Top 5 Emergency Food in Canada

Preparing to store emergency food is always an important topic. The more people who do it, the safer the world becomes in the event of a disaster. Here, we look at five of the most important foods to store if you reside in Canada.

Whole Wheat Flour, Whole Grain Wheat, and Bread Mix

If you’ve never prepared food before, you’ll want to have flour on hand. In this category, you could include such bread mixes as Bisquick and Krusteaz. Wheat is full of vitamins and minerals, protein, and fiber. If you store white flour among your stockpile, you’ll also want to store wheat flour to take advantage of its nutritional value. It includes the whole grains endosperm, germ, and bran, while white flour includes only endosperm.

You can also use flour for thickening gravy, or fry and coat foods like freshly caught fish. With whole wheat flour in your pantry, there’s no need to store genetically modified corn starch, which is another thickener. Whole wheat flour should be a part of your daily pantry. Long-term, however, you’ll want to include whole-grain wheat.

Seeds, Nuts, and Nut Butters

Peanut butter is a popular choice among those preparing for an emergency. However, sun butter, which is made from sunflower seeds, and almond butter, are both excellent items to store. While nuts can quickly go rancid, they’re a great energy source, so as long as your family doesn’t have any nut allergies, you’ll want to stock up on these.

As mentioned, nuts are allergens, so don’t give them to any of your family members under five-years-old. The healthiest seeds and butter are found in bags, as opposed to oil-filled jars and cans. You should also consider canned chestnuts, as they contain some much-needed fiber, and can be found among the Asian foods section in your supermarket. Chestnuts are also a great source of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and potassium.

While you may have already thought about stocking peanut butter, what you may not know is that peanut butter is a bean butter. Opt for peanut butter that is just oil, salt, and peanuts. Don’t bother with any peanut butter that contains sugars, and avoid even more those that include hydrogenated oils. Finally, just because a label says that it’s free of trans fats, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there are no trans fats at all. There could still be under 0.5g of trans fats per serving.

Vitamins

During an emergency, when stress levels will likely increase, it’s important to keep your vitality high. You may have thought of stocking up on multivitamins. You should consider a Calcium with Vitamin D fortified vitamin, as this combination could help you to fight off infections. You should also buy magnesium. It prevents any damage brought on by too much adrenaline. Pills and vitamins won’t help you to pull weight, although they do help the body to use food. Only once you’ve eaten real food, can you work harder or pull weight. So you shouldn’t rely on pills and should eat a variety of good foods. The best way to ensure you’re getting your fix of vitamins is to eat those foods that already contain them. For children, stock up on Calcium gummy bears, as they help to fight off infections and keep kids healthy.

Canned Vegetables

With regards to vegetables, don’t limit yourself to green beans. They aren’t exactly full of calories. For the best vegetables to store, consider canned root vegetables, such as yams and sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are filling and full of vitamin A. Add some variety with beets, cabbage, and sauerkraut, too. And if you eat them, potatoes, peas, and carrots offer just what you need for a tasty stew. Artichoke hearts, asparagus, and canned olives help to make simple pasta dishes. Just make sure to avoid canned corn, as it’s probably GMO.

Chocolate

Cocoa powders and chocolate syrups will help you with food storage. Store chocolate, but don’t overdo it. Chocolate chips can store for around a year. Don’t forget baking chocolate, either. Chocolate is full of antioxidants and is also a great boost for morale, which is important in the event of an emergency. The fiber in the chocolate will also be sure to satisfy your hunger.

Store high-quality dark chocolate, and avoid any that includes hydrogenated oils. They shouldn’t be included in your stash of chocolate, and that also goes for during an emergency. Remember, too, that chocolate is being good for the heart. It may also help to fight urinary tract infections, so make sure to store away some chocolate chips.