So far we’ve learned about the major types of macronutrients, the two types of metabolism that your body can run on, and why these are important factors to consider for survival. In terms of advice the scales are leaning pretty heavily towards a fat based diet instead of one based on carbohydrates such as grains, flour and sugar.

To this point, we have been focusing mainly on the effects of carbohydrates on insulin in the body. But today, we’re going to take a look at an important hormone that has recently entered the spotlight in nutritional science: leptin.

What fat mice and night shift workers have in common

In 1950, researchers were in the process of breeding lab mice for different traits. One of the variations was an incredibly hungry mouse that would eat until it was physically unable to. All of these mice would eventually become obese, giving them the appropriate nickname of ‘obese mice’.

It took over forty years until the mystery of why the obese mice would eat so much was solved. At Rockefeller University in 1994, a researcher by the name of Jeffrey Friedman was able to isolate a protein that, when injected to the obese mice, would allow them to eat normally and return to normal weight. This protein was a combination of 167 amino acids called leptin.

The way that leptin works is by controlling the body’s hunger. When you experience hunger, you will continue to eat until you are ‘satisfied’, but the amount of food that will allow you to be satisfied is determined by leptin. The reason obese mice ate the way they did was because they were genetically unable to either produce leptin or have functioning leptin receptors, and thus kept eating to satisfy their hunger. This sounds like a cool science story but the applications to survival foods are huge.

Leptin insensitivity

In nature, leptin is the perfect feedback loop to maintaining a healthy bodyweight. It is produced by fat cells themselves, so in theory, having more fat cells would make one feel less hungry. Fat levels would go down to normal and no one would be at an unhealthy weight. However there are literally hundreds of millions of human examples to prove that it isn’t the case today.

The reason this happens is leptin insensitivity. From having chronically high levels of leptin, leptin receptors in the brain  cannot tell when leptin levels are high or low. Essentially, this is what happened with the obese rats – with no ability to tell when they are satisfied they would eat until they could not. This would be devastating in a survival scenario, either causing unnecessarily high food consumption or being incredibly stressful psychologically from constant hunger.

Thankfully, there is a solution for this. Low carb diets have been shown to restore leptin sensitivity in two ways. First, they lower blood triglycerides which makes it easier for leptin to reach the brain. Second, they have the effect of reducing bodyfat which contributes to chronically elevated leptin. In addition, several carbohydates like fructose and wheat have been shown to interfere directly with leptin receptors.

You reduce carbs, you reduce leptin insensitivity, you reduce hunger.

Jules Dervaes makes me jealous. He would also make my mom jealous. I would reckon he would make the Jolly Green Giant jealous as well with his gardening abilities with a flair that only doomsday preppers could bring.

1. Collapse of modern food system

Specifically, Jules is concerned about the vulnerabilities of GMO crops to certain pests. This is definitely a legitimate concern, genetically modified organisms can sometimes lack the variability within crops that make natural versions so hardy. An example of this was the Gros Michel Banana, which was all but wiped out in the 1950s by Panama disease because there was no genetic variability.

Regardless of what National Geographic’s experts say about the likelihood of that specific reason for the collapse of modern food, it serves as a catchall for the worst of any survival situation. EMP, volcano, economic collapse, you name it, the worst will come from what happens to people after food is gone.

2. Prepping day to day

One of the best things about the Dervaes family approach is the fact that they effectively live their post-collapse lifestyle on a day to day basis. It’s likely that not much would change in their eating habits in the event of a food collapse, which is more than most of us could say. While many fill their pantries it would still be a rude awakening for many to eat the spaghetti sauce they canned 4 years ago.

From a nutritional perspective, Jules and his family are sitting pretty for right now and the apocalypse. The abundance of vegetables would be able to supply them with a great supply of b vitamins, vitamin C, and the animal protein sources from their livestock could fill in the blanks with the fat soluble vitamins. Throw in an open sun garden for vitamin D and you have one healthy family. And what’s best is that it’s sustainable

3. Biodiesel as an energy source

The biodiesel car was definitely cool but I don’t know how many McDonald’s would be around to supply them with fresh grease in the event of a societal collapse. Depending on the level of desperation, oil and grease can be used as a great source of calories in a pinch.

Regardless of the applicability though, the chemistry going on to convert the oil to biodiesel is a useful skill to have. Having that sort of machinery available post collapse would help them get a jump if the rest of the world was in the stone age from say, an EMP strike or oil embargo.

4. Criticism

The show brought up the point of supplies for the garden. While the garden is a source of sustainable food, there are inputs such as fertilizer and water that could be difficult to get a hold of. That sunshine could get real dangerous for the tomato plants if the water cut out.

