How's that for a thread subject? <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Anyways, to the point?

As I read about different survival food such as MREs, rations like Datrex and Mainstay, and some others, I always see the disclaimer about the possibility of getting clogged up from them. However, I have not seen any recommendations for also packing some fiber supplements along with your survival food.

Would packing some fiber supplements along with your survival food be a good idea? (I've seen recommendations for anti-diarrheal medications like Immodium AD.) Do any of the dietitian experts here have any recommendations concerning whether to pack soluble fiber vs. insoluble fiber?

Ideas, thoughts, comments, questions, snide remarks?

That is why I try to have a variety of foods along. That variety includes small boxes of raisins, grits, oatmeal, & a little of the good old fashioned greasy stuff like real pork skins (aka: cracklins, here in Lousy-anna). Consuming a little of each food group gives some balance.
A very important item is a daily multi-vitamin containing a significant amount of zinc.
The other 2 very important items to carry is TP & Immodium AD.

"Now we're pooping in tall cotton!"

I would say it would be more important to add vitamin C supplements to your rations. A daily dosage of about 500 mg of vitamin C will help your body to keep warm in cold weather according to recent research. Try everything to stay warm and hydrated and you'll worry about your hemorroids once you're back home. Of course you will be rescued quickly since you left a detailed itinerary to a responsible person prior to your departure.

Another possible cause could be not drinking enough water. It takes water to digest food (some more than others), and if you aren't getting enough water, you shouldn't be eating much food.

Sue

I question any item that requires accessories or additioinal fixes to correct a additional problem. I call this the M-16 forward assist school of design. Survival gear should be as problem free as possible. Again, as I stated in another thread, buy some of the stuff and seek the truth deep in the bowels of your own empirical experience before depending on anything.

That's a quality pun right there! <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I guess my question is: How long is this survival situation going to last?

During stressfull times people get all kinds of digestive disturbances, from nausea and vomiting to constipation and diarrhea. I have eaten nothing but MREs for about 6 days straight when backpacking and kept myself pretty regular (pardon the details <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />), while other members of my group had all kinds of issues.
As Chris pointed out, try eating your survival food for a "reasonable" amount of time you would be in a survival situation, and see how your body reacts.
Although fiber is good for you, its also on the heavy/bulky side, requires water to be effective, and tends to spill all over your gear if that ziplock rips. Try something like Senokot pills if you develop a problem with your survival food.
<img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I think I'd probably try something like FiberCon for long term (+2-3 days) use. I've never had that particular problem with MRE's or canned myself. Just lucky I guess..... <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Well, due to my meds side-effects, I'm gonna have the constipation problem anyway regardless, unless something gives me the opposite. Fiber supplements now and then are a norm for me.

Thanks, Wohlschlag, that gives me "fiber for thought" about packing a supplement into a kit.

There are so many things in any environment that can give you tummy bugs that end up giving you diarrhea. So I think for that reason having fiber to be regular is something that has really not come to people's mind when packing a survival kit.

One ingredient I like to add to my pemmican from time to time (especially to the cold recipe versions) is oat bran. It mixes in well, does not add a lot of weight, and really gets the fiber content up good. Of course the regular addition of dried fruits and vegetables in my pemmican recipes already helps with the fiber content.

I've also used fenugreek seed along with cumin to give the pemmican an indian flavor. Fenugreek seed is a natural laxative. Very mild, but effective.

Fortunately, even without adding fiber or laxative ingredients, I have yet to encounter a bowel problem from eating pemmican. Not so with the MREs, as other people have already mentioned.