On the road diet

[fbj913]

I'm working with a nutritionist who just started a blog and is looking for ideas for said blog. I asked her if she would do a blog post regarding eating healthy while traveling via motorcycle. I find myself eating too much fast food or just gas station junk in general... So what kinds of things could she include that would help you guys? Please share your struggles so that I can get her some ideas. Here are some key points that I shared with her already.

space is limited
perishable items are generally a no go
pre portioned meals that could replace those expensive freeze dried bags would be cool
some recipes that would be easy to restock at a random grocery store along the way is a plus
normally we travel with limited cooking supplies... 1 pot and a stove

Okay, what say you????

[bird man]

I have found eating properly to maintain energy and etc. challenging . I have by no means found the best way and different things work for different people.
I have found some things that work for me pretty well but not without occasional exceptions.
I always make sure I carry plenty of water. I use a Rtic thermos (same as a yeti except a lot cheaper) with a screw on lid. Get a saddle horn pannier ,they come with a snap hook, and find a place to hang it on your bike. The thermos fits in it perfectly. In several years I have only had one gas station refuse to allow me to fill it with ice water for free when I purchased gas. On a long trip I carry two of them and try to keep them filled.
I usually try to eat in a good restaurant at least once a day (avoid fast food places you'll feel better ,promise). I carry crackers , cheese, protein bars and protein powder drink mix. Mixing protein powder into a milk shake has worked well for me at times ,as long as it is quality ice cream. Carry tree nuts and dried fruit. Dried meat or meat snacks sticks can be a satisfying bonus. Since I don't do coffee I haven't found much need to do any cooking while on the road and I have somewhat avoided the cooking part so as to travel lighter and for convenience . I have gone to a grocery store before purchased brats just before heading to camp and roasted them at a camp fire.
The type of trip, backroads or hiway and, the part of the country you are in also dictates options. Personal preference on eating and lodging makes a difference. Every trip requires different choices.
A few years ago on a hiway trip we were eating in restaurant's twice a day for the first two days and snacking for the rest. The next three days we got into situations of primitive camping and no restaurants'. We started eating out of our "saddle bags" protein bars , protein drinks ,nuts ,fruit, dried meat, cheese, cracker and etc. We both noticed after just a day of this that we were feeling much better than the first two days. The last two days of the trip we went back to very carefully selected restaurants once a day.

[fbj913]

So do you need help streamlining your on road meals? I’m always in the mindset of remote travel as to not rely on anything or anyone else.

[troy]

I'm not the most experienced, but for the last several years, I've had the pleasure of at least one week-long moto adventure that includes a mix of camping and hotels. One aspect of motorcycle travel is that you can't carry enough gas to go days on end without hitting a gas station. Therefore, you are going to hit some kind of civilization each day, and that means food opportunities--either restaurants or groceries.

The pattern I have fallen into at camp is coffee and hot oatmeal for breakfast. This means one of those instant packets you pour into boiling water--so not exactly health food. Coffee is those Via instant packs from Starbucks. Dinner is one of those dehydrated meals from Mountain House or others. These are quite good actually, but they are not cheap. Most of them are $7 to $10 for "2 servings", which really means 1 big serving. Sometimes I'll have a fruity instant oatmeal for desert and a hot tea. The great thing about this strategy is the only cooking hardware I need is my Jetboil to boil water. I don't actually cook anything at camp. Simple and no cleanup other than my cup and spoon. I carry 1 gallon of water in a rotopax in addition to my 2 liter hydration pack. Hitting a gas station each day to fill the tank also means an opportunity to refill the water tank.

"Lunch" or more loosely translated "a meal sometime during daylight and probably between the hours of 11 am and 5 pm" is at a restaurant or cafe near a gas stop. The strategy here is while I'm filling the bike, Sean is on TripAdvisor looking for the "#1 top-rated restaurant" in whatever hole we are in. Sometimes we ask the station attendant or locals filling their tanks, but have found TripAdvisor more reliable on average.

One trick is if your "restaurant meal" of the day is a Mexican joint, ask for a couple tortillas to go. They'll give you 2 huge tortillas in either aluminum foil or a plastic. These go into the large back pocket of my riding jacket. Later that night, I can turn my dehydrated meal into a burrito.

Other than that, it's like birdman talks about--protein bars or whatever snacks I have on board from the last gas station. I do like Cliff bars and the like for the amount of energy in a small package.

Some days we never find anywhere worth eating. It's not that big a deal to go 24 hours on snacking and whatever else we have. People do fast for days on end--on purpose, so figure we can survive 24 hours with "nothing but an oatmeal packet, 2 cliff bars, and a dehydrated meal". The suffering is intense, but I'm a real man.

DRINK LOTS OF WATER. Duh.

[bird man]

So do you need help streamlining your on road meals? I’m always in the mindset of remote travel as to not rely on anything or anyone else.

I have been traveling similar style to Troy, where you see civilization at least once a day, which allows restocking of items. I have done a protein drink even at home for years for breakfast so that is easy on the road also ,just mix with water and drink. Actually my road food living has developed over years of delivering pheasants ,where I was gone for very long days sometimes 2 days with time constraints not always allowing for stops when or where I may want to eat. I just started carrying food with me and experimenting with what worked.
For now my goal has not been , to being able to travel without having to rely on some outside help , since as Troy stated, I have to stop everyday to buy gas. It is easier to carry money than food.
Yes I am open to new ideas of food and methods that are healthier and that will keep me feeling better.

[safiri]

Backpacking and moto touring face similar challenges of limited space and weight capacity.

Some things I've learned over the years:
- cheese (sticks, blocks) that are in sealed plastic can go days without refrigeration. Oil might come out, but still safe. (Do try to keep the temps down.)
- foil pouch (canned will work, too) chicken, tuna, etc. when bought daily aren't going to weigh you down. Mix with couscous or rice and some vegetables.
- pepperoni does not need to be refrigerated. Read the package. Typically found refrigerated. Not the healthiest, but protein.
- daily rations of oatmeal (with raisins, nuts, powdered milk, etc. premixed) stored in breast milk storage bags. Yep, you read that correctly. The bags are sturdy, you can pour the hot water into them, eat out of them. I find the instant oatmeal leaves me hungry, so prefer rolled or steel cut. When you pour in the hot water, wrap up the sealed bag in a jacket or other insulator and it will keep hot while the oatmeal "cooks". A weeks worth of breakfasts doesn't take up much space.
- couscous cooks quickly. Throw in a can of chicken and a can of mixed vegetables (lots of sodium, though).
- if you find a grocery store during the day, broccoli and similar will survive in your pack until supper. Canned veggies typically have lots of sodium added.
- rice can be cooked without having to simmer. Bring rice and water to a boil, then remove heat and insulate the container (all sides, including bottom). A small, round pie cooling rack for the bottom, a jacket or fleece over the top and sides. (I have a pot "tent" from a BakePacker system I bought 30 years ago. Light weight, small volume. Some sort of silver cloth material that resists burning. Forces the heat around the pot like the newer self contained stoves (JetBoil) and insulates the pot when you remove it from the heat.)

[DirtFarmer]

There are many good options right in the grocery store;

Stove Top Stuffing - 5 minutes and hot water. Add some cut up precooked bacon while adding the hot water to the cornbread one. This can turn people around real quick who are cold and wet.

The chicken in foil packages is pretty good for adding to package mixes like Knorr noodles.

Walk thru the grocery store. Get ideas. Canned goods aren't bad when you are tired and want to stop.

Consider getting a very good small cooler;

http://www.polarbearcoolers.com/product/PB127.html

I have a seal-a-meal. Pre-package single serving cheap steaks and freeze them. Always carry salt, pepper and seasoned salt.

I have some good cookware mainly from my years of canoeing. But it is hard to beat a small cast iron skillet with lid.

Practice your meals on short trips, even day trips - have a picnic.

Canned potatoes fried in butter, add a steak to the skillet and a can of corn.



Bisquick biscuits cooked in a plastic bag, add canned peaches;



If you're riding a big bike, a good meal and a comfy bed could be right behind you;

[DirtFarmer]

When I was planning riding the DAKAL, I found grocery stores along the route and called them. Got their hours and what they have for sale. I could not believe how helpful people were - "No, we don't have any fresh meat but we do have 8oz imitation crab (Pollack), fresh bread and dressing, makes a good sandwich". Grocery stores I have found to be more reliable about being open than restaurants in small towns.

We packed food for two days and resupplied on the DAKAL, this worked well. Rice a Roni fried rice with foil pouch chicken and canned peas and carrots was a hit, ended up making it twice.

Small bike camps are fun, just a little more planning;



I have a Jet Boil 1.5 liter cook pot. Far from perfect and I did have some trial and error, it opens up what you can cook on them. A couple of my riding buddies and the new Jet Boil that can simmer, real nice compared to mine.



Lunches can be a problem. I like tuna in a pouch, flour tortillas with a little dressing. Single serving apple sauce or other fruit.

Potted meats aren't all like Spam, but Spam cut up in pieces and fried in Bush's baked beans can be good. Sally likes Vienna sausages. Canned oysters are my favorite. Try sardines and crackers.

When it is pouring down rain, nothing like stopping for hot lunch;



There is a steak in the middle;

[fbj913]

There are some good options here. Some of your ideas of healthy are different than mine.

Thanks for the input and hopefully we can come up with some recipes and condensed advice.