Being prepared for a natural disaster or emergency is the best way to ensure that you and your family are safe and secure. Having a fully stocked emergency kit with food and water is essential for surviving difficult situations. In my experience as a public health nutritionist, I have found that many people want to buy emergency food stores, but don't know what or how much they need. Living on baked beans may be OK for a short time, but it's not much fun for a long time.
We need to include a variety of foods, especially those with good nutritional value, that are pleasant and as close as possible to our normal way of eating. Don't be discouraged by the size of your shopping list; buying little by little will spread the expense. The following is a list of the basic foods in my emergency kit. To complement them, I keep good stores in my pantry of condiments that I use often, such as soy sauce and sweet chili sauce.
I also make sure I have a good supply of long-lasting refrigerator items, such as cheese and bacon. The amounts are what a family of four would need for two weeks. Although this is not always possible, we must aspire to at least one nutritionally balanced meal a day. We should also target the recommended number of servings of breads and cereals (6 or more), fruits and vegetables (more than 5), milk and dairy products (2 servings), and protein foods (1 serving) to meet all of our nutrient needs.
When combining ingredients to prepare meals, a good rule of thumb is to start with a carbohydrate element, add a protein element, and then add a vegetable or fruit. In an emergency situation, you may find yourself at home in relative isolation, so take the opportunity to practice new recipes and inspire the rest of the family, especially children, to cook. Here are two recipes; try them and start learning to cook in difficult times. They are also great recipes for normal conditions.
Real Simple's emergency food supply list contains foods that not only don't need to be cooked and nutritionally dense, but are also tasty. Camping tents are good sources of compact, well-preserved food that are good choices for emergency preparedness kits. Discard homemade canned food or food in glass jars, open or unopened, that has been soiled by flood waters. At a minimum, the federal government recommends that you have a basic emergency supply kit that includes enough food and water for each member of your household for at least three days.
Although most emergencies are unlikely to interrupt their food supply for two weeks, some people choose to consider a short-term supply as one that will last that long. If you include canned food in your emergency food supply, inspect your supply regularly to make sure there are no rusty, leaking, bulging, or heavily dented containers and that there are no broken seals. Use leftover canned foods after 3-4 days of refrigeration, unless they contain meat; canned foods containing meat, poultry, or fish should be used within 2 days.