Survival Food – Freeze Dried & MRE

The Importance of Freeze Dried Food For Emergency Preparedness
By Timothy Darwin Lee

No one knows when the next earthquake, hurricane or other natural disaster will hit. Civil unrest can occur in a very short period of time and require that you have the means to stay indoors for at least 72-hours, or perhaps even longer.

But what if you had to remain inside for a week? How about a month? While every household should have some type of emergency preparedness supplies, how many households have enough supplies to last one or two months in the event of an emergency? Many households stock extra pantry items such as canned foods along with emergency lights, batteries, blankets, first aid kits, and other emergency supplies. However, the most important items in your survival stash needs to be food and water.

When creating a food storage strategy, consider some of these benefits of freeze dried food:

1. Long-term shelf life

Purchasing #10 cans of freeze dried food will keep for 25 years depending on the storage temperature. All the major freeze dried manufacturers make #10 cans which is a standard method of food storage. Cans in storage can be rotated for backpacking and camping trips, or just rotated as part of your normal meal preparation. Even smaller containers such as #2 ? cans from AlpineAire have a 15-year shelf life, and small 2 and 4-person serving freeze dried food pouches last 7 years.

2. No cooking required – just add water

Many preppers underestimate the benefits of having freeze dried food that can be prepared quickly and easily by just adding water. While hot water is desirable for the best taste, in case of an emergency, cold water will provide the same nutritional benefits. The last thing you want to do in a survival scenario is to worry about different meal combinations as you want to dedicate all of your energy to keeping yourself or your family safe.

3. Food has intrinsic value

Food is a universal currency during a survival scenario. You can trade it for other necessities such as medicines, protection, or transportation. Your food value also never goes to waste as you can rotate the food that you purchase in and out of your food storage. Finally, buying food now with a long shelf-life locks in the cost of food now so in the event of severe price inflation, your supply of freeze dried food has already been paid for.

4. Other considerations

• Food storage gives you peace of mind knowing that you are prepared in the event of a disaster.
• You can supplement your freeze dried food supplies with canned foods and foods you use regularly but have 1-2 year shelf life so that it can function as both food storage and an extended pantry.
• Do not forget to stock up on your most favorite items such as coffees, teas, hot chocolate, candies, and whatever else you view as a luxury or comfort food. In times of crisis, these food items will help lift your spirits.
• Consider whether you need to have smaller, more portable food storage units if the types of disaster you are preparing for may require you to move quickly. A six month supply of food storage is great to have in your basement, but if you cannot stay at home during an emergency, you need the ability to collect your food and move quickly.

In summary, serious thinking about how an emergency scenario may affect you should lead you to consider, amongst everything else, that food is a key element to your disaster planning.

Timothy writes is an avid backpacker and writes on a variety of topics including freeze dried food and the impact of the recent spike in demand for popular freeze dried food brands such as Mountain House.

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The Advantages Of Emergency MRE Meals Compared To Canned Good Products
By Mike Oblacion

Many people pick canned good products as their first choice when choosing food for emergency purposes because it is readily available in the market. Many of them do not know the advantages of picking emergency MREs (meals ready to eat) over canned goods because they may have not encountered this type of meal. This article will enlighten the readers about the benefit that MRE meals give to the buyers.

Preparing for emergency is important especially if you think that your community is prone to disasters because of different reasons such as you live near the ocean where tsunami might occur or you always experience flooding even though typhoons are not strong. If this is the case then you need to establish a good disaster supply kit which contains food that will last for many years.

MRE meals can help solve the problem that many people have which is their canned good products are reaching its expiration date before they get to consume them. People who buy this type of meal do not have this problem because this type of meal lasts for as long as fourteen years and they do not have to check the expiration date every month.

Canned good products are heavy because of its packaging which is a disadvantage when they need to evacuate their place due to the disaster. MRE meals on the other hand are lightweight and convenient to carry. You can store numerous it in a plastic container under your bed or in your disaster supply bag without worrying about how heavy it will be when calamity strikes your area. Another thing that it is good about these meals is its packaging because it is easy to open and it can withstand different climate change. There are different menus that a family can choose from and it is packed with high caloric content which is good because you need the energy to move from one place to another especially if you are struggling to evacuate.

