wrote:
> 
> > Just out of curiosity, how many of you thru hikers, future and former, are
> > vegan/vegetarian? How did that go on the thru hike? Any advice for a couple
> > of long-time vegetarians that are thru hiking this year? Any restaurants
> > along the trail, tips for food, etc? Vegetarians unite!
> >
> > Andy
> >
> > Andy, I've been a vegetarian for about 38 years, vegan for about 14. I did
> > the AT back in '78-'79 (as 2 large chunks) and didn't have any problem as a
> > vegetarian. Now it is so much easier to be even a vegan in public settings!
> > When I set out to thru-hike the PCT in '07, I dehydrated lots of food that
> > we eat at home (lentil-spinach-brown rice soup, mashed sweet potatoes (add
> > peanut butter on the trail), cooked dried beans, etc.), ground it to powder
> > in the blender, and bagged it so I just had to add water (boiling if
> > possible) and let it sit a few minutes on the trail. I only managed 265
> > miles that year, so am still eating food I prepared for that year. I did
> > encounter a guy on the trail in '07 who was a vegetarian and said he needed
> > more protein, was going to town to buy powdered refried beans. I've also hit
> > Chinese markets for fun stuff like dried tofu, mushrooms, etc. To date I've
> > only done about 565 miles of the PCT, but I just don't see vegetarianism as
> > a problem for a th
> >  ru-hiker, so long as your diet at home and on the trail is a healthy one.
> > By that I mean lots of vegetables and whole foods, not the white-flour pasta
> > and white rice that so many people eat. Good luck and have fun!
> > Janet
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