#out of their minds with either scurvy or lead poisoning or both

[terrorconfessions]

Terror Tidbits

Things I learned from reading ‘Frozen in Time’ by Owen Beattie and John Geiger:

1. How to make a tin can like Samuel Goldner (ie how to poison people with lead and botulism). 

2.In 1852 an inquiry into the quality of Goldner’s cans was held. Despite the fact that putrified meat was found in the most recent consignment, the Admiralty continued to give Navy contracts to Goldner.

3. Sir John Franklin got the job of leading the expedition because William Parry, a prominent member of the Admiralty and friend, said: “If you don’t let him go, the man will die of disappointment.” This was even though people had expressed misgivings about Franklin’s abilities while he was still a lieutenant.

4. Blanky wasn’t kidding about John Ross’ bad leadership. The book recounts his 1829-33 expedition in a little more detail and hoo boy.

5. On Beechey Island there is evidence of a small garden, an observatory of some kind, as well as numerous tent markers dating to the period of the Franklin Expedition. The garden is mentioned in a verse by Charles Dickens.

6. Sailors during the 18th and 19th centuries were known to suffer from what was then called debility. Debility as an illness was poorly defined, although symptoms included “languor”, “incoherancy” and being made “useless”. It’s unclear whether this refers to depression, the mental effects of scurvy, lead poisoning or a mixture of these conditions.

7. In the 1840s the Admiralty believed that scurvy could be avoided by eating tinned foods, which is why the majority of food on the Franklin expedition was tinned. This perhaps also explains why the expedition did not include anyone experienced in hunting in the Arctic, or why they didn’t take advantage of local Inuit knowledge as a few previous explorers had done.

8. The amount of lead found in the bodies of three members of Franklin’s crew buried on Beechey Island was several times greater than expected. By analyzing the men’s hair, researchers found that the lead exposure occurred within a year of their deaths and therefore could not be attributed to ordinary environmental factors.

9. The researchers put off completing the second exhumation/autopsy because the end of the warm season was fast approaching and the isolation and monotonous landscape were beginning to freak them out. They returned the following year. 

10. Despite showing signs of severe lead poisoning and scurvy, the researchers concluded that all three of the men buried on Beechey Island died of tuberculosis.

[thecoroutfitters]

Many people are wondering when a “perfect storm” of problems will cause massive food shortages.

From ISIS infiltrators poisoning our food to large scale weather disruptions in key crop areas to financial system collapse, there is no such thing as an assured food supply in the years to come. Outdoor gardens, farms, and other places where food can be obtained are likely to be looted by desperate people.

While it may seem like a stretch to try and grow all needed food indoors, it is entirely possible. Even if you focus on micro greens or sprout farms, you still need to bring enough plants to maturity and through the seeding stage to grow enough food over long periods of time.

This means that you’ll need indoor lighting so that your food bearing plants are as healthy and productive as possible.

1. Light Colors and Ratios

Before discussing the best light colors (or wavelengths) for plants, it is important to understand the difference between the light color spectrum and the physical color spectrum.

The light color spectrum describes light in terms of the frequency of the wavelength emitted, while the physical color spectrum is often described by which frequencies are reflected by the material.

White light is the combination of all colors in the light spectrum while white objects repel or reflect all light frequencies black objects absorb all light. Since most plant leaves are green, they repel all light frequencies in the green range, while absorbing everything else.

The primary colors in the light color spectrum are Red, Green, and Blue; which is distinctly different from the physical primary colors: Red, Yellow, and Blue.

Since green is reflected by plant leaves, a full third of all sunlight is actually of no use to growing plants. The amount of light and intensity produced by the sun is still enough to avoid creating problems for plants, so long as they receive enough sunlight based on their specific needs.

Even though the amount of light produced by artificial lighting methods may seem incredibly bright to our eyes, at least one third or more will be discarded by plants depending on the actual light frequencies produced by the bulbs.

What appears to be “white” light from certain sources isn’t actually a full spectrum color and may have far too much green for good plant growth.

Incandescent and fluorescent bulbs not specifically designed with coatings that optimize the light frequencies emitted for good plant growth will be virtually useless no matter how many of them you pack into a specific area.

As an analogy, it can be said that using the wrong frequency for good plant growth is a bit like trying to address an illness like scurvy (caused by Vitamin C deficiency) by doubling or tripling carbohydrate intake.

Until the proper amount of Vitamin C is consumed, nothing else you eat will solve the problem. In a similar way, light is a form of food for plants, and must be delivered in the proper frequencies for optimal growth.

Discover the golden days’ practice for getting all you can eat food without buying from the supermarket!

To get the most from artificial lights, focus your efforts on blue and red light, as well as the ratio of blue to red for specific phases of plant growth.

Since this amount may be different for each species of plant, you may have to do some experimenting to figure out which light frequency ratios work best for your plants, as well as how to shift those ratios over the growing season.

Just as an example, however, one study done on tomatoes found that:

plants grew the fastest and produced the most leaves when the red to blue ratio was 19:1.

plants produced the most fruit when the red to blue ratio was 5:1.

2. Light Density

Have you ever tried to grow miniature roses indoors and wondered why it never seems to work? As small as these plants are compared to wild and full sized strains, it does not change the fact that roses require far more light intensity than many other plant types on Earth.

Even if you get the right ratio of red to blue light for roses, it doesn’t mean the plant will grow properly indoors. If the intensity, (or amount of light packed into a specific area) isn’t enough, the rose bush will still fail to grow properly, and will more than likely die.

Our eyes can be as easily fooled into wrong estimations of light intensity just as they can the actual colors actually being emitted by a light source. In this case, once again, the intensity of light that seems incredibly bright to your eyes may seem almost non-existent to the plant in terms of its nutritional needs.

When it comes to plants, the light intensity for plants varies widely. For example, a miniature rose may shrivel up and die in just a month or two on a sunny windowsill while parsley, violets, and other plants better adapted to lower light intensities will thrive.

Information about the general optimal light intensity for many food bearing plants is much easier to obtain than information on optimal light color ratios. All you need to do is look up whether plants do better in full sun, partial sun, or shade.

To get started on experimenting with indoor food growing, all you have to do is pick plants that prefer shade. Once you get your lighting system set up, you may be able to start working with plants that do well in partial shade.

While you can use a light meter to help gauge light intensity, you may also need to find a more specialized photometer to make sure that the intensity for each light frequency is correct for each plant species.

This will also take a good bit of trial and error as there is still not much information freely available on this topic. As more people work with indoor hydroponics and growing food indoors, this lack of information may change.

