Food Rations

[BAK]

I have a question about food ration calculation. How do you know how many days/man of food you have?
I read a bunch of websites that say you need X pounds of grain per man/year, Y pounds of rice per man/year, etc. However its not very precise if you add all the canned vegetables, dehydrated fruits, dried milk, honey, canned meats, etc etc etc.
I tried counting calories to get an estimate thinking that if I have Z total calories then Z/2000 will give me an approximation of how many days/man of food I have. However it gets pretty confusing when the calories get into the 6 and 7 digits.
Does anybody have any other ideas of combining all the different foods into an approximation of number of rations?

[Jerry D Young]

You can track either what you eat for a month, or track the purchases for a month. You should get a pretty good idea of the amount of food you need to keep you going, based on your normal eating patterns. Once you have a year's worth of off the shelf shelf stable foods based on that survey, you should have a pretty good idea on what you need in long term storage foods. If you contemplate having an active life style in the PAW, if that is what it comes to, I'd figure at least 2,500 calories, preferably more than 3,000. But you'll have a good idea of what you need to keep you going after doing the monthly calculations.

And though it tends to be against a lot of the advice, I suggest storing a lot of real meat, oils (coconut), comfort foods, and lots and lots of water.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

[protus]

i always went with the retard safe route.
1 lb per day per person( can goods is min of 4 cans per day per person)
2 gallons of water a day per person.

so far its worked LOL

[BAK]

Protus how do you account for cans of different size and nutrition? I have 6lb cans of tuna and 10oz cans of mushrooms- one has 5000 calories the other 80 calories.

[dilli]

when we first started i kept a journal of how much we ate of all the basics. The majority of our food comes from the garden rather than a store which makes it simpler for us to figure out... all the guides in the world will not help if you eat none of what is in a guide...

[miked2345]

And though it tends to be against a lot of the advice, I suggest storing a lot of real meat, oils (coconut), comfort foods, and lots and lots of water.

What form do you store the meat in? Frozen, canned, dried? I have a good stock of canned meat, salmon, tuna. We stock up on frozen meat when on sale, but try to work thru it rather fast to avoid freezer burn.

[goatlady]

If you Vac-pak your meats you can avoid freezer burn for over 2 years! Best investment for preppers and others. Works great for storing herbs and spices long term also.

[Spock]

Protus how do you account for cans of different size and nutrition? I have 6lb cans of tuna and 10oz cans of mushrooms- one has 5000 calories the other 80 calories.

don't store shrooms man. there are no calories there. if you are looking at buying a 10 oz can of shrooms and a 15 oz can of corn thats 320 calories well I think the choice is obvious.

[protus]

Protus how do you account for cans of different size and nutrition? I have 6lb cans of tuna and 10oz cans of mushrooms- one has 5000 calories the other 80 calories.

most can goods(soups) run around 150-200 cals per can. x 4=800 cals just in can goods.
Figure thats BARE min. per day. My normal numbers run 6-8 cans per person per day to stay around the 1500 cals per day. That is with nothing BUT can goods as your food storage.

10lb cans etc are a different ball game. Do you have enough mouths to empty that 6lb can of tuna in one sitting? maybe 2? then it will work out differently.
Most will store single/dbl serving size cans like "soup" etc.
Even meat products will run 100 cals each per can on avg.

I perfer cans for supplements to my LTS and what i can eat prior to that ( short term event) .

Lots of people go the wet packed can route.
It takes a lot of cash and a lot of room and a steady rotation to make it work. However i dont think many get far enough into it to see that. 2 people, 6 cans a day for 30 days at an avg or 2$ per can......just around 340$ and just under 200 cans....for 30 days for two people to get at the 1-1300k cal mark per day.........
On LTS items i stick with the 1 lb per person for simplicity..

[Jerry D Young]

Canned, dried (mostly jerky), and freeze-dried. I only have a small refrigerator in the apartment so frozen is out except for very short term items.

What form do you store the meat in? Frozen, canned, dried? I have a good stock of canned meat, salmon, tuna. We stock up on frozen meat when on sale, but try to work thru it rather fast to avoid freezer burn.

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

LDS has a Food Storage Calculator. That may help you.

[Javin]

This focus on calories disturbs me deeply. Calories are such a minuscule part of the overall equation that they shouldn't even be considered. There have been studies done on prisoners that have disproven the "calorie" concept time and time again. The formula simply isn't that simple.

I am willing to pose a test for anyone willing to put their lives at risk to attempt it. You can consume a diet of 5000 calories a day, not gain weight, and die of starvation. Calories do NOT equal weight gain, health, or stability. Focus on calories WILL kill you.

The equation boils down to a very complex balance of fats, antioxidants, free radicals, cholesterol (which is a type of fat) and various other nutrients. This balance CAN be achieved with the proper foods in storage, but please, PLEASE do not delude yourself into thinking that calories = life.

You NEED vegetables, fats, and protein to live. You should have a balanced amount of vitamins to supplement the stored foods, as well as a way to grind those vitamins into your meals. (vitamin supplements taken in pill form are nearly useless.) Understanding of how those vitamins get into your system are equally important. For instance, taking a vitamin E supplement with water is pointless. Vitamin E (a fat-soluble antioxidant) cannot be absorbed by the body unless combined with a fat-based food. In pill form, you will simply crap out the vast majority of the vitamin.

Even with Vitamin E, and Vitamin C (antioxidants) you cannot repair the damage done by the radicals in your system without cholesterol. You can't absorb calcium without potassium. There's a complex balance that MUST be established or your food stores are little more than eating nothing but dried corn until you die. Every prepper should look into how the human body works at a molecular level (since I've yet to find a decent site that gives a realistic diet).

[Matt In Oklahoma]

So Javin what do you suggest doing?

[dilli]

Matt , knowing what foods provide each nutritional element is a start. Much like Javin I see everyone focused on stored foods and packaged vitamins and know most vitamins are useless. Everything a human needs to survive is provided for us in nature and foods, including what we deem weeds. Learning what we need and how much and the foods that have them to me is the best start. Of course that takes effort on our part and most people prefer the easier way out and would prefer to store a pill for it rather than seek the knowledge.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Matt , knowing what foods provide each nutritional element is a start. Much like Javin I see everyone focused on stored foods and packaged vitamins and know most vitamins are useless. Everything a human needs to survive is provided for us in nature and foods, including what we deem weeds. Learning what we need and how much and the foods that have them to me is the best start. Of course that takes effort on our part and most people prefer the easier way out and would prefer to store a pill for it rather than seek the knowledge.

I agree, I have a balanced approach, at least i hope, with stored, grown, foraged and even pills. It's the best i can do anyway. The hard part on the weeds is identifying and then getting over the taste IMO.