One of the biggest things that can cause you to run out of food is not having enough stock. As we mentioned before, it’s important to have at least two months’ supply of nonperishable foods in your home so if there’s a shortage you won’t be too troubled by it.
But how much food do you really need? Technically, anyone can survive on one meal a day but this isn’t practical when most people want three or even four!
We recommend buying enough food for one week for each person in your family, which comes up to about 70% of the average person’s monthly calorie intake.
Store Foods That Can Be Rehydrated
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when storing food is figuring out what types of foods they can re-water. The vast majority of these foods have either water or sugar as their main component, so they could be dried and stored until you run out of both those things!
Some examples of this include fruits like apples and oranges, vegetables like carrots, and even bread if you mix in some rice or pasta to create something new. These things all can be eaten later when you’re more abundant in resources!
This is an important concept to understand because it changes how you look at your food supply. If you think about it, most grocery stores will always have enough wheat to make several bags of dry pasta. So why not do just that instead of buying nothing but packaged noodles?
And while we don’t want to get too elaborate, meat can also be saved by learning which cuts of meat retain moisture better than others. For example, ground beef will keep much longer than raw hamburger pieces.
Freeze Dried Meats
One of the most efficient ways to preserve food is by drying it first! This process is called dehydration, and you can use dried meat as a nutritional boost or as a source of protein.
Freeze-dried meats come in many varieties and contain all essential vitamins and minerals that help keep your body healthy. They also make an excellent snack due to their high nutrition content.
Some of the brands that pack up freeze-dried meals include Life’s Vitality, Mountain House, and Foodsemi. These are great sources of carbohydrate, protein, and fat which are important nutrients for daily diet routines.
Canned Goods
While many people focus on dried food items such as pasta or wheat products, canned goods can be just as important in a situation like this.
Most cans contain an acid that acts as a natural preservative. This includes things such as tomato sauce, chili powder, and even water!
By adding these ingredients into your cooked food, they work together to preserve the contents of the can. The most common ingredient in preserved foods is sugar, which helps balance out some of the acids in the can.
This does not necessarily mean you should buy a lot of each individual item, but instead, look for large containers of vegetables or other neutral foods. These will help keep your hunger at bay while also giving you some basic nutrition.
Although it may seem wasteful to purchase lots of processed foods, these types of foods can still have great value later. Some companies add back into the can after processing, so don’t throw them away!
These days, there are even cookbooks and online recipes made using only stored foods! It is very doable if you learn from past mistakes!
Foods that have high nutritional values are more dense than others, making them take up less space in the can.
Baking Soda
For all of you bakers out there, baking soda is an important food group! This mean nothing to us unless we emphasize it as such. Besides acting as a rising agent in your bread or cookies, baking soda also acts as a source of sodium which helps keep your blood pressure in check. It may even help treat sore throats caused by a viral infection!
Baking soda can be used in many ways. You can mix it into water to make a gel that can be applied onto rashes or skin conditions, it can be mixed with milk to use as wash powder, and it can be sprinkled in dried up areas like dry skin or furrowed muscles to aid in recovery or growth.
Storing baking soda away for “emergency” situations will not only preserve it longer, but it will also give you some tips. We recommend buying a one-quart bag at least once a year to ensure enough supply.
Water
The next thing you should keep in stock is water. Even if you only have one source of water, you should always have a little bit with you.
You can choose to drink your own urine or add some type of purifying agent into it such as baking soda. By doing this, you will be helping yourself get rid of any toxins that may exist from waste products.
By having enough water, your body will also function better since it has proper amounts of fluid. Nutrient absorption and blood flow can be hindered without adequate levels of hydration.
We recommend drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Try to spread it out throughout the day so you do not feel thirsty.
Salt
One of the most important things you can have in your first aid bag is salt. All food has some amount of water and sodium content, an essential mineral we need to survive!
Most people know that plain old table salt (you probably have some at home already) is used as a source of this needed element, but there are many other salts with different amounts of sodium that you may not know about.
Certain types of kosher or sea salt contain trace amounts of iodine, which helps preserve thyroid function. These include flake style salt, white sugar cane salt, grey salt, pink salt, and red chili pepper salt. Iodine supplements can be expensive so having a supply of these minerals is helpful if you run out quickly!
Other types of dried up foods like bread or rice also pack in sodium slowly, making them useful additions to your stock. Nut butter is another good option, one tablespoon has enough sodium to help restore lost moisture. Make sure to only add a few drops at a time though, too much nut butter can cause heart problems.
Your mouth will also benefit from including some more salty ingredients such as citrus or fermented products.
Learn about food storage options
As we mentioned before, even though it may seem expensive initial-ly, buying enough food for one week is very cheap when you consider how much it costs in shipping and wasted products.
Most people have leftover supplies from what they already have at home so don’t feel like you need to invest in new things unless you want to.
A great way to start storing food is by looking into your local stores and see if there are any organized food giveaways or potlucks being held. This will be free resources that you can add to your stash!
Stocking up during these events will also help you find out more information as well. Many of them organize A 2 Week Food Storage Plan which is a good starting point for those who are not quite sure where to begin.
After this plan has been completed, each person can then rotate through the shelves to determine what items they no longer use and donate or sell them.
Find out what’s safe to eat during a crisis
During times of national emergency or humanitarian crises, there is an urgent need to know which foods are safe to consume and which ones should be avoided at all costs.
The number one tip we have is to start knowing some basic food recipes! Even if you don’t cook, you can help by looking up easy recipes online or through helpful friends and family.
Many people already have enough supplies so instead of donating them use that space to learn how to prepare nutritious snacks or meals for themselves and their loved ones.
It will also give you an opportunity to show off your culinary skills and contribute to someone else’s survival.