Being caught in an emergency can be a tough, tiring, and frightening experience. Since you are not sure when you will access clean water and food, having access to nutritious, long-lasting, and filling emergency food packs can be crucial to your survival. To have the right food on hand when you need it the most, here are five tips on preparing emergency food correctly.
Plan for Different Types of Emergencies
When thinking about meals for emergencies, you should think about different emergencies where a good food supply is important but may be difficult to find.
Some examples of emergencies include:
- Power outages – Natural disasters or extreme weather conditions can cut power lines and leave you without a way to get or cook food.
- Dangerous outdoor conditions – Unsafe outdoor environments can prevent you from going out to get food supplies or cause a disruption in the delivery chain.
- Food shortage – There are many reasons for food shortages, such as disease, lack of raw materials, etc. Food shortages can cause prices to skyrocket and leave you unable to buy basic food items.
To prepare for these types of emergencies, you need access to food that won’t go bad if your home loses power and cannot store food in your fridge or use your stove for cooking. It’s also important to have full meals readily available not to leave your home to buy extra fuel or ingredients.
Focus on Food that Has High Energy Stores but Slow Nutrition Release
Emergencies can be physically and emotionally draining, so it’s important to make sure that your meal options contain good fats and complex carbohydrates, like whole wheat or brown rice. They release energy slowly, helping to keep you warm, full, and hydrated.
When you might not have easy access to additional food, meals should also leave you feeling full, especially when you don’t know how long an emergency will last. Keeping hydrated is important for the same reasons, so you should make sure you have a good water supply to help carry you through the emergency.
Choose the Right Kind of Meals
During an emergency, you want as few extra concerns as possible. This is why a supply of long-lasting, easy to store, and simple to prepare food is important.
You want food that doesn’t require refrigeration and is stored in packaging that helps keep it free of dirt and bacteria. Cans, pouches, and tinned foods are usually perfect for an emergency food supply as they tend to have long shelf lives and do not spoil easily. Meals like Fuel Your Preparation can stay nutritious and tasty for up to 25 years in a cupboard or basement as long as the container is not opened.
The meals should also be easy to prepare so that they’re ready to eat in minutes and you don’t waste time and energy cooking. Some good ready-to-eat meals are canned foods, freeze-dried or dried fruits, vegetables, and cooked food sealed in vacuum pouches.
Staying Light and Mobile is the Key
In certain emergencies, such as forest fires or floods, you may need to move quickly. Your bug-out bag, which you should always have prepared if you need to evacuate suddenly, should always remain lightweight and easy to carry.
Canned food items might be too heavy if you’re bringing a lot. As a rule of thumb, prepare two cans per person per day, and have enough food for around three or four days.
Aim for dehydrated food can reduce the weight of a substantial meal to around 100 grams. It will also take up less space in your bag, meaning you will carry more sustenance to feed an entire family for a longer period.
Variety is Important
You may think that taste will be your last priority in an emergency, however, for incidents that last over a long period. Variety is truly the spice of life.
Pandemics such as coronavirus have taught us how food can become an integral part of a day, an event to look forward to when normal activities aren’t possible. To maintain morale and mental health, having a tasty meal to look forward to can be just as important as nutrition.
Freeze-dried meals are made first as fresh recipes which combine all the spices and flavors you would have as a regular meal. They are then freeze-dried to reduce the weight and increase longevity, locking the flavor in. It means that you can have access to your favorite meals whenever you want them, even in a long-running emergency.
Conclusion
When caught up in an emergency, it’s important to have the right food not just to help you survive but to get you through it in the best physical condition.
Fuel Your Preparation provides freeze-dried meals created with surviving emergencies in mind and helps you effectively prepare for them. Made with quality ingredients, these products are:
- Easy to prepare – You only need to add water and then wait for the meal to rehydrate
- Nutritious – Bursting with carbohydrates and protein, these meals can make you feel warm, healthy, and full of energy.
- Expertly cooked – The foods are cooked before they’re freeze-dried, ensuring optimum quality and taste.
- Long shelf life – Pouches last for seven years, and tinned products keep for 25 years.
With a wide range of fulfilling meals to choose from, Fuel Your Preparation will ensure you have exactly what you need to get you through any emergency. To find out more about the selection of freeze-dried foods, please take a look at the Fuel Your Preparation meals page or contact us to speak to our team member. Know more about food prepping here.