Full belly vs actual calories
Posted by WSBpeon69420@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 127 comments
This might be something more serious preppers already are watching but since getting more active I have been looking at actual calories per serving of food that I have stocked. Previously I thought hey I have a lot of canned food in an emergency I’ll dump two together maybe add more water to make it last longer and we would be set- Make sure bellies are satisfied. Now I am looking at actual calories per serving. For instance a Progresso soup can with its listed 24g of protein per serving only has 170 calories per serving- about 370 per can. If we go off of a person needing roughly 2000 calories a day, my cans are going to be used up extremely quick. So my question is for those who are well prepped- what is the real fix? More cans? Add beans? I thought I was well stocked but we might go through way more cans per person a day with my family if we really wanted to hit calorie numbers.
JRHLowdown3@reddit
13 calories per lb. of body weight per day to MAINTAIN weight.
For example for me currently it's 187 lbs. X 13 = 2,431
If you take in 500 LESS calories a day, you'll lose a lb. a week, if you can in 1,000 calories LESS per day, you'll lose 2 lbs. a week. A formula I have used to lose 40 lbs. in 4 months years ago for a fight and a few years back when I crept up to 198 while being down with an injury.
Now mind most preppers could use to drop more than few lbs. but if they aren't used to how their bodies react to that, an emergency situation is not the time to figure that out via forced rationing, etc. Add in the fact that most will be doing more physical labor than they are used to. I.e, no one is going to be sitting around playing Yahtzee trying to "pass the time." Survival = work,.
Extrapolating that out- You need food storage than you think you do. This is one of the many reasons for that. The other is helping others, whether it's your family that shows up that you won't be able to turn away, your friends that know you are preparing or extra to help the "community" here that so many are happy to talk about but don't seem to take seriously having a deep larder so you can actually HELP them when times are bad.
We have lived largely off of simple food combinations for 20+ years including utilizing quite a large amount of storage food. Usually it's a mix of rice, beans and whatever is in season coming from the gardens or the greenhouse along with some home raised rabbit or chicken, the occasional deer we drop, etc.
If folks aren't gardening, raising animals and producing a good quantity of their food NOW, they should at the very minimum double what they currently think is "enough." Yes even the casual "2 week" types.
A basic year supply of grains and legumes, aka an anti starvation diet, is still relatively cheap to buy and put up yourself.
bugabooandtwo@reddit
...and you also need to add a good 10-15% on top of that. You have to assume a rate of failure. Chances are one bag of rice will have bugs, one container of lentils will be spoiled or not sealed properly, one jar of oil may have gotten too much sun and spoiled, etc.
JRHLowdown3@reddit
This guy gets it!!! +1 Yes.
Truth be told we have had overall little spoilage or problems with properly packed LTS over the last 40 years. When you consider all of our bulk storage has been stored in a hot garage in N. FL and later in connex containers in S. GA with no climate control, the results have been great over time. The bulk of the problems/waste we had was in (early on) trying to use grocery store wet packed cans and things like putting up flour instead of proper whole wheat berries. Have thrown out about 500 lbs. of white flour over the years and God only knows how many hundreds of lbs. of grocery store type wet pack cans. A distant runner up would be pinto beans- which turn rock hard over long term and despite "soaking longer", "put in baking soda" "use a pressure cooker (waste of fuel)", never softened to the point of eating. When chickens refuse ones you've cooked, you know there is no hope for them!
Solutions: 1. Don't use grocery store wet packed for LTS. 2. Hard red winter wheat instead of processed flour- better for you, more versatile and years ago, cheaper. Most of our HRWW was put up at $.07 a lb. 3. Store lentils instead of pintos. Cook quicker, don't require soaking, higher protein. Downside- harder to find in BULK (not talking 5 lb. bag at Walmart).
bugabooandtwo@reddit
Yep. It's like people count their stores like they're going to eat every gran or rice and get every drop out of that container of oil. You're not...it's simply not possible. Same reason why accountants have procedures to have equipment depreciate over time, how retailers have a percentage gap for spoilage and theft, or how contractors order 20% more materials that the base needs of a project.