MRE meals are good to consume because the taste were designed by top chefs who have the best interest when it comes to the approval of the consumers. It is good to consume because everything you need is in the pack of every meal. You do not have to think about nutrition because these meals provide you with your recommended daily allowance.

If you want to purchase Emergency MREs, visit the MRE Meals ready to eat Website.

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Tips For Buying Emergency Food Rations
By Timothy Dalton

If you’re looking to stock up on your food supplies for emergency situations, then congratulations are in order as you are taking responsibility for your well-being as well as those of your loved ones.

When purchasing emergency food rations, there are a few things one should consider: cost, shelf life, convenience and taste.

One particular type of emergency food that almost everyone has around the house is canned goods. The reason is because it’s cheap, good to eat, and readily available in grocery stores, and it is easy to prepare. But let me ask how one will eat such an item if there were no heat source available to warm the food? Would you be willing to eat it cold? Of course, if you’re hungry enough, it wouldn’t matter but it is always nice to have warm comfort food. Canned food items are usually meant to be eaten in two years. However, it does depend on the acidic level of the canned item. Lower acidic food like meats have a longer shelf life and higher acidic food like fruit and vegetables have a shorter shelf life. You can take a chance on eating expired canned goods but that is at your own discretion.

Another popular type of emergency food is the freeze dried food. The process takes all the water out of the food making it extremely lightweight to carry. This is why freeze dried food is particularly popular with hikers, campers and backpackers. Surprisingly, when the food is rehydrated with water, it keeps much of its original taste as well and can be quite delicious to eat. These packages are not cost prohibitive and can be found for as little as four to five dollars for an individual meal pouch. If you get a #10 can of freeze dried food, then the cost per person is even cheaper. The storage life on freeze dried food is great as well. It can last for as long as 25 years although some manufacturers say it is good for 40 years if stored in the right conditions which generally just means a dry and cool place. Freeze dried food really is a buy and forget type meal. However, just as with canned foods, you can eat it cold when hydrating it with cold water but warm water is always preferred to have a hot meal. The question is will you have hot water in an emergency?

The third type of emergency food ration is the MRE or meal ready to eat. Originally, the MRE meal was designed for the U.S. military but the demand proved strong enough that manufacturers sold civilian versions to the public as well. An MRE package is the most convenient of all the emergency foods discussed so far as it is a complete meal with a main entrée, side entree, dessert, beverage mix, crackers/bread and a spread mixture. To top it off, the package provides self warming flameless ration heater, something that is lacking from the other two options. Of course, all this convenience will cost more as a package will run around $6-$7 per bag. MREs also last on average 3 years before they expire. The taste of MRE is also quite good as well and some people eat this as they would a casual night indoors like they would a TV dinner.

All three options are good to have on hand in case of emergency situations. The type you decide to buy are up to your budget, preference and lifestyle.

Timothy Dalton is a freelance writer who is also an outdoor enthusiast. Timothy just loves MRE meals ready to eat as nutritious and tasty camping MRE meals.

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How Military Meals – Ready to Eat – Can Supplement Your Emergency Food Rations in a Disaster
By Doug Kramer

Disaster can strike in a moment’s notice. If it happened to you, would you be prepared? Beyond the first aid kit, most people not ready for a true emergency. When tragedy strikes on a large scale, affecting hundreds or thousands at once, how will you get your family what they need? With large scale disasters, most homeowners are on their own for the first 48-72 hours while emergency workers gather and prepare to assist. All families should have an emergency preparedness kit that contains enough food and water for at least 3 days.

Military meals ready to eat can go a long way to providing your family with their food needs for the first 72 hours.

While you may think you probably have enough food in your pantry to stretch for 3 days, you never know when that food may become contaminated or even inaccessible. When gathering supplies for an emergency preparedness kit, it is best to plan ahead with a food supply that lasts. While canned goods, crackers, and high-water food items are good choices, it is difficult to create a complete and nutritious meal out of them. For that reason, military meals ready to eat, or MRE’s, should always be a part of your kit.

