You don’t need to rely on canned tuna and crackers to get through any disruption in food supplies, and there are many affordable and tasty alternatives to consider.  However, it is essential that you take time to plan in order to maximize your options.  Theoretically, you can store anything from pasta to your favorite fruits for months, if not years, if they are properly packaged. Eat Tomorrow Foods uses re-sealable Mylar pouches so you can maximize you cooking and restore of your food.

The first step is to come up with a plan.  I know this sounds really simple and straightforward, but each individual and family has their own particular needs and requirements.  It is important that you sit down and think about what foods people enjoy, how much is consumed in any given week along with any dietary restrictions need to be taken into account.  Planning will help you to see the big picture and develop a sense of items that need to be on hand if store shelves go bare for a prolonged period of time. A lot of your planning can be laid out for you with a professional from SurvivalPlan.com at no cost to you.

Energy and nutrition are essential during a food crisis, and unfortunately our dietary habits don’t always align with what is best for the body.  Consider stocking up on healthy foods that will provide long lasting energy along with giving the body important vitamins and minerals.  This doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice on things that you enjoy, but you should have a good supply of foundational staples on hand just in case you find yourself without refrigeration, power or abundant heat for cooking.

You should also focus on stocking foods that will last a long time (20 years plus is best) in storage if you are faced with a crisis that lasts longer than just a few days.  The good news is that things like rice, beans, pastas, oats and wheat products can last for years if they are properly stored.  Most canned products have a medium shelf-life as well.  You can begin a stockpile of common staples simply by purchasing extra items whenever you go grocery shopping.

The ideal emergency food stockpile should include items that do not require refrigeration or extensive cooking.  Imagine not having a refrigerator or oven, and think about items that you can store and eat without relying on these basic amenities.  The trick is to ensure that you have access to a range of foods that you can still consume in a worst case scenario. Review the Eat Tomorrow line of foods, they provide you with all of these options.

You should also think about portability and what you will do if you need to bug-out to get to safety.  Even the most established stockpile is useless if you won’t be there to access what’s on hand.  Consider items that you can take with you in order to sustain yourself for a couple of days until you can get re-established.

These are just a few ideas that are intended to get you to start thinking about different contingencies that may influence your food requirements.  However, getting started is as easy as making sure that your cabinets and pantries are full at all times.  You may also want to consider investing in some pre-packaged items from Eat Tomorrow Foods that are specifically designed for emergencies.  A good kit will contain delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare meals that are optimized to meet daily nutrient and caloric requirements. Eat Tomorrow has 24,48, and 72 hour Emergency food kits as well as long term Emergency Food Solutions.

Just remember that you don’t need to make the act of creating an emergency food storage system a complex process.  Start with the basics and explore a range of possibilities as time progresses.  The most important thing is to have something on hand at all times, and now is the time to get busy and start acquiring some basic essentials.