Hitch-hiking diet

[Kasper]

I was thinking that it's almost impossible to use this diet on hitch-hiking and backpacking etc.

But now I came to realize it's maybe not. Could you help me making a diet that will survive me for two weeks hitch-hiking (from gas station to gas station).

I thought about taking 1,4 kg of pre-shelled macadamia's with me, 1,4 kg dried apricots, and some coconut oil.
I can get banana's and apple on gas stations, so apricots, apple, banana will be my fruit source.

One problem is eggs. I find it really hard to find fresh organic eggs when I'm not in holland. I could maybe take 14 eggs with me for cholesterol, one a day. But after 14 days, are they still good ? I can get eggs one day old here in groningen. I might take some supplementary biotin for my hair.

Meat/fish is not difficult in cities, but when I'm sleeping near a gas station I can only get smoked salmon or dry cured ham/sausages. This raw, but with much salt.
One question about this: How long do you get a swollen face from salt ? From proteins my face stays swollen for a couple of days, but is this also the case for salt ? Would drinking much water with it help ?

So this would be 100% raw, plan B is 100% raw but with some salt:

RDA: FDA Men, 19-24yr (177cm/70in, 72kg/160lb)

Your selection:
[Item 1] 10units of Banana (Musa X paradisiaca), [1],
[Item 2] 10units of Apricot (Prunus armeniaca), [1],
[Item 3] 4units of Apple (Malus sylvestris), no skin, [1],
[Item 4] 100g (grams) of Macadamia nut (Macadamia ternifolia), [1][2],
[Item 5] 1units of Chicken egg yolk (Gallus domesticus), raw, [1],
[Item 6] 100g (grams) of Salmon (Salmo salar L.), [2][1].

Weight:.................................2258.60g

Nutrients...............................Quantity..............RDA

Energy..................................2524.86kcal .....2900.00kcal
Carbohydrate.............................405.49g ..............?g
Fat......................................103.11g ..............?g
Protein...................................48.41g ..........58.00g
Water...................................1685.99ml .............?ml
Fiber.....................................55.04g ..............?g

Vitamins
Vitamin A, RE (Retinol Equivalent)......1166.32mcg ......1000.00mcg
-Beta-carotene.............................0.00mcg ............?mcg no data:1,2,3,4,5,6
Vitamin B1, Thiamin........................2.19mg ..........1.50mg
Vitamin B2, Riboflavin.....................1.80mg ..........1.70mg
Vitamin B3, Niacin/Nicotinamide...........20.07mg .........19.00mg
Vitamin B5, Pantothenic acid...............7.15mg .............?mg
Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine.....................8.25mg ..........2.00mg
Vitamin B8, Biotin.........................7.40mcg ............?mcg no data:1,2,3,4,5
Vitamin B9, Folic acid...................294.33mcg .......200.00mcg
Vitamin B12................................3.40mcg .........2.00mcg
Vitamin C, Ascorbic acid.................165.05mg .........60.00mg
Vitamin D................................676.56IU ........400.00IU
Vitamin E.................................10.00mg .........10.00mg
Vitamin K..................................0.00mcg ........70.00mcg no data:1,2,3,4,5,6

Minerals and trace elements
Calcium, Ca..............................261.02mg .......1200.00mg
Iron, Fe..................................11.18mg .........10.00mg
Magnesium, Mg............................546.05mg ........350.00mg
Phosphorus, P............................873.34mg .......1200.00mg
Sodium, Na................................78.43mg .............?mg
Potassium, K............................7041.96mg .............?mg
Zinc, Zn...................................5.61mg .........15.00mg
Iodide, I.................................34.00mcg .......150.00mcg no data:1,2,3,4,5
Selenium, Se..............................53.01mcg ........70.00mcg

Total sugar................................0.00g ..............?g no data:1,2,3,4,5,6
Glucose....................................0.00g ..............?g no data:1,2,3,4,5,6
Fructose...................................0.00g ..............?g no data:1,2,3,4,5,6
Sucrose....................................0.00g ..............?g no data:1,2,3,4,5,6
Lactose....................................0.00g ..............?g no data:1,2,3,4,5,6
Starch.....................................0.00g ..............?g no data:1,2,3,4,5,6

Fats
Fat, saturated............................16.24g ..............?g
Fat, monounsaturated......................61.94g ..............?g no data:6
Fat, polyunsaturated.......................4.00g ..............?g no data:6

