Festivals - The foodies survival guide

What do you eat to give you enough energy to keep going for 3 days and how do you repair after?

Surya WrightJune 23, 2023

energy pantothenic acid niacin biotin vitamin c iron thiamin riboflavin copper magnesium manganese vitamin b12 phosphorus

Festival season is well and truly with us, Glastonbury is in full swing and there are countless other festivals for every age and taste. But what do you eat to give you enough energy to keep going for 3 days and how do you repair your body after all of that overindulging? Read on....

Energy

Most people know that you need fats and carbs to create energy but did you know that there are specific nutrients that are also vital for energy.

These are: Vitamin B12, thiamin, riboflavin, phosphorus, pantothenic acid, niacin, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and biotin.

So how do you know which foods have all of these nutrients? Well, we’ve done the work for you by checking out which foods have the most.

Foods

Liver is by far the best food, with chicken liver pate having a whopping 7 of the 12 nutrients listed above, but it’s not really something you are going to eat at a festival, so we’ve picked out the best festival favourites from a nutrition point of view.

Eggs are great for vitamin B12, biotin and riboflavin. Have 2 eggs and you’ll also be getting high levels of phosphorus and pantothenic acid.

English Breakfast: Pork is a great source of thiamin along with orange juice and baked beans. Looks like a cooked breakfast may be the thing!

Peanuts: Thinking along the lines of easy food for festivals then you can’t go far wrong with roasted peanuts; a 50g packet is great for biotin, manganese, niacin, copper, phosphorus and magnesium.

Bread: If you’re eating bread then go for wholemeal as it’s got manganese, phosphorus, copper, niacin and biotin. As a bonus it’s also got loads of phytosterols (phytochemicals) to help your immune system stay healthy, vital at festivals!

Burgers! A good old burger is great for vitamin b12, niacin, phosphorus and riboflavin.

Curry: Festival wise iron is quite a hard one to get as some of the highest foods are liver, oysters and caviar! But for us mere mortals you can’t go wrong with a curry. A portion of curry paste has 46% of your RDA (recommended daily amount) for iron. Have your curry with brown rice, as it’s packed with your lots of your energy giving nutrients.

Repair

So you're back home and worn out, physically you feel like your body is drained. Time to repair! Once again we’ve done the hard work for you.

As there are nutrients that are good for energy, there are also nutrients that can help to recover from your overindulging.

• Pantothenic acid – enables liver to cope with toxins
• Garlic – anti-inflammatory, eliminates dangerous toxins
• Iron – it helps detoxify pollutants
• Manganese – detoxifies your liver and brain
• Molybdenum – it helps our body get rid of toxins

Unlike the energy giving foods it’s quite hard to find individual foods that have a combination of these nutrients so we thought we’d direct you to some great recipes that will help repair you.

Recipes

Starting with Paella – this is a fantastic all round dish that not only contains your energy giving nutrients but also the ones you need to recuperate. So have some at the festival and when you get home!

Roast leg of lamb with potatoes – add some slivers of garlic into the leg of lamb to get your garlic quota.

Eat smart egg curry – This simple egg curry will please vegetarians and provide you with your toxin beating nutrients.

Lambs liver and mince chilli with brown rice. This is ticking all of your boxes and is a great way to sneak liver into a meal!

And finally another curry, pumpkin and chickpea curry. This mild curry with coconut milk is simple and delicious.

To find individual foods that are highest in your detoxing nutrients check out these links. Pantothenic acid – Iron – Manganese

To find out more about garlic as a nutrient click here

Molybdenum does not have an RDA (recommended daily amount) but foods high in this toxin ridding nutrient are legumes, such as beans, lentils, and peas, grain products and nuts are also good sources.

Vitamin C

Finally a word about vitamin C. Did you know this crucial vitamin is essential for keeping you in tip top shape at festivals, as it:

• Is critical for brain function and mood regulation
• Has been shown to be vital for skin health
• Is a major contributor to keeping our immune systems effective
• Protects against the effects of toxins such as those found in cigarette smoke

So make sure keep up your vitamin C levels. Some of the best foods are acerola cherry juice, orange juice, red peppers and spring greens. Find more here.

Festivals what to eat?

As you head off to your festival or if you're trying to recover, the above are just the tip of the iceberg to the genius of ordinary food and how everyday foods hold they key to your health and vitality.

Have a great festival!

Find out more about those energy giving nutrients

Surya Wright

Co-founder, production manager

I'm our communications and marketing person, dealing with social media and copywriting. I also work with Matt and Ric overseeing the design and strategic management of the site. I'm also the author of the Eva the Hungry Amoeba children's book series (only one so far). You can find it on Amazon. My favourite foods, shepherds pie and smoked haddock!

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