Here are five distinct advantages that military meals ready to eat have over standard grocery store canned goods.

• MRE’s are self contained in tamper-proof packaging that is water-tight and weather-proof.
• Meals ready to eat can hold their nutritional value for up to 5 years making them simple “set-it-and-forget-it” emergency food rations.
• These types of emergency food rations do not require cooking or water.
• Military meals-ready-to-eat can be eaten hold or cold. Many come with MRE heaters which require only a cup of water to heat the entrée to near boiling with no stove required.
• MRE’s come complete with an entrée, side dish, drink mix, condiments, spread, cracker and dessert. To be quite honest, they are a lot of fun to eat, especially when kids get to open their own and dump out the “treat bag” so-to-speak.

With more and more families preparing ahead of time for disasters, military meals ready to eat are not made just for the military anymore. There are a variety of suppliers that offer items from the basic needs to gourmet wants, spreading a wide range of budgets.

Military MRE’s are the easiest, safest and most cost effective way to stock your emergency kit.  Be prepared.  Buy MRE’s.  You’ll be thankful when disaster strikes.

As an independent and responsible citizen family, we believe in assisting the government in a disaster situation by being ourselves self-reliant and prepared. This requires preparation and planning. We also want to be a valuable resource to you and other families in our neighborhood, county and city. That’s why we created a site specifically designed to provide you with information on military meals ready to eat or MRE’s. Visit http://www.mremealwarehouse.com for information on MRE’s, emergency food rations and other disaster preparedness resources.

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Advantages of Freeze Dried Food – For All Ages
By Adam M Rise

There are many advantages of freeze dried food, and they’ve come a long way from 30 years ago when it was first introduced for the astronauts and for backpackers. In fact, today’s freeze dried foods have all of the flavor, texture, and vitamins and nutrients of canned or other types of frozen food. In fact, there are going to be certain types of freeze-dried food that is actually better than frozen as a keeps its flavor and vital nutrients. This means that you can keep freeze-dried food for a very long period of time.

Another of the advantages you’ll have is the weight, you’ll have to have very good supporting shelves for canned food whereas freeze-dried food on the other hand is relatively small and takes up less space and doesn’t need the support.

Many hobby exercise individuals such as those that do backpacking, bicycling and camping enjoy lightweight of freeze-dried food as well. They have found that they can pack more food for a longer period of time if they use freeze-dried food than if they try to pack traditional food. They then will just have to have a water source in order to reconstitute the food into a fully nutritious meal.

Many people store it for emergency conditions. They will store in a bunker or other type of safe area that they will need should there ever be an earthquake or other natural disaster. Of course, there are those who figure that sooner or later war will tear our country apart and store freeze-dried food as well.

The freeze and drying process for freeze-dried food as changed as well, now, they use a drying, heated and freezing process. The food is first frozen, it is then put it into a low pressure chamber where it is heated in order to allow the water to become a gas. It is then frozen again, and this allows pockets within the food that allows the expansion when it’s rehydrated.

There are many advantages to freeze-dried food, and one of the best, of course, is the taste is so much better than what was originally produced over 30 years ago. The freezing and drying process is quicker, maintains better flavor, and actually keeps vitamins and nutrients intact.

While it might make sense to store a bit of canned food around in case of emergency, it makes even better sense to go ahead and purchase freeze-dried food and water to give you and your family as supply of good nutritious food, should you ever need it. You’ll find a wide assortment of types of freeze-dried food, in fact, just about any type of food is available. Find out more tips about freeze dried food at http://freezedriedfood.referenceguidetips.com

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Prepare For Emergencies With MRE Meals
By Sequito De Guzman

There are many people who would like to prepare for emergencies so that when disaster strikes they are ready for it. There are many calamities happening all over the world and they are worried that their area might be the next one to be hit. They are well aware with what happened to the homes of people who have been hit by Hurricane Katrina and they want to be ready in case something as tremendous as that happens again.

