If you're an avid hiker, you probably rely on trail mix to get you through the day every time you head out. It's a staple of the hiking world.
However, just like everything else, new things come along and replace even the most crucial parts of everyone's routine. When it comes to hiking snacks, protein cookie dough is the new and improved snack that's making trail mix obsolete.
If you're not switching out your trail mix for delicious cookie dough, you're missing out.
What is Protein Cookie Dough?
Years ago, if we told you to switch out your time-proven trail mix for cookie dough, you'd look at us like we were crazy. You'd be right to do so, too. Regular cookie dough would be an insane choice for a hiking snack.
Protein cookie dough from FUUL is completely different, though. It tastes and feels like cookie dough, but it's carefully designed to meet your macro requirements without dumping a bunch of junk into your system.
It does everything trail mix is supposed to do, but it has more benefits, and it cuts out the drawbacks of trail mix. In short, it's the perfect snack for when you're out on the trail.
Trail Mix vs. Protein Cookie Dough
You're probably not sold on the idea of eating cookie dough on the trail, but check out how it compares to the trail mix you're relying on.
1. Salt Content
Salt is important on the trail, because you want to stay hydrated. However, trail mix is often loaded with it.
Think about what's in the average trail mix. You get a bunch of pretzels, salted wheat bits, dried rye bread that's covered in salt, etc.
If you're on the trail the entire day, you don't want every snack to be a sodium overload.
Protein cookie dough does have some salt for flavor, but it's not loaded with it. You can get what you need, enjoy the savoriness, and trust that you're not setting yourself up for a stroke.
2. Carbs
This is one of the biggest problems with trail mix. While every recipe is different, most of them tend to be extremely carb heavy. Most of it consists of a variety of really hard bread-based snacks.
Those carbs are crucial on the trail, because they give you fast-burning energy that you don't have to wait for. However, those carbs don't repair anything, and they burn off just as fast as you take them in. Carbs are not a great energy source on their own.
Protein cookie dough has carbs. In fact, each serving has 36g of carbs. That's more than enough to get you back on your feet quickly, but those carbs are accompanied by fat and protein, as well. So, you get short-term and long-term energy.
3. Complete Protein
Most trail mixes are carb heavy, but they do have some protein. The problem is what type of protein you get from trail mix.
Usually, the protein in trail mix comes from a handful of nuts being tossed in. Nuts are fine, but they're not complete protein. You don't get all the amino acids your body needs from them, and that makes them inferior, especially when you're doing hard trails that break your body down.
The protein in protein cookie dough comes from whey and milk. Those are complete protein sources that give your body all 9 of the core amino acids and a few more, and your muscles get everything they need to properly repair themselves.
Not only is complete protein more beneficial for your body in the short term, but it also wards off injuries in the long term. You're less likely to overstrain and seriously damage your muscles, and that means you can keep hitting the trail with confidence. That same repair benefit is a big reason it also works so well as a snack on recovery days.
4. Fat
Fat is a bit of a naughty word in the fitness world, but it's a simple fact that your body needs it. It's a form of energy storage. The carbs in a snack don't last forever, and when they're out, you need fat to keep your body moving.
Trail mix is usually pretty lean, and when it does have fat, it's not very high quality.
Protein cookie dough has 8g of fat from high-quality sources. This fat breaks down efficiently when your body burns through its carbs so you can keep moving, but it doesn't go straight to your hips.
5. Flavor
Flavor is important. Even when everything is going according to plan, hiking can take a toll on your mental health. It's hard work, and you need every bit of motivation you can get to finally finish your trip and get back to the car. A tasty treat that gives you a boost of dopamine is even more important if something does go wrong and you find yourself in a bind. That little bit of flavorful goodness can be the difference between giving up or pushing forward until you find your way again.
Trail mix usually doesn't taste horrible, but it's nothing to write home about. It's certainly not as delicious as cookie dough, either.
Protein cookie dough is like carrying a delicious dessert around in your bag and not having to worry about it going bad or pumping your body full of junk. It's actually one of the reasons it pairs so well with other simple, on-the-go combinations when you want a bit more variety out on the trail.
It's an emotional boost, energy for your journey, and the stuff your body needs to repair itself, all without a bunch of unhealthy garbage in it.
Try FUUL
To get all the benefits we talked about throughout this blog, you can't just grab any old protein cookie dough recipe off the internet and mix it up. Those are almost always loaded with garbage. You need a high-quality, wellness-focused product that is made with macros and performance in mind.
That's FUUL.
FUUL has 15g of protein, 6g of sugar, and 8g of fat with just 270 calories per bag. It fills you up without taking up a ton of space in your bag, and it's the perfect snack for when you're out on the trail. It's also light enough to bring along on any trip, which is exactly why it fits so naturally into a travel routine beyond just hiking.
Toss that outdated trail mix in the bin, and try FUUL today.