Who Knows About MRE Meals & Food Storage ?

[billt]

I was thinking about getting some of these, "just in case". With everything that's been going on, and all the nut cases stripping the shelves of toilet paper, it got me thinking. What if there really was a food shortage? I'm talking about something that would last even just a month or 2.

I heard that MRE's are designed to cause mild constipation, because they don't want the soldiers getting the $h!ts on the battlefield. Is that true? I also have to watch what I eat because of my blood sugar. So no chocolate brownies, cookies, and that type of high sugar meals.

Do you guys know what these things sell for.... Or SHOULD sell for? And are there any types to stay away from? I'm just looking for a 2 to 3 month supply of the heat and eat type. I've never had them. But I can eat pretty much anything and not complain. They claim a 25 year storage life. Hell, I'll be lucky if I last that long!

[Timothy]

Type 2 here as well.  I’m no expert but I suspect they’re heavy in the carbohydrates and not good for glucose levels either. 

Cabelas sells this stuff, never tried them.  There are sites that sell buckets that last years but again, I suspect heavy carb loads.  Dried fruits, dried beef, canned low salt veggies etc seems safer for the sugar issues.

[TAB]

Are you a diabetic?   If so please keep your blood sugar  under control.   My mom just went back about an hour ago to lose her left leg from hopefuly bellow the knee.   For food, talk too your local lds memebers.( no really,)  they have both a church run and private companies that do just this.  Deseret industries has all kinds of long term storege foods.    You dont have to be a member to buy.   They will be able to help you out.

[tombogan03884]

It's good to know theres a source besides friggin Sportsmans guide.

[billt]

My sugar levels, along with my A1-C are fine now. But I do have to watch what I eat. I'm 6' 2" 198-202 pounds. So weight isn't a problem. I just can't eat crap. I've never been a "sweetaholic", so it's not a problem. And I don't drink anymore. But I was wondering about MRE's.

Many of these products don't provide enough information on content. And many of the one's that do are confusing, because they go by, "per serving". And there can be more than one serving per packet, box, or whatever. So you have divide things out. And usually if you have to do that, they're way over on sugar and carbs anyway.

[Sponsor]

[Majer]

Military MRE's are high calorie(4000+) and high carb,This is to give energy to the soldiers during times of high stress and exertion. They are good to have for emergancies, but I wouldn't suggest a steady diet of them. A better choice would be the civilian "Prepper" foods like from the companies listed here.

https://downtoearthhomesteaders.com/the-8-best-survival-food-companies-for-long-term-food-storage-compared/

[Pathfinder]

I've been doing food preps for a couple of decades now (e.g. I have 5 6-gallon buckets with wheat berries in it for bread).

Things to remember:
1. Eat what you store and store what you eat. If you do not regularly eat MREs you will be sick as a dog when you try to subsist on them. Not to mention constipated (or so I hear).

2. Prep canned goods and have MULTIPLE can openers (the dollar store kind as cheap as they are, not the milsurp, those are a pain). And refer to #1

3. Start using a food dehydrator to dry food for later. I have a couple of jars of dried corn I put up some years back. Fruit dries nicely too. Refer to #1

4. Use a vacuum sealer whenever possible. The enemies of food are heat, light, air and water. I vacuum seal stuff (no air), put it in the freezer (no heat, light or water). We buy in bulk and on sale, then put it up. And yes I have a genset, but gas only lasts so long.

5. Commercial freeze-dried foods (Mountain House, et al.): I have some, have tried of few of them, they're not bad. They are expensive and getting harder to come by as you're not the only one thinking about this stuff.

Costco for example is now offering pallets of "emergency" food. I know nothing about the brand they are selling but have read other folks who have gone this route in the past.

[les snyder]

to add to what Pathfinder commented...the video changed my opinion on long term staples storage, from buckets and vacuum sealed pouches to vacuum sealing in quart Mason/Ball canning jars with the vacuum sealing attachment to my food saver... the cans fit in their original boxes under my bed...great northern and pinto beans, rice, instant rice, spaghetti, instant mashed potatoes

my short term hurricane supplies were increased just before the widespread panic of the Wuhan flu.... I store 6 and 8 can flats of : Campbells chunky style soups with chunk meat which can be augmented with a little instant rice ...corned beef hash...vienna sausages and baked beans...Dinty Moore stew.... Stagg chili...I have canned tuna, Spam, chicken on hand... I store about 20gal of water in Scepter cans and have a .1 micron Sawyer bucket filter system

the Wendy DeWitt (LDS) film is long but well worth taking a look at... if you have any specific questions please ask... Les


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOLuIApyNPc

[tombogan03884]

MRE's ? I know there isn't a good crap in a pallet of them.
Never understood why they bothered with the shit paper.

[Rastus]

MRE's are expensive for what you get.  You can go to Sam's Club and feed a family of four for a year with off the shelf items for around $1,000 .  PM me with your email and I'll send you my spiel and my spreadsheet for Sam's.  A person needs 1,400 to 1,500 calories a day to survive and to be able to pick up one foot in front of another.....you can do it for 1,100 to 1,200 and vegetate.  Rice, beans, flour are essentials.  Rice and beans twice a day and some biscuits in the morning will keep you going....you'll be really sick of it but your starving neighbor will kill you to get it.

I store this in barrels and drop in some dry ice to push out the air which will also kill the bugs if you have any in your flour or whatever.  Get a little fancy and add some powdered butter, pancake mix, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, etc. and you can spice things up.  I buy #10 cans of freeze dried meats and some veggies/fruits to add to the mix which last 20-25 years.  This is the most cost effective way I know of doing things.

If anyone else wants my short story basis for what I do and a copy of the spreadsheet PM me your email address.