Just about every area of North America can experience some sort of survival situation – natural or manmade.

The possibility of a prolonged (more than a few hours) survival situation is so pronounced, the US federal government recommends you always have a few days food and water on hand; here are some basics.

Distilled water.

Water isn't a food to hoard, but you certainly can't live without
it, which is why water is #1 on this prepping list. Distilled water
is the most pure form of water. Get water now and make plans to
get more water.

Canned liquids.

It's important to stock up on canned foods with high liquid
content. Two excellent (and often overlooked) examples are
canned pineapple juice and vegetable juice available on the
bottom shelves of your grocery store. These foods will provide
nutrition and hydration simultaneously.  Look also for evaporated
milk, condensed milk, and canned coconut milk. Coconut milk will
help you cook rice faster! Stewed tomatoes, and vegetable, beef
or chicken stock can also help you cook rice without depleting
your drinking water.

Dehydrated powdered milk, whey and eggs.

Milk does a body good (or so say the commercials) and we've
come up with a list for preppers on the 12 reasons to stock
powdered milk in your pantry. Indeed milk is a versatile food well
worth stockpiling if you don't have a cow or a goat. Bob's Red Mill
dehydrated milk lasts, pictured right, up to two years, and is an
excellent natural creamer for coffee.

Protein bars and protein drinks.

Ideal for a bug out bag, food bars are compact nutrition and
should be part of your everyday food storage. Sure, some food
bars are a sort of cross between chocolate candy bars and
vitamins, others more of a granola, but they are often high in
protein. Food bars can provide a satisfaction for a morning meal
or an addition to your other rations. Look for coconut bars too!

Another food bar that often goes under the radar with Prepper's
(but shouldn't) is Pemmican, pictured below, which contains
complete protein and gives energy. Free of isolates, fructose,
sugar and cholesterol, Pemmican is a concentrated food bar that
offers quick energy.

Canned & dehydrated meats, poultry (and seafood).

What's the #1 food to hoard? Well, the best prepper protein
source is meat. Go for the jerky! If you had to stockpile just one
kind of food you'd want to stockpile meat in cans. Go ahead and
Tune-in to the tuna. Stock your refrigerator with meats too. Smoked salmon, sausages and hot dogs can last a long time in your refrigerator. Consume
them first in a power failure.

Oils (butter, lard, olive oil, organic shortening, etc.).

You can't cook much without oil! Buy oil small containers and
look for the word “virgin” which means that they are the first
press and have the most nutritive value.

Whole wheat flour, bread and pancake mixes.

Many preppers grind their own wheat into flour, but if you're new
to prepping, ensure you have some flour on hand. In the category
of flour, you could stock bread mix, such as Krusteaz or Bisquick.
Wheat is a basic food product that's chock full of fiber, protein,
vitamins and even minerals, like selenium.  If you stock white
flour in your daily pantry, be sure to stock wheat flour in your
Prepper's pantry because it has more nutritive value when it has
the whole grain (bran, germ and endosperm). White flour has
only the endosperm.

You may also need flour for thickening gravies, or coat and fry,
such things as freshly caught fish. If you have whole wheat flour,
you won't have to stock genetically modified corn starch, which is
also used for thickening. Consider Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat
flour because it comes wrapped in plastic, rather than a paper
bag which is more susceptible to pest invasions. Ultimately, you
should store whole wheat flour in your every day pantry. Your
long term pantry should include whole grain wheat and you
should have a grain mill.

Corn as a grain (dried).

Did you know corn is both a grain and a vegetable? As a grain,
corn is dried into flour to bake and make a variety of foods from
cornbread to cornflakes. Corn as a grain is an essential prepper
food and there are many kinds of dried corn.

•    Cornmeal. Pioneers packed cornmeal as part of their
provision list, a half a bushel!

•    Corn starch. Corn starch is a basic ingredient in baking.

•    Popcorn. We wrote an entire article touting the benefits of
storing Popcorn because it's a grain that can be ground into
flour!

Corn as a vegetable.

Corn as a vegetable is also an important pantry essential. (Corn
is both a grain and a vegetable: the only difference is that as a
grain it's dried before harvesting.) Buy organic corn in cans to
help ensure it's not genetically modified as most corn is GMO.

Oats and Oatmeal.

A favorite of American pioneers, oatmeal is a food low in
saturated fat, and it's also a good source of fiber, which is
especially important during survival times. You'll need to store
adequate water as making the porridge requires 4 cups of water
for every one cup of oatmeal. A tip for preparing is to soak the
oatmeal over night, so that it takes just 9-12 minutes to boil
(instead of a half an hour). Look for John McCann's steel cut
oatmeal in a can, which are 100% whole grain and natural Irish
oats.

