Sunday, May 13, 2012

The Hidden Danger of Long Term Food Storage


There should always be good variety in your long term food storage. If your long term food storage is not done properly, you could find yourself suffering from a very real threat to your survival.  Basic long term food storage must be done in an efficient manner in order to avoid the very real danger of appetite fatigue.

Appetite fatigue occurs when there is plenty of food available but there is a lack of variety in your diet. This is the old “mind over matter” dilemma. Your mind will eventually tell your body that it is not going to eat the same thing again. As a result, you may find yourself losing your appetite. This will cause you to start eating less, even when there may be adequate food supplies present for your consumption. This could ultimately endanger your ability to survive.

This is where the hidden danger lies. Even though you may have adequate long term food storage, you will need to have a variety of food items to avoid the problems associated with appetite fatigue. While basic food staples are good to have on hand, you will need to incorporate various other food items into the planning associated with your long term food storage needs.

A combination of food storage items that includes different spices and seasonings, flavorings, and sauce packets can help to avoid the problems caused by appetite fatigue. You would do well to also stock both canned and dehydrated food items that will give you a greater variety and more choices in your diet. If you have decent gardening skills, you could also plan to supplement your food storage with fresh vegetables and herbs from a garden.

Appetite fatigue could also be called the “left-over syndrome”. How many times have you eaten more than one meal as a result of left-overs? How many times have you thrown food away simply because your family simply refuses to eat the same thing again? It simply goes bad because everyone refuses to eat it again because they want something different.

Variety is the spice of life. If you fail to maintain some variety in your food storage program, you may risk the development of appetite fatigue.

Got herbs and spices?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

11 comments:

idahobob said...

I purchase Franks Hot Sauce by the gallon.

None of yer business how much I have in long term storage.

Heh.

Bob
III

Alyssa Staheli said...

I agree! Having variety in your food storage is an important thing to consider. If you are ever in a situation that requires your food storage, you don't want be stuck eating noodles and bread all day long! I've found that a great way to increase the variety is to include dried fruits. They bring a sweetness to your meals and are packed with lots of nutrients!

John said...

Good post and comments. I'm also a proponent of variety to ward off diet fatigue. But are we so pampered that we couldn't eat the same thing for a couple of days or more if need be? Circumstances may dictate that now and then. We're so used to having something different at each meal, but we won't starve if that doesn't happen, or can't happen every day in a survival situation.

riverwalker said...

To: idahobob

Salsa is a staple in my neck of the woods. We also grow lots of peppers...especially jalapenos!

Hot sauce will most assuredly add some variety.

Thanks bob.

RW

riverwalker said...

To: Alyssa

Dried fruits and nuts can be a great way to break the monotony of eating the same stuff day after day.

Sounds like a plan Alyssa!

Thanks.

RW

riverwalker said...

To: John

Diet fatigue is going to be a big problem for lots of people. Too many times I've seen people back off entirely if they think they have to eat left-overs. Wait until left-overs are the only thing left and see if they really want to eat or do without.

If people don't think this can be a problem, all you have to do is go back as far as your last Thanksgiving meal. By the following Monday, even the mention of left-over turkey is enough to drive people crazy...just have to remember to put some of bob's hot sauce on it! You probably won't even be able to taste the turkey.

Thanks John.

RW

Anonymous said...

you are right. I have decided that we only need a small dorm sized fridge. Most of the left overs are not eaten by the humans in this house.

The dogs love them though.

The second thing to consider about food prepping is that it is addictive and has been known to lead to buying and storing other items for later use.
Annie Mouse

Angie said...

Great info! Thanks for visiting!
~Ang

millenniumfly said...

This is especially true for us Americans because we're so spoiled with variety. It would definitely be a shock to the system if we had to eat the same few foods. Kids are especially susceptible.

riverwalker said...

To: milleniumfly

Good point! Kids will probably struggle the hardest with a simple diet.

Thanks.

RW

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