There is a lot of good food out there. Yes, you can take some with you to survive. Keep reading this to learn how to make good tasting survival food!
Are you trying to build a stockpile of survival food? You probably want to make sure you have plenty of food to eat in case of an emergency that would prevent you from getting more food from the grocery store.
How to Make Good Tasting Survival Food
If you’re fully prepared with a pantry full of items that don’t expire quickly, you won’t have to worry about you or your loved ones starving for food at any point. Before you start prepping any food, follow these tips to learn how to make good tasting survival food that your family can eat and enjoy.
1. Choose the Right Ingredients
The first thing you’ll need to do to make good-tasting survival food is to choose the right ingredients to use. Don’t use bland ingredients that aren’t going to give your food a great taste. If the food doesn’t taste good, you’re not going to enjoy it, even if you need to eat it to survive. The least you can do is make food that will taste good to you and your loved ones during difficult times.
So, which ingredients are the right ones to use? With plenty of ingredients to use to make meals, you might not know which ones are best to buy and use. Consider these important things when buying the ingredients for your survival food:
Can you enjoy them at any temperature? Choose ingredients that will taste good at any temperature, whether hot, cold, or room temperature.
Do you have to cook them? It’s better to choose ingredients that you don’t necessarily need to cook. While these ingredients may taste better when cooked, it’s not about preference during difficult times. As long as the ingredients will still taste good, that’s all that matters.
Will the ingredients last long? Always choose ingredients with an extended shelf life. Don’t choose anything that can spoil quickly. If it can spoil too soon, it’s not good to use for survival food because you might need it weeks, months, or even years later.
You can choose the ingredients after asking yourself these critical questions. Choosing long-lasting ingredients that taste good is more important than anything else.
2. Add Some Variety to Your Survival Food
Always add some variety to what you’re going to prepare and store as survival food. Even in an emergency, you won’t want to eat the same thing all the time. It gets boring and bland. Try to mix things up by using various ingredients to prepare different meals that you and your family can consume throughout the day.
Change things up from time to time
If you’re switching it up with multiple ingredients and different meals made using those ingredients, you won’t get tired of what you’re eating. It’s also good to have a variety for your loved ones. Not everyone has the same taste buds. You want to make sure you have a variety to satisfy each person’s preferences in your household.
3. Seasoning Can Make a Big Difference
Unseasoned foods are bland and boring. You’ll get tired of them fast. If you don’t want to eat unseasoned chicken and other meats all the time during an emergency, use seasonings because they can make such a massive difference.
Seasoning food will make it more enjoyable
The seasonings that you decide to use will depend on your preferences. However, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, lemon pepper, and garlic salt are a few of the seasonings that will give your food more flavor. Look up recipes for different meals that you can prepare, season, and store to eat during emergencies.
4. Store the Survival Food Properly
If you don’t intend to eat everything you’re making at once, you need to know how to store the food you’re preparing correctly. Sealing and storing food correctly is a must. If it doesn’t get done correctly, dust, dirt, and germs can get into the containers full of food and cause them to spoil, making them unusable. You don’t want to waste your time prepping only to realize that you can’t eat anything you made because it’s gone bad.
Know how to store your food properly
Use different methods to store and save your survival food. Canning is just one method that most people use. You can follow the simple canning process to begin preserving different foods, including meats, fruits, and vegetables, that will come in handy in an emergency. Once you’ve sealed those foods in their jars with airtight lids, you can place them on shelves or in the pantry and save them until you’re ready to use them.
5. Utilize Some Store Bought Items
While making food from scratch is always a good idea, you don’t need to make everything from scratch. You can still head over to the store and buy different items that will get put to good use in an emergency. You might want to buy canned goods from the grocery store instead of canning vegetables, fruits, and meats. It’s even better to find these items at discounted rates when the stores offer special deals and discounts.
Stock up on canned goods
So, if you see a sale, it won’t hurt to stock up on those canned goods. You can get the canned goods and put them on shelving units in your basement to save them. Canned goods tend to have such a long shelf life, making them worth every penny spent on them. Of course, you can still complete the canning process for anything that you’d prefer to make from scratch. Buying canned goods is a simple way to make things even easier for you.