No mention of protecting the food supply at all, which was disappointing. Living next to a multi lane highway indicates proximity to people, who get crazy when they’re hungry. With the wealth of their stores,, Jules and his family should build up their security in parallel.

During the early 20th century, a Danish scientist by the name of Henrik Dam was studying the effects of diet on livestock, particularly chickens and chicks. When reducing the amount of cholesterol in the diet of the chickens, he noticed an increased tendency for bleeding to go on rampantly. However, when he reintroduced the cholesterol, the effects were not reversed. There was something going on that allowed these chickens to clot. Meanwhile, infants around the world were suffering from similar diseases, with hemorrhaging disorders claiming lives shortly after birth. What was going on?

Why Vitamin K is part of your essential emergency supplies

After joining forces with Edward Doisy of St. Louis University, Dam was able to isolate the compound that was responsible for allowing the chicks to stop bleeding. He named it Koagulationsvitamin for it’s importance in coagulation, which has since been shortened to Vitamin K. Since the discovery, it has entered medicine in the form of injections, which are routinely administered to newborns and people who experience serious bleeding issues.

In the modern world, nutritional deficiency of vitamin K is rare. However there are many conditions in which vitamin k absorption is impaired or clotting is reduced. In addition, vitamin K plays a key role in bone health; Glakay, an anti-osteoporosis drug used in Japan, is actually a form of vitamin K.

Different forms, different sources

Vitamin K comes in two forms in nature, K1 and K2. Like some of the other vitamins we have gone over, they represent the forms available in plants (K1 or phylloquinone) and animals (K2 or menaquinone). K2 has shown a better track record of preventing bone loss, although K1 has been shown to prevent bone damage among the elderly as well. Within the body, K1 can be converted into K2 at about 90%.

The best way to supplement C vitamins, in home and in the field

K1 is found in green leafy vegatables, darker green indicates more vitamin content. Kale – shown above has some of the best content available. Vitamin K2 is found in animal sources, particularly fatty ones. Liver, cheese, butter and eggs are among the best sources available.

Because of the conversion ratio, the form of vitamin K is not really a factor. But preppers looking to live on a diet of stored grain should be cautious to diversify their diet. Perhaps foraging for local edible herbs like Chris Nyerges or raising livestock like David Sarti would allow someone to supplement. If bugging out, synthetic forms of K2 can be used as well – K2 is commonly known as MK4 in vitamin form. Regardless of what form you take, Vitamin K must be considered. Bleeding and bone breakage are two things that could be common in a post-apocalyptic world – so know your vitamins!

Jason Charles is another great example of the urban doomsday preppers. Living in the largest city in the USA has some serious implications and he has an interesting approach to them.

1. Yellowstone national park

We already know how preppers should feel about volcanoes. But is the Yellowstone Caldera a threat? I recently read an interesting article by a geologist about the likelihood of a disaster level event from Yellowstone.

Yellowstone is actually a series of three different calderas, with fault line and water driven types of eruptions. Another important thing to note is that there have been a number of smaller eruptions between the last supereruption 640,000 years ago. The author also doubts that even a supereruption would create enough ash to reach NYC. The last supereruption went as far as Nebraska (1000 miles) which would not disrupt the east coast directly but could definitely disrupt domestic food production.

2. NYC and urban prepping

New York city is one of the most populated cities in the world and would be a horrible place to be in the event of a global food crisis. Jason is wise to focus on defense first. New York is one of the toughest states to get a gun license in and does not issue concealed carry permits, but if I were living there I would certainly push the paperwork before I started paying Israeli guys for Krav Maga lessons.

There may be a point when it comes to staying hidden and fighting indoors. A gunshot would destroy any secrecy if trying to hide resources. Also, there is no telling where a stray bullet could go in an apartment building, especially important with family around.

3. Martial arts

Didn’t really go into it too much but Jason was seen strapping on a katana at the beginning and brandishing a knife with a bladed pommel that looked like it came out of star trek. For self defense and reliability it’s best to stick with a full tang blade or else your knife could end up splitting in two at first contact.

Krav maga is definitely a solid choice for functional self defense. It’s very well regarded in the private defense world, ex-Israeli soldiers with Krav experience are said to be some of the best in the world. There is something to be said for the teaching method though. Doing drills is good for getting form but without live sparring there is no telling how applicable any of these techniques will be.

Krav maga often has live sparring sessions which weren’t pictured in the show but anyone looking to join a krav maga school (or any martial art for that matter) absolutely has to look for a place that does sparring. Without it, you might as well be taking choreographed dance lessons.

