# Rationing? Any help?



## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

We have our food spread out. We have it separated into two bags and it storage at our BOL. We also have a good amount of people coming. I was wondering how to approach rationing this food to these people. 
By what I figured, we use up the refrigerated foods first, so it doesn't spoil wastefully when the power quits. Then move on to what is already in the cabinets. After that, we use up the bagged food, then onto the stored food (mixed of course with whatever game we bring in too). But my issue is how to split the food evenly between mixed ages (including two infants). I'm not exactly a math genius....


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## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

Sweet GSD pic!


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## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

MetalPrepper said:


> Sweet GSD pic!


Umm?? Thanks..?


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

In the winter, in cold areas, water containers can be swapped out daily to use your fridge as an Ice box.

I'd feed the kids first. If Mom is nursing I'd give her extra. Your hunters are going to need extra calories so factor in a persons job when determining food distribution. Eating the stuff in the fridge and freezer first is a good plan. Cooking your food can also extend its useful life. If you have too much in the freezer to eat before it goes bad you might want to can some of it. 

The stuff in the cupboard will last for a while. I'd suggest blending it in with the long term stores to help delay food fatigue. Make sure your people bring their spices, condiments, and TP.


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## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks... I didn't think about their individual jobs. We do have two infants too, they aren't nursing anymore, but I still thought the children should be fed first. And then the men working the fields and the hunters. But how would I figure how much to provide so we don't burn through our supplies before harvest?


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Good question Sybil. The answer, of course, is to have over a years worth of food available. Anything you can gather off the land extends your stores. If you don't eat you don't farm or hunt for long. You may have to barter.


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Use perishables first.

A good number to work with for adults is 2000 calories, 50 grams protein/day. You can go a very long time at that level. Children can't go on short rations for very long before they suffer permanent damage like stunted growth and ricketts. Infants can get all the nutrition they need from nursing. Nursing mothers need more, pregnant women need more. 

I label all my bulk food storage for total calories and total grams of protein. Protein is probably gonna be the limiting factor.


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## professor (Nov 19, 2012)

If I could make a suggestion: buy some gummi vitamins and store a couple of bottles - they are good for both kids and adults. Vitamins can help prevent some of the more common types of nutritional deficits if your diet is lacking - and feeding the kids first is my call also. Babies continue to build their neural connections until about 18 months to two years of age ( that's why you can't potty train most kids until they get close to 14 - 18 months).


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## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks guys. This actually helped quite a bit. I have some vitamins stored, and growing in number every chance I get. But I wasn't sure how much food per person was what I needed. 2000 calories can be pulled off easily.  and the mother of the two infants is weening them, but they are still nursing (somewhat). I think we can easily supply everyone with 2000 and the children (teens mostly) with 1500 to 2000.


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## Sarasyn (Jun 4, 2013)

Is there a reliable/recommended place out there to look up approximate protein and calories for different kinds of food? I'd love to start canning as a part of prep once we start producing more than we eat. I'd rather have stuff I grew and canned than store bought whenever possible. I'd never thought of labeling with calories and protein but it would be really useful info to have on there.


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

I like this site: http://nutritiondata.self.com/


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

I'm a bit of an A##hole. IF smeone is coming to my home or BOL they already know to bring their own supplies at least as much as they can. Otherwise they know not to bother to show up. Nobody but my wife and I know what preps we have me a lot more than the wife. Even family only knows about a small portion of what we have stored.As far as anyone knows we only have 2-3 weeks worth of supplies. Which most believe due to my knowledge of edible plants and such and my knowledge of hunting and trapping. So I don't have to worry about distribution of supplies.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Two thousand calories a day will keep you going for a long time. If you are farming, hunting, or doing other energy intensive work then you will do better on three thousand calories a day. That is why I suggested that the work might factor into the rationing. 

Also keep in mind that food will have an effect on your morale. When I was a cook in the merchant marine I figured I was also the morale officer. Keep a variety of foods. Unless you have a spice garden keep plenty of spices.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Sybil6 said:


> We have our food spread out. We have it separated into two bags and it storage at our BOL. We also have a good amount of people coming. I was wondering how to approach rationing this food to these people.
> By what I figured, we use up the refrigerated foods first, so it doesn't spoil wastefully when the power quits. Then move on to what is already in the cabinets. After that, we use up the bagged food, then onto the stored food (mixed of course with whatever game we bring in too). But my issue is how to split the food evenly between mixed ages (including two infants). I'm not exactly a math genius....