Purchase bags of candy
One thing you can buy at the store that not a lot of people think of is bagged candy. Those bags of candy will last a long time, even beyond their expiration date.
Make Survival Food That Tastes Great
If you want to prepare for an emergency by having plenty of survival food available for each person in your household, follow these simple yet practical tips. While you want to have an impressive inventory of food to eat in an emergency, you’re also going to want to make sure that food tastes good.
If it’s practically inedible, it’ll be hard for you and your loved ones to eat the food, even if it’s all you have available. Now that you know what steps you’ll need to take to make good tasting survival food, what do you plan on doing first?
What good-tasting survival food would you add to this list? Learning how to make good food, no matter what, it is a great life skill to have. These tips should help get you on the right path!
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Survival Prepping on a Budget? Preparation is always the key to surviving whatever life throws at you. Some people try to be prepared for short term situations because they usually think that life will go back to normal quickly.
If you’re prepared to rough it without electricity or being able to run down to the store to buy food for only a day or two, you’re probably woefully unprepared. If you’re like most people, you don’t have a lot of money to spend on things that you don’t need to use right now.
Survival Prepping on a Budget
That’s why it can be all too easy to push survival preparations to the back-burner. But you can take care of your survival needs even if you’re on a budget. You have to do it piecemeal and follow through with your plans.
Make a Plan So You Don’t Buy Haphazardly
Not being familiar with how survival prepping should be handled can lead you to make mistakes with the items you should have on hand for you and your family.
If you think that prepping means making sure you have enough supplies to make it in the event of a crisis that disrupts the ordinary way of life, you’d be right. But that doesn’t mean that you run out to the huge food storage warehouse and start throwing cans of tuna in the cart.
Not knowing for sure what you need to get is a fast way to end up short on supplies, not to mention it’s a way to waste the money you have. Having a successful survival method means that you have to plan it.
You can’t run to the store and haphazardly buy whatever looks like it’ll keep for a while. It would help if you had a checklist of what you should get. This checklist should always start with the items that you must have first.
Not every item for prepping is needed right away. You always want to start with the most important things first. These will be items that your survival will depend on.
Usually, what this means is that you plan to buy the basics. It would be best if you started with basic food and water supply since you can’t survive without either of these for very long.
If that makes you nervous, remember that you can start the short term with the plan to build toward a long-term supply. So your first step would be to aim to stock up a three-day supply of food and water.
These come in packets for easy storage, and you can get them in a three-day supply. That’s your first goal. Keep your plan focused on setting aside supplies for 72 hours, then move on from there.
Once you have your water supply set aside, then you’ll want to move to your food supply. Just like with the water, you’ll want to make sure that you have a three-day supply of food on hand.
Figure this for each person. What you’ll want to look for are the emergency food bars that offer around 400 calories a bar and come in different food flavors.
Be Picky About What You Splurge On
When planning for your survival, it can be easy to get caught up in what you think you have to have. This can lead to unnecessary splurging, which will then eat into the money you have to spend on what you need. Survival Prepping on a Budget is all about being concerned about how you spend that precious money.
As you start to prepare, you’ll find that you’re faced with many different choices on what you need. Some of these items will be worth you spending more money on, but some of the things aren’t.
If you’re faced with a situation and need to get out of your house, you’re going to need a way to carry a 3 day supply of food and water. You should have these items already set aside and waiting for you to grab and go.
These are often referred to as bug out bags or BOBs. These bags should be made of durable material and should be strong and should be water-resistant.
Buying cheap bug-out bags has the potential to ruin your supplies – so in this case, it’s a good idea to splurge on a good bag. What you want to look for are bags that have good load-bearing ability.
You’re also going to want to make sure that you have a good dependable communication system. This system could be your only link to knowing what’s going on, and it can be invaluable for helping you to be able to reach your loved ones.
What you’ll want to splurge on are communication devices such as ham radio or world band radio. You might also want to consider a short-wave radio. Splurge on a decent antenna and a solar charging system.
What you don’t want to splurge on are items that have many features, can’t be carried along if you need to get out fast, or don’t have a lot of bang for the buck. For example, you’ll need a camp stove.
You’ll want to splurge on a good one, but you don’t have to get one that has a ton of extras. A camp stove for $20 works just as well as the ones you can find for almost $100.