You need that buffer room when planning anything.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
Yeah I read something a while back about a years worth of food in about 8-5 gallon buckets and it was basically all beans, oats and barley for like $400. It would suck to eat that every day for every meal but it would keep you alive
JRHLowdown3@reddit
200 lbs. long grain white rice- not minute rice- 100 lbs. legumes, ideally lentils which store better than pintos although pintos are easier to find. 100 lbs. hard red winter wheat, 50 lbs. salt 50 lbs. Sugar.
Someone ALWAYS freaks about the salt number... so here again before that happens- you can't grow salt, no one has a salt tree in their backyard, i.e, resupply is very hard. It has a boatload of uses including medicinal, preserving food, etc. Also, most of the canned food like you mentioned already has a lot of salt added to it. You have to consider more than "I only fill my salt shaker twice a year" when looking at quantities. Not directed at you but for general consumption, like I said, someone ALWAYS freaks out about the quantity of salt...
That basic supply, an "anti starvation diet" can be the basis that you add your canned goods to, dehydrated and freeze dried, MREs, etc. as well as supplementing from any food production you have going- gardens, orchard, raising animals, etc.
BoneyardRendezvous@reddit
I've often thought about vacuum sealing a couple of the cattle salt blocks. Probably not ideal, but fairly cheap, durable, and stackable.
MoInSTL@reddit
Salt and sugar turn into blocks. No oxygen absorbers or vacuum sealing. Just get some black leak proof mason jar lids. I don't know much about cattle salt but I would think the same applies.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
Why black? Is that a special kind?
MoInSTL@reddit
It's a plastic screw on cap. They are made by Ball and work great with their mason jars. I don't know why it's black. I just wanted to describe it. The lids are substantial. (Think big peanut butter lids. But better). Hope this helps.
BoneyardRendezvous@reddit
It comes as a 20lb cube of salt. And they stack like lego.
JRHLowdown3@reddit
I would double check that they don't have any further additives but again I think you'll find 25 lb. bags of iodized salt are going to be comparable in price and a lot easier to work with.
Arlieth@reddit
Tradeable too.
JRHLowdown3@reddit
Regular granular salt is fairly cheap. Last time we put some up in bulk the cheapest we found was at a local Albertsons supermarket. 25 lbs. bags at $4. per bag IIRC.
MetaPhalanges@reddit
Iodized salt will also be helpful for a prep diet that doesn't account for enough/any iodine. A deficiency in that area is no bueno.
JRHLowdown3@reddit
+1 Yes
MoInSTL@reddit
Agreed. I have iodized sea salt.
Efficient_Wing3172@reddit
“Serving size” really means nothing. It’s just a random unit. The reality is the canned food doesn’t hold as much as many people think. I plan to supplement with things like rice and beans.
Another thing to keep in mind in these situations is our caloric requirements are probably going to be higher in those stressful situations. A “normal” 2000 calories a day may not be enough if a lot of physical labor is involved. I personally aim for 3000 a day, and hope that less will be fine.
bugabooandtwo@reddit
This might sound odd, but cheese. Brick cheese can last in the fridge for a good 8 months. And can use it in a ton of different meals. Or as a snack.
MoInSTL@reddit
Store extra spices. Makes everything better. Lower sodium gravy packets. Better than Bullion are examples of the little things that works against food fatigue. I bought a case of lower sodium Dinty Moore beef stew. I hadn't eaten it since I was a kid. It's not horrible but not something I would eat normally Poured over rice and it's filling. It goes against the rule to eat what you prep but having something to just heat up wins.
bugabooandtwo@reddit
Same thing with chef boyardee cans of pasta. Plain alphagetti-os aren't the greatest food in the world, but they're decent, and can be eaten cold or with bread if there's no way to heat up a tin.
CopperRose17@reddit
I "doctor" Dinty Moore by adding spices and an extra can of tomatoes and another canned vegetable. My husband loves the stuff. Sometimes being married to a man who isn't a foodie is a blessing. :)
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
I bought a few of those as well - same boat haven’t touched them and may not for a while but it’s there. We do have a lot of the bullion and spices those are things we are stocked on
MoInSTL@reddit
That's good. I plan on more variations of lentils. They cook faster than beans and don't need to be soaked. Nutrient rich too.
xiweyychivxi@reddit
Refined olive, coconut or peanut oils will give any food a huge calorie boost and have the best shelf life
teacamelpyramid@reddit
I remember reading an account of someone who lived through the siege of Sarajevo (1992-1996, three times as long as the battle of Stalingrad) and they were taking about the things they wished they’d had. Oil was at the top of the list, not necessarily because of the calories, but because it would have made the food more palatable.
