Bob Kay is the first prepper made by Doomsday Preppers. That’s a mouthful. After watching the show last year he decided to employ his considerable wealth in the pursuit of insurance against potential earthquakes in his home of Southern California. Despite patchy support from his wife and children, he is in many ways the embodiment of what you would do if money was no object.

Freeze dried chicken

The first big purchase that Bob makes on the show is $40,000  on a years supply of freeze dried chicken for his family. His wife thinks it is weird but it’s probably just because she hasn’t yet read my article on survival protein. As an animal source, chicken can be expected to provide the full spectrum of amino acids.

However I have my concerns on the quality of the protein and the amino acids over time. As we know, all nutrients are not created equal. Denaturing is a process in which the complex structure of proteins and amino acids ‘unfold’ rendering them useless. Among the things that can cause this to happen are pH, light and heat. Concerns have been raised in the ability to maintain medical enzymes through freeze drying. In addition, important nutrients have been shown to degrade when freeze drying food.

While studies specific to amino acids have not been conducted, it is worth considering the possibility that the amino acids will be less than optimal compared to a whole source.

Prepping with the family

One of the great aspects of Bob’s preps is his involvement of his daughter Alexis in the process. This is an important factor in business known as buy-in. According to Alexis, much of the process in preparation can be boiled down to her making the decisions and Bob signing the checks. As someone who helping create the plan, she is far more likely to support it. A lesson to be learned to those trying to win over family.

Making it fun for Alexis is also a part of what makes this work. As someone inspired by video games, Bob has spared no expense in making prepping work for her. Whether it’s getting the highest grade throwing knives or setting up practice dummies in the shape of zombies, he is making sure Alexis has a good time which will pay dividends in her actual adoption of the skills.

Food and water on the property

Bob has invested several thousand dollars in planting edible and usable plants on his property. This seems incongruent with his highly developed bug out plan which includes 6 motorcycles and a helicopter. Instead of throwing money at the problem, it would be better to invest time into learning the skill set of identifying local plants and herbs that can be used like Christopher Nyerges does.

Spirulina

According to Ryan, spirulina is the bacteria that everyone should be talking about. Purportedly containing enough nutrients to be a total food source, he expects his family will be able to survive on 10-20 grams of the stuff per day.

Looking a bit closer, spirulina is not all it’s cracked up to be. However, it comes pretty close. Compared to other plants, it is a relatively complete source of amino acids. While it technically contains all eight amino acids, there are far lower concentrations of lysine and methionine than animal based sources. However, compared to plant sources of protein such as soybeans and other legumes it is a better source.

In addition to protein, spirulina is a tremendous source of B1, B2 , copper, and iron.

Culturing of spirulina is relatively easy and only requires distilled water and the means to control pH. Live strains of spirulina can be found at the university of Austin TX culture collection of algae. This is one of the few places that will ship live spirulina to you!

Earth Worms for Food

This isn’t the first time we have seen entomophagy on Doomsday Preppers and it probably won’t be the last. According to the show, they are consumed in 90 countries world wide. Even some restaurants stateside have been coming around to the idea of eating earthworms. Are they actually a viable source of nutrients?

According to an analysis on the earthworms consumed in Venezuela, earthworms are a serious competitor as a protein source. With over 60% of dry weight consisting of protein, earthworms also contain a complete source of the essential amino acids. In addition, they are a good source of iron and contain almost as much calcium as cow’s milk!

Hot sauce isn’t a bad idea either.

Aboriginal Skills and Small Game

The final unconventional food that Ryan consumed on his segment was a wild caught field mouse. Using a deadfall trap, one of the oldest traps known to man, one can harvest all sorts of small game in the local area. This can be considered an aboriginal skill, favored by some of my personal favorites such as Chris Nyerges ad Cody Lundin. They can be used in almost any environment and are simple enough that even a child could be taught to do it.

From a pure calorie perspective, setting up deadfalls with the goal of catching field mice might be a losing proposition. As the show pointed out, Ryan would need to eat 17 mice to stay above water from a caloric perspective. With so little meat that skinning becomes a challenge, it is not a very efficient way to stay alive.

Another thing to be considered is the cost of getting those calories. Setting up traps and checking them burns calories, maybe more than the haul would be on any other day. Making larger deadfalls for game like rabbits could be a better option. Better yet, raising rabbits would provide an emergency source of rodent meat if it’s absolutely needed.

