Wise Emergency Perparedness

Processed food is generally what is stored for emergencies...

I revamped my emergency supply of food in our 72 hour kits this week. As I threw out the hot chocolate and Ramen noodles from my 2013 kits, and I realized if I (prediabetic and gluten intolerant) had relied on that food supply for three days it may have done the opposite of keep me alive. Yet we still need to be prepared and self reliant! I had to find some options that would be much easier on my system than fruit drinks and ritz crackers. 

Changing my eating lifestyle resulted in restoring my health, I don't want to undo that because there is no grocery store available. If I had to rely on my garden, chickens, and food storage in some kind of economic crisis I would be OK, but the food I was taught to include in a "72 hour emergency kit' you grab in a hurry was completely outside my food boundaries.

If you are sugar or gluten free, emergency food storage can pose a problem. You can't make your own granola bars and expect them to last 2 years in a ziplock. You will have to bend some of your food rules about intaking preservatives and traces of sugar--these are the very ingredients that keep things storable.  Though you may not be able to go completely sugar free, there is a way to get a little more whole food! In the 72 hour kit case, I'm grateful that there are many options so I can stay safe.

I wanted to share my "new and improved 72 hour kit" in case its time for you to revamp yours. Safeguard health, especially in an emergency!

This 72 hour meal kit includes a gluten free, high protein options that will store for up to 2 years. (Click on food item to see website of brand.) 3 of each: oatmeal, raisin box, beef jerky, apple sauce, tuna pouch, GF crackers, nuts, granola bar 1 dehydrated Mountain House Meal (similar to an MRE) Vitamins and medicine as needed Other items to consider putting in your 72 hour kit include 1 gallon water per 72 hour kit Water filter Misc survival items such as toilet paper, bandaids, flashlight, knife, etc. 1 backpack for storage Consider what William Dufty in his book "Sugar Blues" said when preparing your kits, it will keep you checking labels for the very best options. "Refined sugar is lethal when ingested by humans because it drains and leeches the body of precious vitamins and minerals through the demand its digestion, detoxification, and elimination make upon one’s entire system...Sugar taken every day produces a continuously over acid condition, and more and more minerals are required from deep in the body to rectify the imbalance. "As a steady diet, sugar is WORSE than nothing. Plain water can keep you alive for quite some time. Sugar and water can kill you."