Acutally, MREs contain a full DAYS worth of calories for a grunt on the
go.  And to get the caloric density req'd to put so much in such a
little package, a high percentage of the calories come from fat.  Not
just plain old fat, but partially or fully hydrogenated fat which is
worse than full on saturated fat.  If you're interested search the web
on the keywords trans AND fat--lots of scary information comes up.
They're man made and bad for you and they are in lots of things we all
eat.

Since it's friday, i'll soapbox a bit more..,...
hydrogenated fats are used in lots of snack foods and 'health' foods.
Since they are made from soybean or other unsaturated oils, they are not
listed in the gram count as saturated fats, but are worse yet.  Food
makers use them because they are solid at room temperature, but cheaper
than the real deal--butter (yum!).  So your granny smith cookies or your
morning bran muffin don't have such a greasy feelling to them.  One of
the down sides of hydrogenated fats is they are even harder for the body
to use as an energy source and get stored away around the mid section.
or raise the bad colesterol levels, etc, etc.

lager later?
fred

Sam Scholten wrote:
>
> Ken,
>
> This might sound wierd, but stop by a nearby grocery where you're
> going and pick up some fresh fruit. Trust me, as someone who's
> travelled, most travel food makes you feel awful (too much BHT and
> crap) so if you have easy access to a grocery, pick up some citrus
> fruits or apples. Downside: eat them soon afterwards, to prevent fruit
> flies from visiting you.
>
> Doing this WILL make the difference between feeling good on the trip
> and not.
>
> I also like Chris' idea about the MREs. They're about $5 a pop at an
> army/navy surplus store- and worth it. MREs are full meals, so
> nutrition is no worry. It's generally a good idea to have at least one
> for each person for the trip, if you can hang with the cost. Get the
> spaghetti.
>
> Sam
> ==
> "Punk's not dead (it just sucks right now)"
>
> |                     "I'm not Punk, I'm New-Wave!"
>
> ...quit whining...
> http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Backstage/6507
>
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