Here's a comprehensive list of emergency preparedness food ideas with tips and suggestions to make the most of your stockpile along with plenty of alternatives to accommodate everybody. Many of these foods can be quite inexpensive depending on which brand you buy and which country you live in. Just choose what works best for you.
37 Foods to Hoard
Survival food storage you can get from the grocery store https://www.happypreppers.com/37-food-storage.html
37 Foods to Hoard
Survival food storage you can get from the grocery store:
#1: Distilled water and seltzer water.
Water isn't a food to hoard, but you certainly can't live without it, which is why water is #1 on this prepping list. Distilled water is the most pure form of water. Get water now and make plans to get more water. Consider adding canned seltzer water to your
pantry as well. Canned seltzer water lasts indefinitely, adds a fizzy pep to your water supply and even helps relieve constipation! Avoid seltzer if you have acid reflux.
Want to know the #1 food to hoard? Skip to #6. Canned and dried meats. Set aside your rice and beans for now,
because the best food to stock for crisis is meat (canned and dried). Meat is the best prepper protein and with so many
options available from dried and dehydrated, freeze dried and canned, you have no excuses (other than if you are a vegetarian).
#2: Canned liquids.
It's important to stock up on canned foods with high liquid content. Two excellent (and often overlooked) examples are canned pineapple juice and vegetable juice available on the
bottom shelves of your grocery store. These foods will provide nutrition and hydration simultaneously. Look also for evaporated milk, condensed milk, and canned coconut milk. Coconut milk will
help you cook rice faster! Stewed tomatoes, and vegetable, beef or chicken stock can also help you cook rice without depleting your drinking water. It's also a great excuse to stock up on canned beer, which you can use to cook!
#3: Dehydrated powdered milk, whey and eggs. Milk does a body good (or so say the commercials) and we have a
list for preppers on the 12 reasons to stock powdered milk in your pantry. Indeed milk is a versatile food well worth stockpiling if you don't have a cow or a goat. Bob's Red Mill dehydrated milk lasts, pictured right, up to two years, and is an excellent natural
creamer for coffee. Skip the non-dairy creamers made of hydrogenated oils and use powdered milk instead.
Powdered Milk. The best milk to buy at the grocery stores if it's available is Bob's Red Mill Dry Milk powder, pictured right. However for economical value, buy dehydrated powdered milk by the bucket and in #10 cans as it will have the longest shelf life.
Whey powder. You know that Little Miss Muffet ate her curds and whey, and so should you. In cheese making, curds are the thick part of the milk that's separated from the liquid when the milk turns sour. Whey is the watery part that's cloudy and yellowish. Whey is highly nutritious! Bob's Red Mill offers an all natural whey protein concentrate. Whey contains a high quality complete protein containing all of the essential amino acids required by the body for strength and muscle development. It is a great way of increasing protein intake without adding excessive carbohydrates and fat. It dissolves instantly so it's great for making high protein shakes and smoothies. In survival times, mix it with dehydrated milk for an extra frothy and satisfying nutrient!
So while this isn't the first thing that will fly off the shelves in the event of a crisis, it's one Happy Preppers should have on their list.
Eggs and Powdered eggs. Ova Easy dehydrated eggs, pictured right, are 100% all-natural with no preservatives or chemicals. Look also to Harmony House for freeze dried egg powders as well as Honeyville Farms for powdered eggs in #10 cans. Eggs generally can last a long time and don't need to be refrigerated, however having egg powders on hand is peace of mind.
#4: Hard cheeses encased in wax.
Waxed hard cheeses are not so easy to find, but they are available, and Parmesan, swiss, sharp cheddar or Gouda encased in wax is a very "Gouda" thing to find! Wax prevents cheese from growing mold and bacteria, and it also keeps moisture in your cheese, so it can store for a very long time without refrigeration.
