Creating long-term food stocks

[AzulShiva]

I'm trying to build up my food reserve for the coming years. After a lot of research I'm planning to get 90% of my calorie intake from oats, coconut oil and whey powder. Carbs, fats and proteins are all in there. I have additional stocks consisting of a large variety of dried vegetables, berries, nuts, canned fish & meat etc for micronutrients.

From what I understand there are 3 ways foods like oats and whey powder can go bad:

1. Rancid (due to fat coming in contact with oxygen)
2. Mold
3. Parasites

By freezing all my oats, coconnut oil and whey powder for 2 weeks I was told all parasites and mushroom spores would be destroyed. As long as noone opens the pack and allows oxygen to get inside it will last for decades. After that I pack everything into steel barrels, throw a handful of silica gels inside it and seal it airtight. Even if a bomb hits close, my food is safe, and I expect it to last at least 50 years.

What are you guys' takes on these methods?

 

[Proud Prepper]

I'm trying to build up my food reserve for the coming years. After a lot of research I'm planning to get 90% of my calorie intake from oats, coconut oil and whey powder. Carbs, fats and proteins are all in there. I have additional stocks consisting of a large variety of dried vegetables, berries, nuts, canned fish & meat etc for micronutrients.

From what I understand there are 3 ways foods like oats and whey powder can go bad:

1. Rancid (due to fat coming in contact with oxygen)
2. Mold
3. Parasites

By freezing all my oats, coconnut oil and whey powder for 2 weeks I was told all parasites and mushroom spores would be destroyed. As long as noone opens the pack and allows oxygen to get inside it will last for decades. After that I pack everything into steel barrels, throw a handful of silica gels inside it and seal it airtight. Even if a bomb hits close, my food is safe, and I expect it to last at least 50 years.

What are you guys' takes on these methods?

Looks correct. Some molds and bugs are eat able.

 

[DrHenley]

If I had to live off of mostly oats, coconut oil and whey powder long enough, I think I might just ask someone to shoot me. But I probably would not have to because the coconut oil, which is 82.5% saturated fat, would clog up my cardiac arteries within months.

 

[AzulShiva]

If I had to live off of mostly oats, coconut oil and whey powder long enough, I think I might just ask someone to shoot me. But I probably would not have to because the coconut oil, which is 82.5% saturated fat, would clog up my cardiac arteries within months.

Saturated fat being unhealthy is an old school myth. The trans fats you eat every day in processed food are much worse.

Anyway, some calculations went into this, and a daily dose of 2000 calories of that stuff consists of 300g Oatmeal, 40g Coconut Oil, 100g Wheypowder. Which gives you:

241g Carbohydrates (96% RDA)
30g Fiber (108% RDA)
65g Protein (109% RDA)
0.8g Omega3 Fats (20% RDA -> Fixed by eating some Fish)
9g Omega6 Fats (57% RDA)
17g Omega7+9 Fats (45% RDA)
50g Saturated Fats (253%) (I got concentrated Wheyprotein instead of Wheypowder, which drops Saturated Fats to 180%. You'll live, either way)
->77g Total Fats (99% RDA)

Now the micronutrients:

Vitamin A, D E, K (Nothing) (Not sure I understand why Whey powder has no Vitamin A but whatever)
Vitamin C (Nothing)

Vitamin B1 (115% RDA)
Vitamin B2 (36% RDA)
Vitamin B3 (21% RDA)
Vitamin B5 (66% RDA)
Vitamin B6 (38% RDA)
Vitamin B9 (24% RDA)
Vitamin B12 (unknown -> Fixed by eating some Fish)

Minerals look much better:

Calcium 1066mg (107% RDA)
Copper 1.2mg (133% RDA)
Iron 12.91mg (161% RDA)
Magnesium 499mg (125% RDA)
Manganese 10.8mg (470% RDA - UL is 11mg so still safe)
Phosphorus 1230mg (176% RDA)
Potassium 1086mg (23% RDA)
Selenium 0.087mg (158% RDA)
Zinc 10.92mg (99% RDA)

So obviously I'll need to supplement it. You get Vitamin C, A, K from wild plants. Vitamin E from nuts. Also Nuts give you more balanced fats as opposed to Coconut oil, so if you have nuts at your disposal you can skip the coconut oil. Additional Vitamin A from animal foods and carrots. The B Vitamins will fill up along. If I can't hunt or get wild plants I have entire barrels filled with cans.

 

[DrHenley]

Saturated fat being unhealthy is an old school myth. The trans fats you eat every day in processed food are much worse.

I have done my research on that and it is well established by a multitude of studies that saturated fat increases LDL (bad) cholesterol, which deposits plaque in your arteries, and polyunsaturated fat decreases LDL cholesterol. Monounsaturated fat increases HDL cholesterol which carries plaque from your arteries to your liver where it is metabolized.

