Your Body’s Need for Energy in a Survival Scenario
You’re not going to want to hear this, but you can go for a relatively long period of time without food if you have to. Water is your main concern (besides air). You can go 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks or longer without food. Believe it or not, these are generally accepted averages, and one of the biggest determinants is the will to survive.
Next to water food is definitely important, even if for nothing more than comfort, mental stamina, and good old moral support. And yes, indeed your body depends upon food as its fuel, and utilizes the energy provided by food to carry out its basic functions.
Have you ever wondered which foods are the best to have in a survival scenario? Is there a certain “recipe” for survival success that calls for carbs, proteins, and fats in particular ratios, or is one favored over any other? The final answer, my game show-watching friends, is it depends… upon the length of time the disaster extends, the climate, how much available water there is, etc.
A review of the components that supply the body its energy needs and the succession in which they get depleted is in order. If your stores of food have been reduced to nil, and you have not eaten for an extended period of time, your body will burn up stored energy. First to go are the carbohydrates, then the fats, and then the body feeds off itself—that is, the protein from muscle tissue is cannibalized.
Simple sugars and simple carbohydrates will provide your body with fast energy. Their rate of metabolism happens rather quickly. But have you ever gorged yourself with sugary foods and simple carbohydrates and experienced the ensuing “sugar crash” (‘fess up)? When you do this, your pancreas releases a huge amount of insulin to regulate the amount of sugar levels in your blood. You then swing the opposite direction towards hypoglycemia (the crash). Too much of this can overtax the pancreas and cause diabetes. But reduced carbohydrates intake depletes muscle glycogen stores, which decreases your endurance. So—what gives? You’ve got to better balance your diet in a survival situation with complex carbohydrates, which provide energy to the body more slowly.
Protein also helps the body to stabilize blood sugar levels, preventing the crash. The point is to balance things out. You just may need a burst of energy that the simple sugars and simple carbohydrates provide, but you can combine it with some protein to moderate the after effects. And that protein can come in the form of creepy crawlies if need be. Insects are from between 60-85% protein (beef is only 20%). Avoid those that are brightly colored (there’s a reason), are spiny, sting/bite, or give off a stink.
A caution in consuming too much protein in a survival situation—the metabolism of protein depletes the body’s water sources, so it may be best to limit your consumption of protein in hot climates (unless you have plenty of water). Disparately, the metabolism of carbs and fats contribute to the stores of water in the body.
Fats are used by the body for energy, growth, and hormone synthesis. Each gram of fat is 9 calories, so fat “weighs in” as the clear winner of being the most energy efficient. It also metabolizes the slowest. The body stores fat for use when it needs more energy. The phrase “fat and happy” applies well to a survival situation because that extra buffer can be drawn upon. A “skinny Minnie” is sort of out of luck in this contest.
To sum things up, it’s best to eat right based upon your energy needs for any given situation, and to balance things out by good food combining so you get the best energy boost and endurance synergy possible. The military makes a wonderful product to help its soldiers with energy and endurance called the HOOAH! Soldier Fuel Energy Bar
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Tags: emergency, Emergency Preparedness, energy bars, food, food storage, Food Storage, metabolism, nutrition, Preparedness, survival, survival foods, water storage
4 Responses to “Your Body’s Need for Energy in a Survival Scenario”
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As to the issue of water storage, I say DON’T.
Stored water goes bad and can kill you. A more realistic solution is to get a quality water filter, such as the no-power-needed AquaRain Gravity Water Filter, see
http://www.internet-grocer.net/aqua.htm
You can safely filter 10,000 to 30,000 gallons of water from lakes, ponds or puddles. An amount of water that’s not practical to store.
I should try the Hooah bar. If it’s good enough for our soldiers… Hope it doesn’t taste like garbage.
I don’t agree with the not storing water. Water is the most important thing to store, actually; misguided… I do agree with supplementing it with a filter, but the first guy is just trying to promote his filters probably.
Another great idea for what to include in your food storage supplies. Pack in the nutrition in as little space as possible, a very conservative approach.