Problems with living on Chili, V8, and water?

[greatnw]

I'm putting together some emergency food and water and was wondering if there would be any problems with living on canned chili, canned V8, and bottled water for 3-6 months? I want to keep it as simple as possible. As far as I can tell it will provide all the nutrients we need and I'm not worried about the extra fat or sodium of the chili. Is there something else I'm missing? The food stores will not be moved so weight is not a problem, my family and I eat chili and drink V8 regularly so no problems with familiarity. If you don't think it's a good idea please school me on why not, if you think it's just fine any insight would also be appreciated as I'm far from a dietitian. Thanks.

[lunchbox]

First off V-8 while being better than cola is far from a healthy deitary supplement. Why not get a variety of canned foods if the canned route is the way your wanting to go. A little variety in long term situation can be big moral boost. EXP: remember collage or just being broke and eating Ramon and hotdogs for weeks at time, then get brake in routine (steak) was as if taisted for first time again... Ya prob. could do as mentioned. People live off much worst, but i really dont think their really livin anyway. But why not take care of youself I mean you are tryin to survive right??

[VooDoo6Actual]

I'm putting together some emergency food and water and was wondering if there would be any problems with living on canned chili, canned V8, and bottled water for 3-6 months? I want to keep it as simple as possible. As far as I can tell it will provide all the nutrients we need and I'm not worried about the extra fat or sodium of the chili. Is there something else I'm missing? The food stores will not be moved so weight is not a problem, my family and I eat chili and drink V8 regularly so no problems with familiarity. If you don't think it's a good idea please school me on why not, if you think it's just fine any insight would also be appreciated as I'm far from a dietitian. Thanks.

Sure seems like a simple solution.

Without getting didactic about this because it's only a suggestion, you really should try to get some fruits & veggies into this mix. I'm not into breads (gluten flour) as some people are so I can let those pass. While your elixir does have protein, legumes & I realize veggies from V-8 & base/broth of Chili. However these are processed (heat & homogenized) & the nutritional values / benefits are almost nil at that point. You mentioned the sodium so so your onto it there. I would try to incorporate salads, squashes, carrots, peas, brochoilli, fruits, cucumbers, tomatoes et al etc. as those would be of great benefit towards establishing a balanced dietary regimen. I plan on growing mine if necessary etc. Just be aware that green/yellow veggies have these antioxidents that are valuable. Of course the $64,000.00 question is: how long or is it worth the trouble to set up garden etc. ?

Other than the occasional bout of flatulence you should be fine.

[greatnw]

Thanks for the replies. I do plan on adding a more diverse group of goods by trying to start a garden next year and maybe canning my own stuff. But tonight after work I plan on buying the chili, V8, and water and just wanted to make sure there wasn't going to be an issue with it if something happens before I add anything to the stash. I do understand it's not ideal, I would much prefer steak and fresh veggies , but just wanted to get some piece of mind now so I can take a deep breath and continue to plan out my preperations.

[VooDoo6Actual]

Thanks for the replies. I do plan on adding a more diverse group of goods by trying to start a garden next year and maybe canning my own stuff. But tonight after work I plan on buying the chili, V8, and water and just wanted to make sure there wasn't going to be an issue with it if something happens before I add anything to the stash. I do understand it's not ideal, I would much prefer steak and fresh veggies , but just wanted to get some piece of mind now so I can take a deep breath and continue to plan out my preperations.

Ah copy. Yea no worries it will work for a while. I would also add Nuts (Brazil Nuts, Pecans, Walnuts, Cashews & Peanut Butter/Almond Butter etc. Cheap in volume, affordable long lasting benefits for sustenance

[greatnw]

Good suggestion. Thanks.

[Moose-Knuckle]

Canned goods should be a staple in any food cache but not the only thing. Diversify with MREs (when you cannot afford the luxury of time to cook), canned, freeze-dried, pickled, etc. Canned food is notorious for high sodium and preservatives, not to mention high amounts of mercury in canned fish and the can's plastic liners themselves leach Bisphenol-A (BPA) into your food.

Now you can usually find healthy canned food items at your local natural grocers/health food stores. I have found canned goods with BPA free liners, tuna with low mercury, and even preservative free/low sodium options. Though these healthy options will cost you about a $1 to $2 more than your everyday big box store fare.

[greatnw]

Good advice, thanks. This is probably a silly question but would an all natural canned food not last as long as one full of preservatives, or is the canning process what keeps it good for so long and the preservatives are not needed to safely store long term? Say chili for example? I know people can thier own foods obviously without adding preservatives but do they last as long as the same commercially canned food with preservatives, if not what kind of time are you losing?

[Moose-Knuckle]

Good advice, thanks. This is probably a silly question but would an all natural canned food not last as long as one full of preservatives, or is the canning process what keeps it good for so long and the preservatives are not needed to safely store long term? Say chili for example? I know people can thier own foods obviously without adding preservatives but do they last as long as the same commercially canned food with preservatives, if not what kind of time are you losing?

Good question, I don't know the "technical" aspects of it but according to the expiration dates on the cans, the healthy stuff has just as long of a shelf life as the regular canned goods.

Funny thing, some organic/natural products actually have a longer shelf life than their preservative full counterparts. This is true especially in dairy products that require refrigeration.

[greatnw]

I couldn't really find any info on organic vs non organic canned foods shelf life which leads me to beleive it's a non issue. I did stumble across some information on BPA which appears to be something to take into consideration especially for long term storage. The longer food sits in cans that use liners with BPA the more BPA get's in the food. Some tests of certain canned goods showed more BPA in a singler serving then is recommended by the FDA to intake in a day. Not sure how real the threat is but reportedly studies have linked BPA to infertility, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and it is said to be most harmful to children. Sometimes I question wheter Google is an asset or a hindrance