Try this experiment, right now; Look around you and determine how far away you are from something to eat. Anything. In other words, how long would you have to last before you could Replace a cracker, a candy bar, or a T-bone steak from where you sit right now. Odds are, you are within minutes, maybe even seconds, from popping some nourishment into your mouth.
For many in first-world societies, the prospect of a next meal is rarely in question. But all that could change in an instant. Earthquake, storm, social unrest, cyber attack or large-scale power-grid failure could make your lunch more challenging and put dinner right out of the picture. Then what?
Along with water and shelter, food is a universal human necessity. The human body can survive anywhere from
1-3 months without food. Most people, however, need at least one good meal a day or they don’t do well. And while the physical effects of undernourishment are most concerning, there are profound psychological effects that can be just as dire. The
Minnesota Starvation Experiment, a study conducted during World War II, found that even in semi-starvation conditions of consuming 1,560 kilocalories a day, depression, hysteria and even hypochondriasis manifested in many of the participants. The reports found that in a semi-starved situation, participant’s thoughts and conversations were consumed with ideas of food and eating. Going without food can have dangerous effects on your mental state, and can lead to poor decisions in critical times.
[caption id="attachment_20149" align="alignright" width="300"]
A Finnish ski patrol during the Winter War, 1940[/caption]
One brutal example of poor decision making from lack of food comes from a battle fought during the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland. Dubbed the
"Sausage War", Russian troops overran the left flank of Colonel Paavo Talvela the night of December 10
th, 1939. There were few troops there other than cooks, other field kitchen staff and medical units. The Finns had no way to repulse the attack and fled with sausage soup still simmering in cook pots. The Russians, who were poorly equipped and even more poorly fed, should have continued their attack, but the entire battalion stopped upon smelling the still cooking sausages in the kitchens and began to gorge themselves. Finnish Colonel Aaro Pajari, who was still in the area, quickly assembled a 100-man force and counter-attacked, destroying nearly the entire Soviet battalion, who was now lethargic and completely focused on eating. Many men were said to have died with sausage still in their mouth. The Finns who were well fed and fighting for their homeland, had not only a physical and situational advantage but a critical psychological advantage as well. They could focus on the task at hand and weren’t distracted by their grumbling bellies.
While we probably won’t ever be in
that kind of survival situation, it’s not hard to Replace recent examples where food scarcity can be a real issue. Just look at the snow storm that hit the East Coast recently. There were numerous news reports of
bare store shelves in the days leading up to the storm. The people buying those foods were those that hadn’t mentally or physically prepared in advance for the possibility of an entirely foreseeable natural disaster. Everyone who was already prepared with food on-hand had peace of mind whereas others had anxiety. They were able to avoid the crush of the crowds and focus on other preparations they might have had to make.
So what kinds of foods should you have on hand for an emergency? In short, have a variety of foods you like to eat. Ranging from canned foods to freeze dried meals, make sure that you would like eating those foods, even in normal situations. Freeze dried food is especially useful due to long shelf life and ease of prep.
Of all the freeze dried meal makers out there, none are better than Mountain House. A few of the things that set Mountain House apart are:
- Mountain House has the longest PROVEN shelf life in the industry. Lots of companies claim long shelf life based on extrapolations from accelerated lab testing, but only Mountain House has been around long enough to test actual 25-year-old product.
- Mountain House meals are unique in that they are fully cooked, and use real meat and vegetables.
- Because Mountain House is also the most popular brand of backpacking and camping meals in North America, they cook their meals intending consumers to eat them. Compare this significantly different approach to companies who make meals hoping you’ll never have to eat them.
- Mountain House meals have the shortest and easiest prep time in the market. After adding hot water directly to the contents in the pouch, you’ll have a hot meal in under 10 minutes.
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Mountain House is born out of meals they’ve been making for the United States Special Forces since the Vietnam Conflict. They’ve taken their decades of expertise and applied it to make meals for the civilian market. If you need meals that cannot fail, no matter what environment they are eaten in, you want to make sure you have Mountain House.
- Finally, Mountain House meals are widely regarded as the best tasting freeze dried meals available. Look around for product reviews and see for yourself!
Thankfully, Emergency Essentials carries
the entire line of Mountain House meals. To make it even easier, Emergency Essentials has created exclusive long-term food kits with time frames from 3 months to 1 year. Imagine that, a whole year’s worth of food that you don’t have to rotate and track for at least 25 years!
When you take all of this information together, it makes sense to make Mountain House the cornerstone of your more comprehensive emergency preparedness plan.
44 comments
John Weise
I like to try the packaged MH products first to make sure I like them. I taste-test, then stock up for long-term prepper purposes with the ones I know I like.
Dale Grant
Food storage and LTS makes sense.
You don’t need to convert me to either LTS or Mountain House, or even MRE’s.
However, I am reluctant to make a major financial purchases without trying the product first because there are some products that don’t taste as advertised . Also, I am concerned about some additives in the food product (ie. salt , sugars, cellulose, etc.), as well as the size of the various containers (small can, large, #10, super pails, etc.).