When it comes to your eating supplies, you do want to splurge on heirloom seeds. This will be the foundation of your survival once you have your short-term supplies in place.
This is what you’ll use to create your long-term survival garden as well as keep you and your family fed for the future.
Buying in Bulk to Cut Costs
It makes sense when you’re buying the way you usually buy your supplies to buy what you need until you can replenish your supplies. But buying supplies for survival prepping works better when you buy them in bulk. Survival Prepping on a Budget means getting more, for less, every time you can.
Retail stores and online stores will always offer a better deal on supplies when purchasing more of them. You can quickly pay around $15 for a month’s supply of emergency survival food bars – but if you buy them in bulk, you can often get a deal where you only pay $60 for a six-month supply, so you end up saving $30.
The best areas to look for savings on bulk items are going to be in all your basics. You can save money by buying your water in bulk. You’ll save if you do the same for your food or seed supply, too.
It’s cheaper to buy sees for a year than it is for a few months. Since you’ll need these items anyway, it makes sense to buy them in larger quantities. If you know you want to buy a bulk item, set aside a little money at a time for a larger purchase.
Also, watch for sales where you can buy items in bulk. Many stores will offer double coupons or bulk purchase deals on things you’ll need. Follow the lead of couponers who do strictly to save money.
You’ll need a checklist when you’re buying in bulk, not to forget how much of each item you have. Staples are where you’ll begin. Start by purchasing bulk packages of rice.
You’ll often find these in 50-pound bags. Make sure that you buy your sugar in bulk, too. You can find these in 25-pound bags, and often, they’ll be plastic wrapped together, enabling you to buy them in twin packs or more.
Get your flour in bulk as well, but make sure before you buy that you have proper storage containers in place to prevent pests from getting into your food items.
Buying coffee and tea in bulk will also cut your costs. Create a store of powdered milk as well. Stock up on different types of beans, too. Buy your canned goods by the case.
You can find these in 12 to 24 can packs. Any food that you normally eat that comes in a can you’ll want to stock up on. These canned foods are often useful for many years from the date when you purchase them.
What you’ll want to do is keep an eye on the expiration date and rotate them into your normal meal planning if you have to. Then replace your stock with a new batch that has a later expiration date.
Besides making sure that you buy water and food in bulk, you’ll want to get your hygiene items this way as well. Stock up on supplies like shampoo and soap, razors, toilet paper, feminine products, diapers, deodorant, toothpaste, and lotion for dry skin.
Stock up on detergent and bleach – especially bleach – because it can be used to disinfect. Getting your medical supplies in bulk will save you money, too. You’ll need to create a store of bandages, gauze, medical tape, disposable gloves, compress, thermometer, antibiotic ointments.
Make sure to add a first aid kit, wraps, medication to treat sickness or injuries, tweezers, eye drops, sunburn cream, insect bite, and poison ivy treatments.
Adding to Your Arsenal of Supplies a Little at a Time
Indeed, we often have an all-or-nothing mentality. When it comes to making sure our needs or the needs of our loved ones are met, we want to go all out. With survival prepping, being fully prepared can be expensive.
But fortunately, you don’t have to buy every one of the supplies that you’ll eventually need all at once. Buying what you would need to survive for the first 72 hours is a good start, and you don’t even have to buy all that at once.
You can start by focusing your spending power on getting enough water and food for everyone in your household for one day. Then stock for the second day and so on.
Once you’ve reached your store of three days’ worth of supplies, then you can start adding to your arsenal – hoarding enough for a week, a month, three months, and finally, a year and more.
As you start your supply, look at it like you’re going grocery shopping and get the items you would typically buy at the store but buy them in bulk. If you don’t have a food warehouse membership, that’s not a problem; you can buy what you need online.
And you don’t have to stick with one supply at a time, such as buying several bags of 25 pounds of rice until you have a reserve. You want to concentrate on getting some of each category of the supplies and then rotate back through it again.
So you would buy your staples one week, making sure you get a large bag of rice. The next week, you would buy the flour, then after that the sugar, and within weeks, you would have your staples knocked off your list.
