Nutrition while living in car

[MacroLev]

I'm formulating a nutrition profile for living without any refrigeration or ability to cook/clean. Want to do so for a minimum cost. Currently, I'm not living in a car but do plan to at some point in the future.

I'm currently testing out a diet at the moment:

Bread (main diet) sprouted
Peanut Butter+various nuts/seeds
Bananas+various whole fruit
Can of vegetables
Can of salmon daily
Nonfat dry milk
Multi-vitamin

Are there any issues of existing solely on these foods for an extended period of time, years?

[Shredthetics]

preservatives, BPA ect from cans, heavy metals from low quality canned fish, various micronutrient deficiencies.

Not sure as to why one would plan to live out of a car for years..

[MacroLev]

preservatives, BPA ect from cans, heavy metals from low quality canned fish, various micronutrient deficiencies.

Not sure as to why one would plan to live out of a car for years..

The other stuff I think can be overcome with some minor tweaking, but what about the micro-nutrient deficiencies?

[GrowMacGrow]

Shredthetics, you would be supirised that some canned fish is very micro-nutrient dense....apart from tuna.

There is not enough micro-nutrients in your diet from fruits or vegetables. I would at least by some low sodium/salt canned vegetables.

[Shredthetics]

Shredthetics, you would be supirised that some canned fish is very micro-nutrient dense....apart from tuna.

There is not enough micro-nutrients in your diet from fruits or vegetables. I would at least by some low sodium/salt canned vegetables.

I'm saying overall. I highly doubt he would be eating a variety of whole fresh foods on a daily basis without anything to preserve them.
Most processed foods are stripped of their nutrients and made to have a long self life without a need for say a fridge, which ultimately would be the base of his diet over time one would assume.

The other stuff I think can be overcome with some minor tweaking, but what about the micro-nutrient deficiencies?

IMO a multivitamin would not be enough to cover all the bases over a period of years away from a complete diet.. but you could always prove me wrong.

[MacroLev]

Can you explain what micro-nutrients are missing? I have calculated enough Vitamin A/C/D/E/K and the B vitamins. Vitamin D can be had with 15 minutes of sun-light a week, but I also have some in the dry-milk which would be enough by itself. Vitamin A would be in the canned vegetables, fortified cereal (not mentioned), multi-vitamin, most of these vitamins are fat-soluble. They do not need to be had every day- I've heard reports that a human can live normally 6+ months on the vitamin A the body keeps in storage. Some vitamins that I need daily are C & B vitamins, which I'd get from the Bananas + Sprouted Bread. I'd be eating whole fruits, such as Kiwis, Apples, Bananas, Pears, Grapes, or dried fruits, Raisins, Prunes, and so on. Vegetables seem to be the only thing that could use some tweaking, as I only have Canned Vegetables (mixed) listed so far. For $1 this includes a mixture of Carrots/Potatoes/Peas/Corn/Green Beans/Celery/Lima Beans.

I'd like to know the specific nutrient deficiencies you see so I can find ways to overcome them.

[GrowMacGrow]

It depends. Canned oily fish isvery micro-nutirent dense when canned.

OP, i would ensure you get canned fish from salmon, mackeral, sardines etc. They are chock full of B, D and A vitamins, plus they are are very good sources of omega 3's.

[failnever21]

preservatives, BPA ect from cans, heavy metals from low quality canned fish, various micronutrient deficiencies.

Not sure as to why one would plan to live out of a car for years..

Sorry but how is quick bled wild caught Alaskan salmon low quality? Considering its usually packed at a fresher state than most of the salmon laying out inthe deli exposed to who knows what. As well bpa is usually only released under drastic temp changes and acidic contents.

[Shredthetics]

Sorry but how is quick bled wild caught Alaskan salmon low quality? Considering its usually packed at a fresher state than most of the salmon laying out inthe deli exposed to who knows what. As well bpa is usually only released under drastic temp changes and acidic contents.