Parmesan is a hard cheese, and in the powder form has a four month expiration date, but encased in wax it can last up to 25 years! Consider buying cheese wax and even a basic hard cheese kit to make your own delicious cheeses. Wax will keep hard
cheeses moist during the aging process, and also prevent unwanted mold growth on your aging cheeses. Here's more about prepper cheese.
#5: Protein bars and protein drinks.
Ideal for a bug out bag, food bars are compact nutrition and should be part of your everyday food storage. Sure, some food bars are a sort of cross between chocolate candy bars and
vitamins, others more of a granola, but they are often high in protein. Food bars can provide a satisfaction for a morning meal or an addition to your other rations. Look for coconut bars too!
Another food bar that often goes under the radar with Prepper's (but shouldn't) is Pemmican, pictured below, which contains complete protein and gives energy. Free of isolates, fructose,
sugar and cholesterol, Pemmican is a concentrated food bar that offers quick energy.
#6: Canned & dehydrated meats, poultry, seafood. What's the #1 food to hoard? The best prepper protein source is meat. Go for the jerky! If you had to stockpile just one kind of food you'd want to stockpile meat in cans. Go ahead and Tune-in to the tuna. Stack up on the Dak! Why? Because meats provide humans with around 90% of sustenance needed to survive; and
90% of plants are deadly to humans. Man must eat meat!
When possible, look for grass-fed meats, like Yoder's brand. Canned salmon, canned sardines, canned mackerel and canned tuna are rich in necessary Omega 3 oils. Stock your refrigerator with meats too. Smoked salmon, sausages and hot dogs can last a long time in your refrigerator. Store organic hot dogs and sausages, such as Applegate Farms Uncured Beef Hot Dogs, which are made from organic, grass-fed beef. Consume them first in a power failure.
#7: Drink mixes: Coffee, bouillon, tea, Ovaltine, Tang Stock your prepper's pantry with drink mixes:
Coffee for survival purposes provides the primary benefit of increased mental alertness, but as a morale boost it's good too.
Tea for survival is important too, and has been around for 5,000+ years for a reason! Water quality of our ancestors wasn't very good, so tea helped it taste better and boiling water killed bacteria. In an emergency situation, tea can help you hydrate quickly when you can't wait for the boiled water to cool. Caffeinated teas provide a burst of additional energy; while other teas can provide a calming and soothing effect, which you may need. Additionally, many kinds of tea have anti-cancer properties (polyphenols), and reduce the risk of blood clotting and even lowers cholesterol levels. Consider adding echinacea, peppermint and chamomile teas to help combat the common cold, naturally, too!
Powdered drink mixes:
Tang is a prepper classic to enhance the water supply. Nasa flew astronauts to the moon and back with Tang. It has Calcium and Vitamin C to help avoid scurvy!
Gatorade powder has a boost of electrolytes.
Wylers, Koolaid or whatever tickles your sweet tooth.
Bouillon cubes are compressed stock. This salty essential will help you flavor soups, rices, ramen style noodles and
gravies.
#8: Oils (butter, lard, olive oil, organic shortening).
Cooking oil is extremely important to stockpile. You can't cook much without an oil or fat! Buy oil small containers and look for the word "virgin" which means that they are the first press and
have the most nutritive value. Cooking oil won't last long, but even if your oil becomes rancid, you can use it as fuel!
Butter. You can freeze butter and buy butter in a can. Pure Creamery Butter by Red Feather has a long shelf life. Look also into butter powder.
Coconut oil. Shortening usually has trans fats, so consider coconut oil as cooking lard to replace Crisco or other
vegetable shortening, which is made of dangerous trans fats. Coconut oil is very heat stable, and because it's low to oxidize, it means that it won't go rancid as quickly as other oils. It can last up to two years, and it provides fast energy.
Read more about storing coconut in your preps!
Ghee. Gee, here's something to consider, Ghee! What's that? Ghee is butter that's been melted and simmered down until all the water has evaporated and the milk solids have settled at the bottom. It has a long shelf life.
