Our General Store….Food Storage 101 Lesson 4… Food Groups
There are huge snow storms today and more, much more , is expected this week. Are you and your family and friends prepared if you become stranded? Do you and they, all have kits in their cars, How about blankets? Do they all have a copy of Totally Ready for the Road? I know that may be a shameless pitch but I have heard back for some who have already had occasion to use the book and others have been very excited to know their family is prepared just in case. Before you head over the river and through the woods this holiday please consider adding the book to your glove box and by all means put together a car kit.
I know the Christmas and New Years are just around the corner and we are all getting very busy with holiday preparations but please don’t forget about your food storage and please, please consider a preparedness gift for everyone on your list.
This weekend I went to the grocery store and as you know by now, I only purchase things when they go on sale to replace items in my General Store. I have known prices were on the rise but I was shocked, really shocked to realize just how much. A can of evaporated milk which was $1.59 last year was $3.29! Now this is not a big item in my storage but, yikes! Sugar is going up at a very rapid rate 30% so far this year. I don’t normally purchase candy bars but I do for stocking stuffers. Oh my goodness! They have more than doubled in price this last year. Not only has the price gone up but the size is smaller. I warned you months ago that sizes were changing which is why you may not have realized prices were rising. We talked about peanut butter and mayo and ice cream at the time but cereal and canned items have joined the group to watch. A can of fruit and veggies which used to be 15 1/2 oz. is now 14 oz. Cereal boxes are the same size but they have also had the contents reduced.
In Food Storage 101 Lesson One I asked you to keep track of the money you are spending and to examine which items you can eliminate. In the December Newsletter I gave you recipes for freezer meals so you won’t have to resort to eating out when the holiday preps get overwhelming. In the newsletter there are also suggestions for holiday preparedness gifts that are inexpensive or free, thus saving money in the budget which can be used for food storage and other preparations. Please, take advantage of items that are on sale in the grocery store now and stock up. All month we have added items to our General Stores that were on sale that week. We will do that again today but if you can add other sale items please do that as well. Having done lots of research on food prices I do not see them going down or even leveling off in the new year.
This week add 10 pounds of sugar per family member to your store. You may also want to add brown sugar if you can afford to do that as well. We will be adding brown sugar later but it is on sale right now. For those of you who have your three month supply and are working on non food items I would suggest you add sugar as well. Nothing in the food world is ever written in stone but from what I am hearing sugar will continue to go up in price and it will keep for 20 years so if it doesn’t go up it will not go to waste.
Lesson Four: Exactly why is it so important to have variety in your food storage? Yes, storing grains and powdered milk will be all you need to stay alive but that is not good enough. We want to be able to thrive during a crisis and to have the strength to care for all of our family’s needs. Beside that, all those foods need water to prepare. That may not always be possible. As far as nutrients are concerned, consider the following.
Why Fruits and Vegetables? Colorful fruits and vegetables provide the wide range of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and chemicals your body uses to maintain energy levels, protect against the effects of aging, reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, maintain good vision, build strong bones, keep the heart healthy, maintain a healthy immune system, and improve memory function.
Why Protein? No other nutrient plays as many different roles in keeping you healthy as protein. Protein is important for the growth and repair of your muscles, bones, skin, tendons, ligaments, hair, eyes, metabolism, and digestion.
Protein helps create the antibodies your immune system needs to fight disease. If you are injured or ill, you may need more protein. Often when people are dieting or just in a hurry they will skip protein. If you develop a headache, muscle cramps or shaking you can’t control, you may need to consume protein.
Easy sources of protein include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, and dairy foods. Besides meat, beans, peas and nuts have the most protein, but they are incomplete proteins. To achieve a more complete protein serving, you must combine them with grain, fruits and vegetables.
Why Grains? When we speak of grain we are really talking about carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of fuel and are easily used by the body for energy. Carbohydrates are needed for the central nervous system, kidneys, brain, and muscles to function properly.
The best source of carbohydrates is grains – whole wheat, wheat flour, bulgar, oatmeal, cornmeal, rice (white, brown and wild), buckwheat, popcorn, rye flour, barley, pasta, pretzels, couscous, amaranth, millet, quinoa, sorghum, and triticale. You can also count muffin, corn bread and pancake mixes when calculating your grain requirements for your food storage plan.
For a three-month supply, you should store only the grains you use or are learning to use. If you would like to expand your horizons, purchase a small amount of a new grain, try a few recipes and then purchase more once you know your family will eat it and you can properly prepare it. If you don’t know how to prepare grains such as wheat, ask for cooking lessons for Christmas!
Why Dairy? Diets rich in milk and other dairy products help build and maintain bone mass, reduce the risk of osteoporosis, build teeth, and help maintain a healthy blood pressure.
Evaporated milk contains milk fats which powdered milk does not. Evaporated milk is great to use in ice cream, cream sauces and soups and is also much better for children 3 and under. For every 10 cans of evaporated milk, eliminate 1 pound of powdered milk in your storage plan.
Please send me any questions you may have today as I will be answering questions on my radio show tomorrow night. Please tune and and please call in! The call in number is: 347-326-9604 6:00pm Pacific and 9:00pm Eastern every Tuesday night.
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Thank you for discussing combining food and nutrition in your blog. I like real food!
For more info on combining foods for usable complete proteins I have a book called Diet for a Small Planet (Francis Moore Lappe?) and another is Recipes for a Small Planet a spin off by another author.
They are older books that I found second hand. Their philosophy is not something I take as truth but the recipes and food combining information seems good.
Grain & milk, peanut butter & milk, rice & beans…lots of variations and ideas to get you thinking to get the most nutrition from what you eat by combining foods.