Who is a vegan? A vegan is a person who eats a plant-based diet that does not contain any product or by-product of an animal, bird, fish, or insect. True vegans will not use leather, wool, or down-filled products or anything else that comes from an animal, bird, fish, or insect.
Nonvegetarians often wonder why people would give up a diet that includes animal products. People choose to be vegetarian or vegan for many reasons. Spiritual beliefs can play a significant role in dietary choices. For example, people who are of the Hindu belief system make up a good portion of the world’s vegetarian community. Ethics are a reason for many vegetarians too. Some feel that killing a living creature is just wrong. Others are concerned with how animals are treated, sometimes quite cruelly, and slaughtered only to become someone’s supper. Recently the number of vegetarians has increased due to concerns about the environment.
Some people are merely disgusted by the thought of eating meat. This happened to me when I held a position as an office administrator for a veterinarian who specialized in treating animals that were being raised for food. In typing reports I learned about some of the illnesses that farm animals can contract. This brings up another reason that people choose to be vegetarian—animal-borne diseases. The thought of E. coli, avian flu, or BSE (mad cow) is enough to turn some away from meat altogether.
Health can be a factor in making the decision to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. Often vegetarians, who plan their food choices well, eat healthier because they consume more fiber and less saturated fat than the typical North American. Plant-based fats such as olive oil and flax oil have health benefits that aren’t found in butter and many other animal-based fats. Often nonvegetarians think that cutting out the protein that comes from meat is unhealthy, but there are many ways to ensure that one has complete proteins, B12, and iron with a plant-based diet.
Some people who aren’t vegetarians don’t realize that merely removing the meat from a dish—for example, peeling the pepperoni off a pizza—or cooking the food where it will contact meat—such as portobello mushrooms being cooked on the same grill as a steak—still exposes the vegetarian to a product he or she has made a concerted effort to avoid consuming. This can be frustrating for the vegetarian.
On Having Celiac Disease
What is celiac disease? Contrary to what some may assume, it is not a mere allergy. Celiac disease is an auto-immune response caused by ingesting gluten. This genetic disease can permanently damage the small intestine. Intolerance to gluten affects the person’s ability to absorb essential nutrients and, for some people, causes great gastrointestinal distress. Those of you who have celiac disease or are close to a loved one with the disease already realize how difficult it can be. Many people think that it is only the gluten in wheat that causes issues, but barley, rye, certain brands of oats, and many other commercial products contain gluten. It is sometimes found in products one wouldn’t think of, such as some spice blends, canned soups, powdered mixes, vitamins, and medications.
Being a vegetarian with celiac disease can be difficult, as it does narrow one’s food choices considerably and can be expensive. Most commercially available backcountry foods are not gluten free, making it especially hard for outdoors people with such restrictions. That is why creating your own foods at home and drying them for use in the backcountry is the ideal choice for anyone with special dietary concerns.
Food for Wilderness Trips
I remember our first backcountry trips and the prepackaged fare that made us almost dread mealtimes. Not only were the freeze-dried meals expensive, but there was also little control over the flavor, level of spice, or ingredients. It wasn’t until I started speaking with my readers and workshop participants that a lightbulb went on and I realized just how difficult those meals from the outdoors store would be for someone with special dietary needs, such as celiac disease or food allergies. It used to be that the alternative was to take fresh food from home. Many of us started this way, me included. While the control and taste are there, the style of cooking fresh foods on the trail is too cumbersome for more than a night or two; it can also be heavy and can lead to food storage issues resulting in food-borne illnesses.
That brings me to the style of the trip. Whether you backpack or paddle, weight should always be a consideration. With backpacking and kayaking, you want to pay close attention to bulk as well. With canoeing trips the bulk isn’t as crucial, but one should still consider it carefully, especially for longer trips. And who wants to have to double or triple a portage?
When planning your menu, think about things such as can and bottle bans as well as fire bans. In certain areas laws state that you must utilize reusable containers. While common sense indicates that glass bottles are dangerous, I am amazed by the number of people who take them into the backcountry and leave them there, whether by accident or design. Many backpackers use canned goods, but the trend is moving away from that because the goods can be cumbersome and weighty. Fire bans can be a concern for those who enjoy having a cooking fire. If you are a campfire cook, you should always check to see if the area in which you will be traveling is prone to fire bans and double-check the status before you hit the trail.
Other important considerations are the season and area in which you will be hiking. If the weather is cold or wet, you should expect to have increased needs as far as food and camp fuel are concerned. Spoilage can occur quickly in hot weather, so it is best to choose nonperishable or dehydrated foods during those times. In the cooler weather you can expand your menu because the risk is reduced.
I also recommend taking at least a full day’s worth of extra rations and some extra snacks in the event that an emergency or severe weather delays your progress. Unpredictable things can happen in the outdoors and it’s best to be prepared.
Outdoor Cooking Equipment
Camp kitchen setups are as varied as the people carrying them. There are no hard-set rules and you’ll have to find what works best for you. Some people, especially those who solo, prefer an ultralight approach and others prefer a more elaborate setup. A more complete kitchen is easier in situations where gear weight can be split between two or more people. The following list will give you an idea of some of the items that one can consider for a camp kitchen; however, you will have to pick and choose items according to your style of wilderness travel and the menu that you create.
| • | Single-burner stove with windscreen (I recommend one with a refillable fuel bottle that can accommodate various fuel types if you are planning to travel internationally) or an ultralight stove that uses alcohol or Esbit |
| • | Fuel (The amount depends on the type of stove and cooking times of your chosen menu—I always take an extra half bottle or canister depending on the stove type.) |
| • | Heat exchanger (recommended for cold-weather trips to reduce fuel consumption) |
| • | Matches in a waterproof container |
| • | Cooking grid (if weight isn’t a concern and you are in an area where you can have a cooking fire) |
| • | Backpacker’s oven (Outback Oven, reflector oven, or BakePacker) |
| • | Lightweight pot set designed for backpacking (I recommend avoiding titanium if you plan to do anything other than boil water.) |
| • | Pot lifter |
| • | Pot cozy or Nalgene insulator |
| • | Insulated work gloves (for handling hot pots, cooking grid, and so on) |
| • | Folding spoon that can double as a ladle (one with measurements is quite useful) |
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