How much food dedicated just for survival purposes should you have? What kind? What about emergency rations? How long can you go without food? What do expiration dates mean? How do you scavenge or hunt for food efficiently?

1. All About FOOD for
Living and Survival

2. A person can go several weeks without food.
That, however, is stretching it. I’ve gone eight
days without food during one mission;
interestingly I stopped feeling hungry after a few
days. However, the ability to function begins to
degrade.
When our output exceeds our caloric intake
these are the symptoms:
-physical weakness
-confusion, poor judgment, and disorientation
-weakened immune system
-inability to maintain body temperature which
can lead to hypothermia, heat exhaustion/stroke

3. The Coast Guard has determined that with fresh
water, people can survive in a life raft 8 to 18
days without any food.
The Coast Guard also believes you should have
a bare minimum of 800 calories a day for
survival; but that’s sitting in a life raft, not being
very active and focused on pure survival.
Note that number when I discuss emergency
ration bars further on.
And.
It’s the Coast Guard.

4. The human body can sustain a surprising amount of
weight loss. When the body loses 20% of its weight, it
consumes 50% less energy.
Our body temperature drops and we become lethargic
and apathetic, neither of which are desirable in a survival
situation.
Eventually, the organs begin to waste away.
Liver and kidney malfunctioning begin to occur.
Diseases like scurvy and pellagra emerge.
Scurvy is a lack of Vitamin C and leads to anemia,
spontaneous bleeding, pain in the limbs and swelling.
Pellagra is a lack of Niacin, B3, which leads to
inflamed skin, diarrhea, dementia and sores in the mouth.

5. Women usually can sustain weight loss better
than men.
Each person will respond differently based on
their physical condition and weight.
Most people will die if their body mass index
falls below half of normal.

6. Bottom line: have a minimum 3
day supply of non-perishable food
for each member of your
household.
The same in your Grab-n-Go bag.
That’s baseline. As you will see, I
recommend more than that.
This is food specifically set aside
for survival.

7. THE GREEN BERET PREPARATION AND SURVIVAL GUIDE

8. Non-perishables for three days
minimum.
Food that doesn’t require refrigeration.
Don’t have food that will make you
thirsty.
Plan for infants and special dietary
requirements.
Note expiration dates.
On the right is a good supply from the
company that made our Long Range
Patrol meals in Special Forces. It’s
what I have on hand and in our grab-
n-go bags.
Also good for camping.
I rotate this stock by using the oldest
when camping. You add hot water to
the pouch and can eat right out of it.
Mmm, Good.

9. I recommend investing in some emergency ration bars.
The ones I list all are 3600 calories, which in a survival
situation equals 800 calories a day for three days. They
contain a mixture of salt, carbohydrates, fat, protein and
are usually enriched with daily requirements of minerals
and vitamins. Some reasons to have these:
1. They have a five year shelf life, so you can store
them.
2. They’re compact (but heavy)
3. They’re ready to eat (no cooking)
4. They can withstand wide temperature swings, which
helps with storage.
5. They don’t make you thirsty.
Speaking from experience, they taste like cardboard
(not chicken, like a rattler) but they can keep you alive.

10. I have ration bars in our vehicles, our Grab-n-Go
bags, and in our Bug Out Hide Site cache. I
recommend storing some at work. Even just one
packet in each place makes a big difference; and
it’s less than two cups of extra-whatever-latte-
frappe you order at Starbucks.
Some things to consider:
-Put them inside a large Ziplok bag, because once
you open the packet, the bars aren’t individually
sealed.
-They are emergency rations, not to be used if
other rations are available.
-They are designed for survival, not activity.
-They’re heavy so many don’t put them in Grab-n-
Go bags, but I think the weight is worth it.

11. I have a variety of ration bars
ER Bar
Grizzly Bear Emergency Food Rations
DaTrex 3600
Links are in pop up on my web site.
Below are some before going into a ziplock
bag and into my Jeep.

12. Something to consider if you have time to prepare
is trail mix, or what we called GORP in Special
Forces. We were among the first to start putting
M&Ms into regular trail mix.
There are a number of varieties, but it's quick
energy.
However, the shelf life is limited.
There are many variations.
Having high protein bars is a quick source of
energy and doesn’t require cooking.

13. A small, portable stove is key.
Make sure you have plenty of fuel which comes in various sizes
from small to larger and heavier. The stove screws onto the fuel
canister. This stove is inexpensive and has a built-in click lighter,
and two cups in the form of the case. I’ve brewed many a cup of
coffee/hot chocolate/meals with it.
Cooking Food & Boiling Water

14. Pots to cook in with utensils. I use the pots
below with a larger stove that I pack in my
old Jeep.
Here I’m brewing up on the front bumper of
the Wrangler in the Smoky Mountains. Note
chow for Scout, our rescue dog, also laid
out.

