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This is a discussion that I hope will kick start thinking. I'm a bit enthused and I'm hoping for some spirited response that will give me some great ideas and options.
Some folks believe it's wise to 'store only what you eat regularly'.
this actually was put out by some agencies in the past, but they also defined this for the 72 hour plans ONLY...not for long term survivalism.
I'm countering that when this is suggested in long-term food storage plans 'store only what you regularly eat' is not only foolish, and impractical, it's dangerous advice, normally forwarded by people who haven't thought it out fully, or have unique situations where it's good advice only for a few (or are nuts enough they are already living on what the rest of us would consider to be contingency rations.)
An exception would be those who do live in a semi sustainable, self sufficient manner right now who buy little and don't need much and can store the items they don't have...but very few here or anywhere in the US are like that.
Some folks might have farms and sizeable gardens, but for the vast majority of us, you ain't going to be able to stockpile salads and fresh fruit salads. You might be able to freeze some Big Mac's, but it's unlikely anyone has that as a major component of their survival rations.
I frequently eat a varied diet with a lot of fresh fruit, veggies, meat, and dairy. These items compose a good part of my regular diet. These are also items which are likely to become unavailable or sporadically available given many scenarios. When I'm not enjoying sashimi, sushi, and salads, I might be indulging in fast food and regular resturants. McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Panda Express and Applebees aren't likely to be open post mega disaster or total collapse, and neither are Safeway, Albertsons, or Food Giant.
The standard items of shorter term (30 days or less) survivalism larders include much canned food, ramen, some freeze dried camper packages, packaged boxed food, frozen food, and such for most. Right off the bat, while those items might be major components of a person's regular diet, it's not exactly what most of us eat exclusively but some might live on that to a great extent.
The standard items of long-term survivalism larders include bulk wheat and other grains, rice, dried beans, pasta, TVP, freeze dried and dehydrated items in #10 cans or larger pails, supplemented with cans and packaged food. Personally, I don't like TVP, but I know it's food value and I store it. I certainly don't have hot cereal as a major part of my diet now and I'm not overly fond of beans and rice, but I'll stockpile that stuff in depth. I only periodically eat freeze dried foods as well but I've got cases of individual and multi meal packs, and even #10 cans of the stuff.
For exceptionally long term survivalism, from 90 days and further, it narrows for many to the usual long term storage foods, plus sprouting kits, stored seeds, etc. For many and most, it's a combination of practical concerns like long term storage, availability and costs that drive what we buy for very long term storage items.
My point thus far is, it's unlikely that anyone (except for those few who achieved self sufficiency or those already on a peculiar diet) can reasonably say 'store only what you regularly eat' since most of us don't live on those long term items regularly.
The notion is store only what you eat regularly because some find it hard to adapt to a new diet because it's unfamiliar, but that's a 'solution' to what essentially is a non problem or a short term annoyance that is easily overcome naturally as hunger builds.
Well, if they can't adapt and it's an option not to eat the long-storage food and they don't starve to death for refusing available food, you're hardly in a crisis. From what we've seen of famines and shortages people will readily eat unfamiliar and even forbidden foods given enough hunger. Iraqi PW's post Desert Storm greedily devoured the ham and pork patty MRE's. Humanitarian Daily Rations are strange, designed not to offend anyone's diet restrictions and hardly representative of any culture but starving people world wide devour them. When the people shun them, they really don't need them. Watch the survival shows and you'll see how quickly hungry people decide to try something very unfamiliar to destroy those pangs. In fact, with the regular survival staples, a person is much more apt to develop culinary boredom than a resistance to eating them.
Those who don't adapt aren't hungry or are simply too stupid to live. A survivalist is someone who will adapt and overcome if need be.
Excluding the fortunate few who live on their farms right now and have developed some self sufficiency, or those who claim to live in the woods eating off of nature exclusively, and those living in some suburban bunker living on TVP, beans and rice already, if you're one of those who say 'store only what you eat regularly', and you've thought it through, and developed long-term ration planning, please share what you've got for your 90 to 180 day stockpile because I'm not saying that's impossible, I want even more options and you might have come up with some clever and innovative unconventional food storage practices and items.
Again, if you strongly believe in 'store only what you eat regularly' please explain what exactly you store for your 90 to 180 day planning and why you believe that when hungry, you can't adapt to what is available.
