Survival Diet For Pennies

Having enough food to survive any disaster situation is much easier than many would have you believe. Most notably the people that run websites and advertise on the radio selling survivalist packages which contain pre-packaged food. They charge hundreds or thousands of dollars for these packages and it's simply not needed if we are in fact talking about "surviving".

Being involved in powerlifting for many years I've built up an extensive list of items that are useful to me for various reasons; gaining weight usually. It's easy to pick out a few that would be most convenient and most valuable to me in an emergency.

Firstly, to survive, one only needs ~500 calories; assuming you're waiting for the crisis to be over and not hunting for food or otherwise being active. If you do need to be mobile and ready to act for whatever reason, the general rule is ~1350 calories for a grown man and ~1000 for a woman.

You don't need anything fancy and you don't even need to be all that nutritious either as a bare minimum. Even for extended periods the human body is quite amazing at utilizing what little value food contains.

Meal 1 -
[1 Cup] Rice - 250 Cal / 45g Carbs / 5g Pro / 2g Fat
[2 Tablespoons] Peanut Butter - 200 Cal / 16g Fat / 8g Pro
[35g Serving] - Protein Isolate Powder 31g Pro / 130 Cal

580 Calories / 45g Carbs / 44g Protein / 18g Fat

Meal 2 -
[1 Cup] Rice - 250 Cal / 45g Carbs / 5g Pro / 2g Fat
[2 Tablespoon] Flaxseed Oil - 240 Cal / 28g Fat / 4g Saturated Fats
[35g Serving] - Protein Isolate Powder 31g Pro / 130 Cal

620 Calories / 45g Carbs / 36g Protein / 34g Fat

Total: 1200 Calories / 90g Protein / 80g Carbs / 52g Fat


Two tablespoons of PB contains about 8 grams of protein/200 calories, the same protein as 1oz of turkey. Keeping some nuts somewhere where they will stay fresh is a good idea too, my personal favorite are pecans because they are so loaded with good stuff (maybe not if you're trying to lose weight lol). [1 Cup] Pecans - 850 Cals / 85g Fat / 16g Carbs / 12g Pro. You could eat just 1 cup of pecans and live to see another day with no trouble if need be

Another great idea is keeping some high grade whey isolate protein powder on hand. My personal choice is Bio-X Xtreme Power Whey Isolate. This brand is exceptionally easy to mix so you don't need to worry about a blender when there's no power. There's 65 servings in a 5lb bucket, that's a 1 month supply of protein for your survival diet, plus it (almost) never goes bad.

Flaxseed oil is a cheap, quick and easy way to get yourself some high quality fats that your body needs. Usually you get them from a variety of foods but in a situation where practicality takes priority over taste and preference, nothing is more concentrated. A few tablespoons in your protein drink and you can't even taste it. Flax is also good for cleaning out the ol bowels and when you're running from a legion of undead zombies the last thing you want to worry about is crapping your pants with 3 weeks worth of backed up food... Well I'd be concerned about it

Nothing I can think of is a cheaper source of complex carbs than rice (brown = best), as long as it's not highly processed and refined. The secret is to not overcook it or you will remove all the nutrients. In a survival situation, even leaving it on the hard side when cooking is best to retain as much as possible. Pick up a massive 50kg bag from Costco or Sams for nothin.

Finally, since fruits and veggies are impractical unless you grow your own, you will need a good multivitamin to stay healthy since the foods I listed are pretty weak in that respect; you would likely get scurvy quite quickly (YAR!). Also pickup some stand alone Vit C chewables, there's not enough in the multi's to protect from scurvy when you have no other natural Vit C source. You can buy tubs of 1000+ for like 10 dollars at Costco.

Well there you have it. All that is needed to prepare any of this is a pot for the rice, doesn't get any simpler or cheaper folks. Plus, now you don't have to kill and eat your neighbor; tell him he owes me one

Dont overlook the all-mighty lentil. Plenty of proteins and B1 to boot. Mix lentils with rice and you have a "complete protein" meal containing all the essential amino acids you need.

Lentils FTW!

Plus, now you don't have to kill and eat your neighbor; tell him he owes me one

I just told my neighbor I would not have to eat him this winter. He gave me a puzzled look while I walked back to my house.

