Why Rabbit isn't good eating for survival

[JimBarb]

I just learned this, and wow, I admit I was surprised.

Apparently trappers and gold miners in northern Canada have died of starvation/malnutrition during the winter months, in times of past. They were eating, though: rabbit.

Apparently rabbit is one of the leanest meats out there, it has no appreciable fat content. Without the fat, four major vitamins can't be metabolized in the gut. These fellas were starving to death and suffering malnutrition while eating 3 meals a day.

One of my older relatives laughed at me when I learned this, and asked, "Why do you think rabbit stew is always served with suet dumplings?".... the dumplings would be the fat source for the vitamin metabolism.

'Just thought I'd share.

 

[jason]

You have to be careful with "wild" meat. A lot of it is very lean, and you need it add some sort of fat to it.

 

[Camoguy]

I grew up on rabbit, squirrel, quail, phesants, beef, chicken, deer, or anything else we could catch and eat. My family was poor. I developed a distaste for venison during my childhood when we had to eat so much of it. We did have chickens but there were a lot of us kids and we couldn't eat them every day. A lot of times we didn't have beef because we had to sell them to make our money to live on. But my Mom and my Grandma always fried everything in lard. That's where the fat comes in. We also raised pigs when we could to kill for meat.

 

[Itchy_Ivy]

It is a shame that we can't survive on it because it is pretty available. However, good to know because I love eating rabbit, and it is fantastic news that it is lean.

 

[dinosaur]

This is one of the reasons I don't eat margarine. I cook in butter. The other reason is that I know the ingredients for butter are cream and salt. The ingredients for margarine are mostly polysyllabic words I can't pronounce and would need a chemist to explain.

 

[skidrow]

cook it with bacon around it on a grill its killer

 

[Barney]

But you have to eat just rabbit for more than 2 months to experience such deficiency. There are people eating nothing but berries and they are more than fine - maybe not Rambo fine but fine.

 

[twodogs]

Dont care much for Rabbit but anything is better then nothing . I have read that Lewis and Clark on there trip west eat a lot of buffalo . back in the day scurvy was a problem so they took along limes or lemmons to help take care of that . But they ran out, but because the were eating buffalo , It is full vit A so it keep them from getting the scurvy.

 

[fisherman57]

i dont know i thought that they perfact for it

 

[Chippin]

I knew rabbits were lean, but I didn't think about the fat content in them. Like Barney said though, if you eat rabbits 2 months straight, you you'll suffer from malnutrition. You can't survive on just one type of meat- add variety. Add some berries and vegetables where you can get it, I'm sure you'll be fine.

I remember reading a book about a couple of early explorers. All they ate was meat when they could have incorporated some wild onions and other picked foods. It was a long time since I read it, but I believe they died also. Where's the common sense?

 

[twodogs]

I think Rabbits would be mostly protein as is most meats (pork, beef, chicken, Fish, most wild game ) and if you went on a strick protein diet of meat, you would loose weight. that is what the Adkins Diet is all protein . I think if you just ate strickly meat of any kind no vegs, carbs , or sugar you might starve . I have done the Adkins Diet And you will loose weight real fast problem is staying with it . Gets real boring just eating meat and nothing else. Try it some time

 

[Bobby]

It seems to me that if you eat two straight months of ANYTHING it would be bad for you. Your body needs variety, and in the wild there are plenty of things to choose from. Was there any reason given of why these guys ate nothing but rabbit?

 

[dinosaur]

I don't care. I took a rabbit today and intend to devour it with potatoes, carrots, broccoli, parsnips, onions, garlic, green beans, and peppers. I'm going to put some butter in the roast to make sure I get the right amount of saturated fats. I hope I don't starve to death

 

[BCBabe]

I love rabbit stew with suet dumplings: it's such a wonderful, savory dish!

I've read about the rabbits and malnutrition, it was apparently an issue during the Klondike era, in a time before modern science and knowledge. Fellas living up in the Yukon Territory were pretty much living on rabbit and hare during the winter months, and falling very ill and sometimes dying because of it.... it would be almost 50 years before someone was able to figure out why.

The Franklin Expedition, the last one? The crew had had to abandon ship, it was being crushed in the ice - the men that were sick, were provided the canned goods from the ships' hold, the others ate whatever they could kill or trap. The guys eating the canned goods only got sicker and then died: the cans were lead-based, the already-sick crew were poisoned to death by the very food meant to save their lives. The evidence of the poisoning was confirmed a few years ago, when investigation of a corpse had the tell-tale blue-black line of lead poisoning on the teeth.

 

[Jade]

I've read about the rabbits and malnutrition issues, but I didn't get the "full picture", obviously.

A winter of eating rabbit/hare could lead to malnutrition and death, 125 years ago. Things aren't as feral today, and we know so much more now.

 

[ChadTower]

Still, one rabbit can feed my family for a month. It's tempting.

 

[twodogs]

WOW now thats a Rabbit , I dont believe every thing,,I hear , read and only about what of I see, so now what do I do . !!