The limiting nutrient

As a branched chain amino acid, leucine has many important functions related to muscle growth and recovery. According to some it is the most important of the branched chain amino acids – going so far as to call it the ‘limiting nutrient’. The benefits of leucine have been known in bodybuilding circles as the most important essential amino acid for growth. But the opposite has also been observed.

Removing leucine has been observed to create the effects of calorie restriction (ie starving) even in the presence of an otherwise complete diet. While some have looked to this as a way to lose weight (and an unhealthy one I might add) this is horrible news for anyone trying to survive in a disaster scenario. Wasting away while still eating calories is an absolute worst case scenario and one that can be avoided by eating complete sources of protein.

Blood sugar and glycogen

Leucine’s effect on muscles goes beyond structure: it also plays a role in the metabolism of fuel. Your muscles use a form of sugar called glycogen in order to move. During and after strenuous events, the glycogen in your muscles is depleted. This leads to less than optimal functioning of the muscles and fatigue.

Leucine has been shown in research to increase the synthesis of glycogen within the muscles. Faster synthesis means faster recovery, during and after activity. What’s more, this has a positive effect on blood sugar, which the glycogen is drawn from. Research has also verified that leucine both lowers blood sugar levels and modulates effective insulin response.

It should be no surprise that leucine has been linked to increased muscular performance. In a recent study by researchers at James Cook University, only 6 weeks of leucine supplementation resulted in significant increases for competitive rowers. In addition to endurance, overall power output was also increased. When it comes to self-defense or evasion situations, extra endurance and power output can make the difference between life and death. There are the quick, and the dead.

Growth Hormone

Leucine has been shown to increase secretion of human growth hormone in addition to these effects. Despite the obvious importance of this hormone to growing children, it has many important effects in adults. HGH has been used to aid in recovery after surgery for many years and has been linked to joint health as well.

In a survival situation, the ability to adapt and recover is critical. Giving your body what it needs in order to bounce back is critical, which is why you should consider leucine in your emergency supplies.

Allen and Franco have developed one of the most interesting forms of preparation from a nutritional perspective that we have ever seen on Doomsday Preppers.

Different ideas: One Problem

Allen and Franco have a healthy rivalry when it comes to prepping. Whether it is economic decline or a revolt against GMO foods, there is a common thread of food in their disaster scenarios. As we know, with grocery stores clearing out as soon as 72 hours after a crisis. food is the central concern in any survival situation. Investment in a system which can generate food in an infinitely sustainable fashion is as close to future proofing as anyone can get.

Aquaponics: a complete, sustainable food supply

By combining hydroponics and aquaculture, Allen and Franco have a closed loop system of plants and animals which sustain each other. In addition, this provides a complete source of healthy vegetables and complete protein for their families. Instead of relying on stored food, which is often heavily processed, this is a fresh source of nutrients that can continue indefinitely. What’s more, the food produced on this would be completely paleo compliant.

As far as vegetables go, almost any sort of vegetable can be grown with the exception of root vegetables. This is actually a blessing in disguise as the potentially metabolically damaging starches in vegetables are mostly in root vegetables such as potatoes. From the perspective of getting the most bang for your buck from a calorie perspective, leafy vegetables are  not actually the best move. Choosing to grow denser vegetables such as avocados and squash would provide a much better source of calories for sustenance.

The other half of this equation is the fish provided by the aquaponics system. Allen boasted a full 200lbs of tilapia from his system and numbers on top aquaponics installations have a number of as high as 400lbs per year for a 10 x 20′ unit. From a nutritional perspective, this is more than enough to sustain a family of four, following the average meat consumption of 85lbs per year. In addition, as an animal source of protein it is a complete source of amino acids. Fish is also very high in Omega 3 fatty acids which can improve mental function and cardiovascular health.

Tweaking the Aquaponics model

There is concern from some aspiring aquaponics farmers for certain inputs in the system like fish food. Allen and Franco’s use of duckweed is an excellent source of fish food, and can even be used for other animals such as livestock and even people! Duckweed is high in protein and has an incredible growth rate and have been observed to double in as few as 24 hours.

A second concern is the source of electricity to be able to run the pumps. To make an aquaponics system truly sustainable, a renewable energy source such as solar photovoltaic could make it a truly closed loop.

A few weeks ago we covered the rise of a new coronoavirus that was popping up in a few places in the Middle East. Well, it looks like things are progressing, and not in a good way. Several new cases have come up, bringing the total count to nine. After samples were sent from the latest case to Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, the new virus has been dubbed hCoV-EMC, (human Corona Virus – Erasmus Medical Center). While this name may not be as catchy as SARS, unfortunately the virus is.