Lard. Surprisingly, new studies show lard is a healthful cooking fat! It's versatile too.
Olive oil. Olive oil is an ideal oil, but can quickly go rancid, thought it may have a shelf life up to two years.
Organic shortening. Many preppers stock Crisco, which is definitely not organic,but really it's better to make a candle from Crisco than it is to eat the heart clogging stuff. Organic shortening is a good alternative to hydrogenated Crisco, because it's made healthier and it lasts indefinitely. Try Nutiva or Spectrum brands of organic shortening.
Other oils. If possible, look for a NON-GMO corn oil, as 86% of corn has been genetically modified. Whatever oil you buy, be sure to buy them in small containers as the minute you open, they oxidate and begin deteriorating quickly. Avoid anything made with Soybean oil as 90% of soybean products are genetically modified or cross-contaminated.
# 9: Whole wheat flour, bread and pancake mixes. Many preppers grind their own wheat into flour, but if you're new to prepping, ensure you have some flour on hand. In the category
of flour, you could stock bread mix, such as Krusteaz or Bisquick. Wheat is a basic food product that's chock full of fiber, protein, vitamins and even minerals, like selenium. If you stock white flour in your daily pantry, be sure to stock wheat flour in your Prepper's pantry because it has more nutritive value when it has the whole grain (bran, germ and endosperm). White flour has
only the endosperm.
You may also need flour for thickening gravies, or coat and fry, such things as freshly caught fish. If you have whole wheat flour, you won't have to stock genetically modified corn starch, which is also used for thickening. Consider Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat flour because it comes wrapped in plastic, rather than a paper bag which is more susceptible to pest invasions. Ultimately, you should store whole wheat flour in your every day pantry. Your long term pantry should include whole grain wheat and you should have a grain mill.
Thankfully, "There is not currently, nor has there ever been, any genetically engineered wheat on the market," according to the Non-GMO project, so stock up! Read more about grains for
survival.
#10: Cereals Shredded Wheat, corn or rice. Stockpile whatever cereals your family eats oat, corn, rice, or wheat-based. We recommend Shredded wheat! The first edition
of the Boy Scout Manual in 1911 highlights the best food for Boy
Scouts is Shredded Wheat, "because it has all the muscle- building material in the whole wheat grain prepared in a
digestible form, supplying all the strength needed for work or play." If refrigeration isn't an issue, pack wheat germ, which has high levels of fiber and vitamin E to boost your immune systems. Wheat germ is the center of the seed. Packed with protein and fiber, wheat germ also has folate, magnesium, zinc, manganese, selenium and vitamin E. It's considered "nutrition in a crunch." It's not really a meal, but one you can add to your hot cereal.
#11: Potato flour.
Potato flour might not be at the top of your list, but potato flour is good to have. Consider adding potato flakes and potato flour to your Prepper's Pantry! Why potato flour? Potato flour is
wonderful, gluten-free addition to the pantry to make breads, pancakes and waffles, potato soups and much more.
It's better way to eat your veggies! Potato flour is the entire potato (skin and all) dehydrated.
Thickener. You can use potato flour as a thickener to add body to broths stews and gravies. Using potato flour as a thickening agent, will help you avoid GMO cornstarch. It's the starch in the potato that holds water.
Natural dough conditioner. As a baking ingredient to mix with other flours, potato flour will add moisture. Potato flour really does make the yeast dough easier to handle!
Binder. Potato flour will add creaminess to frozen desserts because it holds the moisture and the fat. It also helps bind
meats, such as hamburger patties, meatloaf or fish patties, so they're more juicy and flavorful.
Breading. Potato flour is a gluten free breading for frying. It provides a golden crunchy crust
Extender. Potato flour will add shelf life to foods you bake because it's a moist yeast bread with an excellent shelf life.
