Okay My Fellow Survivalists... Vegetarian or Meat Eater... Which Would You Be?

I think many are missing the idea that in many areas, especially here in North America, one can find a plethora of edible plants, roots, berries and nuts in one's own back yard

WINTER


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reply to post by semperfortis


Do you feel that you would be able to survive in a real situation, sticking to only meat, or only veggies?

Bugs.

Bug pate' - mash them up and mix with spices - best to cook them first or might get a parasite infection.
Bug Powder - dry them out, grind them into a powder and sift - good source of protein with many uses
Roasted bugs - doesn't look appetizing - coat them with honey from the nearest bee hive
Grubs mixed with home grown beans - taste like chicken - bite off the heads, though. Good grub.


Sell the powder to other survivors, they won't know the difference.

Pescovegan

Because it takes around 10lbs of veggies to just produce 1lb of meat, don't it?

Besides, it would take year(s) for the animal (ie, beef) to grow up, whereas weeks to month(s) for the veggie (ie, potato) to be ready for harvest.

Who would rather starve for a year than just a few weeks/mos?

And if you're thinking you - and everybody else who survives - can just live off the land hunting... seriously?!

reply to post by ProdigalSonofa


Yes I do

Been teaching survival for years now and have been in several survival situations as well as hosting a survival radio show the past few years

So yes...

reply to post by semperfortis


What you have to look for is energy expenditure vs energy gained (food) ratios.

What's the laziest way to collect enough calories to sustain life?

Fishing, hunting brings the best ratio to mind.

reply to post by eManym


I totally forgot about bugs.

They are a great source of protein and nutrients.

semperfortis
reply to post by ProdigalSonofa

 

Yes I do

Been teaching survival for years now and have been in several survival situations as well as hosting a survival radio show the past few years

So yes...

You seemed to be implying long term survival. You can live on roots and berries for months? Not really.

Maybe you are talking 3 day survival but then you wouldn't even need food to survive.

What I am saying is that the concept of having to choose doesn't really apply to a real life survival situation because you would eat what you can get.

So I would pick both, despite your thread instructions.

To choose only one would be really hard. If I don't have veggies, I start to feel sick and really crave them. I'd rather go meatless, but then to get complete proteins, either meat, eggs, cheese, poultry, bugs, or the right mix of grains and pulse crops (beans, legumes), i think I'd start to feel weak.

Can we pick mostly vegetarian, and still eat eggs? Or bugs?

WhiteAlice
reply to post by semperfortis

 

Omnomnominovore. Hunting and gathering was the way to go for hundreds of thousands of years. Probably good to stick with the tried and true.

Right off the bat WhiteAlice hits it out of the park.

Whatever presents itself the most is probably what will be on the menu for that evening.

Living off the land on "Wild Edibles"

Well it appears it can be done

Obviously, your diet would be based on where you live. I would have to think the Inuit (Eskimos) ate mostly protein because their growing season would be much shorter for gardens. Whale and seal were mainstays of their diet and the blubber would have been helpful for their caloric needs while trying to stay warm in their igloos at night. Now, someone living in South America would probably have plenty of fruit trees and vegetation and perhaps nuts and berries to consume. Either way, both climates are extreme in their own way; one you need a lot of calories to keep weight on to stay warm, and the hot, humid climate I would imagine you wouldn't need as many calories. I would have to think one's appetite would be reflected by climate as well. In that case, I'd choose the tropical climate and still would choose vegetarian in a survival scenario. Not sure I could eat whale blubber and seal anyway.

reply to post by queenofsheba


Great thinking

I tend sometimes to equate my line of thinking around the "temperate and subtropical" region I have mostly lived in

While I have traveled/camped/hiked/climbed all over the world, my roots and my thinking tends to be grounded here

reply to post by semperfortis


Sorry Semper but to 'survive' you're probably going to need both....

But for the sake of the thread I could go vego if I needed too to survive, because seeds, edible roots, edible grasses, fruits, edible leaves, edible flowers, nuts, honey......the list is endless.

Then the occasional wallaby, wombat, kangaroo, snake, bird, croc, bunyip, dropbear...if need be.

reply to post by queenofsheba


An Inuit diet is what they define as a Ketogenic diet....for those who don't know what that is...it is where the body converts fat into energy (ketone bodies) as opposed to carbohydrates to energy.

I went on a Keto Diet and lost 9kgs at a rate of nearly 1kg per day.....and then you can also fast for long lengths of time because your body can properly call upon the fat stores....whereas on the standard human diet your body will actually consume muscle (as it is more readily available in the current state that your body is in) before it delves into your fat stores.

reply to post by semperfortis

I tend sometimes to equate my line of thinking around the "temperate and subtropical" region I have mostly lived in While I have traveled/camped/hiked/climbed all over the world, my roots and my thinking tends to be grounded here

As do I so I agree in this situation.
In a winter in Canada with all the snow and ice....its easier to get game because of the easy tracks then it is to get edibles.
My thoughts are geographical as well which pertains to my area.

reply to post by queenofsheba


Whale and seal were a big part of the diet because of the fat they needed to survive.
Fish and protein as well but it is balanced....fish at a certain season and caribou when you have the conditions.
Alot can be done with fat and its why they lived the harshest temps out there.

I have Inuit friends and the stories would blow you away.

Stinky seal delicacies buried raw under ice for 6 months and then dug up and eaten raw.

I said it in my first post.
Fat is the most essential item in a diet....thats why they survived and are still here as a culture.
(I won't rant about government involvement in this thread)

reply to post by DrumsRfun


I think in regards to Fat.....it is relative. It's not essential because it is just another form of energy....but it is definitely one of the best diets to get your body functioning very very well....and also having your body process, store, and call upon (stored) fat the way it is meant too.

Futhermore....once you've consumed meat...boiling bones for long periods of time to reduce the marrow, and to leech calcium from the bones and glucosamine from the joints/sinew, plus all the other essential nutrients/minerals...is definitely a way to ensure a civilization prospers....and uses every bit of hunted animal possible.

Nowadays people throw away some of the best bits not knowing what they can truly extract from it.

Leftover chicken carcase comes to mind.

reply to post by LightAssassin


No need to apologize

That is a valid opinion

I applaud you my fellow survivalist

reply to post by DrumsRfun


Didn't they use the whale blubber/oil for fuel as well? I seem to recall they used pretty much all of the animal as did most native cultures, they didn't waste anything. I think that those were the true survivalists; the natives, the pioneers, the early colonists, the men who sailed the seas without knowing anything about where they were going, the men who forged the west, the men who went to the Klondike to strike it rich mining gold; etc and the list could go on... Being a survivalist now is a bit easier these days, what with all the high tech polar fleece and sweat wicking fabric and GPS, MRE's, etc..anyway. I've always had a fascination with Alaska and the Inuit and of course the sled dogs. I get living in a cold climate as I grew up in MN and know what cold is. But to get back on topic, I absolutely believe your survival is based on your environment and knowledge of course. Knowledge is power.