Many of us are already aware
of the need for vitamin and mineral supplements to help insure our diets
contain all the necessary nutrients. We often fail to realize that there are
other nutrients that are as equally important to our survival. One of these
essential nutrients is protein.
Protein is required for
maintaining and repairing tissue (especially muscle), to keep our immune system
functioning properly, production of necessary hormones and providing energy for
our body. These important body functions may be significantly impaired without
the consumption of adequate amounts of protein. This can be a critical factor
in a survival scenario.
Symptoms of
inadequate protein consumption may include weight loss (including muscle tissue),
fatigue or a general overall weak
feeling, an increased susceptibility to infections, and swelling (edema) due to
fluid retention. When your body is low on protein, it can also enter the “starvation
mode”. One of the early signs that indicate a lack of protein is muscle
weakness. Unfortunately, our bodies don’t store protein and this essential
nutrient must come from the foods we consume on a daily basis. This could
create problems If we don’t know where our next meal is coming from or when.
The
Product
A tactical protein replacement from www.vitalitysci.com called SurvivAmino
was chosen for
this test. It is a fat-free, non GMO, gluten free protein supplement that
contains no artificial preservatives or meat or dairy products. This is a big
plus in my opinion. This supplement is also in a form that makes it readily
absorbable by the body. This also makes it a suitable product for use by those
who require a gluten free product or wish to maintain a strict vegetarian diet.
The Review
For this review, a 72 hour
scenario was utilized to check the effectiveness of a protein supplement to:
1. Use as a supplement to
avoid cramps or swelling during normal activity levels.
On the first day, the
protein supplement was used instead of my normal breakfast of scrambled eggs
prior to my daily hike/walk. There was some minor cramping in my right leg after
several miles but was “walked off” and
my hike/walk was continued without further problems.
2. Use as a supplement to avoid
weakness or fatigue due to strenuous activity with limited caloric intake.
On the second day, the
protein supplement was used a meal replacement for lunch. The day was spent in
a period of fairly steady activity while doing some minor repairs to my bug-out
van. Overall the lack of an actual meal did not hinder my ability to work at a
steady pace and work wasn't discontinued until well into the afternoon. At this
time, temperatures were getting extremely hot and required a break in my
activity.
3. Use as a meal replacement
to avoid hunger pains due to lack of a sufficient meal.
On the third day, the
protein supplement was used as a total meal replacement. Activities for the day
were pretty routine and not anything of a strenuous nature. Even though I had missed
two meals already, my appetite wasn't that great. After eating a small evening
meal, my hunger was satisfied. While this supplement shouldn't be used on a
regular basis as a meal substitute, it actually did quite well in this regards.
It is best to remember that we get additional nutrients from our food and
should make every effort possible to eat regular meals when possible.
Overall Review
The contents of the tactical
protein supplement were securely packaged and included both an outer seal on
the cap and an inner seal to protect the integrity of the product. The dosage
size was five tablets and the supplement contained a total of 100 tablets. The
packaging gets a thumbs up.
The tablets are fairly large
and required them to be swallowed individually. If you have trouble swallowing
large pills, you would probably need to break them in half. In my case, they
were just swallowed one at a time.
There is no taste factor
involved. When compared with Mrs. RW’s home made granola/protein bars, the
clear winner in the taste department was Mrs. RW’s protein bars. The pills
won’t satisfy your taste buds even though
they had readily available amounts of protein.
A tactical protein
supplement can serve you well when hiking or backpacking, as an addition to your
bug-out bag or as a means to keep the amount of proteins in your body at
sufficient levels. Since the body doesn't store protein, it doesn't hurt to
keep a good protein supplement available for when it might be needed. These
tablets also have a good shelf life and come in a portable form that is easily
stored or carried.
The
Giveaway
One lucky reader will receive a free
product sample of Survivamino from www.vitalitysci.com
by leaving a comment about your experience using protein supplements. A winner
will be chosen at random from the comments on this post and announced at a
later date. Those of you wishing to obtain this protein supplement can also visit
www.vitalitysci.com and use the promo
code “rwalker” to receive a discount
on your purchase of Survivamino at
checkout.
While many people realize the importance of
supplements to aid our diet, protein supplements are quite often neglected and
sometimes fail to be included in an effort to maintain proper dietary nutrient
levels for our survival.
Got protein?
Staying above the water line!
Riverwalker
5 comments:
Good points made. I have some 'protein shake' powdered materials, but it is at least 10 years old, and probably not good any more. I have forgotten about it until your post.
Thank you for bringing up this subject.
To: anonymous 12:32
The protein powders can be very bulky in a lot of cases which makes them hard to store(need a lot of space) and not very easy to transport.
The protein tablets seem to make a lot more sense in this regard and these particular ones don't have any unwanted additional ingredients.
RW
Are these stable enough to throw in a bag and forget about? I would also rather eat the homemade granola bars but I can see the value of this kind of supplement.
To: anon 8:39
They have a good shelf life but need to be stored in a cool, dry environment. If you are keeping your BOB in the trunk of your vehicle, they will lose their potency quicker.
Like all supplements, they will lose a certain amount of potency over time but should work well for your BOB.
RW
http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2013/08/supplements-for-survival-product-review.html
A tactical protein supplement can serve you well when hiking or backpacking, as an addition
to your bug-out bag or as a means to keep the amount of proteins in your body at sufficient
levels. Since the body doesn't store protein, it doesn't hurt to keep a good protein supplement available for when it might be
needed. These tablets also have a good shelf life and come in a portable form that is easily
stored or carried.
Let's eat right to keep fit by Adelle Davis
Chapter Four
excerpt
Every instant of life, body proteins are being broken down by enzymes in your cells, and if your
health is to be maintained, amino acids must be available for immediate replacement. Since the
waste products are excreted by the kidneys, the urine can be analyzed for nitrogen which comes only from proteins; the quantity of nitrogen found in the urine shows the amount of body tissue being
replaced at any given time. If your diet is adequate, the cells, by the help of
enzymes, combine fresh amino acids into new proteins. Food proteins,therefore, are needed continuously from birth
until death. If your diet is complete in other respects, you can maintain health whenever all
the required amino acids are generously supplied.
When you eat more protein than your body can use immediately, your liver withdraws amino acids from your blood and changes them temporarily into storage protein. As your cells use amino acids, the supply is replenished from the breakdown of stored protein.
As long as your diet is adequate, the amount of amino acids in your blood is thereby kept relatively
constant. If you ignore your health to the extent of eating insufficient protein, the stored protein is quickly exhausted. From that time on, the less important body tissues are destroyed to free amino acids needed to rebuild more vital structures. Such a process may go on month after month or even year after year. Your body continues to function after
a fashion. Unseen abnormalities set in because blood proteins, hormones, enzymes, and antibodies can no longer be formed in amounts needed.
end excerpt
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