Also, I maintain 2 ‘prepper lists’ on websites, as well as infectious disease.
I appreciate the information about the difference between freeze-dry vs. dehydrated foods a couple of emails ago.
Thank you .
debbie smelser
i love the quality and convenience of mt. house products and the length of time these can be stored on the shelf unopened.
mutantpoo
What stands out most for me is how long the food can be stored for. Amazing 1
Mary Toleson
I love the amazing taste of every single mountain House meal i have tried. They really do stand out from the other companies.
louay kezy
Do you’ll give credit
Peter J Mogish
It’s really a good idea to be prepared !
Holli S
I love that these products take up less space than anything I’ve been able to prepare on my own, are easy to store, and give me peace of mind.
dasixgunner
Mountain House is definetly a staple in the emergency food supply in our home. I usually buy pouches to try before comitting to the #10 cans. That way i wont be out a bunch of money if i dont really like a certain item. My only concern with these kind of foods is the amount of sodium used! Good grief! I understand the need for salt in food storage, but are there any products like these that have lower sodium content?
Shawna
What stands out most to me about Mountain House food is that it has the longest PROVEN shelf life in the industry. I wouldn’t have to rotate out my emergency food anymore.
Steve Revill
I love mountain house, especially Beef Stroganoff, when camping, hiking, and hunting. On top of that, it is a major part of our survival good.
Craig K
Great products. I have used them multiple times on 3 -4 day backpacking trips.
Beth
Would love to try your products. Thanks for the giveaway!
Ron
I love the Mountain House meals for backpacking and camping primarily. But I have been known to eat the Beef Stroganoff, Lasagna, and Breakfast Scramble at home because it is quick and easy, but still great tasting and satisfying.
Diana
I love Mountain House!! It’s so easy to make and tastes good!!
Randy Fulgham
I’m impressed by the quality and taste.
Sarah Place
Yummm!! Need these for my first spring camping trip!
Juanita Bayne
We love Mountain House foods! Never without a supply. . . whether back up food on a camping trip in case we run out of something/forgot something/decide to stay longer or one of the back packer meals (hot or cold, add water, set out and have lunch ready when you want it). . . emergency car food in case we are stranded when traveling or the added convenience of stopping anywhere along the way without having to eat restaurant food. . . an “I’m too lazy to cook night” or just an “I want xxxx but don’t feel like going to the store for it” kind of day. . . long term storage for the security of knowing the foods we like are at hand in time of crisis. . . Convenience and great taste!
Chairle Bass
The most outstanding features to me are the storage time you can keep them and how cheap they are to purchase !
Sharon
I’m impressed by the quality and taste. Feel better having the products on hand here in earthquake country.
JAK603
When a real emergency happens, I want something that tastes good and is easy to prepare. Mountain House entrees deliver that.
Cheri
Mountain House is great because it’s fun and easy to prepare and tastes great too
Roger Morris
Their taste after long term storage really stands out to me !
Joshua Peglow
Mountain House is great because it’s fun and easy to prepare and tastes great too
Connie
Great products. I would love to win and try. Thank you.
Lauralee Hensley
What stands out most to me is how long they hold their nutritional value.
Bill
These products also are a plus on every outdoor trip. The weather, hike, climb or paddle may be a bust, but I can always rely on a pleasurable, tasty and nutritional meal with Mountain House.
Walt
Ease of use when needed.
Rebecca T
I love Mountain House foods because of their quality and long shelf-life!
Craig Wiggins
MRE’s come thru in a pinch.
Jimmy allen
Thanks for the chance,,, this is an awesome prize everybody should have at least a week or two of emergency food on hand and there is no better emergency food then Mountain House
Klarissa Davis
I especially like their stroganoff, it’s a must have when I go on long camping trips, along with scrambled egg pouches. It isn’t unheard of for us to eat them on a normal night at home if we are in a hurry.
manekeniko
Powdered dairy foods are so much more convenient than the refrigerated kind.
B
I like the wide variety of products they sell, assuring that there’s something for everyone.
Michael Perkins
The ease of preparation & Portability are great
Dana Miller
Yay!!! Another give away! Thanks Mountain House!
Rhonda Oliver
Can’t wait to try the produucts.
MEG TUCKER
What stands out most to me is that I can use these in any situation and hiking and backpacking and great for when the hubby goes off hunting and camping with his buddies!
Dave T
Not horrible, not great. Have tried a variety of MH product. Fair sized portions, heavy price premium, OK taste, large variety.
kim gross
Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Brett Stouffer
Love Mounatian House
Ju-Lynda
Surprised by the Lasagna. It’s also a good choice as it’s lower in salt. Tastes pretty good to boot! Added two of them to my emergency kit. Great option for camping as well.
Donna Rhodes
I would love to have a 7 day supply of emergency food! Love that you have giveaways! Thank you!
Kim O
what stands out the most, it has a long shelf life.