15. Food Expiration Dates
There are several terms stamped on food. This is what they mean:
SELL BY: How long a store should display the product for sale.
This is a guide for the store. It is optimum quality date, but food is
still edible for a while after.
BEST IF USED BY OR BEFORE DATE: This is only about
quality, not safety.
GUARANTEED FRESH DATE: This usually refers to bakery
items. They will still be edible after that date.
USE BY DATE: This is the last recommended day to use the
product at peak quality. It is still edible after this.
PACK DATE: This is on canned and packaged goods. This
actually might not be clear as sometimes its in code. It can be done
by month-day-year as MMDDYY. Or it could be Julian calendar
for the year, which means January is 001-0031. December would
be 334-365.

16. Foods not to eat past their expiration date?
Eggs. Deli meat. Mixed greens. Alfalfa sprouts. Oysters.
Shrimp. Raw ground beef. Berries. Soft cheese. Chicken.
How long is food usually good for?
Milk: a week after Sell By.
Eggs: Three to five weeks after you buy them. Double-
grade A will go down a grade in a week, but are still edible.
Poultry and seafood: Cook or freeze within a day.
Beef and pork: Cook or freeze within three to four days.
Canned goods: High acid foods such as tomato sauce can
last to 18 months. Low acid such as canned green beans can
last for five years. However, do not store these in a hot
space. A dry, cool place, is best.
Food Expiration Dates

17. Getting Food
Scavenging Phase
The primary way to get food in a moderate to extreme
emergency is to scavenge. Remember, though, that
others will be doing the same.
Think through the food distribution network. Don’t go
for the obvious targets like stores.
Move up the chain.
Distribution centers.
Abandoned trucks.
Crops still in the field.
I cover scavenging in another slideshow and in the
Guide. It’s a phase that is often overlooked.

18. Gathering Food
Unless you are an experienced hunter, consider trapping.
It’s quieter and more effective. You can set multiple
traps that are passive, while hunting requires activity.
One of the most important things to have in your Grab-
n-Go bag are snares.
I keep snares in all my G-n-G bags, in my cars and in my
house and Bug Out Hide Site cache.

19. How To Use A Snare
Anchor your snare. Use wire, such as from a coat hangar, slide it
through the loop, and tie it around the base of a tree or post. Make
sure the wire can’t be pulled apart or unwound by the animal as it
fights the trap.
Find a stick as the stand for the snare. Prop it up between the
anchor point and the loop for snare. Have the slide lock of the loop
about a half inch in front of the support. Essentially you’re hanging
a noose down over the trail. Once you’re in place, push the stick
down into the ground fixing it in place. The loop must be at the
proper height for your target—where it’s head would go into the
loop. This is from 3 inches to 10 inches off the ground.
Set multiple snares to increase your odds. This is another way
trapping is more effective than hunting.
Check your traps every day. The animal will be dead because the
sliding lock closes around their necks and either cuts off
circulation or breaks their neck during their initial struggle to get
free.
Remember all that? Invest in a survival manual. Links at the end.

20. We are hunter-gatherers.
Besides hunting with snares, we can gather
edibles and also fish.
In my recommended survival library
(another free slideshow) I include books on
plant identification and how to prepare, along
with a basic fishing guide.
Interestingly, a boy was stranded the
previous winter in the same place the Donner
Party would be. He survived on fish in the
lake. Yet no one in the Donner Party
attempted to fish.

21. But let’s hope it doesn’t get to
that.
Get and keep at least a three day
supply of food in your home. You
should have more than that. This
will make you more prepared than
60% of American households!

22. More Free Information
If you want to go directly to a document with live
links to all free apps, gear, library, and Jeep stuff,
use your camera on this QR Code. Or copy and
paste:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vwgilkne2vsq4jrhkp
gic/GEAR-
LINKS.docx?dl=0&rlkey=i858w1e2zd3irup2lcvhvlb
ma

23. More Free Information
Since Slideshare no longer supports links,
I’ve also put all the links to free apps, gear and web
pages on my web site at
www.bobmayer.com
Use the pop up from the following image there and
scroll through for what you want:

26. New York Times bestselling author, is a graduate of West Point and
former Green Beret. He’s had over 80 books published, including the
#1 bestselling series Green Berets, Time Patrol, Area 51, and Atlantis.
He’s sold over 5 million books. He was born in the Bronx and has
traveled the world. He’s lived on an island off the east coast, an island
off the west coast, in the Rocky Mountains, the Smoky Mountains and
other places, including time in East Asia studying martial arts.
They haven’t caught him yet.
www.bobmayer.com