Survival Food Storage

By Justin Mountford

Begin With Water

Water is by far the most important thing you need to store, replenish and protect. It is said that people can live longer without food, but not without water. It also carries minerals which helps regulate many body functions. Experts advise that each family member should have one gallon per day. Plastic containers are also recommended as an ideal type water storage, because they are lightweight.

The water backup strategy - Having water purification tablets also comes in handy when caught in survival situations without a clean water source. Water purification tablets are easy to prepare because all you do is just add water. The tablets have a long shelf life usually around 25 years or more.

Food is important to keep your focus and ensure that you are in the right state of mind. Some of the different types of food that you might consider storing are:

Freeze Dried Foods

Freeze dried food is a type of storage food that has water removed from it. It's also considered as the best option when it comes to stored food since it only removes the water, but not the flavor or the nutrients.

Dehydrated Foods

This type of foods has also had the water removed from it. This is done by a highly sophisticated drying process. They have a long shelf life, but not as long as that of freeze dried foods. It's also believed that some of the nutrients have been removed during the dehydration process.

MRE (meals ready to eat)

MREs has been used by the military for many years. It is a high-calorie meal with one meal providing an average of 1200 calories. The shelf life of MREs are shorter compared to those of freeze dried and dehydrated foods, its average shelf life is up to three years.

Canned Foods

This is the easiest way to store food. You can buy canned foods almost everywhere. However, the downside to canned foods is that they don't really contain that much nutrients and aside from that you would need to replace them every two years.

Supplements

Since some canned foods or survival foods may not provide the nutrition that your body needs it would be great to have supplement that would provide you with the essential vitamins and minerals to keep you going.

Food is something that people may take for granted in this modern world. Some even consider calories as an enemy. But during survival situations this can mean difference between life and death. So start storing some food for you and your loved ones. Remember it's better to be safe than sorry.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6919895

Making Food Storage

By Ashley Bueno

Past incidents involving disasters and emergencies have shown the need for people to be prepared for disruptions in regular community activities. A disaster may interrupt normal commercial and governmental activity for varying periods of time. As a result, emergency preparedness could be the difference between life and death in the worst cases.

Besides natural disasters, the threat of man-made tragedies has been heightened. Obvious incidents like terrorist attacks are of greater concern today more than ever. Even more troubling is the potential for economic collapse on a global scale. A systemic collapse of the world's economy could have implications that last for weeks or months and disrupt the flow of food from producers to market.

As a result of the risks and impacts of an economic emergency, food storage must be considered as part of any emergency preparedness plan. In this context, food storage goes beyond having two to three days worth of food to tide a household through until government or other outside assistance can help to restore order to the community life. An economic collapse would have ramifications would likely mean that no assistance will be coming, as no one will be unaffected by such a complete breakdown.

The importance of food storage compared to other basic needs cannot be overstated. In an economic emergency, shelter should not be an immediate problem. While provision of utilities might be affected, the basic protection of a sound shelter building should remain intact for a considerable length of time. Individuals should also be able to make do even over time with a normal supply of clothing.

Food is unique in that it both runs the risk of spoilage and it gets consumed as its use. People are also used to being able to simply run to the nearby grocery store or market to pick up fresh foods as they are needed. As a result, few people consider that many activities come together to provide a supply of food from producer to market, and an economic collapse would disrupt many of those activities. This interdependence means that the food system is vulnerable to disruption.

Individuals can prepare themselves for long-term emergencies by building a supply of food that will store safely within their home. Ideally, foods that have a shelf life of months and years are best suited for this purpose, as well as foods that are not dependent on refrigerated storage (and thus dependent on electricity for power). By creating and maintaining a supply of food that can feed a household for months, they are truly prepared for both natural and man-made disasters that could devastate others.

The author is a regular contributor for many websites in a number of different industries including the leader in Survival Food Kits.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7017455