Everest Base Camp Food - A complete food guide to EBC Trek 2022/2023/2024

Everest Base Camp Trek is always challenging and adventurous. It demands average physical stamina and proper itinerary for the successful accomplishment of the trek. Besides, the selection of the Everest Base Camp food really matters the most. Food plays an important role in energy and nourishment during the long-strenuous trek. If you are planning for the Everest Base Camp Trek then you need to know about the Everest Base Camp food available in this region, what to eat, and what to avoid in the tea houses of the Everest Base Camp Trail. There are many tea houses and lodges in the Everest Region which serve comfortable accommodation and varieties of hygienic food. They even serve the international cuisine cooked by the trained chef at the tourist hubs like Lukla and Namche. But, while selecting the food item in Everest Base Camp Trek, maintain the proper diet plan. Try the typical, tasty, and heavy Nepali dal-bhat which keeps you energetic for 6-7 hours as you have to cover long distance after breakfast and lunch.

What type of food is served in Everest Base Camp Trek?

While trekking in the higher elevation, the tea houses serve three-time meals per day which are altitude friendly. The meals include energy giving food and liquid food like rice, cereals, lentils soup, noodles soup, hot tea, potato, etc. The people of this region also eat the same food so that they can overcome the coldness of the region. It is the food that makes the people of this region healthy, strong, and energetic. Better to follow the trekking experts’ advice for the healthy and hygienic Everest Base Camp food diet. Breakfast on Everest Base Camp Trek: According to the health experts, food in the higher elevation boosts energy and reduces the risk of Acute Mountain Sickness. Therefore, trekkers need to choose balanced and hygienic Everest Base Camp food. Most of the expert suggest for Porridge/Oats, potato, bread, tea, coffee, etc as healthy breakfast so that trekkers get stuffed until they reach at the next tea house for lunch. Here is the list of the breakfast available in the tea house along the EBC Trails: Porridge/Oats:

• Oat porridge/Muesli
• Apple Porridge
• Cornflakes and milk
• Tsampa Porridge
• Rice pudding
• Cinnamon Porridge
• Honey Porridge

Bread Toasts:

• Plain Toasts
• Toast bread with eggs
• Toast bread with Jam,
• Toast bread with honey,
• Toast bread with butter, and cheese
• French Toast

Eggs:

• Plain Omelette
• Poached Omelette
• Boiled egg
• Scrambled egg
• Cheese Omelette

Chapati/Pancakes:

• Plain Chapati
• Chocolate Pancake
• Regular Pancake
• Chapati with eggs, jam, honey
• Tibetan pancakes
• Chapati with peanuts butter

*Note: These breakfasts maintain glucose, protein, and replenish your body with energy for a longer period of time.

Lunch on Everest Base Camp Trek:

Lunch is the main course of the meal which is served at 10-11 in the morning. The lunch must be healthy and heavy which will keep you energetic throughout the day as you have to depend on the lunch until 7-8 in the evening. The typical Nepal lunch includes boiled rice (Bhat), lentils (dal), vegetables (Tarkari), and pickles (Achar). And there is a saying, “Dal, bhat power 24 hours.” The lunch available on EBC teahouse includes:

Rice Main course:

• Veg dal bhat (dal, bhat, achar, Papadum, vegetables, etc)
• Non-veg dal bhat (veg dal bhat plus meat item)
• Veg fried rice
• Egg fried rice
• Mix fried rice
• Rice with veg curry
• Rice with chicken curry
• Fried rice with cheese
• Fried rice with Tuna fish

Noodles item:

• Veg Chow Mein (Fried noodles)
• Chicken Chow Mein
• Buff Chow Mein
• Egg Chow Mein
• Mixed Chow Mein
• Veg Thukpa (Boiled noodles)
• Chicken Thukpa
• Egg Thuka
• Buff Thukpa
• Mixed Thukpa
• Sherpa Stew
• Garlic soup

MoMo fried or steamed (Dumplings)