Yes, trans fat and hydrogenated fat are just as bad...or worse...but I don't eat them.
Processed foods I eat every day? What processed foods?? I eat very little processed food. Tonight I had a pizza that I made from scratch with chicken breast, olives, mushrooms, roma tomatoes, and spinach, with extra virgin olive oil drizzled on it. And a small air fried whole white sweet potato.

 

[AzulShiva]

I have done my research on that and it is well established by a multitude of studies that saturated fat increases LDL (bad) cholesterol, which deposits plaque in your arteries, and polyunsaturated fat decreases LDL cholesterol. Monounsaturated fat increases HDL cholesterol which carries plaque from your arteries to your liver where it is metabolized.

Yes, trans fat and hydrogenated fat are just as bad...or worse...but I don't eat them.
Processed foods I eat every day? What processed foods?? I eat very little processed food. Tonight I had a pizza that I made from scratch with chicken breast, olives, mushrooms, roma tomatoes, and spinach, with extra virgin olive oil drizzled on it. And a small air fried whole white sweet potato.

Outdated knowledge. Check newer studies. Is saturated fat bad for your health?

Doctors used to say eating fat makes you fat, now we all know that is bs, but I still meet people who believe it.

Omega 3 and 6 fats are polyunsaturated, Omega 7 and 9 are monounsaturated. Omega 3 are good, Omega 6 should be limited, an ideal ratio of Omega6 to Omega3 is somewhere between 2:1 and 4:1. Our modern diet is usually around 20:1. If you want to improve your health, fixing that ratio will be more important than limiting saturated fats. Omega 7 and 9 are good for you like you said. Trans fats are death, don't even compare them.

50g of saturated fats a day is not going to hurt you. They're not as bad as they were made out to be.

Modern cyclists like Chris Froome are on high-protein ketogenic diets. They eat a lot more of that stuff.

If you have alternative sources of fat you can eat those instead. But Coconut oil happens to be the one fat that can be stored indefinitely and it's going to save your life when everything else has gone to shit.

 

[Buttoni]

I've been a low-carber since 2009. Have eaten nothing but coconut oil & butter for cooking ever since. For cold use as in salad dressings I use olive oil exclusively. Fat studies show it changes when high heated and not for the good.

It is fact, demonstrated over and over again by low-carbers eating saturated fats and lots of eggs (avoiding omega-6 fats) , that within 6 mos. of beginning a low-carb/high fat diet, lipid profiles improve so much those people's doctors can't believe it! Mine included. It is noteworthy to understand that LDL and other lipid markers do indeed initially go up in that 1st 6 months of the dietary shift to low-carb/high fat (I forget at the moment why that happens), but then drops off dramatically. So the experts recommend not testing lipids that first 6 months because of this known phenomenon. But if tested farther out, the facts are that those lipid panels are incredibly good after the 6-month barrier. Additionally, the elevated number in the LDL of low-carb/high fat followers has been demonstrated with VLDL tests (that tests particle size). Those tests show that the higher lipid numbers are 'large particle' lipid molecules that bounce around in the arteries but do not seem to adhere to the artery walls and don't seem to cause cardiovascular issues. The VLDL test does not show them as the 'small particle' fat molecules that DO stick to artery walls causing blockages over time and downstream cardiovascular problems. VLDL tests run around $1,000 I was told, so few people are willing to run that optional test. But when they do, they are proving this evidence to help low-carbers not fall prey to the old science and thinking on this subject. T2 diabetics on the diet often have their diabetic diagnosis removed from their medical files and report their docs took them off meds. Some, who took insulin + meds reported either they dropped/reduced insulin in the first year and some don't even need meds anymore. These are personal testimonials, not studies. But the Atkins nutritionist, Collette Heimowitz, has quoted many later studies (outside of Atkins) that supported what Atkins said decades ago. Medicine takes about 25 years to come around to new studies/facts and new thinking. Fact. They don't like to be proven wrong.
Here's my lipid panel results just taken yesterday, in fact, after 13 years of eating this way:

 

[Buttoni]

To add to the above, I'm now also incorporating low-carb/high fat way of eating into intermittent fasting (I eat 1 meal a day at 4-5pm) for the additional autophagy health benefits that brings to the "fighting off diabetes" table. Jason Fung's book, THE OBESITY CODE is a true eye-opener on diet and why most of us eat wrong. His research was on his own kidney/diabetic patients. It's not so much WHAT we eat that causes metabolic syndrome, but rather HOW OFTEN we eat and stimulate that insulin rush. I'm banking on the OMAD (One Meal a Day) approach will help when SHTF so my long-term food storage will last 3 times as long as it would have lasted eating the way I ate 20 years ago.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

Ive got to applaud you for the one meal a day! We are considering fasting a couple of times a week. There is benefit in both. Many studies were done to show eating less = living healthier and longer. Hubby and I never eat more than twice a day. And almost never after 3pm. I also practice low carbs because my body just doesn’t do well with many carbs. My energy level goes down with too many carbs…yep, even the “good carbs”. I also gain weight on carbs. The cause if probably from being O negative…at least that’s my theory.