It’s something I’ve kept stocked ever since and it’s very easy to rotate through supplies.
bugabooandtwo@reddit
...and spices. Spices take up very little room, but can dramatically change the taste of whatever you're eating.
nachohk@reddit
Folks really often don't appreciate how critical cooking oil and salt are to making their stored food not completely miserable to eat.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
Didn’t think about this- Great idea
tankton@reddit
Yeah fat is the most efficient way to get energy (that's why your body stores it as fat lol). So get some jars of coconut fat or something. They last forever.
happy_appy31@reddit
A lot of soups can be served over rice to be more satiatiating.
EnvironmentalFox7532@reddit
Uncle Ben’s Rice packets and chunky soup are my go to in deer camp, and cheap on the road meals when away for work.
I work in the bush so very active and a couple of rice packets and can of soup keeps me going for the day.
bugabooandtwo@reddit
Those are good, but it's also a lot of salt. Also need a good supply of water eating like that.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
We do have rice and beans ready for that so that’s a good plan
mokunuimoo@reddit
Rice and beans is the foundation that a prepper pantry is built on
serenwipiti@reddit
Rice and beans is the foundation that civilization is built on
Delgra@reddit
I’d throw in wheat and corn too. Can’t live without some tortillas if I’ve got the rice and beans…
serenwipiti@reddit
I’d certainly agree.
It’s a pretty clear pattern, no matter what region of earth you’re in.
Organized and advanced ancient cuisine staples usually mostly consisted of a say, a “mother” starch carbohydrate with a protein- and many of these cultivated at least some kind of legumes and other vegetable varieties.
Generally, we’ve all learned or at least heard about the history of agricultural development, and human kind’s transition from gathering/hunting groups to more stable “civilizations” with thriving year-round cities.
Examples of these filling and nutritious “bases” include corn in the americas, rice in asia, wheat in the fertile crescent of the middle east.
Which can be useful information to study if your location still has a landscape that approximates growing conditions, say, at least 500-1000 years before.
Diving into your local history is not only fun, we can learn a lot about cultivation, terrain, culinary and medical resources of the plant life, shelter, techniques and routines that sustained distant ancestors.
I’m from PR, here in the Caribbean, cultivated yucca cassava was the endemic staple starch that the Taíno survived and thrived on for thousands of years (before first contact).
They also cultivated legumes, corn and other crops like squash.
From the foggy, densely forrested mountains of the central cordillera, the abundant and winding rivers, and down to the sandy shores and open seas, accounts of their society and practices offer little tidbits of insight, and often make me look at the world around me with different eyes.
There are many overlooked/almost lost to time potential food resources around, if you know what they look like.
Sorry for yapping so much, especially about my specific location, I just find it super interesting and encourage others to look into their own local history (and even prehistory) for insight and wisdom that might be useful in the not so distant future (or at any time).
Like I said, rice and beans is (sic) the foundation civilization is built on.
Please excuse me, my stomach now feels the ancestral need to go make some black beans, rice and tostones.
Delgra@reddit
💯
There’s a bunch of stuff that’s amazing and lost to time. I’ve been exploring growing amaranth in my region as an alternate staple and it’s been a great rabbit hole. Hoping for my first backyard harvest this year!
BronzeSpoon89@reddit
This is the way.
BronzeSpoon89@reddit
Pro move. Make your rice and beans and then dump a can or two of soup in.
eastvanqueer@reddit
Campbell’s Chunky soups are the best poured over rice!
KimBrrr1975@reddit
I don't trust the flat "2,000 calorie a day" rec. It's not at all specific to everyone, I mean just men and women can be very different. And what you need one day won't be the same as the next. If you think about how people like homesteaders lived 150 years ago, they were likely not touching 2,000 calories a day most of the time. People aren't really apart from the "feast or famine" way of life that nature abides by, we just are able to take ourselves outside of it now. Our bodies are very good at adapting what they need to what we do with them every day. If you are in a bunker for a year and not leaving, you don't need 2,000 calories a day.
Eredani@reddit
Add rice to soup, chili and stew. Serve with beans.
Make some bread if you can. I have bread flour vacuum sealed in the bottom of the freezer and an electric bread maker. Super simple to make basic bread if you have a power stations and some solar panels. Adding bread to whatever you are eating works well.
