MREs not providing adequate nutrition

[WillBrink]

The only thing that MREs have a lot of it calories! I still stay away from them likethe plague, bleh:bleh:

Not that they couldn't be improved, but are MRE's not intended as temporary food? What's the max time they intended people to use them exclusive? It took them something like 4 studies at Natick and Walter Reed to come out with "cutting edge" caffeine gum, so I don't generally put much stock in their choices for stuff to add to MRE's and such.

Regardless, I had thought they were essentially designed as the minimum nutrition troops could live off of for some short period of time. Is that a wrong assumption? I would recommend to all troops, especially SOF who may have to operate without much support for extended periods of time to pack a decent multi vitamin to go along with their MREs, etc. They don't take up much room or weight and at least will prevent nutrient deficiencies not related to a lack of calories.

 

[Looon]

My understanding is that they weren't designed for nutrition, but to give energy to a soldier in the field, and so you wouldn't starve to death.

They have to be supplemented with real chow.:uhh:

 

[Paddlefoot]

Not that they couldn't be improved, but are MRE's not intended as temporary food? What's the max time they intended people to use them exclusive?

My understanding is that they weren't designed for nutrition, but to give energy to a soldier in the field, and so you wouldn't starve to death.

They have to be supplemented with real chow.:uhh:

Here is a section from the Army's own Regulation 40-25:

b. The MRE may be consumed as the sole ration for up to 21 days. After 21 days, other appropriate rations (for example, the UGR-A, UGR-H&S) will be included in the daily mix of rations. This policy is based on extensive
biochemical evaluations of soldiers consuming MREs for 30 days during field training. No degradation of performance
or nutritional deficit was found before 21 days. When the MRE is the sole ration, units will provide supplements and
enhancements (for example, bread, milk, and fresh fruit) whenever feasible.

I subsisted on that crap for 10 weeks straight with no supplements, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has gone over the 21 day limit suggested in the regs. I know, troops in the past have had it just as bad or worse. Still, there are better field rations out there. Just ask the French, who have some of the best rations of any Army. T-Rats are a little better, but even they have their drawbacks.

An Army travels on its stomach, and that holds just as true today as it did at any time in history. If a soldier does have to go with MREs for an extended period of time, then perhaps the folks charged with creating these foodstuffs can come up with supplementals to augment the MRE, as well as counteract some of the negative effects on the body. The Army is supposed to be doing that already, but I know from experience that I received no bread, milk or fresh fruit during that 10 week period. I'll bet it's even worse for the Marines.

 

[Looon]

21 days, that's fucking rediculous. :bleh:

During OJC, after each mission we got hot AF chow before we went back out. If I remember correctly.:uhh:

I see absolutely no reason why it's not that way now.:doh:

 

[Looon]

It must be logistical laziness on the COC's part. Im sure it's easier to pass out MRE's than it is to arrange for a hot meal.:uhh:

 

[Sigi]

Why not add multivitamins to each MRE?

 

[104TN]

A multivitamin wouldn't even come close to filling in the nutrition deficit experience by soldiers in the field.

When I hit the woods now I take sunflower seeds, jerky, Progresso or Campbell's in a bag, a Camelbak full of Gatorade and Emergen-C mix, and lots of PowerBars. I come back feeling a lot better than I ever did wolfing MREs too.

 

[x SF med]

Yeah, right - 21 day limit. 45 days at a time, and that was version I MREs, we had LRRPs and C's leftover from VN/WWII - Ham and MoFo's were second worst only to Eggs, Chopped with Ham. BLECH, PTOOI, YUCH, SPIT:bleh:

 

[Chopstick]

A multivitamin wouldn't even come close to filling in the nutrition deficit experience by soldiers in the field.

When I hit the woods now I take sunflower seeds, jerky, Progresso or Campbell's in a bag, a Camelbak full of Gatorade and Emergen-C mix, and lots of PowerBars. I come back feeling a lot better than I ever did wolfing MREs too.

