Most calories per gram

[Brown Bear]

I like to travel light through remote places, somethimes for up to a week without resupply. I would like to hear what food folks carry for maximum energy but least weight.

I don't mean the sugary energy bars, or chocolate. I mean stuff you can live on. Some good ones for me are salami, granola bars, peanuts, dried fruit.

Your gems of advice are welcome......

 

[tobes01]

Lagavulin single malt. Stacks of calories, easy to carry, but I find I tend to slow down after I've had a few good energy hits from it

 

[Brown Bear]

Ah yes....I never begrudge carrying a few grams of the good stuff.

 

[robin wood]

noodles have always been my fave lightweight pack food...if we are allowed stuff that needs cooking. Weigh so little you can stick an extra few packs in just in case. 85gm pack 190 cal but it also feels like a proper meal and comes complete with salt and water which are the other things I need when exerting energy.

 

[gregorach]

I think Toddy's tablet probably stacks up very well in the calories per gram department...

 

[tobes01]

Noodles are a very good idea (and I'm assuming the chocolate doesn't really count as a staple food here). I like risotto rice, since it can be used to soak up all sorts of other flavours from whatever is available. My other favourite is chorizo - lasts for ages, tastes fab, and gives colour and spice to any other dish (particularly risotto!).

Tobes

 

[Gill]

cous cous

 

[mountain_necro_goat]

smoked cheese

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceries/index.jsp?bmUID=1253888268034

 

[Martyn]

I like to travel light through remote places, somethimes for up to a week without resupply. I would like to hear what food folks carry for maximum energy but least weight.

I don't mean the sugary energy bars, or chocolate. I mean stuff you can live on. Some good ones for me are salami, granola bars, peanuts, dried fruit.

Your gems of advice are welcome......

Make your own flapjacks and just pour the calories in. Most commercially available grain bars are calorie limited, but if you make your own you are not constrained by such things. Put in as much syrup, sugar, honey and butter as you can stomach, throw in some fruit for flavour and you are sorted. Monster calorie grain bar.

Chorizo is good, it has a very, very high fat content and some protein, it tastes good on it's own, cooked or added to stuff and it lasts a long time.
Chorizo = 455 kcals per 100g, 38% fat, 24% protein, 36% water.

Cheese has a good calorie to weight ratio and most importantly, the calories are in the form of fat. Sugars give you a good energy burst, but dont last, fats are stored better.
English Cheddar Cheese = 412 kcals per 100g, 34% fat.

Suet dumpling mix - add to any stew for little lumps of high fat/carb gold.

Pork pies are good too.
Pork pie = 350 kcals per 100g, 24% fat, 22% carbohydrate, 11% protein.

Butter = 717 kcals per 100g, 81% fat.

Lard/tallow = 902 kcals per 100g, 100% fat.


Arctic explorers eat butter rolled in sugar as a way of getting maximum calories in the oven.

 

[xylaria]

I think Toddy's tablet probably stacks up very well in the calories per gram department...

My daughter makes tablet after being introduced to it by toddy. I have found it really useful in that you can fry quite bitter tasting wild greens in it and and they then taste edible. Stuff like nipplewort that can go bitter taste fine fried up in tablet, it adds calories and the greens add vitamins.

 

[firecrest]

Toddy's tablet is great , it will put you in an insulin induced coma for three days!

 

[featherstick]

Sainsbury Harissa couscous comes in a 2-portion (read: 1 portion) sachet at 500cals per schet, is really tasty, and very easy to prepare. I'm going to get some more for BOBs etc. Not expensive, either.

 

[dogwood]

Pemican -- you have to make it yourself, usually, to get it right -- is extremely high in calories and protein. And if you ad the proper berries to it you usually get a good dose of vitamins, micro nutrients and sugars too. Highly recommended.

Also, don't discount parched corn -- it was the trail staple of Native Americans and on the frontier for a good reason: the calorie to weight ratio is very high.

 

[Ratbag]

Purely from a food value point of view, if you want maximum calories per gram, surely you need to go more for fatty foods? IIRC, fat has around 9 calories per gram whereas protein and carbohydrate have around 4 calories per gram.

Of course, that doesn't mean it would be palatable , but its a great excuse to take cheese, salami, etc

Mark Twight wrote a good book called Extreme Alpinism (I think) which talks in depth (and based on his experience) about getting maximum calories for a given weight of food. I thought it was a really good read

HTH

Rat

 

[Nigel]

spam noodles and mixed nuts good to eat and plenty of calories.

 

[jdlenton]

toddies tablet has my vote too its sooooooooooo nice adn boy does it pick you up

 

[Tony]

If you're used to taking in your calories mainly from carbohydrates you'll have to be ready for a bit of a body slow down for a little while, from a few hours to a couple of days (for most people this is, not all) as the body changes from carbs to fat for it's energy, but fat is the way to go especially if you've plenty of water.

 

[korvin karbon]

toddies tablet has my vote too its sooooooooooo nice adn boy does it pick you up

have you gotten over the shakes yet LOL


Does anyone have a recipe for homemade energy bars?

 

[torc]

A quick word of warning on excessive noodle consumption.
I returned yesterday from a three nighter bivvi hike on an island off the west coast of Ireland.
Out of laziness to shop my main meal each night consisted of two packets of instant noodles and a small can of tuna.
I like noodles and chose them because they are easy to prepare.
I have never eaten them three days in a row before and they gave me diarrhea.
Every thing else I consumed (biscuits, toffees etc.) was in sealed wrapping and my water sources were good and/or boiled and my hygiene habits are good.
Watch those noodles people!
Happy trails...torc.

 

[sandsnakes]

Corned beef will do the trick on the protien/fat front. 1 small tin should do you for a day, add half of it to dried soup mix with about a third of a packet of risotto rice. This will give you all the calories, fat and carbs you need. It is also a light wieght option and very filling.

the problem with high sugar foods is if you are atall sensative to them the 'down' after consumption will knock you off your feet.

Sandsnakes