Scurvy yes, depending on different values of “meat” - as pointed out certain meat, in particular seal liver and whale skin (especially if eaten raw) both contain a fair amount of vitamin C. Hence the traditional Inuit diet does not result in scurvy. Cold water marine animals also have lots of blubber.
Now of course this expedition was not getting that much seal liver and was not hunting whale. In fact by mid-winter and beyond most of the animals they had likely used up a fair amount of their fat stores and were fairly lean meat; not much fat. And too much lean meat without either enough fat or carbs is a very bad thing.
The limiting factor for someone regularly eating excess protein (much over 35% of energy intake) is the liver not being able to clear the nitrogen of the protein without having adequate other energy inputs (read fat or carbs) as well. It builds up as ammonia (hyperammonemia) and that messes one up badly. Brain damage and death for example. Gout aint the biggest problem.
Of course that might be why they needed that much meat - at that level of protein intake they would have been fat (although carbs would also have worked) starved and probably tossed away some leaner cuts aiming for the fattier portions like the marrow and organs.
I don’t know, I could see their Calorie requirement going much higher than 5,000 in cold weather.
I know that about 5,000 kcal is what I burn on a 100-mile bike ride in warm weather at moderate effort, which takes about six and a half hours. If you were going full-day, through rocky terrain, in winter, I think 10,000 kcal per day is hardly out of the question.
Of course, for biking purposes I take the vast majority of the energy from simple carbs. I don’t think I’d do very well on an all-protein tour.
Mind my asking how you know that is what you burn in that ride? One those oh so highly accurate calorie toys connected to a heart rate strap? Sorry, but burning 770 calories an hour for six and a half hours is likely not what you are really doing, not unless you weigh over 200 pounds. Assuming you are more like 150 (as I suspect the members of that crew were) that’s more than you’d burn while racing 16 to 19 mph without drafting. Moderate effort more like 476 an hour.
So what do cold weather activities actually burn? Cross country skiing vigorous level gets up to 544 an hour, racing all out over 8 mph cross country gets to 884/hr rate but cannot be sustained.
Okay, if they were consistently performing like ultra long distance runners it would be reasonable.
Admittedly, it’s an estimate based on how much I need to eat to feel “normal” on a century day as opposed to a rest day. I tally up the total caloric content of everything I bring on the ride, and based on how much I actually eat, 5000 kcal seems to be a good ballpark number.
I weigh about 180 pounds. Based on an average speed of 15.4 mph for the 6.5 hour duration, this place would put me in the “vigorous” category with a total burn of about 4800 kcal.
Granted, on a flat road 15.4 mph feels “leisurely,” not “vigorous,” but I honestly have no idea how much the level of perceived effort relates to actual burn rate. Also, my usual route is through mountain roads, so it alternates regularly between moderate 25 mph cruising, incredibly strenuous 7-8 mph climbs, and 50 mph descents. There seem to be a lot of confounding factors, and I don’t know of a good way to get an accurate short-term measurement – but I suspect that for me at least, the 5000 kcal number is not far from right.
EDIT: I should add, though, there’s no way I could maintain that level of expenditure for 12 hours a day for days on end – I’m no Lance Armstrong. Then again, I’ve never crossed North America on foot, either.
Hey now, I wouldn’t exactly consider myself large! I’m 6’0" and actually pretty lean.
And the numbers from the Tour De France seem reasonable, since they go just about a hundred miles a day during the race. And it certainly can be difficult to keep chewing, even when you know you need it. Trail mix is nutritious and dense but it gets old surprisingly quickly.
(As for Lance: meh, I expect half the Tour De France dopes, and the other half is foolish for abstaining. It’s not something I would ever do myself, but then, I’m not a competitive cyclist so I don’t have any of that pressure!)
I kind of remember this program when it first came out. All of that salmon, they could have walked across the river on them, and they choose to eat dog. Was salmon that frowned upon?
Ever see spawning salmon? Yuck… Look like zombie fish. Half rotten, with chunks falling off, but somehow still swimming. Plus they only come to fresh water once a year. Plus the Columbia near Astoria is no joke. Big and scary.
I am sure the party still ate there fill when they were running though.
Dog much easier to deal with. The things actually follow you around until you get hungry.
Yeah practical. My Native friends are a bit sensitive about this topic. But I point out that the Irish also ate dog until recently. And, that millions of dogs are euthanized every year…seems wasteful.
Also I think this is the reason why dogs can be so personable and so observant of our body language. (guinea pigs too) When the humans are ready to dine, it is good to be either more charming member of the pack…or to be elsewhere.
I get confused by this too and think it is a very interesting question. On the one hand there is the fact that part of your training is making the muscle activity more efficient - hence the same energy produces greater speed and distance. No question you cycling at 15 mph is less calories than an untrained and unfit person burns at 15 mph.
OTOH your training allows you burn more per unit time at the same rating of perceived effort and heart rate. This source claims that an unfit individual at 140 bpm burns 6 to 7 calories/minute while a very fit one at the same 140 bpm would be burning 12 cal/m.
So which prevails?
Those are 24 hr numbers, and not for the race only. Those numbers are saying that Tour riders burn in 24 hours roughly what you estimate you burn in a moderately paced century ride by itself.
I don’t think it is too likely that expedition members needed many more calories than Tour riders need. Maintaining the daily effort to do one and a half stages plus every day for months? Seems improbable at best.
So very cynical. But probably a very practical consideration.