That’s the way that you would handle every category. It’s probably wiser to buy your hygiene items while you’re buying your staples because you’ll need those things.
When you write your list of supplies, put a heading for each area you’ll need to cover for your survival. After food and water, you should have areas marked as tools, shelter, communication, purification, heat, and so on.
Under the heading of tools, you’d want to start stocking up on items like knives, self-defense weapons, multi-tools, axes, binoculars, shovels, and paracords flashlights, fishing gear, fire starter, manual can opener, cast iron pan, and more.
For shelter, you would want to make sure you have a supply of Mylar emergency thermal blankets, sleeping bags, a good tarp, and tents. Weather gear can go into that category as well.
These would be items like a poncho, rain boots, etc. Purification methods are needed because if you find water, you can use that if needed. Some of the methods used are filters or water purification tablets.
Buying at Certain Times to Save You Money When Survival Prepping on a Budget
It’s a well-known fact that when a crisis is raging, there’s often panic among the masses. One of these reasons is that the media will often excite situations to drive up the ratings.
This works because it whips people into a frenzy, and they make a run on supplies. You’ve probably seen empty grocery store shelves during times of uncertain weather.
When this is going on, it will often create a state where the demand will exceed the supply, which only fuels more panic. What retailers do in response to this panic is they will jack up the prices.
While it’s wrong of them to feed on people’s fears, it’s simply what they do, and it’s been done time and time again everywhere. So while you want to make sure that you get all the supplies you need to have your survival preparation supplies on hand, you want to be careful as far as the timing goes.
By paying attention to specific times and what’s going on in the world around you, you can save money. When the news is all about doom, gloom, and panic, you shouldn’t buy any of your prepper supplies.
You’ll only end up being overcharged. The time to purchase supplies for your survival prepping is when life is business as usual. This way, you won’t pay more than you should.
However, there’s also another time that you should buy your necessary supplies, and that’s during times when there are sales. Throughout the years, various retailers will hold sales.
You’ll see sales on holidays like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other days. Watch for the supplies you need to go on sale then, especially if they’re the more expensive items.
Pay attention to in-store sales, discount sales, and bulk buying sales. You can usually find something on sale in every one of the categories on your list. Keep it handy (and updated) and carry it with you at all times just in case. You will find that Survival Prepping on a Budget is easier than you originally thought.
Survival and prepping is something every household should be doing, regardless of their level of income. Dire situations don’t discriminate when it comes to wreaking havoc on society, and you want to be just as ready as your neighbors (if not more so) when anything causes you to go into a bug-out mode.
No amount of prepping is too small. If all you can buy is an extra 3-pound bag of rice, then do it. A couple of cans of soup here and there is also a start. Don’t wait until you have plenty of extra money to buy everything all at once.
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There comes a time when we all have to stock up on a few items, and there are some that are needed more than others. But, the interesting thing about everything is that some of the items do seem weird and leave you asking…why do I need to buy this?
Well, after the Coronavirus pandemic hit the world in 2020, there was a different outlook on life and what was required for purchase to take home. Interestingly, people started panic buying, and before long, we all realized they were needed more than anything else. The question of Things To Stock Up On was answered.
Things To Stock Up On NOW Because They Are The First To Vanish – We Learned This With The Panic Shoppers In March ’20
The most popular items were in high numbers on the shelves, but after information started circulating, they became so scarce. Can you imagine, toilet paper, that was so plenty could not be found at any store in the country, and they had to be imported from other countries? Yes, it was that serious at one point!
Based on everything that became scarce, we have identified a few of the essential items you may want to stock up on now before it gets worse. If you wish to, believe it or not, this pandemic will stick around longer than we think, and these items will forever be going off the shelves very fast…
Paper Products
Toilet Paper and Paper Towels are easy to stock up on and never expire! It was said diarrhea was a significant symptom of Covid-19, as well as they were needed to cough and sneeze in, in case you have the virus. It was highly recommended to sneeze and cough in a disposable napkin instead of a rag or towel, and, as such, people rushed these items above everything else.
Soap
Soaps of all kinds are in high demand as it is recommended to wash your hands and clothes as often as possible. Each time you touch a surface, you have to wash your hands before touching your face.
