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Stockpiling enough food to keep you and your family alive for a long time can be very challenging. Think about it: However much you spend on your weekly shopping trip is how much a week’s worth of emergency food could cost. And that’s just one week.
There’s a reason certain foods have remained so popular among preppers and survivalists. Rice and beans, for example. They have a long shelf-life, they’re filling, and they’re good for you. These foods will always make the cut, while others are best reserved for softer times.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the 20 most popular survival foods and talk about why they’re so popular. If you’re preparing for a disaster, consider getting every one of these.
Note: Normally when listing products, I would link to them on Amazon.com, but almost all of these foods are cheaper at stores like Costco or Sam’s Club. I highly recommend you purchase these foods at stores like those.
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1. Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt gets a lot of credit as a multi-purpose survival item, but apple cider vinegar deserves more attention than it gets. It can be used to preserve food, clean wounds, kill weeds, and add flavor to bland meals. It also has a nearly indefinite shelf life when stored in a sealed container. A few large jugs won’t take up much space, but they’ll earn their keep.
2. Beans
Beans are filling and affordable. They’re also, easy to store, high in nutrients, have an indefinite shelf life, and are easily one of the most popular survival foods. As an added bonus, you can plant some of your beans and grow more.
3. Canned Soup
The biggest advantage of canned soup is the convenience. Most people heat it up first, but you don’t even have to do that. Canned soup can be eaten/drank straight from the can for a quick and easy meal. Just make sure you buy soups your family actually likes.
4. Canned Tuna
Tuna is a great survival food and one of the few meat products that made this list. For meats, spoilage is a real problem, but tuna has a great shelf life and will last up to five years unopened, making it a great source of tasty protein in a disaster situation.
5. Canned Vegetables
Fresh vegetables are going to be a distant memory after a long-term disaster, which is exactly why canned vegetables deserve a spot in your stockpile. Corn, green beans, carrots and peas all have a shelf life of several years and provide vitamins and nutrients that other survival staples simply don’t offer. Stock a variety so you’re not eating the same thing every night.
6. Coconut Oil
Oil is essential for cooking a large number of foods. Unfortunately, most oils don’t have a long enough shelf life. Coconut oil, on the other hand, can last up to two years before it begins to spoil.
If you’re planning on frying food post-disaster, coconut oil is your best choice. As an added bonus, it’s one of the healthiest oils you can cook with, and it has many other uses.
7. Coffee
Surviving after a disaster takes a lot of energy, which means you should learn how to make coffee when the power is out. Fortunately, coffee has a long shelf-life and is affordable enough to set aside a huge supply for rough times.
8. Cornmeal
Instead of storing flour for your post-disaster baking needs, consider storing cornmeal instead. Cornmeal can be used in place of flour in most recipes, plus it has a longer shelf life.
While flour requires yeast and oil to make biscuits or bread, cornbread and tortillas made from flour can be baked without these things and come out nicely when cooked in a solar oven or one a skillet.
9. Honey
Honey isn’t all that cheap, which makes buying it in bulk a tough pill to swallow for frugal preppers. However, honey can be used to add a nice boost of calories and flavor to a meal, it’s one of the few sweets with an indefinite shelf life, and it’s good for you. As long as you use it sparingly, a little honey will go a long way.
10. Lard
Last year I made a list of 20 reasons lard is the best survival food. You can use it for deep frying food, making candles, making pemmican, making soap, lubricating equipment, preventing blisters, as a butter substitute in any recipe, and much more.
11. Liquor
This one isn’t just about morale (though that matters too). Unopened bottles of hard liquor like vodka or whiskey have an indefinite shelf life and have real utility in a disaster situation. They can be used to disinfect wounds, start fires, and serve as a barter item when things get bad enough that people will trade almost anything for a drink. Stock it even if you don’t drink.
12. Oats
Oats are one of the most underrated items in a prepper’s pantry. They’re cheap, filling, and incredibly versatile. You can use them for breakfast, baking, or stretching out other meals. Rolled oats stored in an airtight container can last up to 30 years, which makes them hard to beat for long-term stockpiling.
13. Pasta
If you think the post-apocalypse is going to be completely void of your favorite foods, celebrate the fact that pasta is one of the most popular survival foods. Use it to make spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo, mac and cheese, or whatever you want.
14. Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is filling, affordable, high in protein, and has a long shelf life (even after opened), allowing preppers to stock up on bulk amounts of peanut butter without going broke.
15. Popcorn
Popcorn is such a great snack. It’s good for you (unless you add a ton of oil and butter), and popcorn kernels can last for decades when stored properly. If any of your family likes popcorn, you owe it to them to stock up on it.
16. Powdered Milk
Most people don’t think about dairy until they no longer have access to it. Powdered milk solves that problem. It can be used for drinking, baking, making sauces, and adding calories to meals. Stored properly in a cool, dry place, it can last up to 25 years. If you have kids, this one is especially important to have on hand.
17. Ramen Noodles
If college students can survive on Ramen noodles for four years, so can you. They’re not very nutritious, but they are incredibly cheap and tasty enough to add a little variety to your food cache. Plus, they can last for years.
18. Rice
For a huge portion of the world, rice is a daily staple, supplying the majority of people’s nutritional needs. It’s easy to store, it’s one of the cheapest foods you can buy, and it lasts for decades if you store it properly.
19. Salt
There was a time when salt was one of the most valuable things a person could own. While it may not have the same value this day and age, salt is still an irreplaceable food item to have in a post-collapse world.
It can be used to clean clothes, kill weeds, melt ice, preserve meat, soothe sore oats, and many other things, not to mention vastly improving the taste of bland foods.
20. Sugar
You HAVE to stockpile sugar. I’m not saying you should make it a huge part of your diet, but sugar is a crucial ingredient for almost any dessert you can imagine.
Conclusion
If you haven’t already started purchasing these foods in bulk, it’s time to get started. Join Costco or Sam’s Club and get started. You’ll find you can put away a lot of food for less money than you’d think.
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