Food and Drink
When it comes to eating and drinking on the Camino, there are 2 different things to consider. The first is properly fueling your body for the long distance endurance effort you are putting it through, the second is the unavoidable fact that Spain has some world class food!
Endurance nutrition
Let’s tackle the endurance sport nutrition aspect first. Over a long camino, you will burn a fantastic number of calories each day. Most pilgrims lose well over 10lbs on an average full camino(30+ days). Unfortunately, a lot of this weight loss is muscle deterioration. As you are walking, your body is burning off stored energy. Once that stored energy is gone, usually in about 90 mins, your body starts using muscle and fat cells for power and you lose valuable muscle mass.
Luckily you can combat this. By feeding your engine every 90 minutes or so you can delay your body using other energy sources. A simple snack of a half apple, small orange or other fruit can give you a natural boost and stave off muscle loss. You will still lose some, but not as much as if you went unfed.
Recovery is another very important aspect of your diet on the Camino. While it will be very tempting to jump into big piles of random goodies, mindful eating can make your you stay healthy and strong the whole way.
In order to rebuild damaged and lost muscle you will need to make sure to consume good quality protein in larger than normal amounts. Carbs are good for energy, but protein is your primary rebuilding material. Consider substituting a big mixed salad with eggs and tuna rather than a pasta dish for your lunch or first evening course. Concentrate on protein heavy main dishes(Spanish stewed chicken can be found nearly daily!) and save your carb intake for a superb Spanish dessert.
Hydration
Just good food