 

[AzulShiva]

To add to the above, I'm now also incorporating low-carb/high fat way of eating into intermittent fasting (I eat 1 meal a day at 4-5pm) for the additional autophagy health benefits that brings to the "fighting off diabetes" table. Jason Fung's book, THE OBESITY CODE is a true eye-opener on diet and why most of us eat wrong. His research was on his own kidney/diabetic patients. It's not so much WHAT we eat that causes metabolic syndrome, but rather HOW OFTEN we eat and stimulate that insulin rush. I'm banking on the OMAD (One Meal a Day) approach will help when SHTF so my long-term food storage will last 3 times as long as it would have lasted eating the way I ate 20 years ago.

I tried fasting, but it worsens my migraines.

Low carb is certainly better, however right now I can't afford eating meat and fats all day. Oats will prove vital when SHTF.

How many calories do you eat on your one meal every day?

 

[Arcticdude]

I eat anything and everything i want. Bacon, eggs, sausage and potatoes every morning for breakfast, and more bacon. With toast and butter. Dinners are usually beef or chicken that we raised, fish and or shrimp etc. I'm in pretty good shape for an old man because of exercise.
I think the most important thing is getting plenty of exercise, and cut out processed foods, sweets and junk food as much as possible. After SHTF I dont think getting adequate exercise will be a problem.

 

[DrHenley]

I've been a low-carber since 2009. Have eaten nothing but coconut oil & butter for cooking ever since. For cold use as in salad dressings I use olive oil exclusively. Fat studies show it changes when high heated and not for the good.

I use extra virgin olive oil for everything except deep fat frying (which I rarely do). For pan frying or sauteing , where you only heat it once, extra virgin olive oil is fine.
Any time I need to use high temperature oil, we use peanut oil, which has a smoke point of 450°F (virgin coconut oil has a smoke point of 350°F)
I cut out sweets over a decade ago.

 

[Buttoni]

Ive got to applaud you for the one meal a day! We are considering fasting a couple of times a week. There is benefit in both. Many studies were done to show eating less = living healthier and longer. Hubby and I never eat more than twice a day. And almost never after 3pm. I also practice low carbs because my body just doesn’t do well with many carbs. My energy level goes down with too many carbs…yep, even the “good carbs”. I also gain weight on carbs. The cause if probably from being O negative…at least that’s my theory.

I'm O negative, too. So you're telling me my blood type has been my problem all along? I like your theory, GeorgiaP. As good an excuse as any, huh? LOL

 

[Buttoni]

I cut out sweets over a decade ago.

I've never been a sweets eater. Rarely eat more than a bite or two and rarely at that. Been that way since I was about 10 years old. It's the other form of sugar (complex carbs like bread, rice, potatoes) that have always been are my weakness.

 

[Proud Prepper]

I use extra virgin olive oil for everything except deep fat frying (which I rarely do). For pan frying or sauteing , where you only heat it once, extra virgin olive oil is fine.
Any time I need to use high temperature oil, we use peanut oil, which has a smoke point of 450°F (virgin coconut oil has a smoke point of 350°F)
I cut out sweets over a decade ago.

Have you tried avocado oil for frying?

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

I'm O negative, too. So you're telling me my blood type has been my problem all along? I like your theory, GeorgiaP. As good an excuse as any, huh? LOL

LOL. Figured you were. There is an old book written by a few doctors about the issue of people’s blood type and how their systems require different “fuel”.

 

[DrHenley]

Have you tried avocado oil for frying?

Yep. I like it, but my wallet doesn't.

 

[Cindyd]

I'm with AD and Buttoni in that I eat whatever I want. But I only eat when I'm hungry and not a sweet eater either other than rare exception when I get a sweet tooth once in a blue moon. I don't have a schedule for eating daily at same times, but when I eat, I eat! And breakfast is my favorite, love eggs any way (except raw), anytime. I do use good quality olive oil, coconut oil off n on, AND bacon grease or crisco! for cornbread, fried chicken, fresh salad greens, etc. So far, I have no health issues and my BMI is arguably likely too low. When I bite the dust hopefully, it be quickly!

 

[Arcticdude]

I'm with AD and Buttoni in that I eat whatever I want. But I only eat when I'm hungry and not a sweet eater either other than rare exception when I get a sweet tooth once in a blue moon. I don't have a schedule for eating daily at same times, but when I eat, I eat! And breakfast is my favorite, love eggs any way (except raw), anytime. I do use good quality olive oil, coconut oil off n on, AND bacon grease or crisco! for cornbread, fried chicken, fresh salad greens, etc. So far, I have no health issues and my BMI is arguably likely too low. When I bite the dust hopefully, it be quickly!

We use bacon grease, butter and olive oil for most of our cooking, plus some coconut oil. I love ice cream but this time of year we can't make it home before it melts, even on ice.
There used to be a saying: "everything in moderation".

 

[DrHenley]

Bacon grease actually has more monounsaturated fat than saturated fat.