I had a question presented to me by a woman who is an “empty nester” and whose eating habits have changed with the years. Here’s her situation:
“When our kids were younger we were pretty much into the food storage thing….over the years we rarely used the wheat or powdered milk. What we ran out of or replaced the most [were] oatmeal, popcorn, rice and beans, we even used corn and soybeans more than the wheat…There are just two of us now and we …don’t need the flours and sugars/milk. We store a lot of these things now but don’t really know what a balanced one year supply would consist of.”
And then she asked about a supply of food that would give them the calories and nutrition they need.
Here is my reply:
“Work towards 300 lbs. of grain products per person in whatever combination you want. If stored in mylar or cans with oxygen absorbers in a relatively cool place, they will last 30+ years except for … flour. Then you won’t feel pressed to rotate it quickly and, if you don’t eat that much food, you have some to share.
You should have 60 lbs. of beans per person in any combination. They also last 30+ years when stored properly.
Work towards 60 lbs. of sugars per person. Sugar lasts almost forever. Be sure not to use oxygen absorbers, especially in the brown sugar. The moisture in the brown sugar will cause problems with the absorbers. Sugars are there for calories. If your calorie needs increase, you will have them.
You need … milk for the calcium and protein. Store more and use it in cooking and baking. If you have children move in with you, you will have some to share. It’s good for 20 years.”
She was already storing grains, beans, milk, and sugars, but not enough, and had enough fats and salt.
Remember that long-term foods store for 20-30 years or more when stored without oxygen at relatively cool temperatures (75 degrees or below). You can store more than what you think you might eat in one year when you base that calculation on your current eating habits. You never know what the future holds so you should store AT LEAST the recommended amounts of grains, beans, fats, sugars, salt, and powdered milk for each person. You don’t need to include specific foods you can’t eat or don’t like if there are other foods in the same category that you like and eat unless you want to have something for bartering or for feeding others. That means, if you don’t like wheat or can’t eat it, find another grain or grains to store instead, but store at least 300 lbs. of grains per person for 1 year. Store 60 lbs. of beans, 60 lbs. of sugars, 20 lbs. of fats, 5 lbs. of salt and 50 to 75 lbs. of milk per person for a minimum year’s supply of long-term foods. These are the foundation of a nutritionally balanced food storage program.
As part of your adaptation to needing less, consider packaging your food in smaller containers. Use smaller mylar bags or use half-gallon or quart jars or PETE bottles instead of always depending on 5 gallon buckets and #10 cans.
“Downsizing” isn’t actually downsizing. It’s looking at food storage a little differently.
For more information on basic food storage see “Basic Food Storage.”
Also, refer to “Adapting Food Storage to Where You Live, Your Budget, and Your Diet Restrictions” for more information on foundation principles for adapting food storage recommendations.
