If you are heading out, either for hiking, trekking or for a long journey you need to have a tight diet so that you can always keep your body energized. And mainly if you are trekking and hiking the more you need to be energized. You need extra energy, as you will be hiking through off-beaten rugged trails. And if you are planning to do the Everest Base Camp Trekking, first you need to plan for your meals. You need the right diet so that it can keep you energized for the extended walk and hiking.
Everest Base Camp Trek Food Guide
Table of Contents
If you are heading out, either for hiking, trekking, or for a long journey you need to have a tight diet so that you can always keep your body energized. And mainly if you are trekking and hiking the more you need to be energized. You need extra energy, as you will be hiking through off-beaten rugged trails. And if you are planning to do the Everest Base Camp Trekking, first you need to plan for your meals. You need the right diet so that it can keep you energized for the extended walk and hiking.
Everest Base Camp Trek is one of the most challenging and exciting treks. You need to be well equipped with the right gear and energized with the right diet for the challenging off-beaten trails hiking. Getting too much diet or less diet will directly impact the hike. If you are eating too much, your body will feel heavy making it hard to trek for you. And if you are eating too less you will not get the required amount of energy. So, you need to study and plan on how to maintain your diet while trekking. What type of food you will be getting during your trek, what type of food is available and what is good for you. You need to plan everything from the get-go.
Without knowledge, you will not be able to plan but we are here to share with you the details of everything you need to know before planning your trip to Everest Base Camp. Everest Base Camp is one of the famous destinations known by every traveler around the world. It is tough and challenging but at the same time, it is the most exciting and thrilling experience. Here’s the full guide about the food you need to know while trekking to Everest Base Camp.
Theirs is mostly tea houses on the trail while trekking to Everest base camp. Most of the tea houses are run by local people thus the food here is hygienic. You will be able to taste your food while experiencing the local culture. During the trek, the meal will be served three times a day. Which also includes coffee/tea. But you need to carry your water if you are really into mineral water. You need to buy mineral water for yourself.
The food will be served as per the teahouse menu. But along the trail, you’ll find a similar food menu. Though some teahouses serve a surprising number of options. Thus, you can easily find yourself trying something different daily.
Now let’s start with the guide to help you with what you are going to get during what meals.
Breakfast at Everest Base Camp
While trekking to Everest base camp we will be starting our trek after having our breakfast. So, breakfast during this trek mostly includes sweet and energizing food. A good breakfast boosts your confidence and energizes you. Normally, teahouses provide breakfast around the time 7 AM – 8 AM. Most tea houses will offer you a hot breakfast which usually consists of eggs, potatoes, coffee/tea, and French toast.
Here’s the breakdown menu for breakfast.
Toasted Bread:
- Toast bread with jam and honey
- French toast
- Cheese toast
- Honey toast
- Jam Toast
- Toast bread with egg and cheese
- Plain toast
Eggs:
- Boiled eggs
- Plain omelets
- Scrambled eggs
- Fried eggs
- Veg omelets
- Cheese omelets
Bread and Pancakes:
- Tibetan Bread
- Pancake with jam or honey
- Apple pancake
- Egg pancake
- Chocolate pancake
- Lemon pancake
- Cinnamon pancake
- Chapati plain
- Chapati with honey, peanut butter, egg, and baked beans
Other than these you will also be able to get porridge for breakfast items. But always keep in mind that the topping options become modest as you get to the higher altitudes. Different options of porridge are as follows.
- Oat porridge
- Stampa porridge
- Apple porridge
- Honey porridge
- Porridge with cinnamon and resins
- Muesli with hot milk
- Cornflakes with hot milk
- Rice pudding
- Chocolate pudding
All these breakfast items are healthy and help you replenish your body with the right amount of energy. You will be able to hike easily as these breakfasts are light and give you the right amount of energy for your hike. Also, these breakfasts maintain a higher level of glucose level in your bloodstream essential for the trek.
According to your taste and preferences you can choose any of these items for your breakfast. So, follow this as a food guide for Everest Base Camp Trek and eat a healthy wholesome breakfast.
Lunch at Everest Base Camp Trek
On the food menu of Everest Base Camp trek, lunch consists of carbohydrate-rich food and whole grains. In the daily routine of the trek, lunch will be served in the afternoon, like around 12 noon to 1:00 pm.
The lunch will be served in one of the tea houses on the way to the teahouse menu. Usually, traditional Nepali food (Dal, Bhat, Tarkari, and Aachar), which means boiled rice, lentil soup, vegetables, and pickle are the best options during the trek. Also, the Nepali style cooked meat is served but this is an optional one.
Here’s the breakdown menu for lunch.
Rice Meals:
- Dal Bhat veg
- Dal Bhat non-veg
- Rice with chicken curry
- Rice with veg curry
- Cheese fried rice
- Veg fried rice
- Egg fried rice
- Tuna fried rice
- Mixed fried rice
However, during the Everest Base Camp trek, not only traditional food is an option. The tea houses offer an extensive menu for lunch as follows,
Noodles:
- Veg fried noodles
- Egg fried noodles
- Fried noodles with cheese
- Mixed fried noodles
Momo (Dumplings):
- Veg Momo
- Buff Momo
- Chicken Momo
- Cheese Momo
- Veg Momo fried or steamed
- Potato Momo
Pasta and Macaronies:
- Veg fried pasta
- Cheese fried pasta
- Pasta with cheese and tomato sauce
- Plain macaroni
- Macaroni with vegetables, cheese, and egg
- Mix macaroni
Pizza and Sandwiches
- Chicken pizza
- Mushroom pizza
- Mixed pizza
- Grilled cheese tomato sandwich
- Grilled tomato egg sandwich
- Grilled tuna and tomato sandwich
Spaghetti
- Spaghetti with cheese tomato sauce
- Spaghetti with tomato sauce
- Spaghetti veg tomato sauce
- Spaghetti with tuna, cheese, and tomato sauce
These are just some varieties of food for lunch you are getting. You can get other various options on your meal depending on the tea houses. But, every food you get will have an unforgettable taste and it will be the best food of your life.
