Car Camping, Special Diets and Nourishing Traditional Foods

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Making hot drinks and breakfast at a rest stop in the United States.

Recently, I did a 5000km (3000 mile) road trip in the United States. Travel for someone on a restrictive diet can be difficult. I would like to share some of my strategies for finding and preparing food on the road. Even if you don’t have a special diet, these tips may help save money on food while traveling.

  1. Be aware of restricted foods before crossing any borders. I found a list of food items for the border police is very helpful and speeds up the process. Also, have a list of items with prices to declare for the trip back.
  2. Bring water for your trip. I bring a minimum of 2.5 gallons per person. I refill the containers along the way and always have a full supply of water. I also carry two stainless steel water bottles for easy use and refill them daily.
  3. Bring supplies from home. Bringing food from home helps keep one’s diet as close to normal as possible. This avoids stress from changes in diet that may result in illness. Typical supplies are: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, coconut oil, creamed coconut, barley miso, chocolate bits, cocoa nibs, macha, coffee and tea. I also brought homemade salad dressing, homemade beef jerky, homemade nut granola, homemade coconut creamer and homemade mushroom broth.
  4. Bring a cooler with ready-made food that’s easy to eat. My ready-made food lasted for the first three days of the trip. My ready-made food included: bean salad, meatloaf, kimchi, butter, cheese and cream. Bring food that everyone enjoys.
  5. Have some way to heat water. Have enough kitchen equipment to cook on the road. Fill thermoses and travel mugs with coffee, tea and hot water in the morning for use throughout the day.
  6. Use new technology to find local, organic food. Finding food along the way can be tough but with new technology it’s getting much easier. Smart phones can search out organic food stores and other local food producers in whatever area you are visiting. If you don’t use a smart phone finding places to provision before you leave home is a must.
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Here’s my water heating system. I use a simple alcohol stove fueled by methyl hydrate. The front of the cooking box can be closed up to stop the wind from blowing out the stove.

Over the years I have used many different types of stoves and camping kitchen equipment. Right now I’m using a small alcohol stove fueled with 99.9% methyl hydrate. You can find methyl hydrate at the paint or hardware store. I carry two stainless steel pots. One small pot and one larger pot that can boil 1.5L of water. A French press is good for making coffee. Stainless steel thermoses and insulated travel mugs are a great way to keep coffee, tea and hot water warm all day.

Recently, I have started cooking in a cardboard box. This may seem like a strange idea but the box is good for storing all the cooking gear in one place, and acts like a wind shield, making cooking faster while conserving fuel. When the box gets dirty it can be discarded. Just cut one side of the box with a box-cutter and fold up that side when cooking to reduce air flow. Of course, while cooking always watch the box so it doesn’t catch on fire!

Camping kitchen kits are great too. You can make your own or buy a ready made one. I bought a ready made one years ago and over time customized it. My customized kitchen kit has a cutting board, box-cutter, sheathed knife, 2-4 spoons, 2-4 forks, spice and condiment bottles, a lighter, scrubby pad and small bottle of dish soap for clean-up. I carry 2-4 bowl-shaped plates for cutting-on and eating which also fit inside the kitchen kit. I carry a supply of paper towels in a zip-lock bag for eating and wiping-off eating equipment for those times when there’s no water for washing-up. I’ve started carrying some small bars of soap and shampoo packages like the kind you would get staying at a hotel.

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Here’s my customized, camping kitchen kit. It has everything I need to prepare simple meals. As you can see, the equipment sees heavy use. I really like having a sheathed knife to avoid damage to the kit. Bowl-shaped plates are great for liquids and can be used as a cutting board.

Here are some ideas for quick, simple snacks and meals while traveling:

  1. Soft-boil 2-3 eggs per person and serve with lots of butter, sea salt and pepper. It takes about 2 minutes to soft-boil eggs.
  2. Homemade nut granola with chopped fresh, local fruit served with yogurt.
  3. When there isn’t time to cook, add some butter, coconut oil or homemade coconut creamer in coffee or mushroom broth for a quick, filling hot drink.
  4. Eat a handful of whole nuts. On this trip, the local pistachios were fantastic.
  5. Eat a small amount of beef jerky.
  6. Eat cooked meats, chicken or fish using a lettuce leaf as a wrap. Add some fresh avocado slices for an extra filling meal.
  7. If you’re on the road and really desperate, Sally Fallon-Morell recommends eating pork rings with only added salt. I’ve found this advice has worked well for me even though I’m very sensitive to food additives.