MREs (meals ready to eat) are bought in emergency supply stores and can be purchased by civilians. There are military MRE meals that are reserved for soldiers and only they are entitled to eat the food. They are being rationed from different places so that they can have something to eat in a battle. The caloric equivalent of military MRE meals is higher by 200 to 300 calories compared to civilian MRE meals. Soldiers need a lot of energy to endure the training and the things they have to do in a battle which is why they are given a lot of caloric intake compared to the civilian version.

You can prepare for any emergency that may come your way as long as you have the right information in your hand. You can research on the Internet. You will be able to find different websites that caters to the need of people who are looking for information regarding emergency situations. The websites will be able to help you with different types of emergencies such as fire, earthquake, flood, hurricane etc.

You can never go wrong with the right preparation when it comes to emergency situations. In order to be efficiently prepared, you must tell all the people living in the house the things that they must do in case of emergencies. You must prepare a drill so that they know which door is the best way out of the house. If there is an emergency evacuation ordered by the government then they should know what to bring and it should be prepared beforehand to avoid any delay in case true emergency arise.

It is not hard to be in control of an emergency situation as long as you have MRE meals in your house and the right information to get you through the day. You must know how to research for such information and the things that you need to bring to the evacuation centers are all prepared.

If you want to buy Emergency MREs, visit the Military MRE Store.

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MRE Meals – Civilians Can Eat Like the Military Too
By Revon Sims

When you are reading the title you may not know what MRE meals are. MRE meals are meals ready to eat. They are typically sent to the military. There are many different types of foods that are included in the list of MRE meals. You can get packs of full meals, entrees, side dishes, sauces, snacks, spreads, beverages, MRE heaters (hot beverage bags, and other fantastic meals.

When shopping for MRE meals it is important to figure out how much you are going to need to purchase and it wouldn’t be too bad to consider what the soldiers like and dislike, too. Granted, it is a time of war but the least that anyone can do is provide them with the comforts of home. Often times there are different sizes for the cases. For example, there will be a twelve pack of full meals that include your main dish, side dish, dessert, beverage, crackers, spread, and then a condiment pack. The condiment packs are helpful and also include coffee depending on where you get your MRE cases from.

The coolest part is that there are so many options out there. You can get the best of the best. Veggie burgers, chicken pasta, salsa, oatmeal, brisket, dumplings, chili, penne, omelets, and they also provide you with heaters. You will never have to worry about your soldiers not having enough to eat again by going out and purchasing these cases.

These are also perfect for people that are going to be out camping for days at a time. It is best to plan and find something that you can eat if it will be a long camping trip. If you don’t need heaters then you can also get packs of food without the heaters with many different variations too.

The best foods are provided and it doesn’t matter if you are a carnivore or a vegetarian. Enjoy some delicious veggie lasagna or ribs. Either way, you will never go hungry. If you only need MRE meals to last you for six meals then you can also get them with or without heaters. The best bet, especially if you are out for days at a time, is getting the packs with heaters. The additional price is nothing compared to having to figure out how to cook it in weird situations.

Do research to find the best provider. There are many of them out there and sometimes you need to find a place that caters to your dietary needs. Some companies like Epicenter provide vegetarian MRE meals but there are only three different types of veggie foods that they provide as an entry. This is okay because they have picked the most loved and comforting meals that they could have.

If full on meals aren’t your thing and you really would like to have a delicious sandwich or you are in a position where you must eat on the go (as that happens often in the military), there are different types of sandwiches you can get that are MRE too. They are a lot like hot pockets when premade but probably more delicious and you have a lot of options if you buy only the bread. Who could ask for more?

MRE meal information [http://mremealsinfo.com/] can be found all over the internet. MRE meals [http://mremealsinfo.com/mre-meals-military-style-meal-options.html] are a military meal option for your average civilian.

