Disaster Preparedness

With the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, many people are talking about disaster preparedness. In this country, you know if you are at risk for a natural disaster but are you prepared for a natural disaster ?

Experts on disaster preparedness say you should have a family emergency kit and a plan for your family in case a natural disaster strikes.

5 ways to prepare for a natural disaster will give you tips on what you should do. Now what about food and water?

After Hurricane Katrina, those who were not in shelters waited desperately for help to arrive. Although we would like to think that the response time will be faster because of lessons (hopefully) learned from Hurricane Katrina, do you really want to count on that?

Knowing that you may live in an area that can experience a hurricane,tornado,earthquake or other disaster that can keep you cut off from being able to get to a store, shouldn't you prepare?

Here are some ideas on what you should stock up on in order to be self-sufficient for at least 3 days. (this is the recommended amount of time people should prepare for)

You should have stocked at least one gallon of water per person for each day.

Thinking about non-perishable foods to stock may be tough. For someone who cooks everything from scratch and does not rely on prepared foods, you are going to need to think "survival". You may lose power so cooking is out. No electricity or gas so that means ready to eat options. Here are a few and remember, this is for survival.

Use a plastic bin with a lid that can be easily moved to your car if you need to evacuate. If you are able to stay in your home, storing it in a bin will still be handy. Depending upon how many people there are in your household, you may need more than one bin.

Non-perishable items.
Dry cereals
Peanut butter
Jelly
Canned fruit and fruit juices
Canned tuna or chicken
Canned beans
Snack cups such as pudding that does not need refrigeration
Rice cakes
Crackers
Canned vegetables

Remember that you may not have a source to heat foods so forget about microwaveable items or canned items that you need to heat. Don't be overly concerned about nutritional value and preservatives. This is for a temporary situation. Once the disaster is over and things return to normal you can go back to your healthier way of eating. This is to keep your family fed and to be self-sufficient.

Other items to have in your disaster preparedness kit include a can opener (not electric), plastic spoons, forks and knives, plates and cups, paper towels and maybe even some plastic ziploc bags to store open packages.

People who live in areas where hurricanes happen know if their home is safe during a storm. Having a kit that you can bring with you to a shelter is essential especially if you have a child who has special dietary restrictions.

Don't forget about needed prescription medications. Planning for mother nature's wrath can make the stress and panic less.

Healthier Eating Simplified

There is so much talk today about obesity, preventing heart disease and diabetes and avoiding fast foods. I prefer to cook at home versus eating out. I try to use the freshest ingredients and avoid prepared or processed foods. Often I get comments about the beef recipes that I have because it seems that the vegans and anti-beef eaters see me as an easy target to criticize.

Everything in moderation is my mantra when it comes to food. You need to find a balance. Eating a small portion of a lean steak is not going to kill you. Eating it every day may not be healthy but that is where balance comes in.

Learning what is healthy and what you should avoid is not that complicated. Take oil for example.

Healthy oils do exist and knowing the kinds of oils and what benefits there are is one way of making healthier eating simpler. We need oil in our diet. This is not condoning deep frying but using oil in a stir fry is healthy.

Homemade salad dressings are easy to do. There really is no need to buy bottled dressings. Avoiding processed foods as much as you can can improve your health and makes weight management easier. There are always choices such as low-fat mayo instead of traditional mayo. If you absolutely need to use canned gravy instead of making your own, choose a fat-free or lower sodium variety.

If your family likes meals like macaroni and cheese, make your own. Use whole grain macaroni to add more nutrition. As long as you cook it long enough, they won't even notice. Making your own cheese sauce is easy. Use your own choice of cheese or cheeses, a combination of cheddar, swiss and monterey jack makes a very tasty cheese sauce. Just add it to a white sauce which is simple. You can use non-fat milk, butter substitute to further lower calories and fat. Throwing steamed or frozen vegetables into it makes sure you are getting another serving of healthy veggies.

It may seem like it takes a lot of thought and preparation to eat healthier but once you make it a habit, it becomes second nature.