Did You Know?
The man who put the 'K' in K rations
K rations provided three meals and, depending on the course, included items such as canned meat and eggs, instant coffee, a boullion packet, fruit and even toilet paper.
The K ration -- a simple, nutritious, easy-to-transport meal usually consisting of biscuits and canned meat and some chocolate -- was part of everyday life on the front lines for hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers who served in World War II. Few of those GIs (and just as few people today) knew that the K ration was formulated at the University of Minnesota by a real-life "K" -- Dr. Ancel Keys, the late professor of physiology whose seven-decade-long career has helped people around the world live longer, healthier lives. In 1941, Keys was asked by the U.S. War Department to design for GIs meals that were light, nutritious and non-perishable. He shopped for packets of biscuits, dry sausage and chocolate at Witt's grocery store in the Twin Cities ("the best market in the Twin Cities in those days," according to Keys) and tested different combinations on soldiers stationed at Fort Snelling to make sure the combinations were filling and provided a big dose of energy. The 28-ounce, 3,200-calorie meals Keys created were small enough to fit in the pocket of a paratrooper (as the Army had specified), were mass-produced and helped sustain soldiers through tough battle conditions, even becoming an icon of the war effort. The Army dubbed the meals "K" rations in his honor. Later, as the fighting wound down, Keys heard reports that Europe faced mass hunger. With government permission he conducted the Minnesota Starvation Experiment with 36 volunteers who were conscientious objectors. One of them was Max Kampelman, a Ph.D. student who went on to become President Reagan's chief nuclear-arms negotiator and win the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The volunteers were fed semi-starvation diets that reduced their weight by an average of 25 percent, shrank the size of their hearts and even affected their personalities. Keys' report on the research, Biology of Human Starvation, called for a high-calorie, high-protein diet supplemented by vitamins as the best way to rehabilitate the hungry. It helped guide Europe's recovery after the war and is still used today when there's war or famine. Keys believed that helping starvation victims after the war was a humanitarian act that also promoted long-term political recovery. "Starved people cannot be taught democracy," he said. Further reading UMNnews: Eating well is the best revenge The Minnesotan behind the Mediterranean Diet Ancel Keys Warrior for peace
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