Wilderness survival training emphasizes crucial needs first, placing food at the bottom of the emergency items list. Although the average person can survive three weeks without food, FEMA’s Ready America recommends a three-day supply of nonperishable food for emergency situations. Campers and hikers should consider this advice when assembling a survival kit but choose foods based on weight and volume as well as nutritional value.
Preservation
Pick compact preserved foods with high calorie-to-weight ratios. Avoid foods which need preparation and refrigeration. Freeze-dried meals require extra water to cook. Trail food bars can be simply unwrapped and eaten. Homemade trail mixes of cereals, nuts and dried fruit are also an option, but can take up much more room in the pack. Packets of powdered milk only require water for mixing and provide sugars, vitamins and protein. Instant brown rice does require cooking, but it’s easily prepared and a healthier source of fiber and carbohydrates than instant pasta. Mixed with raisins, this lightweight grain makes a delicious trail breakfast. Powdered mashed potatoes offers a tasty alternative for an evening meal.
Calories
Food calories provide the body with heat and are important in cold weather survival situations. Good survival foods contain high-calorie ingredients that are often avoided in regular diet for health reasons. Sugars provide immediate but short-lived boosts of energy, while fats contribute a longer-lasting fuel. Pemmican–the traditional emergency food of early Americans–combines rendered animal fat with fruit sugars from dried berries. Homemade trail food bars based on peanut butter and oatmeal recipes offer nutrients from a wider range of sources, including vegetable oil, protein, sugars and carbohydrates. Tinned meats and sardines provide both protein and fat but add unnecessary weight. Bonita tuna flakes and other types of dried fish pack lightweight protein into small packages–most Asian groceries carry several inexpensive choices.
Vitamins
Without the proper array of vitamins in your diet, food will not convert to energy efficiently. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, a poor diet may cause stress and anxiety. A lack of important vitamins, like B-12, could contribute to fatigue, dizziness or trigger a rapid or irregular heartbeat. When choosing food bars or other preserved foods, select vitamin-fortified products. If making your own GORP–Good Old Raisins and Peanuts–remember that most dried fruit does not provide Vitamin C. Multi-vitamin tablets offer lightweight nutritional stability.
Comfort Food
Comfort foods add psychological benefits. Chocolate provides an important calorie jolt and an emotional and mental boost. In warm climates, remember to bag chocolate bars in ziptop bags to keep gear clean if the candy melts. Packaged sports drink mixes are also a comforting treat in an emergency survival kit, providing calories and vitamins in an easily mixed lightweight powder.
Wild Food
Untrained people should not experiment with unknown and potentially toxic wild plants. Edibles grow in nearly every climate and terrain but identifying them requires training and prior experience. Wild carrot, wild onion and garlic, and cattails are among the easiest to identify and offer forage through most of the year. Insects and invertebrates like earthworms provide the most dependable animal protein. Skills developed under expert guidance–before the emergency happens–could provide a source for food even when emergency supplies run out.
About this Author
James Young began writing as a military journalist in Alaska and combat correspondent in Vietnam. His lifetime fascination with technical and manual arts yields decades of experience in electronics, turnery, blacksmithing, outdoor sports, woodcarving, joinery and sailing. Young’s articles have been published in Tai Chi Magazine, Sonar 4 Ezine, The Marked Tree, Stars & Stripes, the SkinWalker Files and Fine Woodworking.