• Veg Momo
• Buff Momo
• Chicken Momo
• Potato Momo
• Cheese Momo

Pasta/ Macaronis:

• Plain Macaronis
• Veg fried Macaronis
• Cheese fried Macaronis
• Mix Macaronis
• Pasta with egg
• Pasta with cheese and tomato sauce

Spaghetti:

• Spaghetti with tomato sauce
• Spaghetti with cheese
• Spaghetti with tuna fish

Pizza:

• Chicken Pizza
• Mushroom Pizza
• Mix Pizza

Sandwich:

• Grilled egg sandwich
• Grilled cheese Sandwich
• Grilled Tuna sandwich
• Grilled tomato sandwich

*Note: These are some of the items served as lunch in the tea houses of Everest Base Camp Trek Trails. For the perfect lunch, there is no better option than Nepali Dal, bhat which contains carbohydrate and protein and gives energy for the body.

Dinner on Everest Base Camp Trek:

Dinner is served at the tea houses where you stay overnight. After the long day trek, trekkers need to be fueled with the delicious and heavy meal for the energy. Normally, every tea house on the trail offers the same meals for the trekkers which are similar to the lunch. Either you can go for the typical Nepali dal bhat or other mentioned food items for dinner. What to eat and what not to eat in Everest Base Camp Trek? Trekking in the higher altitude for more than 8-10 hours per day really requires adequate energy on the body. For this, trekkers need healthy and hygienic food along with plenty of fluid during the entire trek. What to eat?

• Start the trek with the healthy breakfast which contains enough amount of Carbohydrate, vitamin, protein, etc.
• Always eat balanced and hygienic lunch and dinner.
• Drink plenty of liquid, fluids, soup, and water to keep hydrated during the trek. Drink at least 3-4 liters of fluid. It helps to avoid altitude sickness and muscle cramps.
• Take chocolate bars and peanuts jam during the break for the instant energy. Add fruits on your meals item too.
• Dry foods like cashew, almonds, walnut, raisins, etc provides vitamin, protein, fiber, minerals, and enough nutrition.

What not to eat during Trek?

• Meat: Avoid meat items if possible. All the Everest Base Camp food is carried on the aircraft from Kathmandu to Lukla and supplied to the tea houses carrying on the back of mules/yaks. They don’t refrigerate the meat; rather, they dry it in the sun or in the smoke of the kitchen. So, for the health perspective, meat should be avoided during the trek.
• Alcoholic beverages/Smoking: Consumption of alcohol is strictly forbidden in EBC Trek as it is fatal. Alcohol dehydrates the body which raises the risk of Acute Mountain Sickness. Also, smoking causes breathing problem. So, better to keep abstain from these things.
• Junk food: Experts recommend us not to eat the food like chips, burger, pizza, raw noodles, etc which is wrapped in the packet or can. These foods increase the gastritis and inflammation in the body and make uneasy to walk.
• Caffeine and sugary food: Eating too much sugary food, sweet chocolates, tea, or coffee can reduce the energy and makes lethargic. Avoid these unnecessary items from the list.

Everest Base Camp food cost:

The Everest Region is a remote area and lagging behind the development. There are no motor roads up to Everest Base Camp. The goods or resources in Everest region are carried by the aircraft to Lukla airport and then on the back of the yaks or by the Nepali porters. So, you may find the cost of the food in the Everest region more expensive in comparison to Kathmandu or any other area. Final Conclusion: Food is the important factor that makes you trekking experience better or worse. While trekking in the higher elevation, always consume a balanced and healthy Everest Base Camp food diet that is altitude friendly. Make sure that you will follow the trekking experts or guides during the trek and eat what they suggest. Otherwise, unhygienic food increases the risk of AMS in Everest Base Camp Trek. Finally, people consider food as god; and wasting food is considered as a sin in many parts of Nepal. So, we request you not to waste the food. For further detail information, contact Mountain Mart Treks and Expedition (MMT).