Preparing for an Emergency: Healthy Diet

Food storage, 72-hour kits, and water storage are all important parts of emergency preparedness. As I've been thinking more about my emergency preparedness, I've realized that when faced with a disaster, having a positive attitude and a healthy body could be just as important as the physical things I have stored.

One way I've been trying to keep my body healthy and prepared for an emergency is modifying my eating habits and choosing more healthy foods for meals and snacks.

According to the new guidelines from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the most important thing when trying to eat healthily is to make sure your calories are balanced. You can still eat foods that you enjoy, you just need to make sure you eat more of your favorite healthy foods and less of your favorite unhealthy foods.

The USDA suggests that when you are serving up your food, make half of your plate fruits and vegetables, make sure that half of your grains are whole grains, and switch low-fat (1%) or fat-free milk.

When picking what to drink with your meal, avoid sugary drinks and make sure that you are drinking enough water throughout the day.

I've found that by following these simple guidelines, I feel healthier and I have more energy. I also have found that I am generally in a much better mood on days that I eat healthy foods than on days when I eat junk food and candy.

Not only will eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains help me feel better on a daily basis but during an emergency, it won't be too hard to transition to a diet containing mostly Freeze-Dried Fruits, Vegetables, homemade whole wheat bread, and other food storage items.