3. Light Duration for Growth Stages

Have you ever noticed that you feel crankier, more tired, or more stressed as the amount of daylight gets shorter? Aside from helping your body make Vitamin D, the amount of light you are exposed to each day also governs many other biological processes.

When you don’t have enough light, it can lead to illness and all sorts of other problems. While you may be able to cope with this readily enough when you are in your youth and middle ages, the later years of life may come with “sundown syndrome”, which may also get worse in the shift from fall to winter (decreasing light duration) versus the shift from spring to summer (increasing light duration).

If there is one area where humans and plants are similar, perhaps it can be said that optimal light duration is very important to both groups of organisms.

A plant will die in a matter of days if it receives no sunlight at all. Since plants also have many biological functions that are triggered by changes in light across the seasons, it is important to simulate this when trying to grow plants indoors.

Here are some things to keep in mind.

Cold weather crops such as cauliflower or broccoli grow best while light duration is increasing. As a result, you may need to leave the lights on a little bit more each day to stimulate flower production.

Plants that take a longer amount of time to produce fruit or edible biomass may initially require an increase in light duration, and then actually need a decrease to stimulate either flowering or fruit production. A great deal depends on when the plants are normally expected to sprout during the year as well as when flowers and fruit are normally produced. For example, if you choose to grow tomatoes indoors and start them in November, you will still need to duplicate the increasing light duration common during the spring and summer months, and then decrease it for times when the duration of sunlight would actually be declining.

Many people that start off with indoor food gardening try to compensate for inadequate light intensity and color ratio by keeping the lights on 24/7. Consider this is about as useless as trying to work around the clock and expecting that having a light on at all times will help you stay awake.

As with your own body, plants also need a period of darkness each day in order to shift into different biological processes.

This may include making tissue repairs as well as management of cellular bioclocks that keep track of light duration as a means of determining when to trigger flower or fruit production. If you do not provide suitable dark hours for the plants, they will grow very poorly before dieing off.

4. Light Imbalances and Diseases

Aside from having a major impact on the plant itself, light also has a major impact on other organisms that may attack the plants.

For example, a disbalance in red, green, and blue ratios can easily create the perfect conditions for mold, mildew, fungal, and algae growth. While your plants are suffering from a lack of the proper ratio, it may be perfect for these organisms.

Since your plants will also be in a less than optimal health condition, it will also increase the chance they cannot fight off infections.

Today, there is a good bit of research being done on how plants communicate among each other. Did you know that a tree that is chopped down actually transmits this information to surrounding trees and plants within a matter of seconds?

Even though there is very little information on plant communications with insects and other organisms, it is entirely possible that pathogenic species are drawn to sick plants that emit signal that indicate they are weak or stressed. Without a question, improper lighting conditions stress plants and make them weaker.

Since many plants have both subtle and not so subtle (thorns or toxins in the leaves, stems and roots) defenses to deter predators, it should come as no surprise that a weakened plant will draw both disease bearing organisms and insects that are predatory to the species in question.

As a prepper, you must also consider seed production and the health of the next generation of plants. Chances are, you already realize that a fetus developing in a starving mother will more than likely be weak and sickly.

Starvation during these critical development times can also lead to an increase in genetic disorders and other problems. In a similar fashion, when plants do not get enough light, there is no telling what condition any seeds produced will be in.

This, in turn, means that you must always carefully test any new batches of seeds and keep records to see if they are as hearty and productive as the original seeds that were used in the first generation.

While many other factors may impact seed viability and the next generation of plants, do not discount the lighting conditions experienced by the plant that produced the seeds in the first place.

5. Pros and Cons of LED Grow Lights

Today, most indoor food production enthusiasts recognize the fact that LED lights can be very useful. Since there are many different kinds of LED lights on the market, however, it is important to understand the pros and cons of LEDs so that you have a better chance of picking the best ones for your needs.

Very Easy to Adjust Light Frequency Ratios

LEDs are one of the cheapest and easiest ways to produce light with different color frequencies.

As such, you can purchase strips of red and blue LEDs that enable you to change the ratio of red to blue with very little effort. You can purchase lights with a pre-set ratio of LEDs, as well as look for strips of single colors so that you can adjust them manually over the duration of the growing season.

Light Intensity Can be Adjusted With Less Heat Buildup

Even though you may need halogen bulbs or other high intensity lights for some plant species, these bulbs tend to produce a great deal of heat. Since light intensity also decreases rapidly with distance, there is a definite limitation for using CFLs, Halogens, and other light bulbs.

By contrast, LEDs produce far less heat, and can be placed much closer the plants. You can also place strips of LED bulbs closer together in order to increase light intensity.

Requires Less Electricity

In many cases, LED bulbs require as much as 80% less electricity for the same level of illumination.

LED Bulbs Contain Heavy Metals

If you thought problems associated with Mercury in CFLs was a problem, you may not realize that most LED bulbs contain Nickel and a range of other toxic metals. While one LED on your computer may not pose a health hazard, Nickel and other metals escaping from LEDs can increase problems with asthma and other breathing disorders.

Even if LEDs are rated for indoor use, there is no way to know if they are leaking metals into the air over time.

Needless to say, if you are planning to grow crops indoors in order to avoid ingesting pollutants, it will not be of much use to expose plants to toxic metal gases from LED bulbs sitting so close to them.

Hard to Spot Problems With Plants

If you have ever tried to see the difference between certain shades of pink and orange, or other similar colors in low light conditions, then you may already understand how easy it is for LEDs to skew your visual perception.

In this case, the red and blue light emitted by the LEDs may make it harder for you to see fungal, bacterial, and other infections in their early stages.

Be sure to close the LEDs and examine the plants under a different lighting source in order to spot these problems as quickly as possible. Needless to say, if the infestation is related to lighting, you may also need to make adjustments in order to avoid future problems.

Overall, you will find that finding the best lighting for indoor crop production can be a bit challenging. Unless you plan on setting up a series of mirrors and prisms to channel sunlight into your growing room, and then break it down to optimal frequencies, you will have to rely on different light types on the market.

While LEDs are emerging as the industry leader for growing plants indoors, you should still look at the main factors that determine optimal lighting before committing to just one source of illumination.

No matter whether you choose one type or a combination of bulb types, the fundamentals of color frequency, light intensity and duration must still be optimized for each plant and its growth cycle.

This article has been written by Carmela Tyrell for Survivopedia.

References: 

http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/49/4/448.full

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/expert-answers/sundowning/faq-20058511

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/led-lightbulb-concerns/

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[lopezdorothy70-blog]

Can Potatoes Be Considered Healthy?

