Food is the number one element in your long-term survival strategy.
To thrive in a prolonged emergency when grocery store shelves are empty, you need a robust stockpile that provides not just calories, but nutritional cornerstones like proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
The following guidelines will help you assemble a nutrient-rich emergency food stockpile to keep you afloat during tough times.
Essential Tips for Creating a Nutrient-Rich Survival Food Stockpile
In stressful situations, many of us will unconsciously reach for a chocolate bar or a bag of chips.
It’s part of the evolutionary setup that motivated our hunter-gatherer ancestors to seek high-energy foods that would help them survive in a harsh environment.
However, processed high-sugar foods contain practically zero essential nutrients that would keep you healthy long-term.
Sugary snacks may give you a temporary burst of energy, but over-reliance on these foods will eventually deplete your nutrient stores and sabotage your immunity.
You’ll feel fatigued, and your overall health will suffer.
Instead, your emergency stockpile should supply a balanced selection of nutrient-dense foods that provide all the building blocks your body needs to stay in shape.
Essential Nutrients for Survival
What nutrients should you keep in mind when building your emergency stockpile? Survival foods should be rich in:
- Proteins. Proteins are the building blocks of muscles, enzymes, and hormones. They’re also an important energy source.
- Fats. Fats provide plenty of energy and are essential to brain function, since the larger portion of our brains is actually made of fat. Make sure you store a supply of high-quality fats from healthy natural foods.
- Vitamins and minerals. Practically every metabolic process in our bodies relies on essential minerals and vitamins. You need plenty of calcium for bone health, iron for red blood cells, and Vitamin C for immune system support.
- Fiber. Fiber is invaluable for digestive health and a balanced gut flora. A health-oriented stockpile should include sources of both soluble and insoluble fibers.
10 Nutrient-Rich Foods To Stockpile
The ideal stockpile foods are nutrient-dense, easy to store, and keep fresh for a long time.
The following foods will give you both much-needed energy and vital nutrients.
1. Canned Fish
Canned salmon, tuna, and sardines are rich in protein and healthful omega-3 fatty acids. As a bonus, they don’t require any prep before eating.
2. Preserved Meats
Freeze-dried meats are a highly versatile, nutrient-packed staple that you can easily rehydrate and use in a variety of meals.
Pemmican, the historical version of a protein bar, will likewise fill you up and keep for years in the right conditions.
3. Other Sources of Animal Protein
Protein powders and freeze-dried eggs will round off your animal protein sources. Also consider raising chickens for a renewable, low-maintenance supply of meat and eggs.
4. Dry Legumes
Beans, lentils, peas, and other legumes are highly nutritious. Legumes will give you plenty of protein, complex carbs, and fiber.
Note that you need to soak legumes at least several hours before cooking to make them more digestible.
5. Whole Grains
Whole grains such as wheat, oats, rice, quinoa, and teff provide both energy-rich carbohydrates and valuable minerals.
Combine whole grains and legumes in a meal to make sure you get all essential amino acids.
6. Powdered Milk and Fortified Drinks
Consider adding these to your pantry as an extra source of calcium and Vitamin D.
Powdered milk is also a convenient pantry staple you can use in smoothies, cooked cereals, and baked goods.
7. Freeze Dried Fruit and Vegetables
Unlike their fresh counterparts, freeze dried fruit and vegetables will keep almost indefinitely, supplying you with fiber and vitamins.
Just make sure you choose fruits without added sugar.
8. Nuts and Seeds
Walnuts, pecans, sesame, chia, and other nuts and seeds are excellent sources of healthy proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
Like legumes, seeds and nuts benefit from soaking. A few hours in warm water help break down antinutrients like phytic acid and make nuts and seeds more digestible.
9. Shelf-Stable Fats
Aim for healthy, natural fats that keep well without refrigeration.
Coconut oil and ghee are two great options. You can keep ghee, or clarified butter, in an airtight jar at room temperature up to a year.
The same goes for tallow, which you can easily render from a fatty beef cut.
10. Spices
Spices can make any dish both healthier and more appetizing. Turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon, and other widely used spices are packed with powerful antioxidants and minerals.
Spices will keep longer when stored whole, e.g., peppercorns vs. ground pepper and cinnamon sticks vs. powdered cinnamon.
Risks of Nutrient Deficiency in Emergencies
To highlight why your survival stockpile needs to provide more than calories, let’s talk a bit about what could happen if your body doesn’t receive the nutrients it needs during a prolonged emergency situation.
You’ve probably heard about scurvy and how it used to ravage sailors’ health. A simple addition of Vitamin C to the diet during long sea voyages overcame this once-fatal disease.
Other serious problems related to poor nutrition include iron-deficiency anemia, weak bones and high risk of fractures because of insufficient calcium and Vitamin D, and neurological issues due to Vitamin B12 deficiency.
Inadequate nutrition will also compromise your immune system, make it more difficult to recover even from trivial illnesses or wounds, and increase the risk of infections.
Tips for Balancing Calories and Nutrition
How do you make sure your food supply provides you with both enough calories for your energy needs and essential nutrients to keep you healthy?
The following tips will help you create the ultimate survival stockpile.
- Vary your stockpile. Include many types of nutrient-dense, shelf-stable foods. The larger food variety you have on hand, the easier it is to cover all your bases nutrition-wise.
- Rotate supplies. Periodically check expiry dates, use up your stores of emergency foods, and replace them with new supplies. This will make sure your stockpile stays fresh and ready for action.
- Consider supplements. Vitamin and mineral supplements can give you a nutritional backup when food is scarce and you’re focusing on day to day survival.
When To Use Nutritional Supplements
Ideally, we would all maintain a balanced diet that provides the perfect amount of macro- and micro-nutrients.
However, this can be hard to achieve when you have limited access to fresh food. In this situation, multivitamins are an important stopgap.
A general, well-rounded multivitamin can boost your health if you need to rely on your stockpile for several months.
Choose a multivitamin that contains all the necessary minerals (like iron, magnesium, and zinc) and vitamins (A, B-complex, C, D, and E).
According to the WHO, using a supplement is especially advisable if you’re pregnant, nursing, or suffer from known deficiencies like anemia.
Electrolyte powders are another must-have in your emergency stockpile.
These powders can be a lifesaver when you lose large amounts of minerals through excessive sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Make sure to mix the powder with plain, clean water and follow the instructions on the packet.
If you have young kids, consider stockpiling electrolyte powders geared specifically for children.
Is Your Survival Stockpile Ready for a Prolonged Emergency?
When you stock up on emergency supplies, include foods that contain plenty of proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, or minerals.
Keep in mind that you never know how an emergency scenario plays out and when you may have a chance to get fresh supplies.
If you already have an emergency stockpile, how would it support survival during a long-term crisis?
Reassess your stockpile and, if necessary, upgrade it with better-quality foods and supplements.