Consider also sweet potato flour, which is incredibly versatile and can be used for baked goods such as breads, cookies, muffins, pancakes, crepes, cakes and doughnuts. It can also be used in soups, as a thickener for sauces and gravies, and in breading.
#12 Corn as a grain (dried).
Did you know corn is both a grain and a vegetable? As a grain, corn is dried into flour to bake and make a variety of foods from cornbread to cornflakes. Corn as a grain is an essential prepper
food and there are many kinds of dried corn.
Cornmeal. Pioneers packed cornmeal as part of their provision list, a half a bushel!
Corn starch. Corn starch is a basic ingredient in baking.
Grits. There are 101 things you can do with grits, America's most basic food!
Popcorn. We wrote an entire article touting the benefits of storing Popcorn because it's a grain that can be ground into flour!
Masa harina. Spanish for "dough," masa is the flour of finely ground maize, hominy or corn. It's basically been dried, cooked, ground, soaked in lime and then dried again. It reconstitutes easily with warm water and salt to make corn tortillas. Masa harina is the dough flour for empanadas, papusas and tamales. Look for organic brands, which will ensure you're not getting a dangerous genetically modified food products. While Masa Harina is a finely ground meal, corn grits is more versatile, hearty and nutritious basic food. Nothing satisfies like the savory experience of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free corn grits (also called polenta). For breakfast, you will love it with milk and honey. Grits left in a pot to cool become polenta. In this way, you can serve it for dinner with butter, cheese, marinara or gravy. You can also purchase alkali-treated corn (actually dried maize kernels) known as hominy, which is largely popular in Southern and Mexican cuisine. Popular in the South, you can also find this product out West if you look for it in cans in the Mexican
food isles. Hominy is high in calcium content.
#13: Corn as a vegetable.
Corn as a vegetable is also an important pantry essential. (Corn
is both a grain and a vegetable: the only difference is that as a grain it's dried before harvesting.) Buy organic corn in cans to help ensure it's not genetically modified as most corn is GMO.
In stores, look for the "Non-GMO project verified" label to avoid buying genetically modified corn. Steer clear of GMO corn products by purchasing organic (shockingly, 86% of the world's
corn is GMO).
#14: Oats and Oatmeal.
A favorite of American pioneers, oatmeal is a prepper food that's low in saturated fat, and it's also a good source of fiber, which is especially important during survival times. You'll need to store adequate water as making the porridge requires 4 cups of water for every one cup of oatmeal. A tip for preparing is to soak the
oatmeal over night, so that it takes just 9-12 minutes to boil (instead of a half an hour). Look for John McCann's steel cut oatmeal in a can, which are 100% whole grain and natural Irish oats.
Stock up on emergency buckets of rolled oats and quick oats today, and learn more about why oats are an important part of your food storage.
#15: Bread crumbs and stuffings.
Bread crumbs are a satisfying addition to casseroles, and can also help you make salmon and crab cakes with the cans in your Prepper's food storage. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find Bread
crumbs sealed in plastic for freshness. Usually, they are boxed in waxed paper. Stuffing is a natural accompaniment to your mashed potatoes and will mix nicely with spices and dehydrated
onions. Try also, bread in a can, and pumpernickel.
Learn to like Pumpernickel and make it part of your everyday diet! This amazing whole grain rye bread (enjoyed by Germans and
Scandinavians with cheeses, pates and meats), packs a mighty punch of fiber and has a three or four month shelf life! You can make a satisfying meal with even one slice of bread.
#16: Shelf stable, ready to eat meals.
There are two kinds of shelf-stable, ready to eat meals to include: the kind you eat, and the kind you don't.
Soup is good food and can provide a hearty meal with crackers. For shelf-stable and ready to eat meals, think about how you can add canned meat to boxed meals. Cheeseburger Macaroni for example.
In uncertain times, you can also take comfort in having several shelf-stable, ready to eat meals on hand, which require no cooking. Go Picnic is one of them. They are the grocery store
version of Meals Ready to Eat.