Also, seeing you don’t know who has the virus, you can come in contact with them, and should they cough, and it touches your clothes, you have to ensure it is washed before you mix it with any other linens at home. They should certainly be on your list of things To Stock Up On.
Cleaning Agents
We are talking about Cleaning Supplies like bleach, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, along with trash bags and sanitizers here. Cleaning is critical to slowing the spread of the virus, and as such, you have to ensure you do lots of cleaning and sanitizing.
The virus can live on different kinds of surfaces for up to nine hours, and seeing you don’t know who has the virus, you can never tell if they touched the area you are accessing. The alcohol and hand sanitizers, according to health professionals, should contain at least 70% Isopropyl to kill the virus from your hands.
Trash bags are also important as the materials you use to clean, such as the paper towel or cloth, should be thrown out immediately.
Moisturizers
Think Blistex, Carmex, Lotion, and Coconut Oil for Dry Skin & your lips. You need to get moisturizers because having to come in contact with the cleaning products, and the alcohol regularly can dry out your hands and leave the pores open and susceptible to picking up other elements.
Take, for instance, the lotion and coconut oil, which have healing and repair elements that help you to build back any damages or blisters which the abrasive products may cause.
Storage Products
Trash Bags, Foil Ziploc Bags – these are the things to focus on here. Storage products are needed at this time because you have a lot you need to put away, especially in the refrigerator. You can bulk prepare your food and stack them away in the freezer, or you may need to store up a few items and need extra space to stack them.
Medicated Items
You need to ensure you get all your meds in advance as there will be instances you can’t go outdoors, and you can’t risk doing without them. A lot of countries’ health systems allow persons to purchase their prescribed medication in bulk (up to three months supply for usual one-month supplies).
This will give you a better opportunity to stay in and not have to face the dangers of what is happening outside. Take note, Gatorade may seem like a simple drink, but it is a powerful source for providing strength and building one’s system during weakness. It is like Pedialyte for adults. Look into Vick Vaporub and Vitamins too!
General Items
There are a few general items you will need to get before they run out as they, too, are going fast. Items like candles, matches, cooking gas, lighters, and more are needed in case you can’t be out, and the need calls for it. You should also stock up on pads and tampons if there are persons in the house who need them.
You should also consider getting a portable sewing kit, whether needle & thread or one of those hand-held sewing machines. This will enable you to make one of the most needed items of this period – masks. There are many others you will need to get depending on your household requirements.
Food Items You May Need
In addition to all the items listed above, there are a few food items you may need to grab while you are out as they are needed, just the same. Even though you can grow a lot of plants like vegetables in your backyard, there are others you can’t do without but unfortunately cannot grow there. These items include stuff you might need for baking, cooking, and other activities…
Butter, salt, sugar, cooking oils, flour, pectin, yeast, milk (liquid, condensed, dry), vinegar, spices, and pet foods. There are lots more you may get based on your needs. Also, when making your shopping list, ensure you add food items with lots of vitamin C as this is great to help your immune system combat the dreaded Coronavirus.
Security for Your Home
In light of the virus, there are lots of things going on, including loss of jobs and business, and this is only an onset for more dangerous things to happen – like looting and riots!
It may sound weird that you need to prepare for events such as these, but they are imminent. 2020 will be a year to go down in the record books as so much stuff has already happened and from the look of things…much more is left to come. From the world pandemic to looting and riots all over the country with people protesting injustice and many other things, you may need to safeguard your home. Here are a few must-haves to help you prepare…
* Plywood – You may have to build some barriers for your home to keep the “inside in and the outside out” thus, the need to have a few sheets of plywood is critical. Whichever way you choose to build your barrier is up to you, but it is safe to have them on hand.
* Hammer & Nails; Screws & Screwdriver – Sounds like it’s a war, but based on what reality is presenting, you will need them, especially for the above-noted barrier source. Just imagine you will have to nail barriers across your gate, doors, or even windows.
* Source of Information – You can always watch the news and updates on the television or read it in the papers, but who said with the potential of what’s currently happening the papers will be able to reach you, or your electricity will remain intact? As such, a transistor radio with extra batteries is critical, as you will be kept up to date on what’s going on.