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Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes — lately, it seems like there’s a new natural disaster wreaking havoc on poor planet Earth every week. From television sets to Twitter streams, it’s impossible to ignore the devastation these disasters leave behind. And, no matter where you’re watching from, it’s hard not to feel just a little bit helpless in the face of such colossal catastrophes. But when it comes to natural disasters, modern technology is making it easier than ever to take control by creating your own emergency response system — no high pitched beeping required. There are tons of apps and websites to help you create emergency preparedness plans, keep in touch during a disaster, and get your life back after one strike. Nothing will keep you safer or saner during a natural disaster than having a good plan in advance. Here are few that can help you out-

NOAA National Hurricane Center. (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/)
ONE application or website that can use for relying on projected storm tracks, then the NOAA National Hurricane Center Website is the one should be bookmarked in PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or other smartphone device. It’s free of cost.

The NHC website contains a massive wealth of up-to-date information. Easy to track and monitor the progress of every single storm in the Eastern Pacific and the Atlantic, read various types of graphical computer models and watch animated satellite and radar maps.
Unfortunately the NHC site looks like it was designed in the early 1990s — there’s no cool Web 2.0 point-and-click GUI, but all the data is there. They’ve got a PDA rendered version of the site which could be use on an iPhone or an Android device, but unless the type that likes to page through raw data, it probably won’t be of much use
.
However, the basic charts and storm projections should be enough to give a very good idea of where the hurricane is heading and to give up-to-date and reliable information on how its behavior might change.

StormPulse(http://www.stormpulse.com):

StormPulse is a great site on a desktop or laptop computer, as the website is Flash-based, so it won’t run on an iOS device.

Like the National Hurricane Center, the website is free, which will allow to look at projected storm tracks using different computer models but it has more advanced Premium features for those that are more storm and hurricane enthusiasts or even meteorological professionals, such as moving satellite imagery loops, “Super Radar” and customizable alerts.

iHurricaneHD by HurricaneSoftware.com(http://appshopper.com/weather/ihurricane-hd) :

iHurricaneHD is a free App for iOS devices and is distributed as a universal binary for the iPad, iPod Touch and the iPhone.

iHurricaneHD allows to track the progress of current and past storms and uses projection data from the National Hurricane Center. Using the interface, click on each projected location where it displays the hurricane’s estimated speed, heading and approximate distance from the location.
It also allows to view various static satellite maps from the US Navy, GOES and METEOSAT, and provides a better interface to warning and alert information from the NHC than the NHC does with its own website.
The Application also allows registering the email address for hurricane alerts. An in-app purchase of $1.99 removes all advertising from the program.

Hurricane/HD by KittyCode LLC (http://itunes.apple.com/app/hurricane-hd/id363451838?mt=8)

Hurricane and Hurricane HD, distributed by Kitty Code for $3.99 for the iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad respectively is probably the most sophisticated of the “Apps” for iOS listed in this article. It has by far the most exploitative user interface on the iPhone and iPad and makes very good use of the multi-touch capabilities of iOS.

Like HurricaneSoftware.com’s iHurricaneHD, Hurricane/Hurricane HD makes use of data from the National Hurricane Center, but presents it in a very easy to navigate and visually pleasing way and allows to seamlessly switch between satellite and map modes for storm tracking as well as moving radar and satellite imaging loops.
As with iHurricaneHD, this app allows to track current as well as past storms, going back as far as even 1851 using available data. The software also provides video updates for storms that are currently in progress.

Hurricane Tracker for iPhone/iPad (iPhoneEZApps) (http://itunes.apple.com/app/hurricane-tracker-for-ipad/id369266386?mt=8)

Hurricane Tracker for iOS is something of an odd-man-out, as it isn’t really a native “App” per se, even though it is sold on the App Store for $1.99. It’s actually a very clever “mash up” of various web data from the NHC and other sources that allows it to be presented in sort of a browser-wrapper on an iOS device.

The Weather Channel: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, Android. Free (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.weather.Weather&hl=en)

The Weather Channel has fully customizable weather maps, animated radar maps, detailed weather conditions and forecasts, severe weather alerts, and a notification bar with the current temperature and severe weather alert indicator.

