Survival Food Storage is the toughest part of putting together your survival supplies. What makes it so tricky is that you don’t just have to ensure that you have enough food to feed your family in case of an emergency, but also the fact that you need to store the right kinds of foods that will offer high nutritional value even when eaten in smaller quantities. An emergency that challenge one’s survival can be anything – a natural disaster, a city under lock-down facing a terrorist attack, loss of job or a serious illness that has the breadwinner tied to the bed for months.
So for those who wish to learn how to stockpile the right foods to aid them in their fight for survival during emergencies, here is a guide that makes storing the right foods feel like a lesser challenging job.
Basics for Survival Food Storage
When facing an emergency, gourmet meals are no longer important. What is important is to ensure that the family gets at least one balanced meal a day, so as to sustain their energy. Make sure that when planning the kit for Survival Food Storage, you include foods that offer adequate nutrition and contain not only proteins and carbohydrates but also essential vitamins and minerals.
It’s best to use your common sense when storing foods in to your survival kit. Think of what you can cook in the easiest way using the least amount of fuel, and then stock up on basics. Choosing foods that are hard or tedious to cook will only prove to be a costly mistake. You cannot go wrong with storing beans, corn, wheat, legumes, rice and salt in bulk quantities, as these have longer shelf life and are more than enough to ensure your family’s survival. Store in large air-tight containers.
Separate out the perishables and non-perishables. Since you are preparing to survive a disaster, you need to become self sustained. Start growing your own fruit and vegetable. Dehydrate and freeze fruits and vegetables to use in emergencies, so that you don’t miss out on essential nutrition.
Helpful tips for Survival Food Storage
Don’t think of adequate Survival Food Storage as something you can accomplish within a day or two by simply buying and storing foods. Think of the bigger picture, and make small changes every day to store away some food for emergencies.
· Most of us get our proteins from meat. But in an emergency, your family has access to only a limited supply of meat which is stored in your deep freezer. This is why, every time you cook meat, do not throw away the bones. Store them away in a zip-lock bag and when you have 2-3 bag full’s, make a meat stock. Boil bones and meat waste in water for a couple of hours, so that all the juices are released into the stock. Pour in to ice-trays and store. When your family is out of meat during an emergency and food supplies start to dwindle, even a single meal of rice or porridge cooked in meat stock offers a balanced meal that includes carbohydrates, proteins and essential fats.
· Store away dried fruits in your freezer. These are a goldmine of nutrition, easy to store and last long when stored in air-tight containers. They provide you with carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, Omega 3 & 6 fats, vitamins and minerals.
· Label all foods carefully. Living through a disaster can pose a lot of stress, so carefully labeling all your food and creating a detailed inventory list helps you ration out food judiciously. It also ensures that you keep replacing canned/packaged goods before they can expire.
Now that you know how to choose the right items for Survival Food Storage and also how to store them, your chances for survival during an unexpected emergency becomes higher. Simply follow these guidelines and make sure that you have enough food supplies to last the trying times.