* Tarps/Heavy Plastic Sheeting; Duct Tape – Anything is possible with the current happenings, and you have to help keep yourself protected from the “outside world” (outside your home). Getting a roll of heavy plastic sheeting (or a few rolls of them) will come in handy.
Reducing Boredom While Locked In are Things To Stock Up On too!
Staying indoors can be a great feeling, but after a while, you are tempted to go out to have a little fun. Well, this may not happen soon, so you will need to take the fun inside. Stock up on a few fun games and pleasure items to keep you occupied while you wait for the dreaded period to be over. You may want to have some board games, puzzles, books, snacks, and probably lots of juice – a little bear won’t hurt!
2020 was certainly a trying year for everyone, and getting through safely is the best bet we all can hope to win. The game now is to stay safe and be on the lookout.
The key to surviving a pandemic with the minimum effect is to be prepared. It is even more relevant if there is going to be a lockdown. That is why a Pandemic Kit is something you need to consider.
To prepare for a pandemic and a possible lockdown, you have to put together an emergency kit and store essential supplies.
GET YOUR PANDEMIC EMERGENCY KIT READY
Any good prepper already has an emergency kit — you should only have to tweak it a little bit to upgrade it for the purposes of a pandemic.
Before there is even a worldwide outbreak, you should have the following items in your emergency kit:
Purchase and keep some prescription medication and over-the-counter medicines. Prescription medication includes any form of medication that you would typically take for your existing condition. Over-the-counter medicines include analgesics, antiemetic, stomach relievers, antihistamines, vitamins, etc. Take good note of the expiry dates for your medication and make sure to renew it at least 30 days before it expires.
Ask for copies of your medical records from your physician. These can be very useful to first responders in the event of an emergency during a pandemic.
Keep a list of emergency numbers for the different government departments.
Have a First-Aid kit readily available– usual antiseptic, bandage, gloves, scissors, and plaster bands are essential to attend to any bumps or bruises while confined at home.
Household spares and DIY kits can also become handy if you need to replace light bulbs or conduct minor repairs. So, it is always advisable to buy in advance the right type of spare bulbs which you use at home as well as the standard batteries for household equipment. A general DIY toolkit can also be of essential help since hardware stores would most likely be closed during a lockdown.
Refill and update your emergency pandemic kit during an outbreak
Once a situation is declared a pandemic, refill and upgrade your emergency kit according to the type of situation. The following items must be checked and be available if possible:
A thermometer to control body temperature. If you live with other people, it is best to get a digital non-contact thermometer. Don’t also forget to buy spare batteries for your digital thermometer!
Hand sanitizers and liquid soap are a must.
A backup glucometer to measure blood sugar if you or any member of your family has diabetes.
One-time use only surgical gloves.
Sanitary masks, if agents of the outbreak are transmissible by air or droplets. Pay attention to the health authorities and get the right sanitary masks they recommend.
Food to last you for a week or two. When storing food for a pandemic, always make sure you think of other people as well. Do not overbuy to the extent that you create shortages for other people.
Update and refill your medication. Add other medication that is related to the outbreak as instructed by the authorities.
Other things you may wish to add:
Ingredients from alternative medication can also be useful during a pandemic. Get lemons, honey, ginger, cinnamon, mint leaves, essential oils, and other natural agents known to have healing or antiseptic properties.
Entertainment material. Depending on your interests and the number of family members, books and magazines are always a good option. Board games and group games, as well as other entertainment activities for multiple people, is also an excellent choice to keep.
If you have pets, do not forget to buy pet food.
You should also get some stationery and other office-related supplies just in case you have to self-isolate and work from home.
If you can afford it, an Air-Purifying respirator can be a good and useful investment.
When preparing or refilling your emergency pandemic kit, remember always to check expiration dates for perishable items. Do not also forget to think about other people, meaning DO NOT OVER-BUY.
The ready-made kits that you can buy at the store or online are packed with the essential items needed during a regular first aid emergency. They are not prepared for pandemics, so you’ll need to make sure that your kit has what will come in handy during a viral health situation like bird flu or Ebola. Your pandemic survival kit has to be properly stocked.
Every first aid kit should have at least the basics when you buy it – but you can build onto that kit by adding what it’s lacking. You can find some first aid kits that are made explicitly for pandemic use – or you can just create it yourself by adding items one or two at a time.