Deadlier than SARS

Of the three new cases of hCoV-EMC, all three have died. While these have mostly been elderly patients this brings the total body count to 5 out of 9 – a mortality rate of over 50%. In comparison, SARS was considered a major global threat at a mortality rate of 10%. The Spanish Flu, considered a much worse epidemic had a mortality rate estimated at 18-20%.   Granted, this is still in the early stages, but if this mortality rate holds up we are looking at a disease comparable to the black plague or smallpox.

We Don’t Know How it Works

Scientists were able to identify the mechanism used by SARS to infect human lung tissue. The virus had an affinity to a certain receptor called ACE2. It was able to use this receptor to essentially pry open a cell to get in. The problem was that ACE2 receptors are present mostly in deep lung tissue which was why the cases of the disease were so difficult to treat.

Unfortunately, research done on samples taken shows that hCoV-EMC does not rely on ACE2 to infect patients. Epidemiologists are back to the drawing board in terms of finding a cure for this virus.

Transmissible to Animals

The final piece to the terrifying puzzle is that hCov-EMC is transmissible back to animals. Normally, when a virus mutates to being contagious to humans, it no longer is a threat to animals. This new coronavirus is one of the first to display “horizontal transmission’ among species, which has some scary implications. While it is difficult to control populations of people with blockades and quarantines, it is pretty much impossible to stop the movement of animals. You can’t be shooting down every bird, bat or squirrel trying to get out of an infected area.

What if it spreads?

One of the scariest implications of this virus being transmissible to animals is the effect it would have on transportation of livestock. Infected areas would be on lockdown, in or out, and with animals as a target this could mean less beef on the shelf of your local supermarket. Stocking up on the essential survival foods right now would be a prudent measure.

In addition, with the levels of mortality being discussed, this is not the sort of disease you want to chance going to the market with a n95 mask on. Bug in or bug out, you will want to be avoiding people for some time if this ends up spreading.

Don’t be too late, start preparing now.

Jeff Bushaw is the second person on Doomsday Preppers to be concerned about the threat of supervolcanoes. As you know already, supervolcanoes have been some of the most devastating events to happen in human history. You also know that even in the event of a regular eruption, there is a litany of horrible ways that a volcano can kill you. Jeff has some plans to get out of dodge in style, taking to the skies in order to escape Yellowstone in case it erupts.

Yellowstone and Volcanic Winter

Yellowstone is actually a series of smaller caldera located in the area of the park. While there have been 3 powerful eruptions over the past 2.2 million years, none of them have been globally threatening events. Volcanic winter on a local scale would be troublesome but not an extinction level event.

Assuming a worst case scenario on the level of the worst eruption we have seen from Yellowstone, food production in the breadbasket of the United States would certainly be affected and perhaps even stopped. Globally temperatures could drop several degrees which could cause lower crop yields as they did during the ‘year without a summer’. Food prices would certainly rise.

For this reason, Jeff is wise to consider food as the first priority for a volcanic disaster. With food prohibitively expensive or not available, only those with stockpiles will be able to provide for their families. In addition, it is wise for him not to point out the location of his stockpile on the camera.

Shoestring Prepping

For a moment it looks like we are about to see a Storage Wars crossover as Jeff details his preferred method of getting supplies. As a self defined ‘shoestring prepper’, Jeff is interested in getting supplies in the most cost effective way possible. Is this a good way to save money though?

While storage auctions make for good television, there is always an element of risk when cutting corners on price. There are auctions that end up going bust, or not being worth what they are paid from a retail value perspective. In addition, retail value of the items is rarely, if ever what can be gotten through resale. And finally, instead of focusing your time and funds towards weak points in your preparation plans, you are rolling the dice on what sort of supplies turn up.

There is money to be made for sure but the cost of this is time. Do you want to be spending your time preparing or following auctions, transporting, stockpiling junk and hounding down potential buyers? If it’s something you enjoy, more power to you but don’t think it’s an efficient way to prepare.

Bug Out on the Wing

Jeff is an amateur pilot and has a personal aircraft at his disposal to bug out in the event of a volcanic eruption. The ability to land in fields rather than airstrips is an invaluable skill to have as there will no doubt be a slew of emergency landings for anyone in the air in the event of an eruption. The use of a plane is dependent on a healthy supply of gasoline but if Jeff has enough stockpiled in his bug out location there is no need to be taking regular trips.