I am under the impression that the OP will be on a tight budget(hence the house on wheels for predicted years), so going out and buying the food options that are 3-400% more expensive than low-quality store brands was not something I responded with concern to.
One can buy high-er quality prepackaged/canned foods if shopping smart, however they will cost much more. Also there are drastic temperature changes in a car.
I know I wouldn't make it a point to drink/eat out of plastic bottles/metal cans that have been sitting in a 200 degree sun-heated oven(car) for a week or two.

[failnever21]

I am under the impression that the OP will be on a tight budget(hence the house on wheels for predicted years), so going out and buying the food options that are 3-400% more expensive than low-quality store brands was not something I responded with concern to.
One can buy high-er quality prepackaged/canned foods if shopping smart, however they will cost much more. Also there are drastic temperature changes in a car.
I know I wouldn't make it a point to drink/eat out of plastic bottles/metal cans that have been sitting in a 200 degree sun-heated oven(car) for a week or two.

Good points^ make sure you consider these op.
Although my local store only supplies a few varieties of canned salmon i have no idea the availability/pricing in other areas.

[jinkty]

I wasn't going to reply, but I've decided to bite.

First off, I think your priorities are wack.
You don't need much to cook, and you can get cheap meat.
Organs are chock full of micros, you can grab a pound of chicken heart for a few bucks, all you need to do is boil it.
Ask your local butcher what sort of cheap cuts they have. Portable burners are cheap and washing a pan without an actual sink is not hard.

You're worried about micros and macros - have you ever been homeless?
Your body will resist a lack of quality sleep more than a lack of food.

[proven951]

I like almonds and pistachios for fats

[TypeNirvash]

I am under the impression that the OP will be on a tight budget(hence the house on wheels for predicted years), so going out and buying the food options that are 3-400% more expensive than low-quality store brands was not something I responded with concern to.
One can buy high-er quality prepackaged/canned foods if shopping smart, however they will cost much more. Also there are drastic temperature changes in a car.
I know I wouldn't make it a point to drink/eat out of plastic bottles/metal cans that have been sitting in a 200 degree sun-heated oven(car) for a week or two.

>.> In that case, OP could buy a cooler that's small enough to fit in his trunk. I mean, I've kept cold cuts fresh in a cooler during a power outage in a cooler. I mean, I'm sure that could help OP consume more whole foods at least.

[MacroLev]

I wasn't going to reply, but I've decided to bite.

First off, I think your priorities are wack.
You don't need much to cook, and you can get cheap meat.
Organs are chock full of micros, you can grab a pound of chicken heart for a few bucks, all you need to do is boil it.
Ask your local butcher what sort of cheap cuts they have. Portable burners are cheap and washing a pan without an actual sink is not hard.

You're worried about micros and macros - have you ever been homeless?
Your body will resist a lack of quality sleep more than a lack of food.

Priorities out of wack? This is a thread about the nutritional aspects, I wouldn't ask questions related to the other aspects in this thread, so you wouldn't know which things I prioritize. I have lived without housing, I've lived out of a backpack, sleeping bag and inflatable pad. It's not that bad and certainly better than other alternatives when you have the misfortune of not earning enough income to afford luxuries.

The canned fish is enough meat for me to eat. Studies show that the pescatarian diet is healthy. The salmon cans I have are 3oz 350 calories each with 45g of protein. Salmon, canned or otherwise, has one of the lowest mercury contents of any other fish. So much so, that eating it everyday still keeps you far below the daily guidelines for mercury content from the research I've done.

At some point, I may get a mini-fridge & equipment to cook, however, I'm first aiming at surviving well without these. Why you ask? Because it does seem possible to have a diet that is 100% healthy as one without cooling & cooking. It just wouldn't taste as good.