Why arent these types of things incorporated into the meals then instead of what they are providing now? Seems to me they have had plenty of time to listen to the troops and tweak the contents? Being a civi person we always hear in news reports how great these MREs are for the troops. I had no idea what a problem this was.

 

[Looon]

Why arent these types of things incorporated into the meals then instead of what they are providing now? Seems to me they have had plenty of time to listen to the troops and tweak the contents? Being a civi person we always hear in news reports how great these MREs are for the troops. I had no idea what a problem this was.

It's only a problem if that is all you eat them for extended periods of time.

 

[Paddlefoot]

Why arent these types of things incorporated into the meals then instead of what they are providing now? Seems to me they have had plenty of time to listen to the troops and tweak the contents? Being a civi person we always hear in news reports how great these MREs are for the troops. I had no idea what a problem this was.

MREs are a subsistence ration, fortified to provide energy, but they really don't meet the true nutritional demands that are required for extended periods in the field.

Even with a field kitchen set up and eating only one MRE for lunch, I wound up losing 20 pounds over the first 5 months. Not too bad, but I was starting to feel the strain of not getting the proper nutrition.

I lost that much weight, and more, in the 2 1/2 months that I subsisted on MREs only. Not to mention some of the aforementioned side effects in my previous posts.

This isn't a high priority issue in the Pentagon. They've got their hands full producing fighters and other equipment for the last war. A lot of lip service gets paid to 'providing the best' for the troops. I find a lot of it rings hollow.

 

[Chopstick]

This isn't a high priority issue in the Pentagon. They've got their hands full producing fighters and other equipment for the last war. A lot of lip service gets paid to 'providing the best' for the troops. I find a lot of it rings hollow.

That really pisses me off.
So would you say that this is another issue to support shorter deployments? Aside from everything else..basic nutrition and health seems to be compromised. I know its a war..but as someone stated earlier here..an army marches on its stomach.

 

[Paddlefoot]

It's only a problem if that is all you eat them for extended periods of time.

Right, that needs to be pointed out. For short periods MREs are fine, but anything over a month is pushing it.

 

[WillBrink]

A multivitamin wouldn't even come close to filling in the nutrition deficit experience by soldiers in the field.

When I hit the woods now I take sunflower seeds, jerky, Progresso or Campbell's in a bag, a Camelbak full of Gatorade and Emergen-C mix, and lots of PowerBars. I come back feeling a lot better than I ever did wolfing MREs too.

Speaking of nutrient deficiencies in the face of "adequate" nutrition, from a report I wrote:

Relating directly to SpecWar units, a study called "Magnesium, Zinc and Copper status of 270 US Navy Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) trainees" conducted by the US Department of Military Medicine, demonstrated that the blood concentrations of magnesium and zinc were significantly below the normal range for 23% and 24% of the trainees, respectively4. Another study done by the US Army examined thirty soldiers engaged in a 30 day war simulation exercise. Over the 30 days the soldiers consumed nutritionally adequate food (A rations). During the month, the soldiers lost weight, serum zinc levels declined, and urinary zinc excretion increased. Weight loss was positively correlated with the zinc loss. The authors noted that

"The depressed serum zinc concentration could not be explained by the parameters measured."

Therefore it looks like supplementation with the right amount of zinc (as well as magnesium5) may improve the health and performance of soldiers under these intense conditions. It’s important to note this study shows that soldiers have reductions in zinc status even in the face of adequate food intakes.

 

[104TN]

Guess there is something to eating those match-heads after all.

 

[Chopstick]

Guess there is something to eating those match-heads after all.

you eat matches??:doh:

 

[x SF med]

Yes, you eat matches -keeps the creepy crawlies off, and the ticks from attaching themselves to you. 2 matchheads, 3x a day.

 

[x SF med]

We did forget to mention the other side effects of MREs, bricks.

 

[gryfen]

Bricks.....

That's a side effect of something?

 

[Chopstick]

wtf kind of dental plan do you have??:eek: