A Glimpse at My Diet

I’m busy compiling and reviewing sources for a new supplement guide on glucosamine and chondroitin right now, so this week’s post will be less intense than normal. Instead of addressing a specific topic in the world of climbing nutrition, I’m going to discuss the food I brought along with me for a few of my recent days out climbing. I’ll also critique my diet on these days, because there are a few things I’d like myself to improve.

If you’re looking for something more substantial, check out this blog post that also dropped today that I wrote for Gnarly Nutrition on why working to change the weight part of the ever-important strength-to-weight ratio isn’t likely to bring you amazing results.

Day #1

Proteins

• 8 oz Beef/Turkey Jerky
• 2 Chicken Sausages

Carbs

• 20 Homemade Granola Bars
• 8 Whole Sweet Potatoes

Fats

• 8 oz Pesto
• 16 oz Thai Chili Lime Cashews (from Trader Joes)

I didn’t eat all of the granola bars or potatoes myself because I purposely brought enough to share with the group; I always assume that most climbers will only bring about 75% of the food they’ll actually want to eat, and so I pack extra. By the end of the day, all of the food was gone except for a couple of sweet potatoes (as will be explained) and a small handful of cashews.

The proteins I brought were easily divided into roughly 20 gram servings, which is one reason I brought them. The jerky was okay, but a bit expensive; I had wanted something convenient, but there are better options.

The granola bars worked out great, and I ran out probably half-way through the day. The sweet potatoes were okay at first, but by the end of the day had released so much liquid that eating them was a pain. The potatoes I did eat I dressed up with the pesto I brought, because sweet potatoes with pesto are delicious!

The nuts were mostly for snacking whenever the urge arose. As I’ve discussed before, there’s nothing ergogenic about fats, so I brought them solely as an additional source of calories. Since long climbing days can be taxing, having a concentrated source of energy is useful to ensure you don’t run in a deficit and tire out too quickly. Ideally, most of your energy should still be coming from carbohydrates in order to keep muscle glycogen levels high, but providing dietary fats will help provide baseline energy so the carbs can be reserved for the powerful, anaerobic tasks.

The main lesson I learned was that while sweet potatoes are a cheap, delicious, and nutritious option, I needed to prepare them in a manner where they would not sweat. Overall, I brought enough food to maintain energy, which I planned to be roughly 60 grams of carbs of carbs per hour with ad libitum (at will) fat intake from the nuts. Protein was 20 grams every 3 hours or so.

Day #2

Proteins

• 4 Hamburgers (96% lean)

Carbs

• 4 English Muffins (to use as buns)
• 2 Russet Potatoes-worth of Fries
• 4 Kiwis
• 1 Box Honey Mustard Nut Thins
• Ketchup

Fats

• 16 oz Thai Chili Lime Cashews

Misc.

• Mustard

In some ways this was a more successful day, but in others it was less so.

The hamburgers I had prepped beforehand, having eaten them for supper the night before. 96% lean is fine if you cook them well and they’re hot, but once they get refrigerated and dry out some, and are cold, they’re a little tough; a fattier cut would have solved this problem, but it wasn’t a deal breaker.

I like the taste of English muffins, which is why I used them as buns—I typically do this, anyway. I had a hankering for honey mustard whatevers and so I used the exertion of climbing outdoors to justify eating an entire box of them. I also had homemade fries left over from the night before, so I brought those along with me as well, and 4 kiwis.

As usual, I brought some Thai Chili Lime cashews. I’ve always liked cashews more than any other nut, and so I indulge myself with them. They always go fast between me and my group, so there’s rarely much left by the end of the day.

Overall, my big mistake was not bringing enough carbohydrate-based foods. I had plenty of nuts so I wasn’t terribly hungry, but I sacrificed some power longevity for my mistake.

Day #3

Proteins

• 3 Cans of Sardines (packed in water)
• Pork

Carbs

• 1.5 Cups of Black Beans
• 5 Sweet Potatoes-worth of Fries
• 1 Apple
• Ketchup

Fats

• 8 oz Pumpkin Seeds

This was close to an “ideal” day, but as usual, I made a few mistakes. Still, they are easily rectified for the future if I can only remember (writing this blog post won’t hurt, heh).

The biggest mistake was, once again, skimping on bringing enough carbs. The night before I sliced five sweet potatoes into fries and seasoned them with some high-oleic sunflower seed oil and chipotle seasoning mix. It made so many that I figured I would be fine—I was wrong. As I mentioned earlier, I usually share my food, and the fries were so damn delicious (unlike the plain sweet potatoes I had previously brought) that I probably should have brought double to provide enough food for myself and my group. Oh well.

I also remembered too late that I had brought ketchup, not because the fries needed it, but as an additional carb source. Normally I wouldn’t rely on ketchup for carbs, but desperate times… by the time I did remember, I was basically out of fries.

The pork and beans were a superb addition that I could have used more of. Basically, I make my own baked beans (but with black beans) and cook up a bit of pork to go with them. The beans are an excellent source of both protein and carbs, and they’re easy to eat even cold.

The sardines are another go-to of mine, but as I learned on this particular day I can only stomach about 2 cans before I tire of them—as a result, I ended up eating less protein than I normally would. Still, sardines are an excellent choice because they’re low enough in mercury to eat ad libitum, high in protein, and high in the preformed, long-chain omega-3 fats EPA/DHA (which doesn’t serve any acute purpose, but is nice when speaking of long-term dietary goals).

The only reason I didn’t bring cashews again is because I forgot to pick some up from Trader Joes. The pumpkin seeds were just sitting in my cabinet, and so I brought them in order to finish them. I didn’t quite finish them (and nobody else was particularly interested in them), so I probably still have an ounce or two left.

Room For Improvement

The main things I need to do better are to bring more food if I’m planning on sharing (which I always do) and bring a better assortment of food (more fruits to go along with the starchy carbs, more protein options). In general, the fault lies with me not planning far enough in advance for what I’ll be bringing and then rushing to get it all prepped the morning of or night before.

I’m a firm believer in bringing more food than you need—if you’re not backpacking or big wall climbing, you can handle the extra couple pounds of weight (max) that this might entail, and you’ll be stronger and happier for it. Plus, if everyone in your group brings more food than they need and are willing to share, then you also benefit from an improved array of food with less micro-planning on each member’s part. I’m all for improved food diversity!

How about you? What does a typical day out climbing look like diet-wise? Do you have go-to foods or foods you avoid? Share in the comments!