The Best Things to Have in Your First Aid Kit During a Pandemic
You want to start by making sure your kit has at least a week’s supply of the prescription medications that every family member uses regularly. Don’t forget to add medicines to treat allergic reactions since this can spring up without warning.
Your kit should also have a list of numbers that you can reach out to in case of an emergency. You’ll need a flashlight and fresh batteries in the kit. These items are necessities because you don’t want to try to administer first aid treatment to someone when you’re in the dark.
In the kit, you need sterile dressings that are big enough to cover large wounds. But you also want to have a hardy supply of bandages in assorted sizes. Plus, you’ll need medical tape to put on the dressings so they’ll stay in place.
Antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone ointment, and alcohol wipes are staples that should be in every kit. Pain medication should be the kit as well. You’ll want a thermal blanket to use to protect the injured from cold, to cover them from bad weather, or to wrap around them if they’re in shock from the injury.
Are you ready to give mouth to mouth?
You’ll want a lip protector in case you have to give CPR to someone. During a pandemic, you may not know if the person you’re treating is disease or virus-free, so you’ll need to protect yourself as you’re giving CPR.
For that same reason, you’ll need a supply of gloves, facemasks, biohazard bags, and a way to protect your clothing from being contaminated in your pandemic survival kit. There should be a pair of scissors in the kit that are strong enough to cut through clothing.
You’ll want to have a regular thermometer as well as a supply of disposable thermometers in the kit. If someone could have been exposed to the virus, they should have their own to use instead of sharing. Tweezers should also be in your kit.
You’ll need a supply of anti-diarrhea medicine to treat that ailment along with medications that can ease nausea. Don’t forget to plan for dental emergencies in your kit. Have a supply of topical gel to relieve toothaches.
You can find supplies that can help you temporarily pack a cavity to relieve pain, too. Most importantly, if you’re dealing with a disease where fevers are an issue, invest in fever reducers and items to help you keep hydration levels stable.
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During stressful situations, your immune system will naturally become stressed, and this can make you more vulnerable to infection. It’s essential to stock up on vitamins that will help your immune system stay in tip-top shape. We came up with a list of the Best Supplements for Immune System stability and strength.
Let’s just look at vitamin C as it is commonly known for its immune-boosting effects. Keeping a supply of it onhand can help you stave off illness. Whenever you got a cold or the flu, you may have heard your mom (and doctor) warn you to drink plenty of fluids and get extra vitamin C. That’s because this particular vitamin can help boost your immune system.
Stock Up on Vitamins to Boost Your Immune System
It’s preferable that instead of waiting until you’re already sick, you bulk up on vitamin C beforehand – to stave off any foreign invaders ahead of time. You can find vitamin C naturally in oranges and other citrus fruit.
Aside from boosting your body’s natural defense system, taking regular doses of vitamin C helps your body heal from minor cuts and wounds. Your tissues benefit from the intake of vitamin C as well, as do your teeth and gums.
This unique vitamin contributes to your absorption of other vitamins within your body, so a deficiency in vitamin C can have prohibited other nutrients from helping your health. Each organ needs specific vitamins to stay healthy and to function correctly. Vitamin C helps those other nutrients get carried out to the organs and tissues that need them most.
Your muscles need vitamin C to stay healthy and flexible, which can help lessen some of the pain you may suffer from now – or in the future. It helps your joint muscles retain their resiliency so that they can bend adequately with a good amount of pressure placed on them.
Vitamin C is also known to be an antioxidant, which helps eliminate free radicals within your body. This simply means that it can help prevent you from developing some types of cancer. Can you see how this made our list of the Best Supplements for Immune System yet?
It can also get rid of toxic byproducts that can be produced from fat metabolism.
Because of its ability to neutralize the toxic byproducts, vitamin C is now known to help prevent heart disease.
It promotes healthy blood flow, which can help fight against atherosclerosis. The healthier your heart is, the longer you may live! Vitamin C can be purchased in pill form that you can get from your local grocery store or as a supplement online.