Psycosteve10mm@reddit
Realistically, you are going to want both. There are ways to bolster the calorie count by mixing high-calorie-density foods with lower-calorie foods to achieve both a full belly and actual calories. I like to store a mix of foods. Peanut butter is calorie dense but by adding crackers or bread you add a filling componet to a calorie dense food you can acheve both. You can also add calories by other means like drinks. Most sodas are 100 to 160 calories. Powdered mixed drinks are around the same.
TheHeavyWeapon@reddit
I’m sure you’ve already gotten decent to good advice. But here are my two cents. Hypothetically all you really need is rice and beans, with another source of fat somewhere. I choose sardines in olive oil. Beans and rice as a combo are a “whole food” meaning they hit almost all the checkmarks for vitamins, and amino acids that a human needs. They are middle of the road when it comes to calories in VS storage space. Now sardines in oil are pretty much just an all fat meal that is higher in calories and omega 3. For me those 3 food item have long shelf life and take up relatively little space for total calorie output.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
I also have some candy to ration because of the kids. What’s 3-1 simple syrup
TheHeavyWeapon@reddit
i fudged and meant to put 2:1 ratio simple syrup. so boil 500ml of water and add in 1000g of sugar until dissolved, put it in a glass bottle or jar, and you got sugar syrup forever, kinda like honey.
2allegedly@reddit
You’ll live off crickets and grass if the shite actually hits the fan. I wouldn’t overthink it.
ManyARiver@reddit
Things like canned soup are low bang for your storage space.. think about storing freeze-dried soup mixes instead to reduce space needs and increase longevity. Stock more high-density foods if you want to go with canned, pre-cooked stuff... like beans, meats, pasta-based stuff. I understand having a few around to have something fun or different, but they should be in the "treat" space instead of in the core meal planning.
Rice is calorically dense, stores well, and goes with almost anything. Potato flakes or dried potato shreds are also great for pumping up the volume.
jrrhea@reddit
I think canned soup definitely has its place in prepping. I’m not a big fan of any brand’s canned soup’s taste but I stock them anyway. Most are in fact a full balanced meal as opposed to “ingredients” that you have to put together to make a meal. They are also fully cooked and can be eaten cold if need be while prepper staples such as dried rice and beans take a lot of energy and water to prepare.
ManyARiver@reddit
Oh yeah, if they float your boat then keep them in stock! I prefer the freeze dried soup bases because they take up less of a footprint, can be "cooked" cold if left to soak (and you can reduce energy use by allowing them to presoak). But I have springs and other running water nearby, so I'm not worried about sourcing the water.
jrrhea@reddit
I agree on the freeze dried. I have those too.
bodybyxbox@reddit
I actually like to prep some stuff that is high water content because water itself if kinda a pain to long term store. Soups will give you a good few servings of clean water with your meal and can be prepped so many ways. Some kinds don't even need a can opener. I have a can of easy open soup in every go bag.
majordashes@reddit
I have a decent supply of both chicken and beef bone broth for this reason. It’s a great source of water and is also nutritious and high in protein.
The bone broths from Aldi are the lowest in sodium I’ve found. And I’ve looked far and wide.
Warburgerska@reddit
Why would you care about sodium? It's fee electrolytes.
SumOldGuy@reddit
A can of soup goes well with more bland prepped food. Beans and rice can fill the meal out with maybe just some hot sauce for seasoning. 1 can of soup could feed a few people.
unicornofdemocracy@reddit
second this. Canned soup or stew can work well especially if access to clean drinkable water can be limited. Freeze dry mean you need access to more clean water. While we can build and increase access to water easily, ensure access to clean drinkable/suitable for cooking water is slightly different.
Canned soup and wetter stews also mean you don't need as much water to cook the rice or lentils you will be adding to the meal too. Balance of both canned and dried good is probably best but its not inherently a bad option.
ItsNotGoingToBeEasy@reddit
I lived on progresso mixed with freeze dried mashed potatoes back in the day
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
Potato flakes are a great idea! Thanks - I’ll look more into freeze dried too. Space isn’t an issue now but would be if I went all canned everything
ManyARiver@reddit
I keep potato flakes around anyway, they are great for thickening soups or adding to breads or casseroles (alongside using them as a mashed taterish dish). I also like to keep tomato powder and cheese powders around to add flavor to stuff, though the tomato isn't calorically dense.