In addition to the popular location-based local video forecasts, the video section now includes the "Must See Six" videos each day from a national collection.
It allows\ to get weather forecasts for locations or search by city, ZIP code, street address or landmark. The app also includes interactive maps that are fully customizable and feature the functionality of Google Maps. Customers can decide to display layers such as radar, clouds, UV index, rainfall and more.
Global Alert Network: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android Blackberry. Free (http://www.globalalertnetwork.com/)

The Global Alert Network delivers hands-free national traffic and weather alerts. See iTunes for Apple devices, or go to BlackBerry for a download.

The Global Alert Network is a location-aware network platform that automatically broadcasts audible hands-free alerts to mobile devices. Choose to subscribe to weather or traffic alerts, which are geo-targeted to the location.
The application running on the phone keeps track of the phone’s location, not the Global Alert Network servers. When an alert is created, the alert zone is downloaded to the phone and the phone makes the determination if you are affected by the alert and whether the alert should be played.

Earthquake (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/earthquake/id304483984?mt=8)

Earthquake helps you track earthquakes as they happen using live United States Geological Survey (USGS) data and International agency data. You can search for quakes based on various filters including:

• Distance
• Magnitude
• Time

The app uses Google maps to show where the quakes took place. The maps integrate with the USGS web site. Using crowd sourcing, the app even lets you report when you feel the earth move under your feet.
It shows quakes on maps with color-coded pins that change in size based on the kind of quake. This gives you a visual cue about the various quakes taking place.

Earthquake Survival Kit (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/earthquake-survival-kit/id432979975?mt=8)

The Earthquake Survival Kit helps you in the event that you are facing an earthquake. It comes with an alarm which warns you if an earthquake takes place, something that could potentially save your life if it wakes you up just before your roof falls in on you.
Like the above app it also tells you where earthquakes happen around the world. If experience one, you can check out the safety tips and first aid information. In the event that you get caught in the debris of a fallen building the app emits both acoustic SOS and visual SOS signals for rescue teams. It will also send an SMS to rescue teams to help them find you with GPS info.
If you need help staying awake the app will set off alarms, which can be helpful in the event of a concussion. The app also has a lite version for free.

Pocket First Aid & CPR

What if you or someone you love gets hurt or stops breathing? Pocket First Aid & CPR helps you treat them, or helps someone else treat you. The app gets updates from the American Heart Association, so you know you are using current medical data to help people. It shows you how to do CPR on people from adult to children and infants. You can send your medical info to a friend via email so that they can share it with medical professionals if you get hurt.

The app shows you how to perform first aid procedures with charts, illustrations and videos. It also provides a checklist for your first aid kit. There is a lot of content to keep you informed.

Emergency Radio (Police Scanner) (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/emergency-radio-police-scanner/id312949947?mt=8)

Knowing what the emergency personnel in your community are up to might help if you are trapped or just wanting to keep track from a safe location.Emergency Radio (Police Scanner) keeps track of Police, Fire and Medical emergency radio frequencies and streams them to your phone. The app also monitors NOAA radio for hurricane info, air traffic, and Coast Guard.
Use the nearby button to find the radio traffic in your area. If your area is not included, you can host it if you have access to the radio traffic via scanner. This would be a wonderful service for any emergency service if someone on staff has an iPhone and the app.

Fox News Radio Mobile (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fox-news-radio-mobile/id370927507?mt=8)

If your local media provides a mobile app, get that first. Search for the call letters of local radio or TV stations to see if they have an app that streams their live feed or shows video clips of important events with live updated text feeds. If yours doesn’t, get a national news app like Fox News Radio Mobile, a free app that gives access to their radio feed.

The main “Current Storms” page includes a daily updated hurricane YouTube video and audio forecast that appears to be narrated by the application’s author, who is a talented storm expert. The daily YouTube video update in the page uses HTML5 video embedding, and it works fine on both Chrome and Froyo’s web browser.

Article references:
http://pic.tv/hookedup/2011/03/18/10-disaster-apps-and-sites-help-you-plan-and-recover/
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/hurricane-trackers-survival-tools-for-ipad-iphone-and-even-desktop-users/13935
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/hurricane-irene-apps-ipad-iphone-ipod-track-storm/story?id=14355766&page=2
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/08/24/5-useful-earthquake-related-iphone-apps/
http://mashable.com/2010/03/09/prepare-disaster-social-media/

Survival Training With Camping MREs
By Timothy Dalton

Going camping is a great way to bond with your kids and introduce them to survival training. After all, if there is ever an emergency, you would want your kids to know how to take care of themselves. Your kids should be familiar with what is in a survival kit and how to use its contents.