You can also find it in oranges, strawberries, and cantaloupe. In vegetables, you can find it in tomatoes, broccoli, and cabbage. If you’re not into fruits and vegetables, then it’s recommended that you drink a glass of orange juice every day. Get your daily dose of vitamin C and give your body the boost it needs to stay healthy!
Vitamin C, though, isn’t the only vitamin that will help you, and many scientists believe that vitamin C works in connection with other vitamins but isn’t as effective alone. It actually helps your body absorb iron better!
Why Iron Is Important for Your Health
An iron deficiency isn’t apparent to spot, but it can wreak havoc on your overall health, leaving you feeling sluggish and tired without an apparent explanation. Restless leg syndrome, anemia, dyspnea, and an odd disorder called pica are all a result of having a low iron count. We have to have it in our list of the Best Supplements for Immune System strength.
Restless leg syndrome causes uncomfortable feelings in your legs when you’re at rest and trying to sleep. It can cause insomnia because as you’re trying to fall into a slumber, your legs are still feeling like they need to get up and walk or move around.
Some people who suffer from this have reported that they experience involuntary movements with their legs when they’re at rest or an annoying tingling sensation that drives them to give up on getting rest, so they get up and move around to make it go away.
The restlessness they feel usually can only subside when they move their legs around to wear them out. Although the exact cause of restless leg syndrome isn’t known, those who suffer say that an increase in iron helped alleviate the problem.
Anemia is another condition that’s caused by an iron deficiency. Anemia is when iron levels are low for an extended period without relief, which makes red blood cell production ineffective. This disorder causes chronic fatigue and weakness for the person suffering from it.
It can also cause dyspnea, which is shortness of breath. The low iron levels cause oxygen not to flow freely, therefore sapping you of energy. You can also experience heart palpitations and increased sweat production, and it can even lead to heart failure if left untreated!
Pica is an odd disorder seen in people with a low iron count. Pica is a term used for those who crave unusual items that are considered not edible. Low iron causes your body to want iron. Sometimes, this can result in people eating paper, buttons, and chalk – and in some cases – soil!
Pica can result in other hazardous conditions that may result from eating unhealthy items. Eating soil, for example, can cause a person to contract bacteria or microscopic worms. This behavior can sometimes be treated simply by consuming extra iron.
Low iron can cause excessive bleeding in menstruating women or women who shouldn’t be menstruating at that time. The blood is thinned to the point that blood clotting becomes a little more complicated, and you could essentially lose other nutrients that your body needs.
If you think you’re low on iron, have your doctor run a simple blood test to find out if you’re anemic. You don’t want to take too much iron – just enough to get your levels back to a normal, healthy state. If you need to take it or want to stock up on it, we love THIS brand on Amazon.
More of the Best Supplements for Immune System Strength
Selenium is a mineral that’s been shown in studies to help boost the immune system and prevent disease.
Vitamin D is something your body naturally produces when it’s exposed to sunlight. But if you’re stuck indoors during a pandemic, you’ll likely need a supplement. Vitamin D supplements can be added to your storage to keep your immune system healthy and help you to fight illness.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps your body fight stress. It is especially helpful in increasing your body’s ability to produce antibodies when it comes into contact with a virus.
Zinc is a mineral that’s been found to help boost your immune system. Zinc is one you only need to begin taking if you feel that you’re becoming ill. It can help your body produce more white blood cells and shorten infection time.
Both vitamin B2 and vitamin B6 are known for improving the immune system’s ability to fight infection. Most vitamin B supplements contain both of these and additional forms of the vitamin as well.
Echinacea is an herbal formula that is a natural antiviral and antibiotic. Having this on hand is useful at the first sign that you’re ill. You don’t want to use this to prevent illness.
Much of your immunity lies within your gut through beneficial bacteria. Unfortunately, the antibacterial products and medications that are common can also cause you to have reduced resistance. Taking a daily probiotic can help you have a more robust immune system to fight off infections naturally.
Garlic is also a natural antibiotic and antiviral that helps to reduce inflammation in your body. Eating fresh garlic is the best, but you can store herbal supplements contain garlic in your emergency supplies.
You may get most of what you need by taking a multivitamin daily. Vitamins can help make up for any nutrition you’re missing from your daily diet. This is especially important if you primarily depend on canned foods for your meals in times of duress.