By Dr. Mercola

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),1 potatoes hold the top spot for highest daily per capita consumption of vegetables in the American diet, edging out tomatoes. This means the average person consumes 48 pounds of potatoes annually, of which about 40 percent are frozen.

While commonly known as a vegetable, due to their nutritional composition, potatoes are better classified as a starch. On the positive side, potatoes are rich sources of fiber, vitamins B and C and minerals like iron and potassium. When cooked then chilled, regular potatoes become a resistant starch, making them easier to digest.

Sadly, the majority of potatoes sold and consumed in the U.S. and elsewhere are in the form of french fries and potato chips. You should avoid these potato types due to the lack of nutrition they provide and also as a way to reduce your exposure to a neurotoxic chemical called acrylamide, which is found in browned or charred foods.

Also, because potatoes are grown in soil, and soil conditions vary widely around the globe, you may be increasing your exposure to toxic pesticides and heavy metals every time you eat a tuber. For that reason, it's best to purchase organic potatoes and moderate your intake, keeping in mind that even organic brands can be tainted with heavy metals.

The Origin of Potatoes

As a member of the Solanaceae or nightshade family, regular potatoes are related to eggplants, peppers and tomatoes. As such, they are a potentially inflammatory food. Potatoes originated in South America, specifically in the Andes Mountains region, and 4,000 edible varieties are said to exist worldwide.2

In the 16th century, Spanish explorers introduced potatoes to Europe. Due to their vitamin C content, potatoes were used during sea voyages to help combat scurvy. In the 18th century, Irish immigrants brought the potato to the U.S.

Today, potatoes are cultivated worldwide, taking their place behind rice and wheat as the world's third largest crop in terms of human consumption.3 Notably, due to their moderate-to-cool climates, the states of Idaho and Washington produce about half the potatoes consumed in the U.S.4

Each type of regular potato, as well as sweet potato, varies in shape, size, color, flavor and nutritional content.

What Makes Potatoes Healthy?

As mentioned in the featured video, a medium plain baked potato eaten with its fiber-rich skin contains just 160 calories per serving. It also contains about 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein. In terms of nutritional benefits, potatoes are:

Rich in vitamin C

An abundant source of B vitamins, including vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), folate, niacin, pantothenic acid and thiamin

Full of minerals such as copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and potassium

A source of phytonutrients, which have antioxidant effects, such as caffeic acid, carotenoids and flavonoids

A good supply of soluble and insoluble fiber, which may help prevent constipation and optimize your LDL cholesterol

About the potassium level in potatoes, Victoria Jarzabkowski, a registered dietitian nutritionist on the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, said, "All potatoes are potassium-rich. They have even more potassium than a banana, and a lot of it is found in the skin."5

In terms of the impact of potatoes on blood pressure, CNN noted, “Potatoes … offer vitamin B6, vitamin C and iron, and are an excellent source of potassium. A medium potato provides about 20 percent of the recommended daily value for potassium, an important mineral that may help blunt sodium's effects on blood pressure.”6

According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, a 100-gram potato with its skin on also contains significant portions of calcium, niacin, phosphorous and folate.7

A very small 2013 study8 published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism suggested potatoes exert a greater influence on your satiety - in terms of their ability to reduce your appetite after being consumed - than other carbohydrate side dishes such as pasta.

Cautions About Potatoes: Watch Out for Heavy Metals

Despite their many beneficial properties, potatoes are best consumed in moderation due to their high starch content. Another reason to eat potatoes only occasionally has to do with the soil in which they are grown.

Given the amount of pesticides and heavy metals in ground soil worldwide, unless you grow your own, you cannot be certain of the toxin load you may be ingesting with your favorite tuber. To reduce as much toxicity as you can, it's vital you choose organic potatoes to avoid the many chemicals routinely sprayed on conventional tubers.

The Pesticide Action Network North America's “What's on my Food?” website suggests 35 chemicals were found on potatoes by the USDA's pesticide data program. Among the 35 chemicals noted are carcinogens and neurotoxins, as well as bee, hormone and reproductive disruptors.9

Even when you choose organic brands, keep in mind they likely contain heavy metals mainly because potatoes are grown in soil, which can be contaminated with metals such as arsenic, cadmium and lead.

Researchers behind a 2018 Consumer Reports' analysis of 50 nationally distributed packaged baby food products for heavy metal toxicity, including several organic brands of sweet potatoes, stated:10

“Although foods certified as organic by the USDA do have benefits - including lower pesticide levels and less impact on the environment - avoiding heavy metals isn't one of them. Twenty of the products in our test were labeled organic, and, as a whole, they were just as likely to contain heavy metals as the conventional ones.”

“Arsenic and lead, which have been used in the past as pesticides, are prohibited under organic regulations,” says Consumer Reports' food labeling expert Charlotte Vallaeys. “Because these heavy metals are contaminants in the soil, there's no reason why organic baby foods would contain lesser amounts.”11

Clearly, if organic sweet potatoes sold in small amounts as baby food have ignited health concerns about heavy metals, you can imagine eating a whole sweet potato also carries some risks.

Choosing reputable sources and eating potatoes in moderation are key to leveraging the nutritional benefits of tubers while minimizing the health risks. Also, as mentioned in the video above, rotating potatoes and other foods known to absorb heavy metals (such as rice) in and out of your diet can also help lower your exposure.

Regular Potatoes Versus Sweet Potatoes: Which Is Better?

While there are a few similarities, regular potatoes are decidedly different from sweet potatoes. As mentioned, potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are part of the Solanaceae family, a plant group that produces a poisonous compound called solanine. For this reason, never eat the leaves or stems of nightshade plants.

Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) take their place in the Convolvulaceae family, along with morning glory vines. Unlike regular potato plants, which are highly toxic, the leaves of sweet potato plants can be eaten safely and are quite nutritious.

Potatoes have white or pale-yellow flesh with brown, red or yellow skins. They are either smooth or rough. On the other hand, sweet potatoes can appear in various colors, including cream, pink, purple, orange and yellow.

Some consider sweet potatoes to be a healthier choice than regular potatoes due to their higher levels of nutrients like vitamins beta carotene and C. Sweet potatoes are also an excellent source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that gets converted to vitamin A in your body and is important for healthy eyes and skin.

As the name suggests, sweet potatoes are indeed sweeter: They contain about seven times the sugar content of regular potatoes. Because of the carbohydrates they contain, both potatoes and sweet potatoes will fill you up, give you energy and leave you satiated for a long time.

The choice of regular or sweet potato is a matter of personal preference and totally up to you. My only recommendation is to moderate your consumption of tubers, regardless of the type you choose. I also advise you eat regular potatoes only after cooking and chilling them to boost your body's ability to digest them.

