What Is Nutrient Value Of Dehydrated foods ?

Answer to subscriber's question

by aajonus vonderplanitz, phd nutrition

Do you know how Aajonus feels about dehydrators; mine has a temperature of as low as 95 to 155? Seems like it would be great to use to make the survival meat esp. in winter time.
-- Jennifer Nelson

Aajonus: Hi, Jennifer. Consider that dehydrating anything live does not preserve life. If I dehydrated you at only 70 degrees F, you would be dead and relatively useless except as some type of carbon fuel. Likewise, when food is dehydrated, it loses all of the bioactive enzymatic activity along with most of its H2O. Native Inuit used to make Pemmican in case they were unable to find food in the most difficult winter months. They made Pemmican every late summer by drying meats and then crushing them into flour-consistency. Then they melted some type of animal fat in the sun and mixed it with the dehydrated, powdered meats. They kept the mixture in the sun until it dried to a waxy hard substance and molded it into 90-pounds blocks. If necessary, they ate ¼-½ cup daily with 1 cup stream or lake water. However, they knew that dehydrating foods caused much nutrient loss. If they did not have to eat their Pemmican survival food, they buried it in Spring-time and left it for nature to recycle.

Most people notice that when they eat dehydrated foods that their digestion is slowed and much water is craved and consumed. When non-dehydrated foods are eaten slowly, the H2O is carried with nutrients to cells. When dehydrated foods are eaten, the body leaches enzymes and H2O from our bodies to try to digest, absorb and assimilate nutrients. Digestion, absorption and assimilation of dehydrated foods are long and laborious tasks for our bodies and cause gradual dehydration, including drying of skin and entire body.

As survival foods, dehydrated foods dried below 96 degrees F. may be practical but as nutritiously rich foods, they fail. Best for nutritional value to eat all foods as natural as possible.