If you haven't tried freeze dried stuff, there are some good and some awful brands - do your research! The Mormons sell bulk freeze dried stuff for long term storage, you can buy online if there isn't a warehouse near you.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
I knew about the Mormon giant canned foods but not the freeze dried. I’ll be looking into that
BronzeSpoon89@reddit
Honestly i thin the idea of canned goods is overrated. The only benefit is that they are ready to eat and can be consumed without heating. Rice and beans is by far the superior prep. It takes water and heat yes, but as far as nutrients and calories is far superior to almost any other food.
Imagirl48@reddit
“Specialized tools”? People have used hand can openers for as long as there has been canned foods. I don’t even own an electric can opener-takes up space in a small kitchen.
BronzeSpoon89@reddit
Its called a "can opener", its a specialized tool.
Imagirl48@reddit
Mine has an end that takes the caps off bottles of beer, etc. and has a piercing end (creates a small triangle opening to allow pouring from cans. In the time before car oil came in plastic bottles my dad used his to pierce open his cans of oil!
And as a prepper who wants to eat those canned goods when there is no electricity, it’s an essential tool. I even carry one in my go bag. Of course, I could cut myself by stabbing it with my knife or spend hours rubbing that can across concrete until I wear enough aluminum off that the can finally opens (leaking out any liquid). But why?
Historical-Term-5911@reddit
You'll probably need way more calories in an emergency situation. You'll be doing more work like cleaning, fetching water or whatever. So plan for more calories per day than average. Bulk up meals with more carbs like rice or crackers.
Mechbear2000@reddit
Protein and fats satiate
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
So do you not worry about calories? It seems like over a month let alone a few weeks of that diet you could be in rough shape
iambecomesoil@reddit
Your question was about making sure you were getting sufficient calories and when provided with a generalized answer your concern is eating too many calories?
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
No your comment just didn’t answer the question well
iambecomesoil@reddit
It wasn't my comment.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
I dont know what you’re trying to do. Regardless the comment sucked. Just because they satiate doesn’t mean you’re getting the full calories needed
RedSquirrelFtw@reddit
I've been trying to eat less carbs and the hardest part about that is constantly feeling hungry. I find carbs are really good at making you feel full. I decided to change things a bit and instead of cutting out carbs specifically I'm cutting out processed foods instead. So less fast food and take-out, but rice or pasta I'm still doing. I find rice is a nice filler to add to meals when the meal on it's own just doesn't hit the spot enough.
iambecomesoil@reddit
Upping the dietary fat is what will slow down your digestion and make you feel full on a very low carb diet. Also ramp up the fiber, even if its just psyllium husk.
shortstack-42@reddit
Bearing in mind that I’m a Tuesday prepper, this question threw me. After surviving Helene in WNC with 4 days of complete isolation and then 40+ days of no power and limited access to supplies and fuel, I deepened my pantry and my other preps…but by the meal.
My food stores are based on meals I actually make regularly and aren’t focused on counting cans or calories. Yes, I have dozens of pounds of rice and beans, but because I love “Marry Me Chickpeas” or “Lemon Pepper Butter Beans” over rice, not random stores. In addition to the rice and beans, I have jars of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, pesto (might not have fresh basil in the garden), spices, canned coconut milk, and jars of bouillon paste. I like what my daughter calls “junky oatmeal”, so I have hemp hearts and chia seeds stored along with the oatmeal. I’m currently price shopping for freeze dried apples to add as well. My preps include the extra ingredients for rice pudding…as the occasional dessert is good for morale. I have frozen fruit and veg as part of those meals, and extra fuel for my newish generator.
My prep spreadsheet is broken down by complete meals, as well as expiration dates, and total amounts. I’m now at the point where I “shop” my basement for nonperishables first, then replace those items when on sale or on a weekly grocery run. That keeps my pantry fresh and helps me control cost. Good luck!
wageslave2022@reddit
Hidden gem, chia seeds. Mix with water, let it set and feel full. For a special long term nutrient sprout the seeds and get the added benefits of increased nutrients and vitamins . After eating soggy green beans out of a can for a few months trying to fight off scurvy. It would probably do more for morale than you would imagine especially if you rehydrated a few dried cranberries and gave it a splash of vinegar and some dried herbs/spices you have a fresh salad. If you aren't stocking vinegar you aren't prepared. Non toxic cleaner, disinfectant, antifungal, food additive/digestive aid.