#17: Crackers and cookies.
While crackers have little nutritive value, they do provide a sense
of normalcy to a survival situation and will be a worthy an satisfying accompaniment to soups and tuna salad, and peanut butter stashes in the Prepper's Pantry.
You may find some surprising nutritive benefits such as niacin and iron in flaky flavorful crackers. In your long term food storage you'll need to buy some pilot crackers in a #10 can. There are
many reasons to stockpile crackers.
#18: Potato Flakes and au gratin potatoes. Add potato flakes to your prepper's pantry. If you can find a shelf-
stable variety of au gratin or scalloped potatoes that don't have hydrogenated oils, then go for it. Left is Edward and Sons. Unfortunately, most au gratin potatoes have them (so skip Wegmann's, Betty Crocker and Idahoan until they stop including
hydrogenated oils in their manufacture). Look for au gratin potatoes at organic based food market, like Whole Foods. There are plenty of more reasons why you should make potatoes part of
your long-term food storage plan.
#19: Rice (choose white rice).
Rice is a staple of the prepper diet (along with beans). Sure, jasmine rice is cheap food, and worth storing but you can also store a variety of rice to keep your family interested. Try basmati
rice, Italian arborio rice, short grain Asian rice, wild rice, and brown rice too! Brown rice is a healthy option, but requires more cooking time, which could deplete your cooking resources. It also doesn't store as well. Consider instant rice for this reason alone,
though it's not as healthy as other rice options.
Rice Select has a nice variety of grain rice in nice containers.
#20 Pastas.
Dried pasta is an ideal prep because it has little to no fat or moisture content, so it resists spoilage. Among the most filling and inexpensive foods, store a variety of pastas in addition to
your spaghetti and macaroni noodles including: egg noodles, gnocchi (made with potatoes), dried tortellini (filled with hard cheese), orzo (rice shaped pasta), couscous (wheat-based pasta)
and the other variety of shaped Italian pasta such as lasagna, linguine, rotelle, rotini, rigatoni, orecchiette, penne, mastoccilli etc. Remember Asian pastas too! There are healthier options to the inexpensive ramen style noodles. Try soba (made from buckwheat), rice noodles, udon (wheat flour), bean curd noodles, and chow main noodles (fried noodles made of egg and wheat).
Right, you can make a meal of Annie's cheeseburger macaroni meal starter and Keystone Ground beef.
Use your noodle! Include more pasta in your food storage.
#21 Raisins, dried fruits and fruit strips.
Enhance your supply with dried apricots, dates, cranberries, mangos and whatever your family enjoys. You can make your own trail mix with dried fruits.
Raisins. Just a handful of raisins will provide a full serving of fruit. Raisins have protein, fiber, iron, and Vitamin C. Raisins are loaded with antioxidants and potassium, too. Use them
in your Prepper's pantry to enhance the flavor of rice for dinner and cereals for breakfasts. Remember, raisins are a
dried fruit and not a dehydrated food. There is a difference in how you store each. Organic raisins are the best choice so you can avoid toxic pesticides of commercial farming.
Newmans Own is an excellent choice. These raisins are packed with juicy flavor and a pleasing texture, and are available by the six pack in 15-oz cans for your prepper's pantry and delivered to your door.
Fruit leathers, fruit strips and fruit ropes. Skip the fruit rollups, which are ladened with unwanted high-fructose corn syrups. Instead, look for Simply Fruit twists and high fiber dried fruit strips available in a variety of flavors, such as cherry, grape, and apricot.
The more variety, the better for your family to fight boredom in diet and to get the essential nutrients they each provide
#22: Jams and jellies.
Preppers love to make their own jams and jellies, but if you're new to prepping, you can stock up on ready-made.
Jams and jellies are a canning favorite from blackberry jams, strawberry jams, raspberry jams, grape jellies and also apple butters, your pantry can easily have a variety of fruit spreads to sweeten life.
