Freeze dried meals and sodium.

[Trevor73402]

I’m new to the freeze dried meals in a bag. When I go out on 1-3 day trips, I’ve always just took oats and mashed potatoes and killed small game for meat when I could. I was looking around yesterday at a popular big box store at the various different brands and flavors. The lowest sodium content I seen was 985mg in a small bag and the highest I seen was around 2,000mg in a bag. With the way I eat, I’d be consuming 2-3 of these per day. That is a ridiculous amount of sodium. Especially if someone was to have high blood pressure issues. So my question, are there any lower sodium alternatives for meals in a bag? If not, I’ll just stick with my oats and taters.

 

[Goodtimekiller]

Don’t forget that in most mountain hunts you will be expending a good bit more sodium than normal. However, most meals still have too much. There are many alternatives than what you can but in a store. Check heathers choice, peak refuel, off grid, and there are others, there are some keto specific, etc.


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[ewade07]

Like the post said above, you have to remember you are hunting, not sitting at home eating these things. You will need sodium. As far as number per day, why eat 2-3? When I'm out I only eat one freeze dried meal a day for dinner. If you like your oats still have them for breakfast.

 

[CBECK61]

I second what ewade said. I used to have a problem staying hydrated in the back country and I think it was because I was avoiding sodium. I only eat one freeze dried a day, maybe two if we kill and I'm going to have an extra. You need the electrolytes to retain water and hard hunting days especially in heat really pushes it out of you. I also take two Nuun tabs a day to help with this.

 

[spike camp]

20 years chasing Elk in the backcountry, and I don’t think I’ve ever eaten more than one MH meal in a day.

 

[dtrkyman]

One a day, then bars jerky and whatever other stuff you like


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[Bigjay73]

I'm not sure sodium is the big bad wolf it was made out to be. I have controlled HBP, and my sodium intake doesn't affect it. A dr once said, you know your food has too much sodium when it tastes too salty. In other words, if it tastes good, eat it, and dont worry about the sodium amount.

 

[Titan_Bow]

I have high blood pressure and sodium most definitely impacts mine. I guess everyone is different though. Get a dehydrator if you don’t already have one. One big one or a couple small units. Make your own backpacking meals. That way you know what’s going into them, they’ll taste better, way healthier, and they pack down a lot smaller than a mountain house if you then vacuum seal them. This year I made venison stew with garlic mashed potatoes, homemade chili Mac, venison sweet potato chili, Mexican chicken and rice. I also made homemade energy bars from dark chocolate, sea salt, nuts and seeds and hemp protein powder and honey. Again vacuum sealed takes up way less space than clif bars or granola bars because they are so calorie dense.
I think you need more sodium when humping the hills all day sweating, but I’d rather get that from good quality sea salt or pink salt versus sodium from preservatives


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[NDGuy]

peak refuel

Just a FYI Peak Refuel is not low on sodium

I thought they were too and was surprised it was more than MH in some of there offerings!

https://peakrefuel.com/collections/shop/products/copy-of-beef-stroganoff
https://peakrefuel.com/collections/shop/products/homestyle-chicken-rice

 

[Trevor73402]

I appreciate all the replies from everyone. The reason for eating 2-3 a day is because I typically eat 6-7 meals per day on a normal schedule. I realize humping it in the mountains is not a normal schedule, but after 2-3 hours if I don’t eat my stomach starts chewing on my backbone. I’m built a little different than the average guy as well. Just on a normal day at work, gym, home I’m taking in 4300-4500 calories a day on average. Looks like I’ll give it a try making my own stuff like Titan_Bow said above.

 

[5MilesBack]

I realize humping it in the mountains is not a normal schedule, but after 2-3 hours if I don’t eat my stomach starts chewing on my backbone.

If mine started doing that, I'd just starve it out and really show it something to chew on. Let your stomach know who's the boss.

