This is, I hope, the beginning of a weekly post designed to get a good "HELP" thread going that is geared around more information and less mud slinging. Not that I know of anyone in this forum that would do such a thing ;-)

Today I am going to say a few words about diet. No I'm not going to get into the four food groups and all that stuff. I plan to write these on more obscure facts that will be helpful to everyone no matter what happens.

A varied diet is importuned. Not because of the food groups but more of what is known as "Diet Fatigue". Diet fatigue happens when someone is forced (for whatever reason) to eat the same thing constantly. What I mean by eating the same thing is, beans and rice for breakfast lunch and dinner. (quick note, 3 meals a day is not the best or most efficient way to eat, but more on that some other time) It affects children 2 y/o to 14 y/o, and our wiser citizens 65 y/o and up, more so than the rest of us. It can be as deadly as having no food at all. Onset varies from person to person but usually starts after the 2nd week in the high risk group and 3 to 4 weeks in the lower risk group. Signs are, loss of energy, loss of appetite, dehydration (you would be surprised at how much of your body fluid you get from your food) the effects have been known to be as sever as death from starvation even when there is plenty of food. I strongly suggest everyone (that is the GI's) buy and store some "fun food". It doesn't necessarily need to be nutritious but shouldn't be junk food. (Junk Food def: a food that takes more energy to digest than it has food value.) Jell-O is a great fun food (that's why they serve it in hospitals) it's cheep, it doesn't take up much space until its cooked and it will last in the box stored properly, for a long time. Peanuts or just about any nut (shelled and sealed or caned) are high in fat, calories and protein. Hard candies (no food value but no energy needed to digest). Well you get the general idea.

Now back to beans and rice. Together, they have more protein per pound than meat (they just don't taste as good).

The two topics of response I would like to see in this thread are;

1) Other foods that can be stored easily, take up little room, that are quick to fix, and are not beans and rice.

2) I have a bunch of beans. Anybody have any good recipes for beans. I like hot stuff or just about anything that covers the taste.

Please don't respond with a bunch of links (unless you have a really good one) I would rather hear your ideas and stuff you have tried.

-- DOC (hoping_for@the_best.com), July 13, 1999

Answers

Doc (aside from the fact that these threads should probably be posted on the prep forum instead), my answer to palatability is gravy substitutes, which can be mixed in directly with rice or pasta (I don't do beans). For instance, powdered gravies or "cream of" soups. Some of our waistlines don't allow us to store fun foods just yet - they'll be gone by the rollover. Don't overlook that potatoes have far more protein than grains or rice.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), July 13, 1999.

Why don't you post this over on the prep part of this forum?

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), July 13, 1999.

doc,

i have done a lot of research into these "fun foods" and here is what i have found out. Hershey's, Pennsylvania, has indicated to me on the phone, that even though their chocolates have expiration dtaes on them, that stored in a cool dry place, their candy bars would be just as good several years later. on woman i spoke with said she had eaten a 20 year old Hershey bar and that although it had turned white and had become very crumbly, it still tasted ok.

my uncle has worked for nabisco for 20 years and has told me that unopened boxes of just about anything they make should be fresh as much as 2 years beyond expiration. now i'm sure that neither of these companies will publicly state any of this but this is what i have found out. you can also buy popcorn by the 50lb. bags at Sam's club for about $13. store it in a galvanized 30 gallon garbage can with some diatomacious earth and it can last for years.

hope this helps..........

-- don (mmtgman@aol.com), July 13, 1999.

Heating beans is important to break down the residual cyanide in them (which can make you sick)(never feed raw beans of more than 5% ration to goats or sheep). After this they can be dried.

Grind those beans and add them to flour for breads and biscuits. (20% beans, 30% oats or wheat and 50% corn is one combination). Add sea salt for micro minerals.

Bean paste. Rolled bean paste and bean sprout sandwiches (using flat bread).

Mix with meat in meat loaf.

Bean soup (lots of onion).

Need lots of different kinds of beans since they have different tastes.

Fried bean chips: spread bean paste into 'chips', let dry and then dip in heated oil to fry them.

Soy beans make a great milk substitute which is do-able in a home kitchen.

Also can make bean curd with them such as Tofu, which will soak up other flavors when cooked together.

Sprout those beans and use them for stir fry, greens or grind for juice (along with sprouted wheat grass).

Soaking beans thrice before cooking is said to help rid them of the gas generating problem and to make for a different texture in the cooking.

Marienate them together for three bean salad (garbanzo, kidney and green/yellow string beans with onion, vinegar and oil).

-- ..- (dit@dot.dash), July 13, 1999.

Ramen - can soak cold and then eat. Check Ron Konzak's book on the subject.

Spices - some mild, some really peppy. When you get bored, even timid palates might like something peppy. Variety, variety, variety.

Tomato paste - a good vegetable, and doesn't take much space as paste (not like tomato sauce).

Instant bean soup mixes - sold in bulk. Just pour in hot water, wait 5.

Instant potatoes, like "Real Idaho" [I think) at Costco - add hot water, wait 5.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), July 13, 1999.

Peggy Layton's "Cookin' With ..." series of books has all the great recipies for stored food. "Cookin' with Beans and Rice" is one of them. Here is a link to obtain info on her series of books:

Link

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), July 13, 1999.

Brooks & Big Dog-

Your right, I probably should have posted this in the prep forum. Just thought it would be cool to see a thread that couldn't be trolled, then turn into a slug fest. Maybe I'll make the next one about sucking chest wounds, that should bring em out.

Don- Thanks for the info, and it does help.

Dit_dot-

I didn't know beans had a natural amount of cyanide in them. I didn't plan to eat them raw but it's still a good thing to know.

bw-thanks. I have kids, I have ramen. The last three where helpful.

Jack-Thanks for the *LINK*.

-- DOC (hoping_for@the_best.com), July 13, 1999.

Don, the 50# bags of popcorn are less than $10.00 at the Sam's club I go to here ($9.79, I think). Some people have problems grinding it, though.

www.y2ksafeminnesota.com

-- MinnesotaSmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), July 13, 1999.

Doc,

Depending on where you live, you may be able to find dried peppers of some kind. These tossed into your cooking beans will add flavor to the rather bland tasting legume. Here in NM you can buy dried chile peppers in a bag that will last for years, and they add a wonderful taste to beans, potatoes, and cornbread. I know there are other dried peppers around in other parts of the country, you just may have to look for them. Peppers are also a good source of vitamin c.

Spices... the more, the better. Acquire a good selection of spices, and the same food will be less boring.

I read somewhere of someone talking about cured hams (Smithfield is one). They will add a lot of variety and flexability to a diet, but they require some water to soak in in order to dilute the salt they are cured in. I have a couple, and I plan on buying more of them soon.

hope this helps,

gettin' a drink,

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), July 13, 1999.

For luxury freeze-dried foods (you won't believe the choices!), see adventurefoods.com, a small NC co., backpacking/mountaineering supplier. You can buy in small quantities (little as 4oz). We've spent around $80 all told, very good service, friendly people, and the source of a great dried foods cookbook for around $12, written by adfoods. This is where you find stuff for the occasional pick-me-up, such as freeze-dried mozzarella for your Italian pasta dishes. And it's VERY good cheese! They also have freeze-dried sour cream for any Mexican dishes you make. . . Go look, I'm getting hungry again and that is Not a Good Thing!

-- Plump Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), July 13, 1999.

Does anyone have a link for ordering Smithfield hams?

-- Mumsie (Shezdremn@aol.com), July 13, 1999.