What Foods to Include in a Care Package to Send to Army Ranger School

Hi, Stew,

My son is going to Ranger school in a few days and mentioned that the Ranger students can receive a care package between the mountains and swamp phase. With a very short time to consume additional nutrition, what would be the ideal contents? 

Thanks for your help,

Nancy, Army mom

This is a great question. You can do many things. I know when I was looking for food at points like this in training programs, anything worked. You literally will eat anything, but you can do your son some favors by adding in nutritious foods.

• Fruits and vegetables:- One thing I really liked were baby carrots, apples, grapes and bananas. 
• Proteins and good fats: For non-perishable food options, you can send food with more proteins and good fats, such as nuts, almonds and beef jerky, as well as dried fruits (prunes, raisins, etc.) to help with fiber for digestion.
• Electrolytes: Consider salty foods, such as chicken noodle soup and crackers.
• Supplements: You can add in a few Muscle Milks, power bars and Clif bars. You can find these at most grocery stores.
• His favorites

If you can, add in as much as you can so he can share with his buddies. That will go a long way with his group. You can send these in a priority mail box that has a flat-rate charge, no matter how heavy it is, and it likely will get there in 2-3 days.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you're looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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