CopperRose17@reddit
I also stock a lot of canned goods because water where I live may be in short supply. It has occurred to me that the piles of empty cans will stack up quickly. If I pile them in the backyard, I will attract too much attention from bugs, rodents, wild animals, and hungry neighbors. The cans will have to be buried, or transported to the desert to be disposed of like the Mob dumping bodies in the desert outside Las Vegas. :) Prepping can take the mind to dark places, but disposing of the cans is something to think about.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
Maybe it brings more food opportunities with the animals
CopperRose17@reddit
There is that possibility, but all we get here is coyotes. They don't look tasty. :)
Spartin1178@reddit
I have a lot of rice beans pasta and potatoes theyre an easy addition to anything else you put together
V1ld0r_@reddit
Depends on what you're prepping for.
I say that up into 2 weeks it will be ok to be at deifcit but full stomach, especially if bugged in and not exerting much. The added morale of having a full meal even if lean will work out.
Bugging out and moving a lot/carrying a load you need to up the calorie intake but it's a short term and easy to do.
It's long term survival withkeeping up the chores that you need to worry about. Rice and beans, preserved meat, high fat and carb content will be mandatory.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
How do you get those in a prolonged issue? We have a short growing season and rice is definitely not going to grow here. We could do beans more than likely but what is your plan for after say 6 months (or after however long you are planning for now)
V1ld0r_@reddit
I'm not. I don't realistically have the space for grains of any kind. Potatoes are a good replacement that is much more space effective but I prefer rice and beans over potatoes and beans :)
The point is that if you have a high carb source (rice, potatoes, "flour grains") and a good source of protein (beans of all kinds, pea's, lentils, chickpeas) and some fat (butter of any kind, olive or vegetable oil, peanuts, etc) and some othe rvegetables (broad leaf greens, tomatoes, carrots, etc) you'll do fijne long term.
deanna3oi@reddit
Don't be on ozempic right now.
ghostly_shark@reddit
in shtf scenario people will live off 800 calories a day and they will be grateful for it.
OldSchoolPrepper@reddit
my sister and I are both in our 50's with families and we're both preppers. We have always gone by the whole calorie numbers rather than serving sizes....since we are also scratch cooks (we can make something from about anything) we found it too difficult to come up with a bunch of meal plans. We buy things we know we like to eat, count up the total calories and know how many people we can feed for how long. My sister has 6 months of food/water for her family of 5. I have 1.25 yrs worth of food for 3 of us, more if it's still gardening season.
YellowCabbageCollard@reddit
This is why the basis for my prepping is grains and legumes. I calculated a years worth of calories for our family and make sure to keep at least that much in grains and beans. I have a huge variety of each. Then I add in sugars and fats, spices and whatever we need for baking and making a lot of dishes out of various grains and legumes. We have bulk yeast, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, vanilla extract.
I know we can survive on just vegan food for a while. But I also store canned meats and seafood for easy protein for those in my family who can have it. I have had chickens for years so I count on those eggs for protein. And recently we got milk goats. So I store their feed. Otherwise I'd be storing some canned eggs or even frozen eggs. I do have powdered cheese as a back up.
And then I garden so we can have fresh vegetables year round that way. If I was starting from scratch I would still focus on calories in the form of carbohydrates and proteins that last forever and then a good dairy source for calcium. And probably bulk seeds for sprouting and microgreens if my space and ability for growing fresh food was limited. I don't in general buy a premade can of soup because you are paying a lot for what you get when I could just store all the ingredients in much cheaper form. But I do keep a certain amount of stuff on hand that's all premade and would require no cooking for a meal.
And we basically live off all our bulk food and cooking stuff plus meat in the freezer right now. My biggest grocery purchases on a weekly basis have been dairy and meat and out of season fruits and veg. But we could adjust if we had too. We'd all just have to work harder in the gardens to grow more food too.
Many-Health-1673@reddit
Rice, lentils, wheat berries, beans, beef, potatoes. All of those are high in calories.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
How do you keep beef for extended periods with no power?
Many-Health-1673@reddit
I use Keystone canned shredded beef. They have a 5 year minimum shelf life and only use two ingredients- beef and salt.