#23. Canned fruits.
Did you know fruits contain twice as much calories per pound as
veggies? A fruit cocktail will give you about 300-400 calories per pound. Peaches, packed in light syrup offer a tremendous calorie boost to the survival diet. The liquids also provide a valuable
source of hydration, so don't can the juice in the cans! Look for citrus varieties, such as pineapple and mandarin oranges, to give the essential vitamin C. Applesauce too can be a wonderful accompaniment to cereals, and can also serve as a dessert. Canned pumpkin puree will also provide a heavy dose of Vitamin A and you can make a simple soup by adding bouillon cubes and spices, such as garlic.
#24: Canned veggies.
When it comes to veggies, preppers need to think beyond green beans! Unfortunately, green beans do not pack many calories. If you're looking for the ideal veggies to stash, then think about
canned root vegetables, like sweet potatoes and yams. Sweet potatoes are high in Vitamin A, plus they're filling. Add a variety with canned sauerkraut, cabbage and beets, too. If you eat them, carrots, peas and potatoes provide the fixing for a nice stew. Canned olives, asparagus and artichoke hearts will help you make easy pasta dishes. Dried veggies, right are available online. Skip the canned corn (it's likely GMO).
#25: Beans and legumes.
Stock up on beans ~ all kinds of dried beans and canned beans, (including refried beans). The more variety of beans you store, the better as it provides energy and fiber. Beans pack around 1250 calories per pound. Best of all, you can sprout beans -- it as
little as five days you can sprout crunchy, fresh phytonutrients for
your family from dried beans, peas, and lentils. (See the sprouter, immediate right.) Peanuts aren't really nuts (they're
beans, but stock up on those too because they add protein).
#26: Nuts, seeds and nut-butters.
Many preppers stock peanut butter, but sunbutter, made from sunflower seeds, is an excellent item to stock, as is almond butter.
While it's true that nuts can go rancid quickly, nuts are an excellent source of energy, so stock up on them in your Prepper's pantry (provided there are no allergies in your family)! Just be
sure to rotate often if you stock any of the following:
Raw almonds, walnuts and cashews are excellent choices, pistachio's too.
Mixed roasted nuts will also provide varieties, such as hazelnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts. Think sunflower seeds and alfalfa seeds too! Try trail mixes and nut bars.
Nuts are obviously allergens, so avoid giving them to children under 5. Think also canned chestnuts, which are a great source of fiber and found in the Asian section of your supermarket. (They're also an excellent source of potassium, magnesium, iron and
vitamin C.) The healthiest nuts and seeds are in bags, rather than oil filled cans and jars.
Yes, you already knew to stock peanut butter, but did you know that peanut butter is really a bean butter? Look for peanut butters that are simply peanuts, oil and salt (yes, the kind with
oils at the top, which are the natural peanut butters). Skip the peanut butters that have sugars in them or worse yet, those with hydrogenated oils in them. Know that "trans fat free" doesn't
mean that they are free from trans fats, it could mean that there is less than.05 grams of trans fat per serving.
#27: Honey.
Even if you don't use honey, buy some honey, honey! Not only will honey last forever, but you'll use honey in survival times to flavor boring oatmeals and other breakfast grains, as well as
teas. Honey eases sore throats, and more importantly, if you don't have any topical antibiotics, you can use honey as a paste to put on wounds. There are medicinal and other reasons to stock
honey in your preps: here are nine reasons to stock honey, honey! When you learn how to bake breads, you'll realize that many recipes call for honey. So, honey, what are you waiting for?
#28: Iodized salt (and other salts).
There are many reasons to stockpile salt. Look to history and you'll find salt was an important commodity. Salt can kill bacteria! Salt contains chloride and sodium ions, and all living things need these components in small quantities. Not all salt is the same! Humans need iodized salt to avoid thyroid gland
problems and goiter and to help regulate fluid balance in the body.