John Adrain is in line with some of the principles of bugout nutrition, including the danger of crowds following any collapse and the necessity of dissuading potential looters. As an inventor, he has both the resources and know how to develop one of the most advanced form of protection we have seen on Doomsday Preppers . Using an array of technologically sophisticated defense systems, he is effectively a one man defense team for himself and his stockpiles.

Where’s the power?

Before addressing any of the technological marvels in John’s security systems, there is the serious issue of dependence on power. At no point in the show was there any mention of any sort of renewable or redundant power supplies that would be keeping John’s automated defenses on.

While John prefaces his segment by stating he is ready for social chaos resulting from any number of disasters, social chaos itself could result in the power infrastructure collapsing. This is without going into EMP attacks, natural disasters affecting power lines or economic turmoil leading to the grid failing. If there is looting at the supermarket, it will be a rare man in the power industry who doesn’t want to go home to protect his family.

Keeping a gas powered generator is the minimum of preparation that needs to be done for John to make use of his defenses. Even better than this would be a renewable source of energy like solar photovoltaic, wind, or geothermal depending on the terrain.

Technological defenses

John has an impressive array of defenses if his power does hold up. These include a military grade tilt gate, layers upon layers of security cameras, and a burglar blaster peppers spray device. The tilt gate keeps John’s property safe from vehicles full of attackers, although in the event of a power outage would prevent him from escaping by vehicle. His security cameras allow him to prevent any would be attackers from taking the element of surprise. Finally the pepper spray device is designed to automatically disperse a mist of pepper spray which could fill a room for a number of hours,  preventing unequipped attackers from breathing or opening their eyes.

Going Old School

In addition to the technological defenses, John has built a veritable castle of a home. In addition to being relatively secluded from the populous areas of the city, it is built on great terrain. Built with one side on a cliff face, there is a choke point forcing most intruders to one side. His house is built of solid materials and even the weak points are fortified. His windows are sporting the same type of glass used on embassies.

Rounding off the traditional defenses are a rifle which takes .50 caliber Beowulf rounds and a number of dogs. Like many other forms of preparation, practice is key with these. A high caliber weapon like the Beowulf Piston rifle pictured in the segment is difficult for even experienced shooters to handle due to the massive amount of recoil. In addition, regularly drilling attack dogs is essential to keeping them sharp.

So far we have seen amino acid responsible for the muscles, the brain and even your happiness. Today we will go into the amino acid that literally forms the backbone of all development. Lysine is as critical for development and recovery as it is commonly deficient. Are you missing out one of the important emergency supplies that could help you survive and recover from critical threats in a post apocalpytic world?

Bones and Calcium Metabolism

Lysine is critical to the body’s ability to maintain bone mass in two different ways. First, it is necessary for the body to absorb calcium. The levels of calcium are constantly fluctuating and without a constant influx, osteoporosis will develop. In addition, it seems to be necessary in the cross linking of collagen, an important protein for bones (as well as other connective tissues).

Development and Age

Due to it’s importance in bone metabolism, lysine is a critical nutrient when it comes to development. The amino acid is absolutely essential for the development of children and lack of it has been associated with retarded growth. If you are  prepping with young ‘uns, you need to consider this to make sure they grow up big and strong.

Interestingly enough, lysine is also necessary at the other end of the lifecycle. The amino acid has been shown to be protective against many of the ailments suffered by the elderly.

Immune Function

The amino acid has also been shown to help immune function in a number of ways. It has been known as an antiviral for some time, is commonly recommended for people suffering from herpes and has been studied for these effects. In addition, lysine is one of the main components required to create antibodies within the bloodstream. Without antibodies, our white blood cells would not be able to attack foreign materials such as bacteria and debris within the bloodstream.

Vitamin C has been shown to protect lysine in the body, taking these two together will multiply the immune boosting effects of each within the body.

Could you be deficient?

Lysine is one of the amino acids that is difficult to get from a vegan diet. Despite what some gurus might say, plant sources of protein are not an appropriate source of lysine. Some of the smarter vegetarian sources have even gone so far as to call it the biggest limiting factor for vegan diets.

When considering a plant based diet for homesteading, in your bug out bag or in your pantry, be sure to consider lysine. In addition to missing out on the important benefits listed above, deficiency has been associated with anemia, weight loss,  loss of ability to concentrate, irritability and a host of other problems.

