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Survival Food List

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Survival Food and Emergency Preparedness

To make your own preparedness plan, start by compiling a survival food list including the type and quantity of food items to have on hand. Emergency survival food has come a long way since the cold war era. And it's no longer limited to canned goods and military style meals-ready-to-eat (MRE's) either.

Having a plentiful store of food for long-term needs within your home makes you better prepared for: income loss, economic crisis, civil unrest, flu pandemic, hurricane, loss of power, interruption in the food supply, terrorist attack or any other situation in which buying food from usual sources becomes untenable.

Prepare a food storage area in your home, using a large closet or small basement room if available, and begin stocking it today. The area should be clean, dry, free of pests, and cool with low humidity. Sturdy shelving allows you to organize what you have and makes room for more items. Never store foods in a garage or attic, as these area of the home typically see very high temperatures in the summer.

When it comes to survival food, you can't be too prepared. Obtain quality items, such as freeze dried food and dehydrated items, while it's still easy and relatively inexpensive. You never know when your life will depend on this foresight.

Freeze dried, dehydrated, canned and other survival foods

There are a variety of food storage and preservation methods that make good survival food stashes.

One of the best choices for quality, long-lasting, nutritious and palatable survival foods is freeze dried foods, often stored in sealed #10 cans and foil pouches. The foods are lightweight, making them great choices for camping and hiking as well as long-term food storage for survival.

Freeze dried foods make a great base for your home food storage supply. The best place to buy in bulk is through Mountain House Freeze-Dried Food. Their top distributor has an all-encompassing Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak that feeds four adults for three months and comes complete with water storage barrels and purification.

Bulk grains, such as wheat, oats, rice, and corn are an essential element to my home food storage. We rotate the grains and use them in our regular cooking and baking every week. If you decide to add bulk grains to your survival food list, be sure to store them properly in sealed food grade containers, such as plastic buckets with tight-fitting lids and oxygen absorbers.

You'll need a grain mill, which you can buy online. I highly recommend the L'Equip Nutrimill Electric Mill, which I own and use almost daily. It is top quality.

Dehydrated foods, though they have a shorter shelf life than freeze dried, are also a good choices for home food storage. Beef jerky, and dried fruits and vegetables add variety to the diet and can be treats. They are also fairly inexpensive, and should be rotated, used and replaced throughout the year. After all, the goal is to store what you eat and eat what you store.

Canned goods are another good addition, as long as they are rotated and used and replaced throughout the year.

Water is essential and should be top priority on your survival food list. A source of fresh water, such as a well outfitted with a hand pump in case of emergency, is obviously ideal. But for most people, Water Filters, Purifiers and Storage containers will be necessary to ensure clean water in case of a power outage or other long-term emergency.

For those with celiac disease, gluten free freeze dried foods are one of the best ways to prepare for unknown emergencies with foods that will be edible and not cause digestive problems. In addition to freeze dried options, there are many "regular" foods, from rice pasta to steel cut oats to dried fruit, that are without gluten and non-perishable so that they store well.

Since you never know when disaster may strike, building your food storage with a variety of dry goods, freeze dried entrees and other food items is a physical insurance policy against many emergencies and catastrophes.

Storing Survival Foods

Articles and resources

Helpful articles and resources on buying and storing survival food and practicing basic emergency preparedness.

Survival Food List Blog: A blog about creating a survival food list for your stash of long-term food storage and everything your family needs to stay safe and alive in an emergency, with links to the best resources and deals.
Could You Survive Total Economic Collapse?: Is total economic collapse upon us? Is the nest Great Depression already here? many experts believe -- yes. Prepare as quickly as possible to protect your family in the worst case scenario.

Buy Survival food on eBay

Bid on freeze dried food online

eBay is a great place to buy discount survival food online. Once you know the going rate for various survival foods, you can get bargains on auction sites like eBay.