The Benefits of Resistant Starch

Most potatoes contain digestive-resistant starch, which consists of complex starch molecules that resist digestion in your small intestine. These starches slowly ferment in your large intestine, where they act as prebiotics, feeding your healthy gut bacteria.12

Because they are not digestible, resistant starches do not cause spikes in your blood sugar. In fact, research suggests resistant starches help improve insulin regulation, reducing your risk of insulin resistance.13

Surprisingly, many leftovers contain resistant starch. After being cooked and cooled in the refrigerator, starchy foods like pasta, potatoes and white rice develop resistant starches. About resistant starches, Paul Arciero, professor of health and human physiological sciences at New York's Skidmore College, says:14

“Cooking the carbohydrate starch alters the chemical bonds in the food. The ensuing structure of those bonds during the cooling process is what makes them resistant to then being digested in the small intestine.”

The resistant starch remains in the food even after reheating. While potatoes have more resistant starch than sweet potatoes, the total amount of resistant starch in any food depends on the amount of resistant starch found in its raw form, as well as the manner in which the food is prepared.

Learn more about resistant starch and how it helps your body by watching the video above, which was produced by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.

Health Effects of Potatoes: Diabetes and Blood Pressure

A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition15 observed an association between the consumption of potatoes and french fries and an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. The research followed a large cohort of nearly 85,000 women over a 20-year period.

According to CNN,16 the positive association between potato consumption and the risk of Type 2 diabetes in the study was noted primarily in obese and sedentary women, “who are more likely to have underlying insulin resistance, which may intensify the adverse metabolic effects of higher-glycemic carbohydrates.”

A logical conclusion to draw from this research would be the need for moderation when it comes to potato consumption, especially fried potatoes. In general, it's simply not wise to eat large amounts of potatoes unless you have the metabolic flexibility to burn fat as your primary fuel, get plenty of exercise and avoid long periods of sitting.

In terms of blood pressure effects, one group of scientists found eating six to eight small antioxidant-rich purple potatoes twice a day can have a positive effect on your cardiovascular system. The study authors said, “[P]urple potatoes are an effective hypotensive agent, and lower the risk of heart disease and stroke in hypertensive subjects, without weight gain.”17

In contrast, research completed in 2016, involving data extracted from three large cohort studies, associated the consumption of potatoes - most especially french fries - with an increased risk of high blood pressure.

The study authors asserted, “Replacing one serving a day of boiled, baked or mashed potatoes with one serving of a nonstarchy vegetable was associated with a lower risk of developing hypertension.”18

As you can see, the research results correlating potato consumption and blood pressure are mixed. So, much of how potatoes affect your health is going to depend on the types of potatoes you eat, how you prepare them and how often you eat them.

For certain, if you consume potatoes on a daily basis, I agree with the advice to replace one serving a day with a nonstarchy vegetable. Later in this article, I share recipes that use cauliflower and zucchini as substitutes for potatoes in two popular dishes.

Potatoes You Should Definitely Avoid

While plain baked potatoes can be good for you, potatoes that are fried in oil, such as french fries, hash browns and potato chips, are not healthy. As you may imagine, the process of frying potatoes significantly drives up their health-damaging potential.

One major reason to avoid fried potatoes is due to the unhealthy omega-6 vegetable oils involved in preparing them. Some of these oils, like canola and soybean oil, not only may be hydrogenated, but also genetically engineered.

Processed potato products may also contain trans fat and very often chemical additives and other processed ingredients known to contribute to chronic health conditions like cancer, heart disease and obesity.

Some suggest roasting potato wedges tossed in olive oil and rosemary is a healthier alternative to fried potatoes. While that may sound tasty, remember olive oil does not tolerate high heat and can easily be damaged at high oven temperatures.

If you insist on roasting or frying potatoes, try using coconut oil because it is stable enough to resist heat-induced damage. Or, better yet, check out my healthy tips on How to Bake Potatoes.

Why Fried Potatoes Are Particularly Bad for Your Health

While not immediately life-threatening, consuming fried potatoes also exposes you to a cancer-causing and potentially neurotoxic chemical called acrylamide. Acrylamide is the byproduct of a chemical reaction between sugars and the amino acid asparagine at temperatures above 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).

Carbohydrate-rich foods such as french fries and potato chips, which are heated to very high temperatures to produce a browned or charred surface, are likely to contain high amounts of acrylamide. Potato chips are, by far, the worst.

According to an analysis performed by the California-based Environmental Law Foundation, all potato chips tested exceeded the legal limit of acrylamide by a minimum of 39 times, and some by as much as 910 times!19

Data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reveals that baked chips, which have been touted as healthier, may contain more than three times the level of acrylamide as regular chips.20

Use Zucchini and Cauliflower to Make Healthy Potato Alternatives

An easy way to reduce your starch intake from regular potatoes is to substitute cauliflower and zucchini in dishes that used to be reserved exclusively for potatoes. With respect to zucchini, you may want to try my Scrumptious Baked Zucchini Tots recipe.

Steamed and mashed cauliflower, also known as “caulitators,” has a consistency similar to mashed potatoes and is a healthier alternative to regular mashed potatoes. Below is a simple recipe that feeds eight and can be prepared in about 20 minutes. For the best results, be sure to use organic, grass fed dairy products.

Ingredients:

1 large head fresh cauliflower, or 1 to 2 pounds frozen

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons cream cheese, Parmesan cheese or sour cream (optional)

Salt and pepper and other spices to taste

Instructions:

Steam cauliflower until tender

Place cauliflower in large mixing bowl or food processor

Add other desired ingredients

Blend until smooth and creamy

Top with cheese, if desired, and serve warm

Should You Eat Potatoes?

Like most foods, potatoes can be either healthy or unhealthy depending on how you prepare them, as well as how much and how often you consume them. Eating an organic baked potato on occasion, as part of a balanced meal, can be healthy. On the other hand, consuming french fries and potato chips on a daily basis would not be a healthy choice.

Occasional consumption of sweet potatoes also can be beneficial because they contain just enough sweet to help curb your cravings for other sugary foods. Eating a sweet potato for dinner once in a while is far better than consuming a sugary dessert after the meal.

If you love potatoes, my advice is to take care how you prepare them, how you portion them and how often you add them to your plate. And, to avoid the concerns about potatoes and heavy metals, you might consider growing potatoes in your garden where you can ensure healthy soil.

