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.

What triggers the diarrhea in people from eating MREs lots of the time is simply MSG. Being allergic to MSG myself, this is the mildest reaction I have to it. I FINALLY learned to quit eating Hidden Valley Ranch dressing lately - it does it every time to me because it contains MSG (duh on my part).

IF MSG ISN'T HARMFUL, WHY IS IT HIDDEN?

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/

If you are worried about constipation from the MRE's, or any other source, a bottle of mineral oil in your gear will fix that. A good glug every day or so will fix you right up. You can even use it for other needs, like oiling stuff. Not the greatest taste in the world (it tastes like, well, oil), but it works. It will take a few days to start working if you are really plugged up, so don't go nuts drinking it, or you will be sorry. Verrrrry sorry. Don't ask me how I know this...

Some people are prone to getting clogged-up.
Some foods (like white bread and cheese, soda),
cause clogging. Some medicines have clogging as
a side effect; read the fine print; pain meds are
constipating, usually.

Wheat bran or sesame seeds can be bought at a
health food store. Sesame's run from $2 to $2.70 per
pound; a bargain if you need them.
If you have allergies (hay fever?), you may have
some degree of allergy to bran or sesame seeds;
I do. However, small amounts do not bother me.
Also, if I cook them they change enough in chemical
composition that the allergy potential goes way down,
for me, anyway.

You can add seeds or bran to any dish.
I especially like to toast seeds slightly, in an empty pan
with a small amount of heat. You can really put heat to
them an they brown-up and taste like toasty popcorn.

Other foods.
Greek-type pickled peppers, hot, medium, or mild;
they are great with almost any meal.
Rasberry jam with seeds is great stuff.

Bark shavings from trees are another souce of roughage.
I have not tried this yet, but have read that wood has been
added to commercially made bread for roughage.

If you cannot get any foods to loosen you up <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />,
you can use your finger to get things started. <img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />
Be careful not to enjoy this too much. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Here's a story on a somewhat related topic. I worked shifts at a factory. They had six janitors that cleaned the offices & security guards that patrolled at night. One Friday night, a janitor brought in a box of ice cream sandwiches. They ate some & left the rest in the lunchroom freezer over the weekend. When they came in on Monday the ice cream had mysteriously disappeared. One of them had an idea. They bought another box of ice cream sandwiches. They allowed them to thaw partially, then unwrapped them & pried them open very carefully. Then they made a small indentation in each & added a dose of liquid E-lax. They then carefully re-wrapped the sandwiches & left them in the freezer over the next night. The next day, the sandwiches were missing again. One of the roving security guards called in sick two days in a row. When he finally returned to work, he commented to one of them “I was so sick. I thought I was going to [censored] myself to death.” Mystery solved. So, if you're going to take E-lax along in case of constipation, be careful not to overdose.

Exlax brand had to change one of their products,
a few years ago; I am not sure which one.
They used to have a chocolate bar product,
chocolate itself is a laxative, I think.
Head lettuce keeps reasonably well, if cool.
Raw carrots keep really well; they can be buried,
and they will really clean you out. Cooked carrots
have less laxative effect.

Carrots (and potatoes)
would be a good long term survival-storage food;
keep cool and dark in a make shift root cellar or
just burry them under 4 inches of dirt/sand.
If moles and other varmints are a problem, then
burial may be accompanied with wire mesh.

If you're going to take high-fiber foods or capsules, you have to be sure to drink enough. Fiber does its job by absorbing water. If you aren't drinking enough, you're still going to have problems.

Sue