I can put away a lot of food at home as well, but when I'm up near treeline for days on end I lose a lot of my appetite. I'll lose ~20lbs every September and then it takes me 11 months to get it all back again. As for the sodium, as much as I'm sweating on a hunt......the sodium doesn't bother me.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

I appreciate all the replies from everyone. The reason for eating 2-3 a day is because I typically eat 6-7 meals per day on a normal schedule. I realize humping it in the mountains is not a normal schedule, but after 2-3 hours if I don’t eat my stomach starts chewing on my backbone. I’m built a little different than the average guy as well. Just on a normal day at work, gym, home I’m taking in 4300-4500 calories a day on average. Looks like I’ll give it a try making my own stuff like Titan_Bow said above.

I'm in the same boat, still try and limit things to one or two freeze dried a day, tough for me to eat like I do in the city if I'm actually hunting and it's not uncommon for me to come back from a 3 day trip a few lbs lighter. Ichiban is a pretty high calorie quick snack, also pretty high in sodium but you can control how much seasoning you add and I never use more than half a pack. I always bring instant mashed potatoes and tuna, they make both those in low sodium...I sweat so much when I'm really pounding the mountains though my body definitely appreciates all the sodium it can get, as long as I stay hydrated it's a non issue. I don't have high blood pressure and I'm not a doctor so take it with a grain of salt, if you're worried about sodium levels you can always bring potassium tablets and take one or two a day to keep things more balanced, wouldn't want to cramp up from low sodium levels when I need to get meat off the mountain though.

 

[BeaverHunter]

Make your own. I didn’t this year for the first time. It was pretty easy and they tasted very good. And I controlled everything that went into them. I was able to get a lot of protein into my meals without anywhere near the sodium in the store bought ones. And like already stated, they pack down much smaller.

 

[Theringworm]

In my opinion, a low sodium meal has no place for a true back packing/hunting trip. The calories burned, sweat expelled, fluid consumed (often water which is naturally available and void of electrolytes) all lead to a need to replace those large deficits of sodium. That’s why they all contain large amounts of it. That’s why many hydration drinks contain a lot of it. Your body needs it. My two go to freeze dried companies are Peak Refuels and Next Mile Meals (keto based, more protein, less sugar) which are way better tasting than Mountisn House.

 

[Rob5589]

Maybe if you have blood pressure problems the sodium content may be an issue. But eating 6-12 a year, especially when you are exerting yourself, should not be an issue. If you are hunting 30+ days and eating them I'd make my own. Not because of the sodium but for taste. I ate the Peak last season and they are good for what they are, on a limited basis.

 

[BeaverHunter]

Another plus to making your own is the cost. I’m in all of mine less than a few dollars a piece. Sure beats $8-$13 per meal.

 

[S.Clancy]

I'm not sure sodium is the big bad wolf it was made out to be. I have controlled HBP, and my sodium intake doesn't affect it. A dr once said, you know your food has too much sodium when it tastes too salty. In other words, if it tastes good, eat it, and dont worry about the sodium amount.

It's not

 

[Trevor73402]

I really appreciate all the replies.
Thanks

 

[LionHead]

You can make you own. I do it for cost/bulk reduction plus it's tastes waaaay better. I snagged a 15"x15x"
10 tray dehydrator for making my own jerky because I was spending $30 a weekend on meat for backpacking trips. Now I dry my dinner too.

"Riced" broccoli and cauliflower dried turns into veggie dust. Also mixed freezer bag veggies in the corn/pea size work great and rehydrate well.

canned or home brewed beans dried then flocked in a food blender almost instantly come back and add some protein and fiber.

Add some instant mash taters as a thickening agent if your mix is too soupy

Slow cooked chicken breast in boulion cube broth shredded then dried then flocked in the food processor also rehydrates well.

Mix an match to make instant:
chicken spaghetti,
Chicken bean soft tacos
Chicken soup
Chicken loaded Mac n cheese
Chicken loaded smashed taters

I haven't figured out how to dry Beef, rice or noodles in a way that they rehydrate well


Hope that helps




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[Whaledriver]

Check out Paleo Meals to Go. Less sodium than most Mountain House. Seem easier on my stomach than MH. Hawks is good too.