4. The bug in plan

The problem with Jason’s bug in plan is that it is neither a good stocking plan nor a good bugout plan. With 100 gallons of water and 4 people in the family he can survive for about 25 days. His defense is great within the home but leaves much to be desired against an organized group. What would happen if a gang decided to go door to door? What somebody lit a fire to smoke him out? There are too many variables in the city like this for me to be comfortable.

Disclaimer: I am not a financial professional (even though I play one on tv) . Please consult someone smarter than me before making financial decisions.

With examples of prepper entrepreneurship around like Tim Ralston, it’s enough to make a regular guy like you or I think about how it would be possible to make some cash while the system is still around. To restate a point: while any form of dependence on the financial system goes against the fundamental ideals of prepping, making careful risks can help your ability to prepare resources before a conflict.

An interesting article just came over the wire about the ‘Doomsday Preppers Portfolio’. The author of the article is not even a prepper, which serves to show that even people in the financial industry are aware of the potential downfall of society. The interesting thing about investing in stocks is that they can move in the opposite direction of the market.

On the day the stock market crashed in September of 2008, I remember doing a search on google finance to see the damage. The biggest outlier? Campbell’s soup with a positive close on the day of the crash. There is actually a measure for how a stock correlates to the market called beta, Campbell’s in this example must have had a negative value.

Likewise, the author of the above article recommends a number of stocks of companies that are probably well known to you, including Ruger, Cabela’s, and Generac. If you can understand why you would want to shop at Cabela’s in 2012, you can understand why a number of people might want to. It shouldn’t be surprising that the stock is up 90% this year alone.

Not everyone has a great idea like the crovel, but many of us have resources tied up in electronics sources like banks, 401ks and mutual funds already. If we are betting on the collapse of society with our time by prepping, why not make some money at the same time? With $5000 in the bank for this year, you would have earned $150 with a generous 3% interest rate. That same money invested in Cabela’s would have earned you $4500. That’s a lot of MREs.

This is obviously an extreme example, diversification is very important in creating a financial strategy. Hindsight is 20/20 and there is risk involved with any investment that can be expected to make a big return. But making educated investment decisions based on directions the population is headed can indeed boost your resources in a big way.

There are many things that can be said of Tim Ralston. Maker of the crovel. The prepper version of Alec Baldwin. And eventually, the first man to come under the line of fire during the filming of doomsday preppers.

1. EMP

In previous blog posts, I have said that I had my doubts about the seriousness of an EMP attack from a solar flare. After doing some more research on EMPs caused by tactical nukes I have been forced to revisit the threat of this type of situation. More on this in an upcoming blog post.

3. The crovel

I’m not going to lie, I want one of these things. It’s possible that Tim and his friends took a page of of the Deadliest Warrior playbook in bringing out that dead pig but man was I impressed. The most appealing thing about the crovel is the fact that it combines so many useful tools into one. I was looking to buy a standard issue e-tool but with the added functionality of the crovel it’s a no brainer

This was a great example of prepper entrepreneurship. Even as we prepare for the worst, it’s great to see people like Tim who are able to take advantage of the existing structure in the economy to help others out and make a little cash on the side. Some might be turned off by his lack of focus but at the end of the day, if he has more resources he’ll be able to prepare better, maybe get a jacuzzi in his underground bunker.

6. Bug out bunker

This was really interesting for a number of reasons. First, we are revisiting the idea of shipping containers for the second time in three episodes. I did not know they were as affordable as $2500. And in addition, they act as a fully functional Faraday cage, insulating from a potential EMP strike! Our friend David Sarti would love to hear about that.

A main concern which wasn’t addressed on the show was the complicated nature of getting circulating air within an underground bunker, especially without electricity. Being literally 6 feet deep is as grim as it sounds, without air one is basically in a tomb. HVAC systems are greatly aided by fans to get air out and in. It would get very uncomfortable at best, and dangerously high in CO2 at worst to rely on passive air supply. Maybe Tim could outfit a solar generator or some other renewable source to power his ventilation.

8. Bug out strategy

Overall Tim’s strategy is very much in line for what the reality is going to be for urban preppers. He is wisely avoiding stockpiling food in his home location. Although it wasn’t mentioned on the show I’m sure someone of his intelligence is planning to keep food stores in his bug out location. The only problems with this are the limited space in his underground shelter, and the difficult terrain with which to forage food locally.

