Food: What Are You Going to Eat When Things Go Wrong?

This may be a long post, but it has some very good information to consider. Have you watched the survival shows?

“I Can Starve for a Few Days”

Heard the contestant say they hope to out-starve the others? The first day they look “healthy,” they talk about how they put on the pounds by eating more and dream of cheeseburgers later in their monologues. Food is on your mind all the time, sometimes more than the extracurricular activities adults enjoy. Food fuels you and gives you the energy to go about your day.

How do you sustain that when things go bad?

You probably have a few days’ worth of solid food choices in your home now. After that, you have things you can eat but maybe don’t go together. Then you eat what’s left and try to smile.

Have you ever been hungry—really hungry? Would you consider eating things not normally consumed by people nowadays? Did you know dog food is made to standards that make it edible by humans? Well, it is. Do you have extra dog food, LOL.

Some people are good at intermittent fasting, but they still eat each day. Go for a couple of days without eating. See how you feel. See how it affects your ability to think.

While not the first thing on the survival list, food is an important part of it. Do you have a plan for immediate food needs, extended food needs, and beyond-normal time frame food needs?

If you have 72 hours of food, then you have a start. If you don’t, you will add extra stress to your plan and efforts.

My Individual Problem

I’ll get personal in this post regarding food because my plans must consider two real issues. I have two Type 1 diabetics and two people who are gluten intolerant.

Too many carbs, any gluten, and I have three out of my five that will be in big trouble.

I don’t have people who are sensitive to gluten. I have two people who, if they encounter it in the smallest amounts (i.e., a bread stick lying on grilled chicken while being delivered to my home), will not have solid stools for days and will swell in their abdomens to painful levels.

Too many carbs in the food choices means extra insulin from already short supplies. I have worried about this enough that I have looked up the process to synthesize insulin from pigs. I considered becoming a pig farmer.

I have real dietary issues that can end lives. All this must be plugged into my plans, folks.

My Bug Out bags carry gluten-free rations for 72 hours’ worth of calories. My Bug In supplies contain the same. I must balance carbs and gluten. Give that a try and see where it puts your food plans, LOL.

If you don’t have these issues, consider yourself lucky. Lucky—but not out of the woods when it comes to food.

Nutrition – It’s Important!

When I say nutrition, I am not just talking about protein, carbs, and fat. I am talking about vitamins and minerals too.

When people began sailing the seas, they sometimes came down with scurvy. What causes scurvy? A lack of Vitamin C. Where will you get Vitamin C when things shut down?

Protein poisoning can occur in survival situations. Too much lean meat (squirrels, rabbits, etc.) without fat and carbs can cause protein poisoning. You are eating, yes, but you are not getting the other things your body needs to function.

Nutrition is going to propel you in survival—or become your Achilles heel.

72-Hour Food

Food you put into a Bug Out bag should be high-energy food. This does not mean straight carbs.

A well-balanced survival bar is an excellent choice. Peanut butter and some crackers are a good option (minus dietary concerns).

Pick what fits you and what fits easily in your bag. This is to get you to your back-up location or another place of safety.

Don’t mull over too many options here. Get something and stick with it.

Extended Time Frame Food

You’re in luck here. There are so many options for food that can last extended time frames.

Starting simple looks like this: every time you go to the grocery store, buy a few extra canned goods. Buy an extra bag of soup beans.

These small purchases extend your Bug In food supply and last longer than you would expect.

Additionally, you can buy specialized canned goods like freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, dehydrated milk, pre-made soups, and MREs.

MREs provide a full day’s worth of calories and have some side effects from prolonged consumption. Don’t believe me? Eat a box of those things and tell me how bad your gas smells and how long it takes to have a bowel movement. I know from experience.

The next step is bulk items like rice, beans, salt, sugar, etc., stored long-term using Mylar bags, food-grade buckets, desiccant packs, and O2 absorbers.

Packaged correctly, these items can last 20+ years. But they become bulk supplies—less portable and more suited for Bug In plans.

Beyond Food Options

You Bugged Out and are safe now. What do you eat after that portable supply is gone?

Better think about this now.

The “gubment” is not going to feed you for long, if they feed you at all.

Do you know how to garden? Do you know how to forage?

There are plenty of books on gardening, foraging, and homesteading. If you plan to last a while, you better plan to have food skills.

Buy disaster garden seeds. Learn how to grow them. Learn what plants grow well together.

Buy a book on foraging and go for a hike. Make it a game with your survival team to identify edible or medicinal plants.

You thought you’d get away from practicing and learning? Wrong.

Survival beyond the extended period is a team sport. Start practicing now.

Finale

Food is going to be important. It will help you thrive—not just survive.

Figure out what works best for you. Maybe a 72-hour supply gets you to safety, and your extended supplies carry you beyond that.

Train up. Gather knowledge.

Worst-case scenario, knowledge will likely feed you longer than three months of stored food you had to leave behind.

Figure out what works best for you and make it real now. Not later. Now.

You are your best survival tool if you set yourself up to be.

Don’t get caught behind the curve.