Omega-3 fatty acids
18:3 n-3, linolenic acid (LNA).............1.23g ..............?g
20:5 n-3, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)......0.71g ..............?g
22:5 n-3, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA)......0.44g ..............?g
22:6 n-3, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).......2.16g ..............?g

Cholesterol..............................256.14mg .............?mg

Would the alfatoxins in macadamia really be a problem ? I find one source that tells there are almost no alfatoxins in macadamia: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/ ... amples.pdf

[Oscar]

If you can't get organic eggs, buy normal ones. As long as they aren't pasteurized, they should be fine. How long the eggs stay (relatively) fresh depends on temperature. Normally 1 week is no problem at all (to be safe), 1.5 weeks if they're really fresh. I guess you can buy fresh fish whenever you get to a town where they sell it, and otherwise just eat eggs.

[RRM]

Aflatoxins only are a problem when the nuts are stored after being shelled,
as mould-free nuts will get contaminated too.
When you shell them yourself, you can detect the nuts contaminated with moulds.

How long do you get a swollen face from salt ?

For me, a bit of salt may cause localized swellings that last for up to 6 days.
So, im guessing that general swellings may last as long.

[Iris]

You could also bring your own dried fish or meat. Ofcourse you need a dehydrator for that, and I don't know if that's realizable.... But it's very good!

[RRM]

Good point; you can easily take enough dried beef or tuna with you for 2 weeks.
(no need for eggs / fresh fish then)

[Kasper]

Wow, that sounds perfect !

But how do I dry them ? How does a dehydrator work ?

Most foods are dehydrated at temperatures of 130 °F, or 54 °C, although meats being made into jerky should be dehydrated at a higher temperature of 155 °F, or 68 °C, or preheated to those temperature levels, to guard against pathogens that may be in the meat. The key to successful food dehydration is the application of a constant temperature and adequate air flow. Too high of a temperature can cause case hardened foods; food that is hard and dry on the outside but moist on the inside.

Is that okay, 68 °C ?

And does that taste good, dried beef or tuna ?

[Iris]

That temperature seems a bit high to me.... I think we always dry at 40 degrees Celsius (need to check that, we haven't changed the temperature the last few years )

Don't know about dried beef (but RRM once said it is really good, if I remember correct ) but like I said, dried fish tastes very good!

[Oscar]

A dehydrator is basically a big hairdryer. Someone recently posted a Youtube video about a DIY one.

[summerwave]

I have gone back and forth on eating dehydrated chicken, prepared at the temperatures mentioned here on Wai...

In such warmth, perhaps bacteria multiply? Though without water, they could not survive (?) the full dehydration process. (???)

I nearly always get sick (intestinally) from my home-dehydrated chicken or beef, despite the very high quality of the meats I buy. They are all frozen deeply first, and local/organic/grass-fed etc.

I have seen others on food forums talk about soaking the meat first in hydrogen peroxide (dilute)- but I don't think this is the way.

?

[RRM]

The lower the heat, the better, but the drying takes longer, naturally.
I always put chopsticks between the different layers of the dehydrator,
to let in cold air.
That way its about 35 degrees C.

In such warmth, perhaps bacteria multiply? Though without water, they could not survive (?) the full dehydration process. (???)

Exactly; the dehydration takes care of that.

I nearly always get sick (intestinally) from my home-dehydrated chicken or beef

Hmm, i never experienced that.
Maybe your body isnt able to properly digest it if it is too much dehydrated.
Can try different levels of dehydration?

[summerwave]

It actually seems worst when I leave it quite chewy (higher water content).

I will try again, and be very systematic in my observation....

[RRM]

It actually seems worst when I leave it quite chewy (higher water content).

If it still contains quite some water, it may go bad (bacterially), indeed.
So, make sure its sufficiently dehydrated to last.

[summerwave]

I was doing that because it sounded so delicious when you said you made salmon that way (half-dried; chewy but soft) --

I will make it more dry!

[CSIV]

I'm interested in formulating a version of the diet that will sustain someone on a week and a half or two week backpacking trip in the wild... so similar to this, but without the comfort of being able to buy some fruit from gas stations... some wild food sources may be possible, but it's best to pack what you need. So far I've though that it would be good to bring a generous amount of dried fruit, dehydrated beef or fish, and perhaps some amount of "the calorie bomb." Any input/suggestions would be great, I'll keep thinking as well