Steven and Tom Perez are partners in crime, for better for worse. This isn’t the first time on Doomsday Preppers we have seen misfortune on the screen and it probably won’t be the last. But aside from the sensational television on this episode, there are some great lessons to be learned from this segment.

Lessons from the Goat Slaughter

The cooking of the goat showed an important prepper lesson about nutrition. Like the Native Americans who used to roam this land, Steven eats every part of the goat. From a point of maximizing the amount of calories that can be extracted for a kill, every edible part must be used. But there are some really interesting nutritional aspects to eating organ meats.

Liver, for example, is a rich source of high quality protein and one of the best sources of vitamin A known to man. Tongue and heart are a great source of copper and iron and other organ meats such as kidneys and sweetbreads are a great source of B vitamins, and minerals like selenium and phosphorus.

Another way to get good mileage on a kill is to turn the carcass into bone broth. This will make a tasty stock which is great from a flavor perspective, but has a great nutritional purpose as well  The marrow of the bones contains a great amount of collagen, a structural protein which is responsible for the elasticity of your skin and joints. Including collagen has been recommended for everything from recovering from joint injuries to preventing arthritis to maintaining healthy skin.

Radiation Safety 

One of the most important things about the partnership between Tom and Steven is complimentary resources. Tom is bringing the food and shelter while Steven is bringing expertise in the form of his training as a Radiation Safety Officer.

Like Greg Rogers, Steven understands that skills are one of the most important things to have in the event of a collapse. What is the value of his skillset? Apparently enough to get an equal claim to the $2 million the Tom invested in the Alamo

Geiger counters are apparently very difficult instruments to operate. While many preppers speak about being ready for a nuclear disaster and may even have a geiger counter. For anyone looking to pick up a valuable skillset, radiation worker training is a widely available certification course.

Training Children – contrasts

Steven’s daughter Victoria is shown being taken to the range for the first time in the segment. In stark contrast to Tom’s children, she does not take to shooting whatsoever and comments that it is probably the last time she will do it. What is the difference between them?

Tom’s children were raised with guns from as young an age as possible. They do not know a life that doesn’t involve shooting. Victoria, to contrast, has had time to be conditioned by society to what is normal for a girl her age. Getting her to like guns is then an uphill battle.

Regardless, she is training with high caliber ammo by the prepper update so Steven must be doing something right.

We have seen many examples of martial arts in preppers, from ex military and law enforcement preppers to those who seek out martial arts to prepare themselves. There are many benefits to training in martial arts when it comes to prepping, which may be different than what is expected. In order to determine whether martial arts are a good investment of your time and money into the most important item on your bug out bag list, you need to know what you might be getting into.

Definition: Live martial arts vs. others

The most important distinction to make when choosing a martial art to study is whether it is a ‘live’ martial art or not. Live martial arts are ones that are practiced live, usually in sparring or some form of competition. Static forms of martial arts are usually practiced using specific routines, often referred to as forms or katas.

1. Physical Preparation

All forms of martial arts will include some form of calisthenics as part of a warm up routine. Most will also include stretching. One of the important things about martial arts is that you will develop sport specific cardio. Running on a treadmill may very well increase your cardiovascular health but will not help you defend yourself. Training in a specific martial art will make you much more efficient at using it to defend yourself.

Compared to a sedentary lifestyle, this can be a fun way to get into shape. The comparison with more traditional forms of exercise such as weight training or running is a bit more tricky. In addition to the specific cardio mentioned above, the strength gained in martial arts will help you move your body and others around much more effectively. From my perspective, this is the most important strength to have in a bug out scenario.

2. Mental Preparation

The distinction between live and static martial arts shines here. One of the most important aspects of martial arts training is mental toughness. Training a live martial art essentially allows yourself to be placed in a simulated life or death situation every time you spar. Dealing with jitters, recovering from bad positions, and being aware of your surroundings are all things that will be heightened by martial arts training.

Competing in particular can become a great way to adapt to stress. Nothing will test your ability to perform like martial arts competitions, which are available in most major cities.

3. Self Defense

This may seem strange as the last item on the list, but it is here because it is the most variable. Different forms of martial arts have different utility. Static martial arts without live training are, by definition, not tested and thus have the least utility. Live martial arts have much more utility but are limited by the rule sets of their competition.

Every martial artist will assert theirs is the best but at the end of the day being armed is the most effective form of defense. You can’t block bullets. Regardless, the physical and mental preparation from martial arts will carry over into every area of your life, including self defense with weapons. For this reason, martial arts are highly recommended.