Canned tuna, sardines, etc can also be used, but beef is very calorie dense and has good protein
karl4319@reddit
Soup is a good addition to a preppers pantry. Quick, lots of flavor, and can be added to other things.
The basis of the pantry, however, should be dry beans, lentils, potatoes, and rice. Canned meat and fruit are good too, as well as things like onions, garlic, and nuts. Staples like flour, sugar, salt, and vinegar should also be kept. And (for the real emergency) powdered milk.
RedBullPilot@reddit
Right, wet stuff is a luxury for prepping, moisture takes up space and contributes no energy value and may even shorten shelf life compared to dry or low moisture foods. Unless water is scarce where you are, assume that you can add the moisture later (choose potato flakes vs canned potatoes, soup mix vs canned soup etc)
Fluffy_Job7367@reddit
Lets pretend the power goes out in your house for a week. Same as camping for a week. You will reach for the easy and quick stuff first. soup, chili, Spaghettios etc. Im wondering if the people that store beans have actually cooked beans....pinto beans and cannoli beans take like 2 hours to cook after soaking. I say stock up on peanut butter. Plenty of calories. Also oatmeal and pasta .
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
I like your thinking. I’ve also never cooked my dry beans
Many-Health-1673@reddit
You need proteins and fats if you are going to be working. Peanut butter is good with the fat/protein, but a carbohydrate type of meal burns off really quick.
silasmoeckel@reddit
2k is very very low, your talking sedentary female in a warm house.
3k is about the min target and your going to go way up from there. Realy working 6k is easy to be needed daily.
Masters_pet_411@reddit
If I ate 2k calories a day I would gain a lot of weight (fairly sedentary female). I'm sure in a SHTF situation more calories are needed but 2k is more than most women need especially if they are sedentary.
silasmoeckel@reddit
I have to say my wife agrees with you but I go by the government numbers of 2.1 and 2.8k as baseline.
Never hurts to have extra.
Masters_pet_411@reddit
Oh definitely doesn’t hurt to have extra!!
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
So 5 gallon buckets of oatmeal to supplement or what do you mean? Barley?
silasmoeckel@reddit
Rice is probably the easiest to store and cook.
Wheat berries but you need to mill them to use (makes good chicken feed).
All in all mix it up as much as you can for variety.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
Thanks! I’ll have to look into the wheat berries
Financial_Resort6631@reddit
Calories are just a measurement of energy.
You need to take in as many calories as you burn. You will need to take in micronutrients like electrolytes such as : calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium. Minerals like Iron and iodine. Vitamin like A,B,C,D and K You will need macronutrients like Fats, protein and carbohydrates.
You need a variety of food to meet these needs.
Fluffy_Job7367@reddit
Very informative video if you don't have a lot of prep room or are stocking your car bug out bag etc. Or back packing naturally.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
Right so what’s the solution?
Financial_Resort6631@reddit
https://youtu.be/iqgayipoNWA?si=s3aQi7T5Y0X4bWom
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
Thanks! I’ll check it out
Cheap_Cap760@reddit
We plan for 3k calories per family member per day minimum. That includes kids. If the kids don't need that many, it's saved as extra for down the road. An easy way to slow depletion.
Our larger group had a huge meeting (like 70 souls) about this a couple years ago. Our eldest is a R.D. and spoke at length about not just calories but the minimum needs for specific vitamins and minerals. It was shocking how few people considered that. It was even more shocking that the majority of people thought 2k calories is just fine. It really brought to light how unattached/disconnected people are to food. It's just something people buy and consume without much thought. Lots of sobering discussions followed for many.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
That 2k number is all over the internet for what’s needed normally so I understand why. Mind telling me how many family members you have and how much food that is? Seems like it could be a whole room in my house
Cheap_Cap760@reddit
Without bring specific, we are into double digits for mouths to feed. Some will bring food if they need to come to our place. Others won't since they are absolutely ill prepared. It's a bit of space but we have the room so it's got its place and we work around it. Still adding more, albeit more slowly now.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
Oh gotcha! I was thinking you were more like a family of 5 or something I see it’s bigger than that. That’s amazing I can’t find anyone I trust to take this seriously
Cheap_Cap760@reddit
It's immediate family, extended local family and 3 plus other prepper family we do stuff with. Works out well that we are centrally located to them all, and have the infrastructure (gardens, orchard, property etc ) to support lots of mouths. It was a fair to bit of work to meet solid folks over the last 7 or so years that we'd want to make long term plans with, but its definitely been worth the effort. I hope you are able to do the same
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
We have family down the street. I’ve talked to the about it but they don’t seem to think there’s anything to plan for. Pretty naive about even prepping for a power outage. One time the husband came back with 7 giant bottles of Sam’s Club vodka because he said it could barter for it… and that’s the extent if their prepping
Cheap_Cap760@reddit
Ooof. We got family who are local and have a similar perspective unfortunately. We add extra for them, but not nearly as much as we do for others.