One thing that was great to see in the episode was how safe his kids felt. As preppers, some of us take a lot of fire (so to speak) for involving children in our lifestyles, but the words of Tim’s sons are proof that it can be good. To kids aware of how crazy the world really can be it can be comforting to know someone has a plan.

So far, we have gone over the two different types of metabolism, fat or carb based. What is the difference between the two of these and why is it important to survival?

The fate of hungry cells

At any time, the body will be in a state of carb or fat metabolism. It takes days to switch into ketosis, and often more than a week for people who have never been in it before. Because of this, carbs are a great source of fuel when they are abundant, but leave you out in the cold once you lose access, as you would in a survival situation.

Let’s say you had two twins, one who was in a state of carb metabolism and one who was in a state of fat metabolism. Imagine your disaster of choice wipes out infrastructure and in three days, there is no access to survival foods. Both are now in a state of starvation. Let’s also say for the sake of the argument that they are in a state of physical exertion, moving over land, defending themselves and porting supplies with them.They are expending energy, which has to come from somewhere. In this case, the body.

Fat metabolism

Twin #1 is in a state of fat metabolism. His cells are primed to accept ketones as a fuel source. In a state of starvation with energy to expend, his cells will crave ketones. Thankfully, he will have an abundant source of ketones in his body fat. Fat will be converted into usable calories at 9 calories per gram. For the average person, this is a lot of energy. Taking an average weight of 175 lbs and a healthy bodyfat percentage of 15%, this twin will be able to lose 10% of his weight in fat, or 17.5 lbs before it becomes unhealthy. This leaves close to 8000 grams of usable fat, which translates into a massive 72000 calories before twin#1 starts losing more essential tissue.

Carbohydrate metabolism

Twin #2 is used to using glucose as a fuel source. Without carbohydrates to eat, his cells will have to adapt to ketosis. In the mean time, it will be a rough transition. Some symptoms well known to low carb dieters include brain fog, sleepiness, lack of energy and headaches. During my time with keto diets I also experienced a few nasty migraines as well. This will last for a few days, but could be as long as a week depending on the dietary history. Meanwhile, the world may be falling apart and precious time is being lost.

One of the more sinister consequences is the loss of muscle tissue. As you may recall, proteins are very close to carbohydrates and when needed, can be converted. Because of this, people in a state of carbohydrate metabolism lose more muscle than those in fat metabolism. The protein is scavenged and broken down into the preferred fuel source, carbohydrate. In a state of physical exertion, this is all the more likely.

The x factor

While calories may be available, there are critical nutrients to be considered for survival. Stay tuned to the next post in the series for the essential nutrients to supplement calories in a starvation state.

Quick, how long did the energy from the last meal you ate last? An hour, two hours? How long did it take until you got hungry again? The answers to these questions has a lot to do with the macronutrient content of what that meal contained. And you had better believe this has serious implications for the optimal survival foods for a disaster situation.

Three types of calories, two forms of energy

As we know, all calories were not created equal. Glancing over any nutrition label, you are likely to see calories at the top. Everything underneath can be classified into calories from one of three main sources, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. The calories from these three categories will always add up to the total calories in a meal because they are the units of energy which make up a food. All roads lead to the same end destination: usable energy for your body.

Fat based metabolism (ketones)

Earlier in human history, our ancestors used to roam the lands following herds: buffalo, gazelle or even mammoth. We were hunters, and we supplemented this diet with herbs and roots we could forage. The meat we would eat from these animals contained a lot of protein, but most of the usable calories came from fat, which is a lot denser in energy. Fat is converted into molecules called ketones in the bloodstream which are used by cells as fuel. This energy would provide a sustained burn for constant energy; being in a state of using fat as fuel is known as ketosis. When we had a big kill, or when we found fruit to harvest, our bodies could store these extra calories as fat.

Carbohydrate based metabolism (glucose)

In primitive times, carbohydrates were scarce. Before civilization, grains were not harvested or processed in an organized way. Crops were not raised as we were nomads. Carbs were available very rarely and would have to be stored as fat for the lean times ahead if they were found. Carbohydrates break down very fast into a sugar called glucose which is carried in the blood, raising blood sugar levels. The hormone insulin acts as a key within the gates of the cells to allow glucose to enter.

The problem with the modern diet

The problem is, fat and carbohydrate metabolism are mutually exclusive. Carbs, being rare for millions of years of history, are preferentially used by the human body. As modern people, we live in a state of constant harvest. Our bodies react to carbohydrates with the aim to store, insulin is released to shuttle them into our cells.