Do you know about what to do for viral outbreaks? Does duck tape and plastic cover it? Or will we suffocate?

Definitely put some tuna fish on the list. More protein, ounce for ounce, than just about anything. I'd put some of the oiled kind on my survival list, maybe also sardines with the bones still in them.

That was very neighborly of you '___'eed. Your neighbor doesn't even know how close it may have been.

This is a great post. My husband is an RN and when he gets home tonight I will ask him about viral outbreaks and get back to you. It's great having him as a resource, quicker than looking it up.

Do you know about what to do for viral outbreaks? Does duck tape and plastic cover it? Or will we suffocate?

It depends on the virus. Most viruses aren't really deadly if treated, but the key is, can you treat them?

There's no "viricide" like there is antibiotics, though if you can get some high-quality colloidial silver that will help.

Look up my "Herbal Medicine for Sit X" thread in this same forum, I listed a lot of plants native to North America that can be used to treat a variety of illlnesses.

Originally posted by asmeone2
Definitely put some tuna fish on the list. More protein, ounce for ounce, than just about anything. I'd put some of the oiled kind on my survival list, maybe also sardines with the bones still in them.

Actually you might not want to do that! Sorry bro no offense
Canned tuna, although you're correct about it's nutrition, shouldn't be eaten excessively like in a survival situation as it contains a significant concentration of mercury that has a cumulative effect.

I think the last thing you want to do in a crisis would be to over complicate your situation. This way you only have four or five different items of food in large quantity which are easy to store, prepare and keep track of with absolute precision. You aren't second guessing how much food you have left and it also makes it cheaper if you can buy some of it wholesale.

When I get through some work I'll take a look through my notebook, I know I've got tons of other good ones.

Feel free to add more examples of minimalist meal plans!

[edit on 22-9-2008 by ANoNyMiKE]

Starred and flagged... awesome post. I don't like to live in fear, but I guess it only makes sense to be prepared... considering the way things are heading.

What do you suggest for water filtration/ storage?

What's your take on those Ramen noodles you can get for like 10 cents? You know, just for a little variety .

Thanks again.

Another thing to consider is how long will some of these foods last? Some of the ones listed I know would be good for years, but others I'm not so sure about. It might be a good idea to stock up on stuff that you actually eat, too. For example, suppose you eat rice a lot, always keep a few bags around and eat the oldest stuff first, so you never have rice that's more than a few months old.

As for eating my neighbour, he's a professional hunter/guide, and has lots of guns, so he could bring down some game in a sit-x, so I'm going to stay on his good side and hope he feels like sharing :p

Originally posted by '___'eed
Do you know about what to do for viral outbreaks? Does duck tape and plastic cover it? Or will we suffocate?

Well it is not likely a virus will float down the street and seep into your home. They maybe airborne but that is when you are in CLOSE proximity to those that are coughing, sneezing etc... Or they may be passed by touch (touching an object and then touching your face).

Avoiding crowds and wearing a face mask would help with airborne varieties. A mask would also help with the ones spread by contact (think of how often you touch a doornob or other surface and then touch your face). Using hand sanitizer to minimize contact when in public would help. In the case of parvovirus (frequently strikes puppies, and land that is infected by parvo remains contagious for years) good breeders use bleach, and make sure EVERYONE who enters the house removes their shoes or bleaches the bottom of them.

I don't think duct tape would make much difference (unless you have people lying around right outside your door). Sealing windows/doors with duct tape is usually for chemical weapons (or biological weapons, different story).

Originally posted by DragonsDemesne
Another thing to consider is how long will some of these foods last? Some of the ones listed I know would be good for years, but others I'm not so sure about. It might be a good idea to stock up on stuff that you actually eat, too. For example, suppose you eat rice a lot, always keep a few bags around and eat the oldest stuff first, so you never have rice that's more than a few months old.

As for eating my neighbour, he's a professional hunter/guide, and has lots of guns, so he could bring down some game in a sit-x, so I'm going to stay on his good side and hope he feels like sharing :p

The things I listed should last for years if they're stored in a cool/dry place and you haven't opened them.

Rice
Peanut Butter
Protein Isolate Powder
Flaxseed Oil

A big container of peanut butter should last a very long time sealed and even when you open it. The brand name stuff is full of preservatives, but I wouldn't recommend getting bulk/fresh PB, that stuff will go bad.

