Thanks in part to advancing technology, society is more aware when there is a natural disaster such as a hurricane churning in the ocean. Although blizzards, winter storms and hurricanes are no longer a surprise, is there anyone out there who is taking the necessary preparedness steps including have ready to eat meals and foods that do not need to be cooked or refrigerated?
Despite advanced alert systems, research has shown that less than 50% of the households in the United States have enough non-perishable food to last for at least three days. The research also revealed that over 45% of U.S households do not have a first-aid kit, and almost 60% believe that the local authorities will rescue them if they become stranded.
The one thing to keep in mind is that it is important to have non-perishable food in your home. If the average homeowner were to take an inventory of the food that is currently in their kitchen, they may discover that they had plenty of frozen meats and vegetables, and perhaps even some condiments in the refrigerator. These food items will not work if you and your family is forced into survival mode for a few days.
Once disaster seems imminent, most people decide to make a trip to the grocery store only to find out that it is too late. The peanut butter, bread, candles and milk are likely gone from the shelves. It may even be impossible to find a camping stove. Unfortunately, store shelves can be quickly emptied whether there are advanced warnings of emergencies or not.
One of the largest pieces of the survival puzzle is making sure you have the right types of foods stockpiled. The other parts of the puzzle includes purchasing the food at the right time, and being able to prepare it with limited to no resources. These are some of the reasons why ready to eat meals have gained popularity over the last few decades.
You will need to be prepared long before the emergency is broadcast nationwide. By the time this occurs, even if you have money at your disposal, it will not do much good. The best foods, the foods you will need, will likely be gone.
So, what do you need to look for when buying MRE meals and foods for survival? The following checklist are some factors to keep in mind when creating for preparedness meal kits.
Foods You And Your Family Enjoy
You can get bored rather quickly eating the same types of food every day. Be sure to include a wide variety of foods that you and your family enjoy eating. For example, comfort foods can make you smile even in times of stress or uncertainty that can occur during an emergency.
For example, if you like peanut butter, get a tub of peanut butter or peanut butter powder. Cheese lovers can purchase a can of freeze dried cheese. Not only is freeze dried cheese delicious, it can help provide fats and satiety in what otherwise would be a bland survival diet.
Foods That Are Nutritionally Dense
Even though rice and beans are not considered the best foods to eat when you are in survival mode, they are foods that are cheap, nutritionally dense and are a complete protein when they are eaten together.
You can mix and match the beans and rice to create interesting combinations. These combinations are also available in many commercial ready to eat meals. Some of the options include:
- Pinto beans
- Garbanzo beans
- Lentils
- Kidney beans
- Black beans
- Brown rice
- White rice
- Jasmine rice
Foods That Last A Long Time
If you are choosing to stockpile foods before an emergency occurs, they may be sitting on the shelves for months or even years before you need to eat them. Even if you rotate the foods in your pantry, inevitably, some will stay on the shelf longer than others.
Those who are experienced preppers take this factor into consideration by choosing foods that are in cans or freeze-dried. These foods will remain fresh at least one year, and can be eaten before they ‘go bad’.
Foods That Do Not Require Cooking
There are some foods that you can include in your ready to eat meals that require some processing. An example of this type of food is red wheat berries. However, in the first few days after an emergency, you will need to have access ready to eat foods.
The electrical grid may be down and/or you may have to evacuate your area. This means that if you are on the highway, you will not have the time to make a fire and prepare your food.
With that said, plan to have several sources of food that do not require fire or heat, like XMRE meals, Eversafe MREs or Omeals. In fact, these are some of the best foods for survival you can include in your emergency stockpile.
Building a pantry with ready to eat meals for survival is more than simply hoarding food in your kitchen pantry. You will need to have a thoughtful approach as you plan for your survival when you are without modern conveniences.