What To Eat When Walking

The simple pleasure of a picnic lunch is one of the great joys of a day spent walking. How much we need to eat during the day will depend on factors such as our weight, our age, our gender, how far we walk and how fast.

Many of us worry about the impact of extra calories on our waistline and walking is an excellent activity for fat burning so packing a healthy lunch is an important part of the day. There is no magic bullet when choosing foods and while many of us long for the pleasures of a “Gin and Tonic” diet limiting our food intake won’t provide the energy or nutrients required to get through a full day of activity.

The New Zealand Food and Nutrition Guideline provides a sound framework for choosing appropriate foods. The detailed guidelines may be downloaded at http://www.healthed.govt.nz and contain a wealth of suggestions for choosing a healthy diet.

Key messages include the importance of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, eating plenty of wholegrain breads and cereals, choosing low-fat milk and milk products each day, and including lean meat poultry, seafood eggs and alternatives.

So how does this translate into what we should choose for lunch and snacks along the way?

An excellent lunch for a day's walking could include some sandwiches, fresh fruit, muffins or scones. If you have an insulated lunch box low-fat yoghurt can be a healthy addition. Sandwiches don’t have to be dull, a gourmet sandwich with fillings such as smoked chicken, semi-dried tomato, salads, and pesto or hummus can make a delicious and healthy lunch.

Remember to eat little and often to maintain energy levels. Choose snacks that are light to carry but low in fat and sugar. Scroggin while easy to pack is energy dense and can contribute numerous calories in a few handfuls, so if you decide to pack scroggin be careful how much you eat. Other handy snacks are popcorn, pretzels, rice crackers, whole grain crackers and additional pieces of fresh fruit. Muesli bars are a popular snack choice, however, many of these are high in both fat and sugar. When choosing a muesli bar look for those with a saturated fat content of less than 2grams per serve. Baked fruit bars can be a healthier choice.

Drinks

Maintaining hydration is essential whether you’re out for a short or long walk. Even mild dehydration can cause headaches and a dry mouth. Our bodies are 70 percent fluid and water is essential nutrient. Water is required for all our biochemical functions including digestion. To be properly hydrated in a temperate climate adults need 2.5-3 litres of water each day. On hot days or when very active this quantity increases.

Be sure to pack a drink bottle and maintain fluid intake. Water is the best drink and there is no need to purchase sports drinks for even long walks as eating sensible snacks and meals can provide the necessary energy.

So what are sports drinks and who are they for?

Sports drinks are designed to provide carbohydrate and fluid in the form most rapidly absorbed by the body. They are ideal for athletes undertaking high intensity or endurance activities. With an activity such as walking our bodies are able to metabolise the food we eat and provide enough energy without the top-up from a sports drink. Sports drinks won't do walkers any harm, however, for walkers who are concerned about their weight they are an unnecessary form of energy.

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