Prepared and packaged meal contained in what is an easy and portable case?
All that a soldier needs is heat and water, but I just can't consume a fatty burger or a sugar'd milkshake without consequences...
A MRE has all that and more. Main pouch and some essentials, a few add on sweets for more energy. But the majority is control... their designed to be eaten when a soldier has time, but eaten as is contained.
Your cracker and jelly / cheese are to be eaten on the go, main pouch also. But when you stop for a break, you can eat all. But the sugar snack they pack in there as well, be it pop tarts or skittles, you can consume whenever. Heat pouch to warm it up when you stop, but generally it's a cake batter dryness, you'll need to add water to remoisten it a bit. The rest are essentially useless, you can either mix with it or reuse later. I've seen a few people reuse the plastic pouch bag as a toilet.
@Daryk:
When's the last time you read the back of a MRE package? And then cross reference what a diabetic needs vs. what an atypical solider need in the field. Almost the same amount... Now I won't be eating this every day, maybe twice a week at most. It's technically a Diabetic Ration, emergency food supplement. Not a full means to an end.
TT