Aside from the sleeping bags, first aid kit, flashlight and water bottles, one thing that might cause confusion in a survival kit is an MRE. An MRE stands for meals ready to eat and they are getting to be popular camping and survival food because of their easy to prepare nature. You just add water and that’s it. However, there is a proper way to prepare it so you don’t burn yourself with the very hot water activated heater.

When you first open an MRE package, you should survey that all the contents are there: main dish, side dish, beverage mix, bread/crackers, spread, spoon and an accessories pack that contains your spices, wet nap and toilet paper. But what is also in your MRE package is a flameless ration heater (FRH) that allows for you to enjoy a hot meal without the need of a fire.

The flameless ration heater is a chemical pouch that is contained within a green plastic pouch. You peal the plastic pouch open and put your main entrée inside. When you put in your entrée, have its opening edge facing up so when you retrieve it later and try to open it, it won’t be wet and dripping with hot water. Be careful as well when you pour the water into the flame ration heater bag that you do not go over the water line as drawn on the bag. When your meal is heating, it does get pretty hot so don’t hold it in your hands.

Fold the bag over and prop it up against a tree so the water doesn’t spill. After ten minutes, your meal should be heated up and ready to eat. Carefully remove the entrée from the bag without splashing water on yourself and put your side entrée in the FRH bag. This time, you don’t have to add anymore water. The MRE package comes with a spoon and you should use that and avoid eating with your hands which might contain bacteria since you are in the woods without the benefits of normal hygiene products.

Camping is a great way to teach your kids survival skills and with MREs, they are pretty good to eat and a fun way to prepare a meal as well.

Timothy Dalton is a freelance writer who is also an outdoor enthusiast. When you’re looking for MREs for sale, remember that they are not only for emergency situations but you can also use them as camping MREs.

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MRE Meal – The Perfect Emergency Disaster Food
By Timothy Dalton

Have you ever been in a natural disaster? If you haven’t, you can count yourself lucky. For those who have, they can tell you what a harrowing experience it is to be holed up in your home or shelter while waiting for the emergency crews to arrive. The experts say that you should have a 72 hour kit prepared as that is how long it could take the clean up crew to clear the area. Can you really wait it out that long? Do you have enough food and water available? What happens if the power goes out? Will you be able to prepare the food otherwise? That is a feeling of helplessness that no one should feel.

One of the most ideal food rations in emergency situations is the MRE or meals ready to eat. Originally, they were military issued but now you can also purchase civilian MREs as well. There are little differences seeing as the manufacturers are mostly doing the same kind of business providing for the military and the public.

Meals ready to eat have a shelf life of 3-5 years if stored in the right conditions: dry and at cool temperatures. Each package of an MRE is a complete meal including a main dish, side dish, dessert, bread or crackers and a spread. You also get a beverage mix, coffee and other accessory items. All food items included, an MRE meal has on average more than a 1200 calories. To put it in perspective, the average woman should have a daily food intake of 1500 calories while the average man should consume 2500 calories. So if you’re a woman eating an MRE, that meal alone represents almost your daily caloric intake. If you’re a man, two MRE meals will do.

Perhaps what is literally warming in an emergency situation is that the MRE package also includes a flameless ration heater. Even if you’re without a source to heat your food, you’ll still be able to enjoy a hot meal with an MRE because it has a flameless heat source that is activated by water. Just make sure you have a prepared water supply in your emergency kit as well.

With all the talk of global warming and climate change, it should be warning enough for everyone to prepare for natural disasters by keeping their emergency supplies well stocked. Having a couple of cases of MRE and water jugs on hand will sustain until help arrives.

Timothy Dalton is a freelance writer who is also an outdoor enthusiast. Prepare for emergency situations by visiting the website MREs for Sale and stock up on some MRE meals.

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