[sherristockman]

Can Potatoes Be Considered Healthy? Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),1 potatoes hold the top spot for highest daily per capita consumption of vegetables in the American diet, edging out tomatoes. This means the average person consumes 48 pounds of potatoes annually, of which about 40 percent are frozen. While commonly known as a vegetable, due to their nutritional composition, potatoes are better classified as a starch. On the positive side, potatoes are rich sources of fiber, vitamins B and C and minerals like iron and potassium. When cooked then chilled, regular potatoes become a resistant starch, making them easier to digest. Sadly, the majority of potatoes sold and consumed in the U.S. and elsewhere are in the form of french fries and potato chips. You should avoid these potato types due to the lack of nutrition they provide and also as a way to reduce your exposure to a neurotoxic chemical called acrylamide, which is found in browned or charred foods. Also, because potatoes are grown in soil, and soil conditions vary widely around the globe, you may be increasing your exposure to toxic pesticides and heavy metals every time you eat a tuber. For that reason, it’s best to purchase organic potatoes and moderate your intake, keeping in mind that even organic brands can be tainted with heavy metals. The Origin of Potatoes As a member of the Solanaceae or nightshade family, regular potatoes are related to eggplants, peppers and tomatoes. As such, they are a potentially inflammatory food. Potatoes originated in South America, specifically in the Andes Mountains region, and 4,000 edible varieties are said to exist worldwide.2 In the 16th century, Spanish explorers introduced potatoes to Europe. Due to their vitamin C content, potatoes were used during sea voyages to help combat scurvy. In the 18th century, Irish immigrants brought the potato to the U.S. Today, potatoes are cultivated worldwide, taking their place behind rice and wheat as the world’s third largest crop in terms of human consumption.3 Notably, due to their moderate-to-cool climates, the states of Idaho and Washington produce about half the potatoes consumed in the U.S.4 Each type of regular potato, as well as sweet potato, varies in shape, size, color, flavor and nutritional content. What Makes Potatoes Healthy? As mentioned in the featured video, a medium plain baked potato eaten with its fiber-rich skin contains just 160 calories per serving. It also contains about 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein. In terms of nutritional benefits, potatoes are: Rich in vitamin C An abundant source of B vitamins, including vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), folate, niacin, pantothenic acid and thiamin Full of minerals such as copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and potassium A source of phytonutrients, which have antioxidant effects, such as caffeic acid, carotenoids and flavonoids A good supply of soluble and insoluble fiber, which may help prevent constipation and optimize your LDL cholesterol About the potassium level in potatoes, Victoria Jarzabkowski, a registered dietitian nutritionist on the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, said, "All potatoes are potassium-rich. They have even more potassium than a banana, and a lot of it is found in the skin."5 In terms of the impact of potatoes on blood pressure, CNN noted, “Potatoes … offer vitamin B6, vitamin C and iron, and are an excellent source of potassium. A medium potato provides about 20 percent of the recommended daily value for potassium, an important mineral that may help blunt sodium's effects on blood pressure.”6 According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, a 100-gram potato with its skin on also contains significant portions of calcium, niacin, phosphorous and folate.7 A very small 2013 study8 published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism suggested potatoes exert a greater influence on your satiety — in terms of their ability to reduce your appetite after being consumed — than other carbohydrate side dishes such as pasta. Cautions About Potatoes: Watch Out for Heavy Metals Despite their many beneficial properties, potatoes are best consumed in moderation due to their high starch content. Another reason to eat potatoes only occasionally has to do with the soil in which they are grown. Given the amount of pesticides and heavy metals in ground soil worldwide, unless you grow your own, you cannot be certain of the toxin load you may be ingesting with your favorite tuber. To reduce as much toxicity as you can, it’s vital you choose organic potatoes to avoid the many chemicals routinely sprayed on conventional tubers. The Pesticide Action Network North America’s “What’s on my Food?” website suggests 35 chemicals were found on potatoes by the USDA’s pesticide data program. Among the 35 chemicals noted are carcinogens and neurotoxins, as well as bee, hormone and reproductive disruptors.9 Even when you choose organic brands, keep in mind they likely contain heavy metals mainly because potatoes are grown in soil, which can be contaminated with metals such as arsenic, cadmium and lead. Researchers behind a 2018 Consumer Reports’ analysis of 50 nationally distributed packaged baby food products for heavy metal toxicity, including several organic brands of sweet potatoes, stated:10 “Although foods certified as organic by the USDA do have benefits — including lower pesticide levels and less impact on the environment — avoiding heavy metals isn’t one of them. Twenty of the products in our test were labeled organic, and, as a whole, they were just as likely to contain heavy metals as the conventional ones.” “Arsenic and lead, which have been used in the past as pesticides, are prohibited under organic regulations,” says Consumer Reports’ food labeling expert Charlotte Vallaeys. “Because these heavy metals are contaminants in the soil, there's no reason why organic baby foods would contain lesser amounts.”11 Clearly, if organic sweet potatoes sold in small amounts as baby food have ignited health concerns about heavy metals, you can imagine eating a whole sweet potato also carries some risks. Choosing reputable sources and eating potatoes in moderation are key to leveraging the nutritional benefits of tubers while minimizing the health risks. Also, as mentioned in the video above, rotating potatoes and other foods known to absorb heavy metals (such as rice) in and out of your diet can also help lower your exposure. Regular Potatoes Versus Sweet Potatoes: Which Is Better? While there are a few similarities, regular potatoes are decidedly different from sweet potatoes. As mentioned, potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are part of the Solanaceae family, a plant group that produces a poisonous compound called solanine. For this reason, never eat the leaves or stems of nightshade plants. Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) take their place in the Convolvulaceae family, along with morning glory vines. Unlike regular potato plants, which are highly toxic, the leaves of sweet potato plants can be eaten safely and are quite nutritious. Potatoes have white or pale-yellow flesh with brown, red or yellow skins. They are either smooth or rough. On the other hand, sweet potatoes can appear in various colors, including cream, pink, purple, orange and yellow. Some consider sweet potatoes to be a healthier choice than regular potatoes due to their higher levels of nutrients like vitamins beta carotene and C. Sweet potatoes are also an excellent source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that gets converted to vitamin A in your body and is important for healthy eyes and skin. As the name suggests, sweet potatoes are indeed sweeter: They contain about seven times the sugar content of regular potatoes. Because of the carbohydrates they contain, both potatoes and sweet potatoes will fill you up, give you energy and leave you satiated for a long time. The choice of regular or sweet potato is a matter of personal preference and totally up to you. My only recommendation is to moderate your consumption of tubers, regardless of the type you choose. I also advise you eat regular potatoes only after cooking and chilling them to boost your body’s ability to digest them. The Benefits of Resistant Starch Most potatoes contain digestive-resistant starch, which consists of complex starch molecules that resist digestion in your small intestine. These starches slowly ferment in your large intestine, where they act as prebiotics, feeding your healthy gut bacteria.12 Because they are not digestible, resistant starches do not cause spikes in your blood sugar. In fact, research suggests resistant starches help improve insulin regulation, reducing your risk of insulin resistance.13 Surprisingly, many leftovers contain resistant starch. After being cooked and cooled in the refrigerator, starchy foods like pasta, potatoes and white rice develop resistant starches. About resistant starches, Paul Arciero, professor of health and human physiological sciences at New York’s Skidmore College, says:14 “Cooking the carbohydrate starch alters the chemical bonds in the food. The ensuing structure of those bonds during the cooling process is what makes them resistant to then being digested in the small intestine.” The resistant starch remains in the food even after reheating. While potatoes have more resistant starch than sweet potatoes, the total amount of resistant starch in any food depends on the amount of resistant starch found in its raw form, as well as the manner in which the food is prepared. Learn more about resistant starch and how it helps your body by watching the video above, which was produced by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. Health Effects of Potatoes: Diabetes and Blood Pressure A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition15 observed an association between the consumption of potatoes and french fries and an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. The research followed a large cohort of nearly 85,000 women over a 20-year period. According to CNN,16 the positive association between potato consumption and the risk of Type 2 diabetes in the study was noted primarily in obese and sedentary women, “who are more likely to have underlying insulin resistance, which may intensify the adverse metabolic effects of higher-glycemic carbohydrates.” A logical conclusion to draw from this research would be the need for moderation when it comes to potato consumption, especially fried potatoes. In general, it’s simply not wise to eat large amounts of potatoes unless you have the metabolic flexibility to burn fat as your primary fuel, get plenty of exercise and avoid long periods of sitting. In terms of blood pressure effects, one group of scientists found eating six to eight small antioxidant-rich purple potatoes twice a day can have a positive effect on your cardiovascular system. The study authors said, “[P]urple potatoes are an effective hypotensive agent, and lower the risk of heart disease and stroke in hypertensive subjects, without weight gain.”17 In contrast, research completed in 2016, involving data extracted from three large cohort studies, associated the consumption of potatoes — most especially french fries — with an increased risk of high blood pressure. The study authors asserted, “Replacing one serving a day of boiled, baked or mashed potatoes with one serving of a nonstarchy vegetable was associated with a lower risk of developing hypertension.”18 As you can see, the research results correlating potato consumption and blood pressure are mixed. So, much of how potatoes affect your health is going to depend on the types of potatoes you eat, how you prepare them and how often you eat them. For certain, if you consume potatoes on a daily basis, I agree with the advice to replace one serving a day with a nonstarchy vegetable. Later in this article, I share recipes that use cauliflower and zucchini as substitutes for potatoes in two popular dishes. Potatoes You Should Definitely Avoid While plain baked potatoes can be good for you, potatoes that are fried in oil, such as french fries, hash browns and potato chips, are not healthy. As you may imagine, the process of frying potatoes significantly drives up their health-damaging potential. One major reason to avoid fried potatoes is due to the unhealthy omega-6 vegetable oils involved in preparing them. Some of these oils, like canola and soybean oil, not only may be hydrogenated, but also genetically engineered. Processed potato products may also contain trans fat and very often chemical additives and other processed ingredients known to contribute to chronic health conditions like cancer, heart disease and obesity. Some suggest roasting potato wedges tossed in olive oil and rosemary is a healthier alternative to fried potatoes. While that may sound tasty, remember olive oil does not tolerate high heat and can easily be damaged at high oven temperatures. If you insist on roasting or frying potatoes, try using coconut oil because it is stable enough to resist heat-induced damage. Or, better yet, check out my healthy tips on How to Bake Potatoes. Why Fried Potatoes Are Particularly Bad for Your Health While not immediately life-threatening, consuming fried potatoes also exposes you to a cancer-causing and potentially neurotoxic chemical called acrylamide. Acrylamide is the byproduct of a chemical reaction between sugars and the amino acid asparagine at temperatures above 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Carbohydrate-rich foods such as french fries and potato chips, which are heated to very high temperatures to produce a browned or charred surface, are likely to contain high amounts of acrylamide. Potato chips are, by far, the worst. According to an analysis performed by the California-based Environmental Law Foundation, all potato chips tested exceeded the legal limit of acrylamide by a minimum of 39 times, and some by as much as 910 times!19 Data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reveals that baked chips, which have been touted as healthier, may contain more than three times the level of acrylamide as regular chips.20 Use Zucchini and Cauliflower to Make Healthy Potato Alternatives An easy way to reduce your starch intake from regular potatoes is to substitute cauliflower and zucchini in dishes that used to be reserved exclusively for potatoes. With respect to zucchini, you may want to try my Scrumptious Baked Zucchini Tots recipe. Steamed and mashed cauliflower, also known as “caulitators,” has a consistency similar to mashed potatoes and is a healthier alternative to regular mashed potatoes. Below is a simple recipe that feeds eight and can be prepared in about 20 minutes. For the best results, be sure to use organic, grass fed dairy products. Ingredients: 1 large head fresh cauliflower, or 1 to 2 pounds frozen 4 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons cream cheese, Parmesan cheese or sour cream (optional) Salt and pepper and other spices to taste Instructions: Steam cauliflower until tender Place cauliflower in large mixing bowl or food processor Add other desired ingredients Blend until smooth and creamy Top with cheese, if desired, and serve warm Should You Eat Potatoes? Like most foods, potatoes can be either healthy or unhealthy depending on how you prepare them, as well as how much and how often you consume them. Eating an organic baked potato on occasion, as part of a balanced meal, can be healthy. On the other hand, consuming french fries and potato chips on a daily basis would not be a healthy choice. Occasional consumption of sweet potatoes also can be beneficial because they contain just enough sweet to help curb your cravings for other sugary foods. Eating a sweet potato for dinner once in a while is far better than consuming a sugary dessert after the meal. If you love potatoes, my advice is to take care how you prepare them, how you portion them and how often you add them to your plate. And, to avoid the concerns about potatoes and heavy metals, you might consider growing potatoes in your garden where you can ensure healthy soil.

