MRE 'Backup'

[jennyjj01]

Something which was brought to my attention today.....
MREs are NOT meant for long term diet. 21. Days max is often cited by experts.
Some of us store up MREs and freeze dried foods ready for SHTF. But it seems that these foods are pretty unhealthy, in even the medium turn.
Loaded with Sodium and preservatives, and ultra low on Fibre, they should not be sole diet beyond about 3 weeks *
If you find yourself only eating MREs, expect your digestion to go to hell. Constipation. And/or diarrhea are very likely.

MREs, pot noodles etc and tinned foods have their place in our reserves, but try to augment with less processed foods.
Also, have diarrhea And constipation meds stored.

*I suppose that even rotating a few MREs into your regular diet is less than ideal.

There are some interesting YouTube vids if you search MRE experiment. Or similar.

[Frnc]

I don't know much about them, but I've heard that. The longest I've backpacked for was 3 weeks, but we always got a bit of non freeze dried food. Some backpackers do extremely long routes in America, but I suppose they get some proper meals along the way.

As I said in the political thread, the main thing the UK could run out of is fresh veg, salads, and fruit.

This is one reason I like to know about wild edibles. Many are very nutritious. The veg we buy is not necessarily more nutritious. In fact often they are less. What you have to watch with wild plants is correct ID, no pollution (eg side of road or path), don't eat too much of the same plant, and bear in mind time of year.

Here's a quick bit off GPT:

Phase 1: Immediate Crisis (0–2 weeks)

MREs win
You need stability, predictability, no prep.

Phase 2: Short-to-Mid Term (2 weeks–3 months)

Freeze-dried + stored staples (rice, beans, oats)
Add wild greens for vitamins.

Phase 3: Long-Term Collapse

You must shift to:

Food production (gardening)

Fishing/hunting

Foraging as supplementation

Wild plants become vitamin insurance — not calorie supply.

[GeraldTheBonzai]

In the original use context, you'd stick on a rat pack (ORP) for up to 14 days. You can go beyond that, but you risk getting seriously constipated.... (very little fibre, all calories). 10-man packs are better - bulkier but have a "better" type of food mix. If you are looking to pick anything up, go for these.

[Frnc]

Don't forget bean sprout growers. Easy way to get some fresh salad, very nutritious.

[jennyjj01]

In the original use context, you'd stick on a rat pack (ORP) for up to 14 days. You can go beyond that, but you risk getting seriously constipated.... (very little fibre, all calories). 10-man packs are better - bulkier but have a "better" type of food mix. If you are looking to pick anything up, go for these.

I had to Google ten man ration packs. They contain separate ingredients like flour and dried spuds etc, so are a closer match to my extended pantry. I don't own any of the classic MRE rations, other than tinned ready meals.

Don't forget bean sprout growers. Easy way to get some fresh salad, very nutritious.

Good point. A few kilo of mung beans or dry peas can quickly produce buckets full of bean sprouts, rich in vitamins. Also basic cereals can last many months, so worth storing some.

[pseudonym]

Luckily my heart and diabetes meds counterbalance the MREs

[grenfell]

Might be in the early stages but MRE's could become a thing of the past eventually . Seems the US military is looking at 3D printed meals. I'm not even sure exactly what that means ...
https://thedebrief.org/beyond-mres-the- ... ttlefield/

[jennyjj01]

Might be in the early stages but MRE's could become a thing of the past eventually . Seems the US military is looking at 3D printed meals. I'm not even sure exactly what that means ...
https://thedebrief.org/beyond-mres-the- ... ttlefield/

Woooo. Sounds very hi-tech. Seems the meals get constructed out in the field, maybe from a bunch of different purees and powders. I bet those meals won't be cheap, or spill out onto eBay.

[pseudonym]

Snip> or spill out onto eBay.

Never underestimate a skint quartermaster

Can't vouch for the US, but any rations issued out in the UK military cannot be taken back in.

[jennyjj01]

Might be in the early stages but MRE's could become a thing of the past eventually . Seems the US military is looking at 3D printed meals. I'm not even sure exactly what that means ...
https://thedebrief.org/beyond-mres-the- ... ttlefield/

A pity that article didn't show any of the meals. It seems that the acceptability of these is as much about psychology as nutrition, with such tricks as shaping the food as motivational words.