How to eat healthy while camping?
 

Memorial Day weekend is next weekend, and my parents and I are going camping for 3 days. When we go camping we normally bring junk food for snacks like chips and soda or whatever we like. And meals always varries, so I'll probably not be able to stick to my diet for the big meals but would like to try for at least the munchies during the day.

This is going to be a first for me, last time we went camping I wasn't on a diet but this time I am, and I would like to try to stick to my diet as close as possible, even if that means I have to go to the store during the week and buy my own food.

Do you have any suggestions on healthy snacks that are easy enough to bring while camping? We'll be tent camping so our food will be stored inside the tent or in coolers with ice.

Nuts, apples, fruit that doesn't need refrigeration, lots of chicken and ground turkey and veggies for cooking over a fire...you'll probably be pretty active during the days while you camp (I assume hiking will be involved or at least wandering around the woods), so I wouldn't be too concerned.

Krampus already has given you a lot of good suggestions!

Personally, I love kabobs and I always pre-make them (usually with meat of choice, bell peppers, pineapples, and onions) with some marinade of your choice (I love chipotle pepper.) I even brought a big bag of frozen veggies (cauliflower/broccoli/squash/onions) and added seasoning to the bag so I don't have to bring it with me. Some gets dumped in foil then wrapped, grilled over the fire. Very yummy and easy too.

Baby Carrots, Apples, cherry tomatos, celery, strawberries, oranges, etc are all very easy to pack up and snack on. You can bring some protein bars/good granola bars with you for hikes.

Substitute regular chips for baked ones (watch your portions) and use salsa or hummus for dips as opposed to fattier ones. Mixed nuts are good in small amounts, and super easy to pack up and take with you.

Grilled chicken breasts, fish, steaks, turkey, etc. are perfect for bigger meals and you can have salads/veggies as side dishes just as easily as you can have fatty dishes like macaroni and potato salads.

There is absolutely ZERO reason that you can't eat healthy while camping, you just have to pack smartly!

Premake marinated meat and veggie dishes at home, put them in Ziplocs and shove into a cooler with lots of icepacks. You can also make stews and soups with everything but the water added, for easy packing, and just reconstitute when you get there. Consider some fun campfire food like sausages or corn, those can be 'roasted' on sticks and are also nice fare. They may even cut down on the number of marshmallows eaten ;)

My family brings a lot of what everyone else mentioned - last year my friends and I made lobsters on the grill and broke them with rocks! ;)

We pre-make homemade turkey/zucchini burgers and veggie burgers to grill up, eggs for breakfast, and lots of cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, and hummus to snack on.

Jerky, nuts, and munchy food like popcorn or pirate's booty is yummy. Most of the time I lose weight camping from all the hiking and trail walking.

Have fun!!!

We always make a beans/rice mixture - hot chili beans or black beans and spanish rice or whatever tastes you like. Easy protein, along with canned chicken, too, that doesn't have to be kept cool, etc.

if you're car camping and don't have to lug things from one site to another, watermelon is good, any melon!~ In addition to the fruits already mentioned.

I struggle with nuts because when we're hiking a lot, i want more volume and am not satisfied with a serving, even if i eat it with an apple... Whole wheat toast and peanut butter are solid and filling and if they get smushed in a pack, so be it ;) it'll still be close to the original.

Like Munchy, I like seeing the loss from the added activity, getting in a lot of water not turning to any snacks from boredom!

Have fun!!

Lots of great ideas have already been given. I just want to let you know that last year over a 4 day "Ladies' Weekend" camping trip with a bunch of girlfriends (always a 4 day food fest) I managed to lose a pound by sticking to one serving of whatever we made for our meals and by eating fruit and veggies for snacks instead of chips, dip, etc. You can do it. Good luck and have fun. Even if you go a bit off plan for a couple days, you'll jump back on plan when you get home.

Lin

We go camping every year and I go with friends once a year.

We grill a ton of veggies, I make a chili with various beans, canned tomatoes, canned pumpkin, spices, bell peppers, onions, etc. I'll also usually make some 'salads' to take with. I'll make a chickpea 'faux tuna' salad for sandwiches, some kind of bean salad (like artichokes, beans, tomatoes, kidney beans, balsamic vinegar and spices) and other stuff.