More FAQs
Q: A main concern I have of survival situations is how to find food and water. I know several methods for capturing or finding water such as solar stills, transpiration from plants, looking for vegetated areas, etc., (although I don't know how effective they are!), and the general steps to testing plants for edibility. But how do you find enough food and water to keep going in a strange environment where you don't know the terrain or the plants? A: How would you have gotten into a "strange environment" without knowing it? If you know where you are going, I'd strongly suggest that you do a little research before you go. Learn about the terrain, flora, fauna, indigenous people and their customs, for starters. If you end up in a survival situation, at least you'll have a basis to draw from. Water is the same all over the world. Depending on where you are, you may need to procure it from unknown sources and possibly use things like vegetation or transpiration bags. Transpiration bags are an excellent method for obtaining water. A transpiration bag is nothing more than a big plastic bag placed around the limb of a tree or bush. The best time to do this is in the morning. The bag is then tied around the base of the limb to minimize the loss of water from the bag. Then let the sun do its thing! Collect the water just before dusk and start drinking. Of course, the amount of water to be had will vary depending on the plant and the environment, but this method far surpasses vegetation bags, solar stills, cactus flesh, etc., in yield, ease of assembly and, in most cases, taste. I once collected enough water to fill a two-quart canteen from a transpiration bag. Once your water needs are fulfilled, the search for food can begin. Plants are a great start -- they are easy to catch! There are some plants that you may recognize, like cattails. They are found worldwide. If you know the edibility test, then use it. Just be sure that you also know poison characteristics to rule out possible deadly plants before you begin. Then there are insects -- found worldwide -- as well as birds, snakes, frogs, fish ... you get the picture? I guess the best advice I can give to you is to take some survival courses so that you can increase your survivability in strange environments and also your self--confidence!
Q: Hi, my question is, if you don't have water, should you still eat? I have been told that it takes water to digest food and turn it into energy, and that you can actually get sick from eating without having water. Is this true?
A: YES, that is true! Your body does require water for the digestion process. With few exceptions, most foods do not contain enough water to sustain your body without supplemental water sources. Therefore, you must drink water to live. I have had many students in the past that refused to drink creek water treated with iodine. With no other hydration sources, it wasn't long before they were vomiting profusely and experiencing muscle cramps. Dehydration is the culprit. Many of us go through everyday life partially dehydrated. Ever have frequent, mild headaches, chapped lips or constipation? If we all drank two--three quarts of water per day (provided we are not overly active or sweating profusely), then 9 out of 10 times these problems would go away. But we don't and instead we take aspirin or the like to mask the symptoms. But now imagine you are suddenly stranded with no water. Since you don't drink enough to begin with, you start your survival situation partially dehydrated. Without food a person can live for weeks, but without water you can expect to live only a few days. Any intake of food without water will require that water be drawn from the cells of your already dehydrated body, thus compounding your problem. The rule is NO WATER = NO FOOD.
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