Fwiw, our goal is roughly 1 million calories per person for a year. Sounds like a lot, and it is in some ways, but its not that much space per person if you use 5 gal buckets of the typical staples is very manageable in terms of space and cost, especially if you have amish stores reasonably close
AirSpecific4191@reddit
Don't forget the fiber, it makes you feel full and goes along with measuring protein and calories. Beans, canned pumpkin, canned artichokes to name a few. Nice break from the soup.
mountainsformiles@reddit
I store canned sausage gravy to help with calories and fats. It goes great over rice, potatoes, biscuits, corned beef, etc.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
Great idea!
polyamy74@reddit
When we inventory and stock, we base it around actual meals we make and eat. If a can of spam normally feeds 2 people, we call it 2 servings. We serve it most often with mac and cheese. A box of which serves 3 for us. I find doing it this way for us makes sure we are eating through and roating our stock, that we have enough stocked up per our calculations, and that we are not wasting money stocking foods we don't actually eat.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
That’s a huge issue for me- we do eat a lot of rice but not so much canned soups so finding ways to incorporate the preparation and rotate has been hard especially with kids
IntoTheCommonestAsh@reddit
You can often use up soups by dumping them into whatever you're cooking. I put tomato soup into my sauces, chicken noodle soup into my own homemade veggie soup, etc.
polyamy74@reddit
Totally get it. My kids only eat 2 kinds of soup with any regularity. But they will eat cottage pie (beef stew covered in mashed potatoes), or pot pie (chicken soup covered with pie crust). And more often than not I can get them to eat some as a side to something else.
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
I’ve always made those from scratch individually but using the soups that way is an awesome and faster way!
Spiley_spile@reddit
Thru hikers do a lot of calorie maxing. They aim for as close to 125kcals per ounce.
For example, olive oil has roughly 120 calories per tablespoon. Easy to drizzle a couple spoonfools into whatever you're eating. Or even just take it like a shot. However, it doesnt gave the longest shelf life. Even so, it's good to keep on hand and replace as needed, as it will buy time in the beginning.
Nut butters.
High carbs and sugars.
Military MREs get a lot of their calories from sugar, packing about 300g sugar per day's worth of MREs iirc. Based on the cases of 2025 (might have been 2024 🤔) US military MRE's I bought. Sugar is not an ideal source of calories for me, unfortunately.
BurnerAccount9110@reddit
Adding dry goods like rice, beans, or flour to your stores is always a good idea, as long as you store and rotate stock properly. Nothing worse than opening a rice bucket full of bugs, lol.
I mean, when prepping food, you're looking for an (ideally) balanced diet of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
Calories Per Gram Protein + Carbs - 4cal/gram Fats - 9cal/gram
So, fats obviously have a higher caloric density for their weight, which is great for increasing the pure calorie content of your food. However, if you JUST ate fat, you'd die pretty fast.
Sometimes I like to read about pioneer/native survival foods, such as Pemmican (Mix of tallow and dried meat, sometimes dried berries too). You can cook with it or eat it raw, and it can last from a few months up to five years, if stored properly.
No real points here, just rambling!
pumpkinbeerman@reddit
It's good to have a balance- an empty belly with the right calories is so demoralizing. That's why those emergency ration wafers stink- 2-3k calories in a little bar just sounds miserable.
Adding some calorie dense foods (rice, beans, the usual) and some volume (squash, canned/dried veggies, soups) is just good for morale.
Also, pick up some foraging/gardening skills- knowledge is a great prep, and knowing how to go out and get a bag of wild greens to fill up bellies a bit is some good peace of mind!
WSBpeon69420@reddit (OP)
The gardening we have down (during the right part of the year) canning is coming along but could definitely get the foraging knowledge going