Bread crumbs and stuffings.

Bread crumbs are a satisfying addition to casseroles, and can
also help you make salmon and crab cakes with the cans in your
Prepper's food storage. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find Bread
crumbs sealed in plastic for freshness. Usually, they are boxed in
waxed paper. Stuffing is a natural accompaniment to your
mashed potatoes and will mix nicely with spices and dehydrated
onions. Try also, bread in a can, and pumpernickel.

Rice (choose white rice).

Sure, jasmine rice is cheap food, and worth storing but you can
also store a variety of rice to keep your family interested. Try
basmati rice, Italian arborio rice, short grain Asian rice, wild rice,
and brown rice too! Brown rice is a healthy option, but requires
more cooking time, which could deplete your cooking resources.

It also doesn't store as well. Consider instant rice for this reason
alone, though it's not as healthy as other rice options.

Pastas.

Dried pasta has little to no fat or moisture content, so it resists
spoilage. Among the most filling and inexpensive foods, store a
variety of pastas in addition to your spaghetti and macaroni
noodles including: egg noodles, gnocchi (made with potatoes),
dried tortellini (filled with hard cheese), orzo (rice shaped pasta),
couscous (wheat-based pasta) and the other variety of shaped
Italian pasta such as lasagna, linguine, rotelle, rotini, rigatoni,
orecchiette, penne, mastoccilli etc. Remember Asian pastas too!

There are healthier options to the inexpensive ramen style
noodles. Try soba (made from buckwheat), rice noodles, udon
(wheat flour), bean curd noodles, and chow main noodles (fried
noodles made of egg and wheat). Right, you can make a meal of
Annie's cheeseburger macaroni meal starter and Keystone Ground
beef.

Raisins, dried fruits and fruit strips.

Enhance your supply with dried apricots, dates, cranberries,
mangos and whatever your family enjoys. You can make your own
trail mix with dried fruits.

Canned fruits.

Did you know fruits contain twice as much calories per pound as
veggies? A fruit cocktail will give you about 300-400 calories per
pound. Peaches, packed in light syrup offer a tremendous calorie
boost to the survival diet. The liquids also provide a valuable
source of hydration, so don't can the juice in the cans! Look for
citrus varieties, such as pineapple and mandarin oranges, to give
the essential vitamin C. Applesauce too can be a wonderful
accompaniment to cereals, and can also serve as a dessert.

Canned pumpkin puree will also provide a heavy dose of Vitamin
A and you can make a simple soup by adding bouillon cubes and
spices, such as garlic.

Canned veggies.

When it comes to veggies, preppers need to think beyond green
beans! Unfortunately, green beans do not pack many calories. If
you're looking for the ideal veggies to stash, then think about
canned root vegetables, like sweet potatoes and yams. Sweet
potatoes are high in Vitamin A, plus they're filling. Add a variety
with canned sauerkraut, cabbage and beets, too. If you eat
them, carrots, peas and potatoes provide the fixing for a nice
stew. Canned olives, asparagus and artichoke hearts will help
you make easy pasta dishes. Dried veggies, right are available
online. Skip the canned corn (it's likely GMO).

Beans and legumes.

Stock up on beans — all kinds of dried beans and canned beans,
(including refried beans). The more variety of beans you store,
the better as it provides energy and fiber. Beans pack around
1250 calories per pound. Best of all, you can sprout beans — it as
little as five days you can sprout crunchy, fresh phytonutrients for
your family from dried beans, peas, and lentils. (See the
sprouter, immediate right.) Peanuts aren't really nuts (they're
beans, but stock up on those too because they add protein).

Nuts, seeds and nut-butters.

While it's true that nuts can go rancid quickly, nuts are an
excellent source of energy, so stock up on them in your Prepper's
pantry (provided there are no allergies in your family)!

Honey.

Even if you don't use honey, buy some honey, honey! Not only
will honey last forever, but you'll use honey in survival times to
flavor boring oatmeals and other breakfast grains, as well as
teas. Honey eases sore throats, and more importantly, if you
don't have any topical antibiotics, you can use honey as a paste
to put on wounds. There are medicinal and other reasons to stock
honey in your preps: here are nine reasons to stock honey,
honey! When you learn how to bake breads, you'll realize that
many 329recipes call for honey. So, honey, what are you waiting
for?

