Survival Nuts

By Jalapeno Gal77 -via APN

People are always asking what food is safe to pack in a survival bag for  your cars, your BOB, or your pantry.  The answer is typically anything you want as long as you rotate or buy food storage items that last 20 years without rotation.  However, there are smart ways to go about what you store and smart foods as well.  You also need to consider which type of kit you are stocking up.  For instance, if you have a car kit, canned food would work for this because you don’t have to heat the food, it’s already cooked.  Just be sure to add a can opener to the kit. This option wouldn’t be such a great idea for your BOB though, because they are heavy.

When choosing a snack for your BOB it is better to find snacks that are high in calories and protein.  You definitely want to watch the sodium level though because a lot of salt could dehydrate you or make you thirstier.  You can find these bars at any local grocery store or health food store.  Just make sure and read you labels because not all of them have a lot of calories and protein that you would need.  Choose wisely!



Many people like MRE’s in their packs.  These can be tasty and calorie rich, but often times have a very high sodium level in them.  For me personally they are a little bulky, but for others they may not be.  Just remember to put some MRE heaters in your pack as well.

Fish:  Some of my personal favorites for our bug out bags are the new packs of tuna fish, salmon, and chicken they have come out with.  They are about the size of a sheet of paper in width, but smaller in height.  Of course, you would have to like  fish and chicken to want to add it to your BOB.  Fish is very high in protein which is what you want in a survival situation.  You also would not need to cook it, another plus.

Another great item, if you can tolerate it, is sardines.  A can of sardines supplies nearly 23 g of protein.  This is half of the recommended daily allowance for adult women and over 40 percent of that for adult men.  A single can contains nearly one-half of the recommended daily allowance of calcium at 351 mg.  Sardines are one of the few dietary sources of Vitamin D, which is essential for the body to absorb and use calcium.  Sardines are a healthy source of vitamins A and K. On the downside, a can of sardines contains 465 mg sodium.  Excess sodium intake can cause high blood pressure.  Sardines are also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.  Omega 3 lowers your risk of heart disease, and fish oil aids in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.  Now-a-days, they have many different varieties to choose from as far as flavor is concerned.

Nuts!  This is one item we ALL have in our bags.  I buy mixed nuts and vacuum seal 2 cups per bag, per person.  You would not believe the nutritional value of nuts, especially the calorie content.  One cup of mixed nuts is 885 calories, 22 grams of protein, and 32 grams of carbs!!  I’m sure now you can see how this would be a great item to add to all your kits.  You might end up fighting off squirrels for your nuts, but it would be worth it.   However, another plus about nuts, is it makes great bait for a dead-fall trap.  Meaning you could get a meal from the little thieves.

Oats:  My children love oatmeal, so we have put 5 packs of instant oatmeal in each of our packs.  the flavors that each of us like.  This is something else that needs to be considered.  Pack what your family likes to eat and if there are medical problems pack foods that fit into that.  Obviously, if a person is diabetic you wouldn’t pack candy bars and if someone has high blood pressure you would add stuff high in sodium.

Dried fruit!  Whether you dry your own or buy some dried banana, apple, apricots chips or what ever fruit you like, this makes a tasty add in with your nuts or your oatmeal!

Spices:  We save salt, pepper, and sugar packets and those cayenne pepper packets from restaurants we go to.  These are great to add to your BOB.  Just imagine catching that squirrel with your nuts ( i love saying that, the visual cracks me up) and then being able to season it.   Great idea huh?  I also have my own little recipe for a combination of salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Its 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper and 1/4 cup garlic powder.  I make this at home as a basic seasoning for our foods.  You can use any type of small container to add this to your BOB such as a small pill bottle, a small zip lock baggy or a vial. You can also be creative and come up with your own mixture of things like 1 part chili powder,  1 part ground cumin, 1 part garlic powder, 1 part onion powder, and 1/4 to a 1/2 part crushed red pepper and voila, you made taco seasoning!  You get the idea!  Spices are not an essential for a BOB, but it makes food taste better.

Powdered soups are a very tasty and warm meal in cool weather.  Most of them are just add water and light weight in a bag.  My favorite is broccoli and cheese.  Mmmm mmmm mmmmm!
These are just a few things that could go in your BOB to help you enjoy what you eat in a survival situation.  Remember to always read the labels and to choose wisely for yourself and your family.  Don’t forget to rotate your food items out to make sure they are fresh if you need them in the future.  If you have any suggestions you would like to add about foods for survival please help us all out and add your ideas or questions to the comment section.

Keepin It Spicy,
Jalapeño Gal