For more information about my typical traveling rations please see: Emergency Preparation: Some Thoughts About Water and Food Security.

If you are looking for light-weight, calorie dense rations for travel please see: Emergency Preparation: Fasting or Ketogenic Rations.

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A favorite breakfast on the road is soft boiled eggs topped with butter, sea salt and pepper. We re-purposed old egg cartons into one use egg cups.

Seaweed Salad

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Seaweed Salad is easy to make and is great as a topping or in hot and cold salads. Homemade Seaweed Salad will not have the bright green color of commercial products due to not having artificial coloring.

This recipe is NOT safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or GAPS.

Seaweed Salad
1c dried wakame seaweed, sliced or chopped
1c filtered water
2T Homemade Sambal Oelek in Sesame Seed Oil
1T organic barley miso
1T local honey
1T organic traditionally fermented tamari
2T organic cider vinegar
1T organic toasted sesame seed oil
1T toasted sesame seeds or Homemade Furikake

In a bowl, soak the wakame seaweed in filtered water for 2-5 minutes. Less soaking time will leave the seaweed with more texture. In another bowl, mix the Homemade Sambal Oelek Sesame Seed Oil with the miso and honey until smooth. Then add the tamari, cider vinegar and toasted sesame seed oil. Remove the soaking water from the seaweed and add the seaweed to the sauce and mix well again. Top with the sesame seeds from the Homemade Furikake. Reserve the seaweed soaking water for making broth or sprinkle on house plants or in the indoor growing unit.

All seaweeds are high in polysaccharides which are not well tolerated by people on the SCD or GAPS. Miso and tamari are also restricted on the diet because both are made from soy or grains. If you have been on the SCD or GAPS for some time and all your symptoms have resolved you might like to experiment with different seaweeds, miso and tamari and see if you can tolerate them. Try each food one at a time for tolerance, not together in one recipe like this. Also, avoid all commercially prepared Seaweed Salads which have a bright green color from artificial coloring and additives. Homemade Seaweed Salad will have a dark green color but none of these dangerous additives.

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In the winter, Seaweed Salad is a good way to spice up cabbage cooked in butter. Add some Sambal to the cabbage for extra zing.

Hot Alternations: In the winter, Seaweed Salad can be eaten hot with cooked cabbage or other vegetables or used as a topping for meat or fish.
Cold Alternations: Seaweed Salad can be eaten by itself or with finely chopped lettuce or microgreens.

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Seaweed Salad is great on stir-fried vegetables or as a topping for chicken. Try some Homemade Sambal in your next stir-fry.

Here is a local source for seaweed and bonito flakes:
Cheng Kwong Grocery
Jenny Lu
864B 8th Street, Kamloops, BC V2B 2X3
250.554.2272

Homemade Furikake

“Furikake [is] the salt and pepper of Japan. This crunchy, salty, nutty, earthy, briny topping that tastes slightly of seafood is a great all-purpose seasoning for rice, seafood, snacks, and more.”
www.foodiewithfamily.com

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Furikake is a traditional Japanese, multi-purpose seasoning that is easy to make and a great addition to meat, fish, seafood, rice, snacks, and assorted vegetables.


This recipe is NOT safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or GAPS.

Homemade Furikake

1c organic sesame seeds
1T sea salt
3T bonito flakes
1 sheet nori seaweed, cut into small pieces (optional)
In a cast iron frying pan, dry roast the sesame seeds over high or medium heat, stirring all the time. The sesame seeds will be ready when the seeds start to pop and brown slightly. Do not overcook. Remove the seeds from the fry pan immediately and pour into a bowl. Add the sea salt, bonito flakes and the optional nori. All seaweeds are high in polysaccharides which are not well tolerated by people on the SCD or GAPS. Remove the nori to make this recipe safe.

The trick to cutting the sheet of nori is to first fold the sheet of nori in half and then again into quarters, before cutting. Cut the sheet into stripes along the folds. Then cut each stripe into 1/4-1/8 inch pieces.