Iodized salt (and other salts).

Look to history and you'll find salt was an important commodity.

Salt can kill bacteria! Salt contains chloride and sodium ions, and
all living things need these components in small quantities. Not
all salt is the same! Humans need iodized salt to avoid thyroid
gland problems and goiter and to help regulate fluid balance in
the body.

We also need salt to preserve food. How does salt help preserve
food? Salt inhibits growth of germs in a process of osmosis where
the salt pushes water out of the microbial cells. Best of all, salt
lasts for ever. You can salt everything from salad greens the way
the Roman's did to curing meats and preserving other kinds food.
Indeed, salt is very useful to Preppers.

Sugars and Molasses.

You'll need cane sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar for your
baking needs. We also suggest buying sugar in the raw. Skip the
beet sugar and go for the cane, baby! Skip also the sugars that
you can buy in boxes and paper bags unless you buy them in bulk
and get them into mylar containers and 5 gallon buckets. Buy
your sugars wrapped in plastic, because this helps protect  it
from insects. As a second step you can buy sugars in cans or
place your own sugar purchase into mylar bags and sealed food-
grade plastic buckets sealed with a gamma lid. Look also for
sugar in the raw packets.

Spices and herbs.

Survival spices to consider might include saffron will sure make
that boring old rice more tasty, and chili peppers to add flavor to
all those beans you're storing. Buy more of the spices already in
your cupboard. Some good basics include dill, red pepper, cumin,
rosemary, oregano, dried mustard, and ginger in addition to the
saffron and chili. Skip the strong spices curry! While it tastes
wonderful, they may also attract human predators. If you're
stocking beans make sure to get pinto bean seasoning, right, to
enhance the flavor of your preps.

Vitamins.

Keeping at peek vitality is crucial during episodes of stress.

While multi-vitamins are a great idea, be sure to pack a Calcium
with Vitamin D fortified vitamin, as this combination may help
your body fight infections. Also, look for magnesium; As an
essential stress supplement, magnesium prevents the damage
caused by excess adrenaline. Vitamins and pills do not help a
prepper pull weight, but vitamins do help the body use food. Only
after eating actual food can a prepper pull more weight or work
harder. So in short, the answer is not pills, but good food in
plenty of variety is the key! The best option is to have the
vitamins in the food. For kids, stock Calcium gummy Bears, right,
to help fight infections and stay healthy.

Apple Cider Vinegar.

Stock a couple of bottles of vinegar, specifically apple cider
vinegar.

Why add apple cider vinegar to your pantry?

All you need is apple cider vinegar, oil and salt an pepper to
make a simple salad dressings and marinades. You can add apple
cider vinegar to your morning smoothie for a healthful boost.
While Apple Cider Vinegar is the king of vinegars, Stock vinegars
(balsamic, cider and rice wine).

Why use apple cider vinegar in prepping?

Apple cider vinegar has a multitude of healthful benefits, but
there are plenty of other reasons to stock it with your prepping
supplies.

Leavening Agents: Baking soda and baking powder.

Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which
means they produce carbon dioxide to help food rise.

•   Baking soda. Pure sodium bicarbonate, when you combine
baking soda with honey or an acidic ingredient like
buttermilk or yogurt, you'll get a chemical reaction of carbon
dioxide bubbles. This causes baked goods to rise. Look for
aluminum free baking soda (a good choice is Bob's Red Mill,
which is extracted in an all natural process without
chemicals. Baking soda can last two years. Learn why you
should store baking soda in your preps.

•    Baking powder. Baking powder has sodium bicarbonate as
an ingredient, along with an acidifying agent (cream of
tartar for example) and drying agent (such as starch).
Baking powder lasts around a year and half.

•    Dry yeast. Unfortunately, yeast has a very short shelf life,
but it's still well worth having on hand. Dry yeast is an
essential leavening agent in baking bread, and has a longer
shelf life than compressed yeast, but still after several
months it loses potency. It's purpose is to convert the
ferment able sugars of dough into carbon dioxide and
ethanol. Look for Fleishmann's Active Dry Yeast, which is the
original active dry yeast, relatively stable and valued for its
consistent performance since 1945. It's one of the most
essential ingredients to use in your pantry immediately
following a survival situation.

While this list is by no means comprehensive, it should give you a good idea of the foundation of a food and water stockpile.

You will, of course, want to put your own signature on it and add foods that you and your family are used to eating or just would prefer to eat, given the choice.

To see even more survival food stockpile suggestions, please visit The Happy Prepper.