If you’re stocking up food for a survival situation, you hopefully have a good variety of foodstuffs on hand and make sure to rotate through your stocks. But if your main focus is on making sure you have plenty of entrees, you may forget some of the other staples that you need. Here are eight of them that no prepper should be without.
1. Salt
A little bit of salt is necessary in your diet, as well as to keep your food from tasting bland. But the primary benefit of salt is its ability to preserve and cure meats. So make sure that your survival larder is well stocked with plenty of salt.
2. Sugar
Sugar also plays a role in curing, just like salt does. That’s why you’ll see both salt and sugar listed as ingredients on cured meats such as bacon. It also can provide you with some quick energy when you really need it. Just make sure to keep it dry and it can keep almost indefinitely.
3. Honey
While you may think that honey performs the same function as sugar, that’s true only to a certain extent. Honey has long been considered a whole food in and of itself. Remember the passages in the Bible in which John the Baptist was said to have eaten locusts and honey? Honey also has other beneficial properties, being able to be used as a topical treatment for cuts, scrapes, and minor wounds. Thanks to its low moisture content, honey also can keep almost indefinitely.
4. Coconut Oil
One of the most important macronutrients you’ll have to have in your diet in a survival situation is fat. Insufficient fat in the diet can quickly lead to starvation and death, what in the old days was known as rabbit starvation. That’s why it’s important to have a good source of fat in your diet, and coconut oil can provide that. Not only is it healthy, it is extremely shelf stable and can last for years without going rancid.
5. Protein Powder
Getting enough protein is another issue in a survival scenario. Many packaged survival foods get their calories from high carbohydrate content, packing in lost of rice or noodles. But without protein to rebuild muscles, your body may start losing muscle mass, decreasing your ability to engage in strenuous activity.
Protein powder can be a good solution to add extra protein to your meals. Since it comes in both flavored and unflavored varieties, you can add unflavored protein powder to meals or mix flavored protein powder with clean water for a protein-packed beverage. Most protein powders have a shelf life of at least several years, allowing you to keep plenty on hand for when you need it.
6. Flour
Many people may try to eschew flour when times are good, but in a survival scenario flour can be a godsend, allowing you to make bread, tortillas, noodles, or a whole host of other foods. It’s up to you what type of flour you want to store, and it doesn’t have to be just bleached white wheat flour. Corn flour, corn meal, nut flours, or flours made from barley, spelt, and other traditional grains can be stored too.
The most important thing to remember here is that shelf life is paramount. You’ll want to store flours that will last the longest without going rancid, and make sure that they don’t get oxidized from exposure to oxygen.
7. Rice
Rice is another food staple that will store for a long time, and it can be eaten with just about any other food. As with any other dry good, try to minimize exposure to oxygen and make sure that your stores aren’t harboring any insect larvae or other pests.
8. Beans
Beans and rice together can make a complete protein source. And beans come in all different shapes and sizes, allowing you to add a bit of variety to your diet.