Dinner at Everest Base Camp
The dinner is served at the end of the day of the trek. Normally, it’ll be served in the lodge where you stay overnight from around 7:30 pm to 8:00 pm.
Dinner will be as per the lodge menu and will be like lunch. You can go for either traditional Nepali Dal Bhat or western food mentioned on the menu.
Drinks at Everest Base Camp
While on the Everest Base Camp trek you should drink sensibly. On the trail, most of the teahouses served hot lemon and hot orange. Hot water and sliced ginger are also served. If you get a problem with your stomach, then this will help you well.
Generally, tea and coffee are also served. But keep in mind while trekking at high altitudes, you should avoid caffeine.
Water
Always keeping yourself hydrated is one of the most important keys to a successful trek. If you don’t intake enough fluid it can cause a serious problems including altitude sickness.
While trekking you can get tap water everywhere, but they are not as hygienic. So, it’s better to drink filtered water or mineral water. So, you must drink filtered water during the trekking period. But you don’t have to worry about drinking unhygienic water as every tea house offers you boiling water. And if you are not into boiling water you can either buy yourself mineral water or you can use a water purification tablet. Although on the trail, you’ll also get bottled water, it’s not economical. During the peak season, some teahouses even charge a few dollars for the boiling options. So, the best option is to use the purification tablet.
What to eat before trekking?
Now, let’s check before trekking what you need to eat to maintain your energy level during the trek. According to many health experts, you need to take the right type of carbs before trekking like porridge/Dalia or oats. All these products provide you with instant energy. People said that you must start trekking with a filling healthy breakfast. However, if you’re going trekking in the afternoon, then you should have a healthy lunch.
Lunch or breakfast can include whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, and some good quality protein such as eggs, nuts, and peanut butter. Along with a wholesome healthy breakfast, you also need to drink ample water. As I said before this is most important to avoid dehydration while trekking at a higher elevation.
What to eat after the trek?
Once you’re done with the hectic hike, again you need to refuel your body. You can look for options with protein and complex sugars such as quick energy bars. Don’t forget to drink a lot of water. Normally, having 500 ml of water after you drink should be good.
What not to eat or drink while trekking?
During Everest Base Camp Trek, it is best for you to avoid meat. The meat available here is not hygienic and may be harmful to consume. The meat is transported from the lower elevation on the plane due to which the meat available here is at least 2 to 3 days old. Thus, keep in mind to eat fresh and hygienic food you need to avoid meat.
There is no such great cook in every tea house. So, before ordering western foods such as pizzas, spring rolls and such you need to be careful if the cook is good and can provide you with a clean and hygienic dish. Another thing you need to avoid is alcohol, alcohol causes dehydration which may prove fatal during your trek to Everest base camp.
If you are planning to avoid altitude sickness, then you must avoid alcohol at all costs. You can enjoy your drinks after you finish your trekking. It is best to not consume any type of alcohol during and before the trek.
Besides meat and alcohol, you need to also avoid certain food items like;
Avoid any food items that include high sugar levels like candies. Although some would prefer energy bars or choco bars for instant energy. But due to the high sugar content, it may cause a reduction in the energy cycle and imbalance your health conditions. Junk food like chips, fries, or burgers as these foods take a long time to get digested. Canned or tinned products since these do not contain any essential nutrients. Essential Food Tips for Everest Base Camp Trek, I assure you that after following these health food tips you can enjoy your EBC trekking experience to the fullest.
You always need to have a healthy breakfast. Make sure you are getting fresh foods while you are on your trek. Always keep yourself hydrated as much as possible. Try to avoid food with high calories of sugar, alcohol, and meat during your trek.
Keep in mind to have lunch and dinner which consist of carbohydrates. Though carbohydrates take time to get digested, it is the best source of energy. If you have the right carbs then it keeps you going for the whole day.
Carry tea and coffee bags. Mind that almost all tea houses provide one tea bag for the one kettle of tea. So, it might not get enough. Thus, don’t forget to bring tea bags, powdered milk, or instant coffee with you. You can surely enjoy a cup of tea or coffee for yourself whenever you feel the need for that boost. Sipping your favorite tea or coffee will help you relax and add extra energy.
You can keep some dry fruits with yourself on the trail. You can have some almonds, cashews, walnuts, raisins, and apricots in your backpack. As these dry fruits are light make the best source of the right nutritional elements for trekking. All these are rich in proteins, minerals, fibers, and vitamins.
You need to keep yourself hydrated as much as possible. At high altitudes, you will get less amount of oxygen and the oxygen you get from the water will help you out by lowering the chance of altitude sickness. So, it’s better for you to start drinking water and making habit of drinking 3 – 4 liters per day. The more you drink better.
If this blog was helpful, check out our other blogs which will help you a lot. We have various travel blogs explaining the destination and travel guides to various travel destinations in Nepal. Here are the various trekking packages to Everest Base Camp.
