Posted on Jun 29, 2016
Cpl Dennis F.
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I really need to add to this. I have eaten both. The MRE, not regularly.
I recently was made aware of some info regarding MREs: that they were not designed nor advisable to eat for more than 4 days. During my RVN tour, I would guess that about 75% of my meals were C rats. (with some creative additions they were not that bad and I do not recall any adverse effects from them.) I am pretty sure those stuck on FOBs were eating MREs for longer than 4 days. I'm wondering if MREs were the result of more bean counting bureaucrats meddling in the affairs of the military without any real field experience. In my experience with MREs, if you don't have a heating pouch "cooking" them becomes a problem. I would not care to eat that paste cold.
What is the advantage? Why did we move away from canned meals? The bulk of a case seems about the same, though the weight is probably less. Was this the sole consideration? The health issues seem to negate this advantage.
Posted in these groups: Food logo Food/ChowHealthheart Health40ade176 MRE
Edited >1 y ago
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Responses: 23
CSM Brigade Operations (S3) Sergeant Major
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I have eaten both. The C-Rats were pretty good, more like real food. I am sure that MREs prevailed to due to their shelf life and packaging/weight. You can eat MREs for more than four days, 30 days is usually the cut off for consuming only MREs. There are not enough nutrients/vitamins to sustain the body on a strictly MRE diet. Even during combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, milk, fruit and vegetables were flown in so Soldiers could get the nutrients/vitamins they needed to stay healthy. Now, you could probably live off MREs for a long time if that's all you had, but your bones along with the rest of your body would eventually start breaking down. All you have to do is look at a Ranger School student when they come out of Florida phase.
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Cpl Dennis F.
Cpl Dennis F.
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Thanks for the info re: supplemental food. Ever get any thermal cans in theater? We would very rarely get them flown into the field. Once had Steaks and beer in fire base "Middle of nowhere", but that was a private AKs for NSA food barter.
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CSM Brigade Operations (S3) Sergeant Major
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Cpl Dennis F. - The chow was actually pretty decent during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most FOBs were contracted and hot chow was the norm. Earlier in the conflicts platoon outposts and smaller Joint Security Stations ate MREs regularly but, platoons were rotated on a consistent basis.
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Cpl Dennis F.
Cpl Dennis F.
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CSM (Join to see) - Good to hear!
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Capt Tom Brown
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Cpl Dennis F. Never had a chance to test out MRES. The venerable C-rats were ok, but just too bulky and heavy to carry more than a couple of heavies and a couple of lights stuffed in a sock tied to the top of yr rolled poncho
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Sgt Tom Cunnally
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Edited >1 y ago
Just C Rats during my military time but tried MREs after I left... C Rats are the worst of the worse meals I ever ate in my entire 80+years including at the famous French Restaurant "Jacque In De Box"...At Vieques we had a starving dog wonder into our camp area and I was told to feed that poor dog...So I opened a C Rat can of cold Spaghetti and Meat Sauce and put it in front of this dog....He sniffed it and walked away without touching it. And I thought I've been living on that crap for 3 months and a starving dog would not eat it. Something has to definitely be wrong with C Rats beside giving you constipation, heartburn, gastric pains, and loss of muscle fiber and lack of energy to name just a few issues if you eat them for over 90 days. I wonder if all those damn C Rat gave me polyps ?? I will be willing to bet they did along with thinning hair and wrinkles because they were so bad for you in your younger years.

Source:HighlyUnreliableUSMCvets
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Sgt Tom Cunnally
Sgt Tom Cunnally
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C Rats were also served in our Mess Hall at Camp Geiger the very day we came back from being in the field for a few weeks.. That was ridiculous and one guy complained about that to the Commandant when he visited our base and asked if anyone had any questions ..
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Cpl Dennis F.
Cpl Dennis F.
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Sgt Tom Cunnally - Yeah I have to agree. Geiger was a dump, but no reason not to serve real food in the mess!
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Sgt Tom Cunnally
Sgt Tom Cunnally
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Cpl Dennis F. - We would often spend more time at Camp Lejeune than at Geiger & I liked Lejeune a lot better than Geiger.
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