We also need salt to preserve food. How does salt help preserve food? Salt inhibits growth of germs in a process of osmosis where the salt pushes water out of the microbial cells. Best of all, salt lasts for ever. You can salt everything from salad greens the way
the Roman's did to curing meats and preserving other kinds food. Indeed, salt is very useful to Preppers.
Stock up also on these special salts:
Canning salt and pickling salt: Iodized salt is NOT for canning and pickling, so you'll need canning and pickling salt. Canning and pickling salts are a pure granulated salt, with no added preservatives or free-flowing agents.
Pink Himalayan salt. Himalayan sea salt contains important minerals for health! Rich in trace minerals, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and iron.
Epsom salt. You may not know that Epsom salt has many health benefits for the skin and can cleanse the colon. It also has a nutritive value.
#29: Sugars and Molasses.
You'll need cane sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar for your baking needs. We also suggest buying sugar in the raw. Skip the beet sugar and go for the cane, baby! Skip also the sugars that you can buy in boxes and paper bags unless you buy them in bulk
and get them into mylar containers and 5 gallon buckets. Buy your sugars wrapped in plastic, because this helps protect it from insects. As a second step you can buy sugars in cans or
place your own sugar purchase into mylar bags and sealed food-grade plastic buckets sealed with a gamma lid. Look also for sugar in the raw packets.
Learn more about sugar and what kind of sugars to stockpile.
#30: Spices and herbs.
Survival spices to consider might include saffron will sure make
that boring old rice more tasty, and chili peppers to add flavor toall those beans you're storing. Buy more of the spices already in your cupboard. Some good basics include dill, red pepper, cumin,
rosemary, oregano, dried mustard, and ginger in addition to the saffron and chili. Skip the strong spices curry! While it tastes wonderful, they may also attract human predators. If you're stocking beans make sure to get pinto bean seasoning, right, to enhance the flavor of your preps.
#31: Condiments.
Your favorite condiments will go a long way towards making foods taste better in uncertain times. Here's a list of some of our favorites:
Pickle relish, mustard and mayo. Buy pickle relish and small cans of mayonnaise for your tuna salad on crackers (because once you open the mayo, it will quickly go bad). If possible look for a mayo that's not made with from deadly soybeans (90% of which are GMO). A variety of mustards can also help spice up your foods. Buy ketchup without deadly high-fructose corn syrup, and keep it in a brown paper bag and store in a dark place so that it will preserve as long as possible.
Tabasco sauce. Tabasco sauce, too can help add flavor to otherwise bland foods.
Soy Sauce. Look for non-GMO soy sauce for all that rice you're amassing.
Worcestershire sauce. Worcestershire sauce will enhance your stews and soups and to help you make gravies.
#32: Chocolates.
Chocolate syrups and cocoa powders will serve you well in your food storage. Store a little chocolate, but not too much. Chocolate chips store relatively well (for about a year.) Remember also, baking chocolate! Not only does chocolate pack loads of antioxidants, but it's a morale booster that could prove essential. What's more the fiber will fill you up.
Pack high quality dark chocolate, like Dove bars, in your Prepper's Pantry. If you look closely at the ingredients, of other chocolates, like Hershey's Kisses, you'll find an unwanted ingredient:
hydrogenated oils. Those do not belong in your chocolate, even during survival times! Besides, chocolate has been known to boost heart health.
Good news about chocolate! Chocolate may help fight urinary tract infections. So be sure to keep chocolate chips
to your food storage! Add chocolate chips to pancakes, muffins, breads, and more to delight kids and help keep the
normalcy as best you can in a disaster situation. Read about morale boosting foods.
#33: Vitamins.