[rich503]

Priorities out of wack? This is a thread about the nutritional aspects, I wouldn't ask questions related to the other aspects in this thread, so you wouldn't know which things I prioritize. I have lived without housing, I've lived out of a backpack, sleeping bag and inflatable pad. It's not that bad and certainly better than other alternatives when you have the misfortune of not earning enough income to afford luxuries.

The canned fish is enough meat for me to eat. Studies show that the pescatarian diet is healthy. The salmon cans I have are 3oz 350 calories each with 45g of protein. Salmon, canned or otherwise, has one of the lowest mercury contents of any other fish. So much so, that eating it everyday still keeps you far below the daily guidelines for mercury content from the research I've done.

At some point, I may get a mini-fridge & equipment to cook, however, I'm first aiming at surviving well without these. Why you ask? Because it does seem possible to have a diet that is 100% healthy as one without cooling & cooking. It just wouldn't taste as good.

What limits you from earning more money? Based on your posts, you seem to be literate, you can put together sentences better than many forum members and you have clearly read a thing or two in your day.

[natnat5]

I'm not going to get into the whole discussion about your ability to make money... I do have some suggestions though. You can also get canned chicken and canned beans, which would probably be a good addition to your diet so you don't have to eat canned salmon all the time. Also, I know you don't want to be cooking, but if you can find a cheap camping stove and a pot from somewhere those would be great investments. Then you can at least warm things up and boil water to sanitize it. It also allows you to make oatmeal and rice and actual meals pretty quickly.

[ProfHotTub]

You'd actually be fine with this. There have been and are many who live on much less.

[MacroLev]

What limits you from earning more money? Based on your posts, you seem to be literate, you can put together sentences better than many forum members and you have clearly read a thing or two in your day.

That's a tough one to answer. I'm also literate in several programming languages.

[rich503]

That's a tough one to answer. I'm also literate in several programming languages.

I have no doubt that you could earn more money, at least enough to avoid the situation that you are in.

[MacroLev]

At some point I think my career will take off, but in the mean time I feel with the high prices of rent where I live (near San Francisco) this would be a good option for me as opposed to losing a significant portion of my income. Living in the vehicle is like a 2nd job, just an easy one (if done correctly). I'd mainly only use the vehicle for storage and sleeping, during the day I'd be working, at the gym, libraries, cafes, friends, etc.

Have been looking more into the Fruitarian diet, although I'd never want to actually cut out grains and animal products completely, I can see possibly getting 50% or more of my caloric intake from fruit. For instance, one could eat a whole watermelon in a day, and get a significant portion of nutrients:
http
nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2072/4?print=true

[TypeNirvash]

OP, it sounds like you've decided to live in a car because you think that living in a car will ease your current monetary predicament. But in making that decision, it also sounds as though you've ruled out any other efforts that may enable you to prevent such a lifestyle decision. Certainly, it is possible to have a bodybuilding diet while living in a car. There's no debate about whether or not it can be done.

But I believe that living in car is not going to solve any monetary issues for you. There was a point in time, where I was planning to move down to California (and I still intend to, just not immediately). Low-rent apartments (especially very nice low-rent apartments) are fairly abundant down there. It's just a matter of searching, and finding one that has a decent commute. Beyond that, it sounds as though you're skilled enough to hold a job down, and you're more than qualified to work in many places if you're literate in a multitude of computer languages (that's a skill that a lot of people don't have). Why wait until your career takes off?

EDIT: There are many ways to go about this. I'd say that living in a car is a last-resort, and you're not nearly at last resort. I'd say that there are a plethora of things you can do to avoid this and it's just a matter of whether or not you're willing to put forth the effort. You can do this OP.

[razor23]

If OP is living in a car, there's nothing preventing him from driving to the store every day to get some fresh veggies/fruit! It's a car, it moves!

[Mdenatale]

If OP is living in a car, there's nothing preventing him from driving to the store every day to get some fresh veggies/fruit! It's a car, it moves!

Could even park the car in the grocery store parking lot.