Planning your meals is the most important part of the right preparation for the Annapurna Base Camp Trek. Moreover, proper meal planning helps to manage the physical demand throughout the trekking journey. You are offered with diverse meal option in the teahouses while you pass through different mountain villages and trekking settlements along the route.
Trails food is not just a means of simply satisfying your hunger during trek. In addition, it is the primary source for providing energy required for the journey composed of long trekking days, changing elevation and temperature. However, selecting nutritious meals and drinking electrolyte water plays a crucial role to boost stamina throughout the trek. Likewise, knowing how food option vary with the change in elevation helps to make your trek comfortable yet enjoyable.
This Annapurna Base Camp Trek Food Guide covers the complete information of vegetarian, non-vegetarian and vegan meal option along the route. Moreover, it also provides important tips for trekkers throughout the trail regarding:
- safe drinking water
- hydration option
- snacks worth packing
- dinning etiquette in teahouse
Hence, this guide is specifically beneficial for:
- Beginner trekkers who is curious about what food option available.
- Solo travelers willing to plan meal smartly and independently.
- Families trekking with their kids.
- Vegetarian and vegan person.
Overview of Food on the ABC Trek
One of the notable features of ABC Trek is the offering of wide variety of local and international dishes in the teahouse along the route. Most of the teahouses are family-run and serves freshly cooked meals. At lower elevation, ingredients required to cook meals are transported by vehicles. So, you can find out wide variety of food items.
Likewise, food and cooking supplies are transported to the teahouse of higher elevation with the help of porters and pack animals. Moreover, sometimes helicopter cargo flights are used to supply heavier loads of ingredients in difficult to reach areas such as ABC and MBC. Due to challenging transportation, there is no wide range of food items available. Furthermore, price is also increase at higher elevation teahouse in comparison to lower elevation.
Majority of teahouses along the ABC route serve:
- Traditional Nepali cuisines (Rice, lentils, vegetable and pickle)
- Tibetan cuisines
- Vegetable soups
- Toast with egg
- Fried rice
- Pancakes
- Ginger tea
- Coffee
- Pasta
Hence, teahouse generally provide basic facilities. So, you can experience comfortable dining where highly nutritious and freshly prepared meals are served to fulfill the physical demand of trekking. Because of difficulty in the transportation of construction, food and other essential supplies, trekkers cannot experience the luxury dinning.
Why nutritious diet is important during the trek?
The Annapurna Base Camp Trek generally demands 5-8 hours of trek each day. Additionally, you often need to walk steep uphill and downhill sections. Likewise, trek in higher elevation requires more calories due to:
Reduced oxygen level: As we know, there is less oxygen available in the higher altitude. More energy is required by heart and breathing muscles to transport oxygen throughout the body.
Increased breathing rate: At higher elevation, each breath supplies less oxygen to lungs and blood due to lower air pressure.
Increased heart rate: Availability of less oxygen tends to heart pump faster in order to supply required oxygen to the body.
Cold Temperature: Likewise, cold temperature at higher elevation demands more energy to maintain normal temperature of body.
Moreover, ghrelin hormone (hunger hormone) is decreased due to reduced oxygen level in higher altitude and leads to decrease in appetite naturally.
However, eating nutritious diet helps to:
Restore calorie balance which was burned during high altitude trek.
- Balance level of energy throughout the day.
- Reduce muscles strain and supports its recovery.
- Maintain body warmth in the colder temperature.
- Consistent fluid and nutrition intake ensure proper acclimatization.
What food can you expect along the route of Annapurna Base Camp?
Majority of teahouse along the route have similar meal schedule. Generally, breakfast is served early in the morning before you start your trek. Likewise, lunch is available at afternoon and you stop at teahouse on the way and order your lunch. While dinner is prepared when everyone reaches to stay overnight in the teahouse.
With the rise in altitude, variety of food tends to decrease. However, you will explore many familiar traditional Nepali cuisines. During the peak trekking period, staff of teahouse may require 30 to 45 minutes after you order a food.
Common Breakfast options available along the route of ABC
Porridge
Porridge is regarded as the most preferred breakfast among the trekkers. It is warm, easy to digest and contains slow-digesting carbohydrates ensuring sustained energy for longer time. Based on the menu of teahouse common variety served includes:
- Rice Porridge
- Corn Porridge
- Millet Porridge
- Oats Porridge
- Mixed Fruit Porridge
Tibetan Breads
Many trekkers also eat Tibetan bread with honey, jam or peanut butter as breakfast. It is thick and fried flatbread and categorized as calorie-dense meal.
Pancakes
Pancakes are considered as energy-rich breakfast and generally served with jam, butter and honey to add sweet flavor. Based on the menu of teahouse common variety served includes:
- Apple pancakes
- Banana pancakes
- Plain pancakes
- Cinnamon pancakes
- Honey pancakes
- Chocolate pancakes
Eggs with toasts
Eggs are considered as the best source of protein and cooked in several ways:
- Omelets
- Boiled eggs
- Fried eggs
- Scrambled eggs
Eating eggs with bread is also balanced breakfast before you start your trek.
Muesli and yogurt
Trekkers who prefer light breakfast often prefer muesli and yogurt. It is mostly available in the lower elevation villages such as Jhinu Danda, Ghandruk and Chhomrong. With the rise in elevation its availability reduces due to difficulty in transportation.
