The Evolution Of Nutrition

I was recently on a hike with a few friends in the Brecon Beacons; we completed a 16-mile overnight route through the Black Mountains on the western side of the peaks. It was glorious. 

No phone signal, no air pollution, just three blokes enjoying a stroll in the mountains. During times like this, things are so simple. One foot in front of the other; make sure your water bottle is full; stay warm, and whatever you do, don’t forget to eat.

Hiking, running, and outdoor adventure help to strip back so much of what makes our modern lives so complicated. It’s liberating to have most of your decisions laid out for you. You don’t have to think; most of the time, you just need to do. But when we return to our everyday lives, full of extreme comfort and unregulated freedoms, our choices can overwhelm our hunter-gatherer brains. Even the most straightforward question of ‘why do we eat?’ becomes more complex when you step into the world of the modern Western lifestyle.

We often associate sports and outdoor adventure with health (particularly diet and nutrition), with athletes at the pinnacle. But research suggests that athletes, particularly those in sports that typically encourage a low body fat percentage, like gymnastics, are more at risk of developing eating disorders than the general population. Females in aesthetic sports appear to be most at risk. One study on Norwegian athletes suggested that up to 42% of female gymnasts had an eating disorder, and 90% of all cases occur in people under 25.

In outdoor and adventure sports, a study published last year systematically analysed themes around food, diet, and body image in online rock-climbing communities. This is what we’d call an explorative study designed for hypothesis creation. It seeks to determine whether there’s a possible relationship between several variables, in this case: rock climbing (or adventure sports in general), body image, and attitudes toward food and diet. 

We can use a study like this to determine whether more research is needed to conduct a more thorough analysis of individuals in adventure sports like climbing, to determine the prevalence (how common it is) and incidence (how many new cases occur each year). Then, further down the line – we could use this information to provide support for individuals within these communities. Awareness is key.

So, what did the analysis show? Within the climbing community, there was a broad acceptance that disordered eating was an issue. A cultural focus on weight and thinness to aid performance may lead to some individuals developing disordered eating patterns that are inherently harmful to their health and, ironically, the same performance metrics they’re trying to improve.

Accessing nature and being in the outdoors isn’t a cure-all for your problems, and it might be that focussing on performance in the outdoors has led you to have issues around food now. But this doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a part of your recovery. 

Research has consistently shown that access to the great outdoors improves our mental and physical health; you’re more likely to live longer if you access nature regularly. The issue comes when we become disconnected from why we’re accessing nature in the first place and how food can play a complementary role in that experience. 

So, when planning your next adventure, climbing trip, hike, run, or whatever you do to get your nature kick, factor in your food too. What food do you need? Pack it. What food do you love? Take it. What meal do you dream of at the finish? Eat it. 

Your body, and equally importantly, your mind, will thank you later.