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Great lessons of survival come along with extreme and life changing experiences.

What would a 14 months drift on the ocean mean in terms of survival? Salvador Alvarenga knows it, for sure!

Alvarenga survived 438 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean, drifting 7000 miles from just off Mexico, to the Marshall Islands. His open 24′ fiberglass boat was disabled in a storm and nearly all his gear was swept overboard, disabled or had to be cut loose to keep the boat from sinking.

His story is way beyond ordinary, and now he’s sharing it in this exclusive interview for Survivopedia readers.

When I heard that he was going to be in Salt Lake City for PrepperCon 2017, where I hosted two Q&A sessions on EMP survival, I wanted to meet him and hear his story firsthand.

The Survivor and His Unbelievable Story

At first glance, I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical. In my mind, this feat pushed the boundaries of what I thought was possible. Either way, I wanted to know. As I researched, read, interviewed and analyzed his ordeal at sea, I grew increasingly convinced that his story true. As you can plainly see in the video interview below, it is difficult for him to talk about the experience to this day.

After the interview, I handed him a copy of the English Language version of the book Jonathan Franklin wrote about his experience. He looked at the book and flipped through the photographs, pointing and commenting as if he was seeing an old family album he had not looked at in a long time.

It was clear how deeply traumatizing the ordeal was for him and that he still compartmentalizes many aspects of the experience. This is very understandable given what he went through. That’s why I admire Salvador for being willing to revisit those obviously painful memories in order to help others.

3 Second SEAL Test Will Tell You If You’ll Survive A SHTF Situation

7 Lessons Learned in 483 Days on the Sea

Salvador had some advantages going into his experience. He was a sharking boat captain with 12 years of experience in the open ocean. He was an outdoorsman who fished, hunted, camped and survived his way cross country to Mexico from El Salvador as an illegal immigrant.

His build was ideal, being compact and powerful, winning weight lifting competitions against the other hard working, hard fighting and hard partying fisherman of Costa Azul, which helped retard hypothermia.

So he was no stranger to adversity and problem solving. The man had an iron stomach and a lifetime of conditioning his immune system. He ate raw meats of all kinds, drank raw turtle blood and considered their meat and eggs to be delicacies. He hailed form a culture that considers turtle eggs to be something along the lines of naturopathic Viagra.

Here are the lessons to be learned from his story.

1. “90% of Survival Happens From the Neck Up”

I first heard it put in precisely this way by Adam Kay, the winner of Season 1 of Alone, but the primary lesson taught by Salvador Alvarenga’s experience is the importance of the mental aspects of survival.

Psychology, mental toughness, bravery, adaptability, knowledge and problem solving ability made all the difference in this case. Alvarenga started out the ordeal with a crewman named Cordoba who lacked Salvador’s fundamental optimism.

Religious faith works both ways. In this case, Salvador’s companion was convinced by the vision that a sister from his religious congregation had while fasting. She told him that she foresaw that he would die at sea. His belief that he would die eventually consumed him and became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

After finding a partially digested venomous sea snake in the stomach of a sea bird he had eaten, he became physically ill and stopped eating birds which, since they lacked the gear to fish, where their primary food source. Cordoba eventually starved to death because he refused to eat, which has happened in other cases of survival at sea where survivors were unable to properly cook foods.

2. Catching and Eating Sea Birds Helps

Salvador eventually constructed a roost for sea birds to land on, under which he would lay motionless until birds got comfortable and started preening or dosed off. He would then grab them by the neck and break on of their wings to prevent their escape, eventually keeping a flock of up to thirty of them in the hull like a brood of anorexic broilers and “meat on the hoof.”

He sun-dried meat from the birds on the outboard motor cover, using it as an improvised solar oven of sorts.

3. Turtles, Sea Birds & Raw Fish Eyes Contain Vitamin C

Vitamin C is present in small amounts in raw fish flesh, but occurs in greater amounts in fish eyes. Unlike us mammals, both birds and turtles produce their own Vitamin C, in which their livers are particularly rich.

Salvador ate enough sea turtle liver, bird liver and fish eyes to intake enough Vitamin C to stave off scurvy.

4. Use Floating Trash to Your Advantage

Salvador put floating trash found in or near shipping lanes to good use, occasionally even finding odd scraps of food or a few drops of soda. His haul included 73 half liter bottles which he used to store rainwater and a large piece of Styrofoam which he said helped attract birds.

5. Adaptability Means Disobeying Conventional Training

Had many famous survival instructors swapped places with Salvador, they very likely would not have survived. Part of the problem is theory or book knowledge vs real world knowledge, and part is that is that it is becoming impossible to practice or teach survival in the preservationist, “leave no trace,” overly litigious, fragilista-engineered world we live in.

While certain correct principles of survival apply to all environments and ecosystems, there are far too many ecosystems in this world to write one book that will teach you everything you need to know to survive in all of them, so it is imperative to learn from the locals.

Survival is an inherently dangerous activity and instructors are often compelled to err on the side of safety, which, taken to the extreme, prevents students from learning that which they need to know most of all.

Eating Trigger Fish

How many of you have an SAS Survival Guide in your pack? I have at least a couple of Lofty’s books.

They are a great resource from a world-renowned instructor, but regarding triggerfish, the book advises readers, “Many kinds are poisonous to eat. Avoid them all.” yet virtually every story of long term survival adrift in a boat or life-raft I have researched, whether it took place in the Atlantic or the Pacific, nearly all the survivors ate triggerfish because it is one of the first species begin nibbling at boats adrift, it is noisy when they do, and you may go long periods without access to other species.

While it is true that the flesh of any species of triggerfish could be contaminated with toxins which cause ciguatera, the risk with certain species of triggerfish is lower than others.

Do not get me wrong, ciguatera can be very serious and potentially fatal, especially in a survival situation, but ciguatera occurs in over 400 species of reef fish and the only way to completely avoid is to not eat any reef fish, restricting your diet to deep water species.

Had Salvador had some fishing gear, it would have been advisable to use the triggerfish as bait and chum and fish for deep water species, but he had no such option.

If you are eating fish in restaurants or fishing for recreation it makes sense to exercise a great deal of caution as you choose your meals. Lost at sea, your dining options are likely going to be considerably more restricted.

Avoid species prone to ciguatera like the titan triggerfish, barracuda and red snapper, but gray triggerfish is common table fare in restaurants in many tropical regions. Try to take them away from reef in deep water if possible.

If my choice was between starving to death and running a small risk of ciguatera, I would definitely eat gray triggerfish. Salvador ate more colorful varieties as well and in his situation, I would have done the same. If you ever find yourself there, that is a decision you will have to make.

When you are down to eating powdered fish bones mixed with water, your own hair and fingernails and even wood from the boat, they might start looking pretty tasty.

Eating Shark and Fish Liver

The US Military Multi-service Survival, Evasion & Recovery Field Manual, and therefore survival manuals and courses virtually without end that regurgitate the reference, say not to eat fish liver, period. Some species of fish liver is edible, however, but some is not. Some survivors begin craving liver, eyes and other parts of fish that contain nutrients or vitamins they are lacking.