Some folks believe it's wise to 'store only what you eat regularly'.
this actually was put out by some agencies in the past, but they also defined this for the 72 hour plans ONLY...not for long term survivalism.
I'm countering that when this is suggested in long-term food storage plans 'store only what you regularly eat' is not only foolish, and impractical, it's dangerous advice, normally forwarded by people who haven't thought it out fully, or have unique situations where it's good advice only for a few (or are nuts enough they are already living on what the rest of us would consider to be contingency rations.)
An exception would be those who do live in a semi sustainable, self sufficient manner right now who buy little and don't need much and can store the items they don't have...but very few here or anywhere in the US are like that.
Some folks might have farms and sizeable gardens, but for the vast majority of us, you ain't going to be able to stockpile salads and fresh fruit salads. You might be able to freeze some Big Mac's, but it's unlikely anyone has that as a major component of their survival rations.
I frequently eat a varied diet with a lot of fresh fruit, veggies, meat, and dairy. These items compose a good part of my regular diet. These are also items which are likely to become unavailable or sporadically available given many scenarios. When I'm not enjoying sashimi, sushi, and salads, I might be indulging in fast food and regular resturants. McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Panda Express and Applebees aren't likely to be open post mega disaster or total collapse, and neither are Safeway, Albertsons, or Food Giant.
The standard items of shorter term (30 days or less) survivalism larders include much canned food, ramen, some freeze dried camper packages, packaged boxed food, frozen food, and such for most. Right off the bat, while those items might be major components of a person's regular diet, it's not exactly what most of us eat exclusively but some might live on that to a great extent.
The standard items of long-term survivalism larders include bulk wheat and other grains, rice, dried beans, pasta, TVP, freeze dried and dehydrated items in #10 cans or larger pails, supplemented with cans and packaged food. Personally, I don't like TVP, but I know it's food value and I store it. I certainly don't have hot cereal as a major part of my diet now and I'm not overly fond of beans and rice, but I'll stockpile that stuff in depth. I only periodically eat freeze dried foods as well but I've got cases of individual and multi meal packs, and even #10 cans of the stuff.
For exceptionally long term survivalism, from 90 days and further, it narrows for many to the usual long term storage foods, plus sprouting kits, stored seeds, etc. For many and most, it's a combination of practical concerns like long term storage, availability and costs that drive what we buy for very long term storage items.
My point thus far is, it's unlikely that anyone (except for those few who achieved self sufficiency or those already on a peculiar diet) can reasonably say 'store only what you regularly eat' since most of us don't live on those long term items regularly.
The notion is store only what you eat regularly because some find it hard to adapt to a new diet because it's unfamiliar, but that's a 'solution' to what essentially is a non problem or a short term annoyance that is easily overcome naturally as hunger builds.
Well, if they can't adapt and it's an option not to eat the long-storage food and they don't starve to death for refusing available food, you're hardly in a crisis. From what we've seen of famines and shortages people will readily eat unfamiliar and even forbidden foods given enough hunger. Iraqi PW's post Desert Storm greedily devoured the ham and pork patty MRE's. Humanitarian Daily Rations are strange, designed not to offend anyone's diet restrictions and hardly representative of any culture but starving people world wide devour them. When the people shun them, they really don't need them. Watch the survival shows and you'll see how quickly hungry people decide to try something very unfamiliar to destroy those pangs. In fact, with the regular survival staples, a person is much more apt to develop culinary boredom than a resistance to eating them.
Those who don't adapt aren't hungry or are simply too stupid to live. A survivalist is someone who will adapt and overcome if need be.
Excluding the fortunate few who live on their farms right now and have developed some self sufficiency, or those who claim to live in the woods eating off of nature exclusively, and those living in some suburban bunker living on TVP, beans and rice already, if you're one of those who say 'store only what you eat regularly', and you've thought it through, and developed long-term ration planning, please share what you've got for your 90 to 180 day stockpile because I'm not saying that's impossible, I want even more options and you might have come up with some clever and innovative unconventional food storage practices and items.
Again, if you strongly believe in 'store only what you eat regularly' please explain what exactly you store for your 90 to 180 day planning and why you believe that when hungry, you can't adapt to what is available.