Hello GigaBuist, welcome to our zany land of MRE maniacs!
I don't eat them everyday, I eat them as a treat...LOL, oh to see some guy in Iraq eating them now and reading what I just said...LOL. To me they are fun and something that I just have to have. The meals are chockfull of preservatives and there is something in them that has not agreed with my body as the "green crap" can attest to when I go to the bathroom, but I still eat them regardless and as long as I am not in pain or suffering any noticeable brain damage I have no problem eating them, but this is a worse case scenario, and just my experience, to date I don't know of anyone else on the board here experiencing the same reaction but then maybe they would not want to admit it, but I being the nutty guy I am...I let it all hang out...
I would definitely recommend you eat MREs over vending food. The thing you have to keep in mind though is that the MRE as a whole provides about 1200-1500 calories per MRE meal! So once you have eaten one you have already eaten your recommended caloric intake for the day. It honestly is hard for me to eat a whole one though and I weigh 202lbs. I usually find myself eating the main entree, the side and many times leave the crackers and peanut butter for later as well as the dessert. You will just have to keep an eye on the calories, fat and cholesterol. One turkey entree that I have recently looked at had 171mgs of cholesterol. You have already eaten over half of you recommended daily allowance of cholesterol right there, and then throw the pound cake on top of that? Just realize that MREs are intended for the active soldier in combat or on maneuvers, and they need a lot of calories to keep them fighting and going. So if you are MR. LAZY BUTT and just sit on a couch all day and do no physical activity, then I would proceed with caution as the meals really do pack a caloric punch.
As far as the civilain MREs are concerned, I would not bother. For $60 with shipping and handling you can get a case of realistic MREs off of ebay. That is the best bet for you. Kman and I discussed this early on and he was right, you get a better variety of components and meals with the real MREs as opposed to the civilian ones, and the last time I checked, which was a few days ago, the civilian MREs have gone up. They are now $60 + dollars plus shipping....that is silly.
MREs are perfect for natural disasters. They are waterproof, can withstand being tossed around and can be eaten cold right out of the pouch if need be.
Finally, as stated before it is best to buy the real Military Issued MREs in a by the case fashion. Buying seperate components will not be as fun or cost effective.
My advice, read Kman's Do's and Don's on buying MREs, go to ebay and buy yourself a case of MREs. I currently bought a case by a lady named Louisiana something that was a Buy It Now for $45 and the shipping cost me $16 for a total of $61.
I hope this helps you and I am sure Kman and the rest of the group will be following up my reply here and offering their take on your question. K man probably would have responded quicker but he is probably too busy reading those military blogs...