Rice lasts years as long as it's cool and dry and sealed. I would recommend putting it inside of a big plastic bucket however, so that bugs don't get into it like they sometimes do.

Flax oil will last forever sealed and so will protein powder.

Also, one way of adding additional calories to your PB is to add a heaping amount of brown sugar to it. I eat peanut butter and brown sugar with a spoon all the time to bulk up. Mix them up well and its like pudding, it tastes a lot better than it sounds lol. If you put one of those special rocks in with the brown sugar it'll keep it from going hard on you.


[edit on 25-9-2008 by ANoNyMiKE]

reply to post by ANoNyMiKE


Cool, thanks. I figured rice would be good for a long time if properly stored, but I wasn't sure about that other stuff. PB certainly will last for months even opened, since we always have a jar of the stuff around, and we don't eat it that fast.

For storage purposes I'm thinking you'd probably need to go with grains or canned stuff. I'm assuming in Sit-X that you aren't going to have refrigeration due to a lack of electricity. Seeds of stuff you can grow are probably a good idea, too, if you're looking at really long term, and think you'll be able to stay at one location long enough to reap the harvest. (They'll take next to no space anyway, so might as well keep some around) Some seeds can last far longer than you'll ever need; I remember one case where some seeds were found in an Egyptian burial chamber, and they still grew when planted.

reply to post by DragonsDemesne


I read something today that said Brown Rice has some kind of oily layer in the bran that can turn rancid.

Anybody know if this is true and what can be done to prevent it?

Actually you might not want to do that! Sorry bro no offense

Canned tuna, although you're correct about it's nutrition, shouldn't be eaten excessively like in a survival situation as it contains a significant concentration of mercury that has a cumulative effect.

Eating any one thing is going to be a problem, and really, at this point every darned thing you eat is contaminated in some way. But I stand by the tuna as I think it is one of the quickest "pick-me-up" foods out there.

And tasty.

[edit on 27-9-2008 by asmeone2]

Well it is not likely a virus will float down the street and seep into your home. They maybe airborne but that is when you are in CLOSE proximity to those that are coughing, sneezing etc... Or they may be passed by touch (touching an object and then touching your face).

Except if they have a mosquito/flea/rodent/bird vector....

This thread is interesting reading.

I read that RMs in Afghanistan make a honey and biscuit mash as a quick breakfast. This literally just involves crushing up a few digestives into a container and mixing in honey till it turns to mush. You can use jam aswell.

Ive had it myself a couple of times instead of cereal in the mornings, its nice, it fills you up and keeps you going ok. Is this nutritionaly good survival grub? Honey never goes off aswell so would be good for long term storage no?

Originally posted by emsed1
reply to post by DragonsDemesne

 

I read something today that said Brown Rice has some kind of oily layer in the bran that can turn rancid.

Anybody know if this is true and what can be done to prevent it?

Hmm, I think you're right, I actually didn't know brown rice had a different storage time. It's never lasted nearly that long in my house to get to the point where it would be tested

"Brown rice can remain in storage for 6 months[citation needed] under normal conditions, but hermetic storage and freezing can significantly extend its lifetime. Freezing, even periodically, can also help control infestations of Indian meal moths." en.wikipedia.org...

Is this food supply from Costco any good?

Originally posted by Amelie
Is this food supply from Costco any good?

I took a look at the company website and for whatever reason they don't list the nutritional contents of any of their products. You would think this would be important to the development of a product like this unless they just threw a bunch of vegetables in a bucket and called up Costco to pen a deal

Seriously though I don't know... It's cheap and it lasts 20 years. Even if it's only decent it might be a good idea to grab one just based on it being easy to move since it's a bucket. If you had to leave your home in a hurry, this would be something good to reach for as you go out the door.

reply to post by Amelie


I ordered a bucket of this from eBay. I believe it is made by Mormons in Orem, Utah. The LDS church seems to have a LOT of survival information available and they seem to be making preparations to hole up if needed.

I expect this will be just some bags of bland oatmeally goo, but it ran me about $80 on eBay and even though it says '3 months' it has been criticized for not really providing enough calories.

Here is the manufacturers website, which lists the ingredients:

www.foodforhealthint.com...