Here is a local source for seaweed and bonito flakes:
Cheng Kwong Grocery
Jenny Lu
864B 8th Street, Kamloops, BC V2B 2X3
250.554.2272

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Furikake is a nice topping for dressing up winter cooked cabbage.

Homemade Sambal Oelek

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Sambal Oelek is a very hot sauce great for spicing up winter meals.

The recipe is safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or GAPS.

Sambal is a sauce that originated in Indonesian or Malaysian and can be made from many different types of chilies. Sambal Oelek means “ground chilies”. Making this sauce at home from fresh ingredients is called “Sambal Dadak”.

This recipe is made with both dried and fresh ingredients but for best results use fresh ingredients whenever possible. Be very careful when working with hot chilies as they can burn skin, eyes and lungs.

Sambal Oelek

1c organic dried red chilies
1/4c organic lemongrass
1c boiling filtered water
2/3c organic garlic, peeled
2/3c organic ginger, chopped
2/3c organic cider vinegar
1/2c local honey
1T sea salt
1 organic lime peel
Put the chilies and lemongrass into a bowl. Bring the filtered water to a boil and pour over the chilies and lemongrass. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. In a food processor or Vita-mix machine, puree the garlic and ginger. Add the vinegar, honey, sea salt and lime peel and blend until smooth. Add the soaked chilies and lemongrass and puree. Reserve the soaking water. Add some of the soaking water if the sauce is too thick. Store in a glass jar in the fridge. The sauce will last for a year or longer if refrigerated.

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For a milder Sambal Oelek add some of the sauce to raw or toasted sesame seed oil. This is raw sesame seed oil but using toasted sesame oil is very good too.

Sambal Oelek in Sesame Seed Oil

1 part Homemade Sambal Oelek
4 parts organic raw or toasted sesame oil
Sambal Oelek is a very hot sauce. One way to tame the hot flavor is to add some sauce to an oil base. Any oil can be used but raw or toasted sesame oil would be a traditional choice. If possible, allow a week for the sauce to infuse into the oil before using but the oil can be used right away. For a mild spicy flavor skim the oil from the top of the jar. For a hotter dish use a mixture of the oil and Sambal solids.

Coco-Chia Pudding

“The reason Chia seeds are so beneficial is due to them being rich in fiber, omega-3 fats, protein, vitamins and minerals? Chia also contains essential fatty acids alpha-linolenic and linoleic acid, mucin, strontium, Vitamins A, B, E, and D, and minerals including sulphur, iron, iodine, magnesium, manganese, niacin, thiamine, and they are a rich source of anti-oxidants.”
9 Chia Seeds Benefits and Side Effects by Dr Josh Axe

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A small amount of chia seeds go a long way. One tablespoon of chia seeds will make about one half cup of thick pudding, more if you like a thinner pudding.

This recipe is NOT safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica) are a traditional food in Central and South America but is considered a novelty food in North America. Recently, chia seeds have made a big splash in the alternative health community. Chia seeds are full of mucilage and polysaccharides which are not well tolerated by people on the SCD. If you have been on the SCD for some time and all your symptoms have resolved you might like to experiment with chia seeds and see if you can tolerate them.

This dessert is very easy to make and has the consistency of crunchy tapioca. One member of the family said the dessert tasted good but looked like frog spawn, so it might make a fun Halloween dessert for young children!

Chia seeds are a dense food which doesn’t take up much space, making chia seeds a very good candidate for camping or emergency rations.

Coco-Chia Pudding

1/2c organic chia seeds, soaked
3c filtered water
1/4-1/3c organic creamed coconut
1c boiling water
3-4T local honey
1T homemade vanilla extract
1/2tsp sea salt
Soak the chia seeds overnight in the water. Stir the soaking seeds a few times during the process. This avoids the chia seeds clumping together. In a sauce pan, boil one cup of water. Remove from the heat. In a blender, add the creamed coconut, honey, vanilla extract and sea salt and mix until smooth. Add the mixture to the soaked chia seeds and mix well. Store the pudding in the fridge. The pudding will continue to thicken every day. If you prefer a thinner pudding add another cup of water or boiling water with more creamed coconut.