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- Mar 20, 2024
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HIGH ALTITUDE NUTRITION
A lot goes into your planning for a trip to high altitude. The equipment, training, making travel arrangements, just to name a few; but what about nutrition? Here’s some good info and some tips to consider.
If you’re joining Mountain Madness for a high altitude climb or trek, like the Everest Basecamp Trek, or the Bolivian Andes Climbs , you’ll be asking a lot of your body (and mind) as you experience some level of oxygen deprivation. It’s important to understand some of the physiological shifts that will occur in your body as you ascend. Aside from headaches and general lassitude, your stomach will also function a bit differently given less oxygen at altitude. In part, your body responds to its new high-altitude environment by redirecting oxygen to vital organs like your brain and heart. So, don’t be surprised if you have less of an appetite or have trouble digesting food that you normally eat at sea level.
![6b456e14 f7f6 4697 b059 834116f1126c](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/6b456e14-f7f6-4697-b059-834116f1126c.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1833&q=80&w=2200&s=ff3d8b18f8f1c0c96cbeb2e87915ead2 2200w 1833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/6b456e14-f7f6-4697-b059-834116f1126c.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1667&q=80&w=2000&s=103e580c0893760112ec260bbaa6b0cf 2000w 1667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/6b456e14-f7f6-4697-b059-834116f1126c.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=80&w=1800&s=92a65c1d31a6a6f464d33ae2d0c8b46d 1800w 1500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/6b456e14-f7f6-4697-b059-834116f1126c.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1333&q=80&w=1600&s=379222302f96bd86e12cb9dd6f230866 1600w 1333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/6b456e14-f7f6-4697-b059-834116f1126c.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1167&q=80&w=1400&s=cf2fccc878dd62d50ac13aba2fa0c312 1400w 1167h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/6b456e14-f7f6-4697-b059-834116f1126c.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&q=80&w=1200&s=f6c0eba5f1e9407fd01b58987987da16 1200w 1000h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/6b456e14-f7f6-4697-b059-834116f1126c.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=833&q=80&w=1000&s=a9e760227b516153976c1b6562a9a54f 1000w 833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/6b456e14-f7f6-4697-b059-834116f1126c.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=667&q=80&w=800&s=6a5f4d2d8547c3b8bbf86e9eae5986fc 800w 667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/6b456e14-f7f6-4697-b059-834116f1126c.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&q=80&w=600&s=73e5768348bcdd436e4ad7cb86fb59c7 600w 500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/6b456e14-f7f6-4697-b059-834116f1126c.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=333&q=80&w=400&s=aaf241f37f9697fc31e15c8093a2c48c 400w 333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/6b456e14-f7f6-4697-b059-834116f1126c.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=167&q=80&w=200&s=670c19520224fe5278ea1b6c5844c7f5 200w 167h)
![Nepali Coppee look carefully](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Nepali-Coppee-look-carefully.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1833&q=80&w=2200&s=706e6bb033987e42b074ae6c0ecaa9db 2200w 1833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Nepali-Coppee-look-carefully.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1667&q=80&w=2000&s=8d013228265f3c29e23f6239d6de18e7 2000w 1667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Nepali-Coppee-look-carefully.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=80&w=1800&s=9a4e35f0d51afaed31ae7e9a8c752049 1800w 1500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Nepali-Coppee-look-carefully.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1333&q=80&w=1600&s=9529d518a0a18b5cb09ccd32e1c6b652 1600w 1333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Nepali-Coppee-look-carefully.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1167&q=80&w=1400&s=f7c8c170f6acb87cf21528174a716462 1400w 1167h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Nepali-Coppee-look-carefully.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&q=80&w=1200&s=7f6f010d45ef21838303025957cceb70 1200w 1000h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Nepali-Coppee-look-carefully.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=833&q=80&w=1000&s=5af645924972e4ec79bdf1bab00d8762 1000w 833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Nepali-Coppee-look-carefully.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=667&q=80&w=800&s=a246963eaafad218283626885669007a 800w 667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Nepali-Coppee-look-carefully.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&q=80&w=600&s=ad5edeeb825a2d90d691a1b95941dfcb 600w 500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Nepali-Coppee-look-carefully.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=333&q=80&w=400&s=f56ae2cf201d4884462f5e74b6d6402f 400w 333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Nepali-Coppee-look-carefully.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=167&q=80&w=200&s=09f7cc85276d7a28984be5d62283c026 200w 167h)
One of the biggest challenges is when you lose your appetite, but you still have to keep going. How can you consume enough calories for a big day at altitude when your body is asking you to take a break from food? There no one answer to that question, but the one easiest remedy, or partial solution, is to bring your favorites snacks. Plan ahead by bringing your favorite quick-energy, carbohydrate-laden snacks. Make them super-accessible by stocking them in your pockets and have a plan for how often you will eat them when you’re on the mountain. And when it comes to things that may set you back, like a margherita or two the night before you begin your approach to the mountains, make sure you hold off on those favorites — save that for the end of the trip!
Your body will likely crave easy-to-digest foods like carbs. So, supplement your yummy snacks with help from your base camp kitchen. Chapati with nut butter or rice balls are awesome, easy to carry, and easy to digest that will keep you fueled when you’re climbing. And one tip is to have a thermos with hot tea and some sugar. While this may not sustain you through the entire day, it may provide you with enough of a boost to get you up the final steps; and it as importantly makes it easier to get some fluids down during a cold climb.
Fueling plays a big part in performance on the mountain, so investing the time to plan ahead will pay off when it counts. Any person training you for climbing will know the significance role caloric intake on the days leading up tot he summit attempt and summit day itself. Lisa Thompson at Alpine Athletics is able to coach you for not just getting your body fit, but the value of nutrition. Consult with your trainer for the best ideas to get you performing at the top level on the day it matters, when your reaching for the summit.