All depends on your physical activity I guess during a survival situation the activity level will be high and you most plan accordantly,minimum calories for an adult should never fall bellow 1200,lets face it is not going to be a picnic and counting calories is a wasted of time in situations like this, in a long event supplementing your food will be your primary task, planting, hunting ,curing meat, the biggest problem you will have is group discipline .


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Miltary is two MRE/day which yields about 2,500 calories, 65 grams of protein/day.


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## Jimthewagontraveler (Feb 8, 2012)

Keep a nonelectric set of scales handy and personally start medical records on each person
this will help make sure everybody is getting enough to eat
I also encourage each person to be 20 lbs over their recommended perfect weight
NOTEs 1 Fat people will not be fed extra so that they can stay fat
2 food will be boring except for preprogramed days that will eliminate food fatigue
this is the way it has been for centuries before the grocery store came along


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## eddy_dvyvan (May 8, 2012)

I found this site a few weeks ago. Its not an exhaustive list by anymeans but it can help you work out what foods are handy to store to get your min rdi
http://www.pacificlife.com/PLCORPORATESITE/Calculators/MealPlanner/MealPlanner.html

If anyone finds a better FREE one please post it up. Beans and potatoes seem to be the super foods for survival. cheap and store well and grow easily

By using this and adjusting my lifetstyle abit ive felt alot healthier and i have more time on my hands for other things. I generally have the same set meal day in day out consisting of things i can store and grow easily. I cant say im much of a food person, i eat to survive not out of pleasure. Hopefully it will help me adapt when the time comes.

Currantly im exceeding my RDI by alot with the foods i have chosen. Keeps my muscles up and have plenty of energy. And with carefull planning its costing me $25 a week for groceries. But variety is very limited. I eat the most healthy foods and stick with them.

Once my garden is producing the foods in my meal plan ill be able to reduce my grocery bills alot more. Another consideration for me was foods that can be canned easily. Havnt started canning yet but looking forward to that


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## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

Jimthewagontraveler said:


> Keep a nonelectric set of scales handy and personally start medical records on each person
> this will help make sure everybody is getting enough to eat
> I also encourage each person to be 20 lbs over their recommended perfect weight
> NOTEs 1 Fat people will not be fed extra so that they can stay fat
> ...


Thank you!! This helped a lot!! It settled an argument on whether or not our (alcoholic) over weight fathers should have more rations than the others, and food fatigue should be prevented by the arrangement I've pulled from your advice. Thank you!


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

You need to have people hunting and fishing immediately after the meat in the refrigerator is eaten. If you hunt as much as you can eat that can be extra calories. You won't have to go into your other food as much.


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## alwaysready (May 16, 2012)

Sybil6 said:


> Thank you!! This helped a lot!! It settled an argument on whether or not our (alcoholic) over weight fathers should have more rations than the others, and food fatigue should be prevented by the arrangement I've pulled from your advice. Thank you!


If you are going to be dealing with alcoholics you might want to consider a detox kit. Also when calculating portions it's best to count each individual as an adult. Children don't stay small very long. And it takes a lot of energy to support a growing body. I agree nice GOD


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

Guys chopping wood or doing heavy field work or whatever, will need 3500 or so per day to sustain that type of physical labor. I would suggest those calories come from fats if at all possible, not as much from carbs, although you need those too. 
I don't know how to make the decision to take from one person to give to another. Those things will have to be decided at the time by each individual group or family. 
It's not easy when you're thinking about rationing food. I prefer to think in terms of both what has nutrition and what keeps little bellies full for the longest amount of time in case there's long stretches between meals. Rice fits the bill for me and my family. I 'fancy' it up by stir frying it in oil or lard and then add a couple of scrambled eggs and some peas or whatever and the kids think it's nummy. Oatmeal is also a stick to the ribs type of meal. I'd also say you can throw beans into everything you possibly can. Fairly decent source of protein. As far as portion size, I don't know how to make that determination ahead of time. It will depend on what activities the group is doing for the day.

P.S. I also like your German Shepherd. I have one too!


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

If you are relying on stored food, and not getting much fresh you may want to store some digestive enzymes, help use all of the food's energy


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