Fish liver can carry parasites, but all fish body parts can transmit some species of parasites if eaten raw. Avoid eating the stomach of fish large enough to gut, especially raw, as it contains more parasites than any other part of the fish, but it makes great bait to catch other fish.

With reef species, ciguatera can build up in greater concentrations in the liver, so perhaps that is why the field manual blackballs it. Salvador used and even preserved shark liver by drying it for use as a laxative, which was very important due to his high-protein diet full of bird and fish bones. Ouch!

Eating “Raw” Birds and Sea Turtles

Lofty agrees that sea turtles are good eating, which is true, except for the critically endangered hawk’s bill sea turtle which also tends to be contaminated with ciguatera. The hawk’s bill sea turtle can be identified by yellow polka dots on the head and front flippers and can grow to very large size.

Eating raw bird meat can lead to bacterial infections or parasites. I got salmonella once from eating bird meat and it most certainly would have been fatal in a survival situation, but eating the flesh fresh, cutting it into very thin strips and sun drying it as Salvador did, greatly reduces numbers of pathogens.

If you can construct a makeshift solar oven, that would improve your chances. Salvador dried it on the outboard motor housing, but that was the closest thing he had. Keep in mind, though, that Salvador had eaten raw meat all his life, so that would have developed his immune system far beyond that of a typical North American or European.

Drinking Urine

Amongst survival instructors, this is almost as divisive a topic as 1911 vs Glock amongst the tactical pistol crowd. Instructors I respect have weighed in on both sides of the issue.

David Holladay, Cody Lundin, Matt Graham and the guys from Boulder Outdoor Survival School, say not to drink it, while Mykel Hawke, Joe Teti (never thought I would write that those two agree about something) and some of the military crowd saying it’s a go … no pun intended. In Salvador’s case, Cordoba said it would help and they drank it. The question is whether it helped keep him alive or if he survived in spite of drinking it.

While healthy urine is not toxic, it is does contain compounds your body is trying to eliminate and by the time you are in a situation where you are considering drinking your urine, it contains less water and higher concentrations of urea, salts and other waste products. If you store it, bacteria will grow in it and it will start to stink, so I would not save it for later. If you had the gear to distill it, you could distill seawater.

While it used to be taught that urine is microbiologically sterile until it reached the urethra, it is now known that that is not true. It is interesting that military guys would argue for it, because the US Army Survival Field Manual advises against it on the basis that it contains high concentrations of salts which will contribute to further dehydration, but I believe Mykel has a B.S. in biology, so perhaps he based his decision on that.

If you were urinating clear and copious, it would probably do a lot less harm to you, but that would mean you are not even thirsty yet. Did it help him? I doubt it, but the man did survive, so perhaps Mykel has a point. Even David Holladay seemed to reconsider his position for a moment when heard Salvador tell his story. I’m not convinced it changed his mind though. Maybe we should ask him. I am perfectly comfortable sitting inside the question and considering it without rushing to answer it.

6. Ecosystems Form Around Drifting Rafts and Boats

Studying cases of long-term survival adrift at sea shows a certain patterns. The ocean is our planet’s greatest wilderness, with distinct ecosystems created by prevailing weather interacting with the ocean, underwater topography and land masses to produce currents, zones teeming life and rain and oceanic desert regions with little sea life or rainfall.

Fortunately, large sea creatures, drifting boats and rafts and even large floating debris create small, slow-moving ecosystems. The boat or raft creates shade and hiding places for small marine life. Algae and barnacles grow on the hull.

Sea birds find a place to land and leave droppings, which are eaten by small fish, attracting progressively larger fish, which survivors consume, returning offal and waste to the water and so on until the raft or vessel adrift, organisms that it shelters, survivor, predators and prey become a nomadic and slowly snowballing ecosystem. Every one of these organisms is a resource.

Some survivors used barnacles as bait and Salvador ate them for food.

7. Chances of Survival at Sea Are Linked to Location

There is a reason where tales of surviving long periods adrift occur in places like Mexico, the Marshall Islands, North Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil and California. They are all in latitudes relatively near the equator, where it is possible to survive exposure for longer periods of time.

Survival time for fishermen in the Bering Sea is measured in hours, even if they are wearing specialized survival suits.  In, relatively speaking, warmer waters, there are portions of the ocean that receive too little rain to survive without a hand-pumped desalinator or some other way to get fresh water.

Did It Ever Happen Before?

Salvador is not the first one drifting away. Here are a few of many previous precedents for survival adrift at sea.

In 1941, Olympian Louis Zamperini and Russell Allen Phillips survived 47 days adrift on two small life rafts after their B-24 crashed into the Pacific due to mechanical problems, eventually drifting into the Marshall Islands.

In 1982, American Steven Callahan of Rhode spent 76 days on a life raft after his sailboat sank, probably after a collision with a while.

In 1973 Maurice and Maralyn Bailey of Britain where sailing to New Zealand when their yacht was struck by a whale and sunk. They survived 117 days adrift in a rubber raft before being rescued.

In 1989, John Glennie, James Nalepka, Rick Hellriegel, and Phil Hoffman survived adrift in the South Pacific off the coast of New Zealand on the wreckage of their overturned Trimaran for 119 days.

In 1942, Poon Lim was the sole survivor when the SS Benlomond was torpedoed by a German U-boat and survived 133 days adrift on an 8′ square wooden raft until he was rescued off the coast of Brazil.

In 2005, Jesus Vidana, Lucio Rendon and Salvador Ordonez, much like what happened to Salvador Alvarenga, were shark fishing of the West coast of Mexico when their 27′ fiberglass boat was disabled and drifted to within 200 miles of the Marshall Islands before being rescued. They lost two companions on the journey including the captain and consumed 103 sea turtles and many species of fish. Unlike Salvador and Cordoba, they had line and more tools which enabled them to fashion hooks from nails and screws.

The longest anyone has ever survived adrift at sea was in the case of a Japanese cargo vessel captained by Oguri Jukichi a crew member named Otokichi in 1813. They drifted almost to California for 484 days before rescue and lost 12 crew members to scurvy. This case is hard to compare as it was a much larger vessel carrying hundreds of bags of beans.

One way or another, Salvador Alvarenga found his way to survival. He was not trained for it. He was a regular guy, like many of us are. His story is the proof that survival means much more than skills and training that one can have in advance. I’d say that what you have inside makes you a survivor.

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This article have been written by Cache Valley Prepper, based on his interview with Salvador Avarenga for Survivopedia. 

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