MRE food

[USACelt]

Does anyone know pros am cons for long term to use MRE's as a food source.
I like them and thinking they would work. The cost can be high but food spoil would not be a issue.

 

[LeeRevell]

Military MREs are a very poor choice for longterm use. They are calorie intense, and tend to cause problems like constipation and have high levels of salt and preservatives. They are intended to keep troops in a combat environment going while providing calories in a light ready to eat form. Uncle Sam doesn't care that much about the trooper's long term nutritional health. Just that he complete the mission.
That said, I do use them for camping trips, hunting, etc. But don't make a constant habit of it. They can be expensive, as I find I generally need two entrees to make a filling meal. I buy the entrees only, as the other froofroo can be replaced by cheaper items we have or can get locally. I don't buy until I find a good deal pricewise.
The flavor selections change over the years and right now are pretty good. The only one I could not stomach was the "Beef in Jamaica Sauce"....... NASTY!!
And drink plenty of liquids when eating them!

 

[Almost There]

Low in fibre so unless you up your liquid intake to compensate you'll end up constipated.

Extremely high in sodium because they were designed for military use on maneuvers where you're going all out all day.

High in fat content and not always the good kind of fat.

Expensive - you might as well eat at fast food restaurants.

Not recommended for stockpiling in vehicles because the shelf life gets way short when exposed to high heat.

If you're going to go that route try Mountain House meals from someplace like REI - but they're still way high in sodium.

Here's an article for you to read...

https://survivalacres.com/shop/content/8-why-do-we-not-recommend-mre

 

[cdiggy]

MRE= Meals Rejected by Everyone (I didn't make that up, military personnel thought it up way before I came on the scene)

 

[USACelt]

All good points , and taken.
Can't be worst than mick D
As far as heat,shelf life. I am not thinking a years supply at a time just a month or so.
The ones I have had taste fine to me. I suppose fresh vegetables and fruits would be a great addition.
Time will tell I suppose

 

[highdesertranger]

I use mre's for emergency back up and for when I am away from camp for the day. I eat one every once in awhile just to keep the stock rotated. I agree they taste ok but I would not eat them on a regular basis. highdesertranger

 

[Baloo]

I have a bunch of me, but I prefer freeze dried camping meals

 

[cdiggy]

I have a bunch of me, but I prefer freeze dried camping meals

Seems that mountain house, IMO, is the best of the bunch although maybe the other companies have gotten better over the years.

 

[Baloo]

I like mountain home meals, had one last night! Plus hot water is easy to make!

 

[highdesertranger]

yeah kinda hard to burn water. highdesertranger

 

[Almost There]

yeah kinda hard to burn water.  highdesertranger

Don't ask me how but my ex could do it....

I swear he could!!

 

[East]

I have an Auguson Farm 30 day emergency food storage bucket (full of mre) with a optional 45 day meal plan. The thing is about $80. If you split the price up it comes to something like $2 a day, which is insanely cheap. I don't think that they have to not be cost effective. As for quality I can not speak for it as I haven't opened it yet.

 

[WriterMs]

I have an Auguson Farm 30 day emergency food storage bucket (full of mre) with a optional 45 day meal plan. The thing is about $80. If you split the price up it comes to something like $2 a day, which is insanely cheap. I don't think that they have to not be cost effective. As for quality I can not speak for it as I haven't opened it yet.

I looked at the Auguson Farms site, because that price seems very good. BUT, if our are going by their serving size to figure a meal per serving, did you notice a serving of something like chicken alfredo is one-half cup of pasta with the sauce added? The sodium in the couple of entrees I looked at supplied half of the recommended amount for an entire day in just the half-cup "serving" (half cup for an entree seems way small .... or is my visualization of that way off?).

 

[LeeRevell]

Auguson Farms gets great reviews from the Prepper crowd, compared to other LTS foods. But, as mentioned, serving sizes may be less than we like and sodium higher. It IS designed to be stored a long time, so needs preservatives. Salt is cheap.
Better is to use LTS techniques to store your own raw foods - wheat, rice, pasta. And use home canning for meats, veggies and sauces/soups. Living in a van though, can make this more difficult.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Anyone who likes freeze dried hasn't been tent-bound with someone who has been eating FD for 3 weeks straight. -- Spiff

P.S.  The MRE packs come (at least used to come) with a small 'chocolate' bar or similar for the constipation problem.

 

[WriterMs]

Better is to use LTS techniques to store your own raw foods - wheat, rice, pasta.  And use home canning for meats, veggies and sauces/soups.  Living in a van though, can make this more difficult.

I guess I could see solar dehydration of small quantities if you have room to carry such equipment.. maybe dehydrating some fruits or such and then storing extra. But canning equipment itself would take up more space than most have, not to mention the heat resources needed. If a vandweller is in Utah or the surrounding area, there are some LDS canneries that allow outsiders at certain times to come in and can up supplies. Or, you can also get just the pure, single item foods already canned from many suppliers (vs buying quick-fix meal entrees). But I think this thread started with the question of MREs for "regular" meals so I may be getting too off track here.

I put my own general thoughts on food supplies while living a mobile lifestyle in a blog post this week (site in my signature). The upshot being store extra of some key "emergency" foods that you eat anyway and rotate that supply. If you feel a need for true prepping, then you need a non-mobile supply location that you can reach within a tank of gas. Just my own humble opinion.

 

[USACelt]

I was thinking MRE would be good long term based on the military usage for long term deployment
But have yet to test this theory. Has anyone ever real life real world on this forum eaten MRE long term?

 

[Spirituallifetime]

Even the military don't eat mre's long term! Kitchens are set up where the troops are staying and MRE's are eaten in the field when away from any kitchen facilities.

 

[LeeRevell]

I was thinking MRE would be good long term based on the military usage for long term deployment
But have yet to test this theory.  Has anyone ever real life real world on this forum eaten MRE long term?

Not 'long term', no.  You'd need to talk to someone on (or who has done) a long Army or Marine deployment to the Middle East.