If you look at the standard American diet, almost every meal contains carbohydrates. From the bagel at breakfast, to the sandwich at lunch, to the steak and potatoes for dinner, we constantly eat carbohydrates. This makes us less able to use fat as a fuel source. Switching into ketosis takes over a week for most people, and until then the fat on the body cannot be used for fuel.

If you turn off the faucet for carbs, you are in big trouble from an energy perspective. How do you prevent this, and how can you prepare yourself from being separated from food? More in the next post in this series.

If I asked a room full of 10 preparation-minded people what the most important item on their bug out bag list was, I would probably get 10 different answers. Fire? Rations? Salad dressing? Knives? All of these are certainly important for survival, but the truth is without one item they are all useless.

The most important item on your bug out bag list is… You! Without your good health, all of your preparations are useless. This seems like a pretty obvious fact, but the amount of evidence to the contrary is overwhelming.

Quick question: what do you think the percentage of a catastophic event happening in the next year are? 2%? 5%? 10%? The percentage of people diagnosed with heart disease in 2010 is 27.1 million or 11.8%, which amounted to 16.7 million hospital visits.

What would happen to those people if the grid collapsed? We might have a pretty quick loss of 10% of the population. But there’s more to it. Within the prepper community, some of us poke fun at less likely events (like the New Madrid fault slipping) compared to more likely events (like hurricanes in the southeast). You have to prepare for the most likely situations if you’re going to prepare at all.

In the event of even a minor collapse, illnesses that would cause a routine trip to the hospital become life threatening. Diseases like diabetes become fatal. Cancer becomes a death sentence. You need to take care of your health first.

People with families may think this is a selfish perspective, but they should be reminded that there are no life insurance policies in a post apocalyptic world. You won’t be able to provide for your family, protect them, or help them navigate through tough times if you are sick or dead. Your health is even more important if you have a family.

What does this mean for your preparation plans? You need to prepare for your health, both today and for the ability to maintain it post collapse. Benjamin Franklin once wrote that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and nowhere is that more true than with your health. Start by eating a healthy diet. Get some exercise and develop a routine you could use in the event of a collapse. Get some vitamins and learn where to get them in your local environment.

The actions you take to improve your physical health are often the same to help your resistance to disease. Low carb diets (such as paleo) have been proven to help blood markers, reduce inflammation , and even delay cancer. At the end of the day you’re more able to get out of dodge, defend yourself once you’re out and live a long life after the collapse.

So remember guys, look out for number one

Dennis Evers rounds off the second episode of Doomsday Preppers with a bang. Like Kathy Harrison he has a strong desire to build a community, but he also takes no chances when it comes to self defense. Dennis has taken specialization to the max, going so far as to train his daughter in welding to be able to act as a post-apocalyptic engineer. It’s an approach that even the most cynical couldn’t deny.

1. Hyperinflation
Without going into detail I will restate a point I made earlier that economic problems do not trickle down to the grocery store level. Hyperinflation would devastate investors and savings account but people would not start eating each other. Look at the events in Argentina, Brazil and Ukraine in the 90s; people were upset but no one was getting eaten alive. Still, in the short run it would be very valuable to have the option to drop off the grid sustainably for a few months

3. Wood stove

The concept of operating a wood stove is interesting as a fuel source because it’s eminently renewable in rural areas. However, there is the distinct drawback of making one’s location visible for miles from the smoke. When it comes to cooking, a solar oven (like the one Kellene Bishop made) would be far more covert. However when it comes to heating, the wood stove is tough to beat. There’s no point in hiding your location if you’re frozen to death, at some point the pros and cons have to be weighed.

4. IT security system – motion detection

Despite the susceptibility to EMP events some may be concerned about, the concept of an IT based security system is intriguing. With a small group like the Evers family, it would be difficult to have a fully staffed guard schedule. Using electronics allows one to have the coverage of a number of people at all times. It would be better to have more than one guy as a defense unit, but it’s a great start.

My only concern would be the power. Obviously these would have to be battery operated devices. While hunting cameras may last a while, anything providing a live feed would eat up power. Batteries would be hard to come by after a collapse. The only way this would work is if there was a rechargeable set of batteries (Lithium Ion or similar) and a source of electric power like a solar panel or windmill.

5. PVC bow

I thought this part of the episode was just silly, and I believe it may have been out of context. But in the long term, working with materials such as PVC would not be a good idea. PVC is a petroleum based product and in the event of an infrastructure collapse, there would be none in production for the world. Seeing as the Evers family lives in a rural area, focusing on woodwork for fashioning bows would be more appropriate. Not to mention, the draw on that bow looks pretty weak and would probably not last over time.
6. Lack of fuel