Keeping at peek vitality is crucial during episodes of stress. While multi-vitamins are a great idea, be sure to pack a Calcium with Vitamin D fortified vitamin, as this combination may help your body fight infections. Also, look for magnesium; As an essential stress supplement, magnesium prevents the damage caused by excess adrenaline. Vitamins and pills do not help a
prepper pull weight, but vitamins do help the body use food. Only after eating actual food can a prepper pull more weight or work harder. So in short, the answer is not pills, but good food in plenty of variety is the key! The best option is to have the vitamins in the food. For kids, stock Calcium gummy Bears, right, to help fight infections and stay healthy.
#34: Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar.
Stock a couple of bottles of vinegar, specifically apple cider vinegar. Braggs organic apple cider vinegar, pictured left, is so useful you'll want one for your pantry and one for your medicine
cabinet*.
Why add apple cider vinegar to your pantry? All you need is apple cider vinegar, oil and salt an pepper to
make a simple salad dressings and marinades. You can add apple
cider vinegar to your morning smoothie for a healthful boost. While Apple Cider Vinegar is the king of vinegars, Stock vinegars (balsamic, cider and rice wine).
Why use apple cider vinegar in prepping? Apple cider vinegar has a multitude of healthful benefits, but
there are plenty of other reasons to stock it with your prepping
supplies.
*NOTE: Store open bottles in the refrigerator.
#35: Vodka.
Vodka is on the prepper list of morale boosting foods. Why? You can cook with vodka, drink it or barter it. What's more, vodka has a some medicinal value. Use vodka as a mouthwash or help numb the pain of a tooth ache. Apply vodka dabs to cold sores to dry
them out, as an anesthetic for blisters, or to ease poison ivy and as a skin repellent to shoo flies and mosquitoes. Have stinky feet? Wipe the smell clean with vodka. Try vodka too for cleaning
the lenses of eyeglasses. Who knew vodka would be such a versatile pantry item?
#36: Bourbon Vanilla extract.
Vanilla extract is a common ingredient in baking, some might even say it's the most important of flavors. Whether from Tahiti or Madagascar, it's the bourbon part that's most important thing to look for in the flavor. Bourbon vanilla extract lasts indefinitely thanks to the alcohol content.
#37: Leavening Agents: Baking soda and baking powder, dry yeast. Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which means they produce carbon dioxide to help food rise.
Baking soda. Pure sodium bicarbonate, when you combine
baking soda with honey or an acidic ingredient like buttermilk or yogurt, you'll get a chemical reaction of carbon dioxide bubbles. This causes baked goods to rise. Look for aluminum free baking soda (a good choice is Bob's Red Mill, which is extracted in an all natural process without chemicals. Baking soda can last two years. Learn why you should store baking soda in your preps.
Baking powder. Baking powder has sodium bicarbonate as an ingredient, along with an acidifying agent (cream of tartar for example) and drying agent (such as starch). Baking powder lasts around a year and half.
Dry yeast. Unfortunately, yeast has a very short shelf life, but it's still well worth having on hand. Dry yeast is an essential leavening agent in baking bread, and has a longer shelf life than compressed yeast, but still after several months it loses potency. It's purpose is to convert the fermentable sugars of dough into carbon dioxide and ethanol. Look for Fleishmann's Active Dry Yeast, which is the original active dry yeast, relatively stable and valued for its consistent performance since 1945. It's one of the most essential ingredients to use in your pantry immediately following a survival situation.
So there you have it: the 37 essential food items to stock. Now you are that much more prepared. At HappyPreppers.com we believe the happiest people on the planet will be the ones who've prepared when the unthinkable occurs.
What's the best way to stock up on food? Bring this list of food supplies with you shopping! Your list of foods may vary slightly, but if you have our basic list handy, it's a good starting point as a prepper. Always buy what your family eats and enjoys.
A Word on Junk Food...
Finally, know that it's okay to stock up on a little junk food. Did you know that Cheetos and Pringles can get a fire going? The content of much of the processed foods you buy has the perfect combination of air and fats to make fire. Who knew that your
everyday food storage of junk foods would come in so handy in a disaster?
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