How to Choose Food for a 72 Hour Kit

Member

By Analana -
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (23 Ratings)

Choose Food for a 72 Hour Kit

A 72 hour kit, also called an emergency survival kit, is a collection of emergency supplies and food that are stored in a portable container, such as a backpack or small bucket. This kit contains the basic essentials that you would need to survive for three days if you had to evacuate your home. But how do you decide what kinds of food to pack in your kit? Here are some ideas

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Choose food for your 72 hour kit that requires no refrigeration, very little preparation and little or no water. Cooking equipment may not be available in an emergency evacuation shelter, and most of your water will be needed for drinking.
Step 2

Include food in your 72 hour kit that is nutritious and filling. Foods high in fiber and complex carbohydrates will provide much more energy than foods with simple sugars. You will also feel full longer and, in an emergency, a full stomach lifts morale.
Step 3

Include enough food to supply at least 2000 calories per day for an adult and 1500 calories per day for a child. That's a total of 6000 calories for an adult and 4500 calories for a child. You may need to adjust these amounts to suit your family; a growing child, teenager or athletic adult may need more.
Step 4

Include foods like MRE’s, beef jerky, cereal, crackers, peanut butter, granola, fruit and nut bars, powdered or canned milk, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, juice boxes, trail mix, fruit cups, nuts, power bars, chewing gum, hard candy and canned foods.
Step 5

Don’t forget to include some favorite snacks. In addition to food for meals, having fun snacks can be comforting in times of stress. Fruit snacks, crackers and cookies are good snacks to put in your 72 hour kit. Hard candy and gum help keep your mouth and stomach occupied when food is scarce. Many people find that the flavor of peppermint is soothing and curbs their appetite, so peppermint gum or candy canes would be great things to add.
Step 6

Be sure to provide for family members with special dietary needs such as diabetes or celiac disease. If you have a baby, include powdered and liquid formula even if you are nursing, just in case.
Step 7

Separate your food by the person it is for, the day it is to be eaten and the meal. Put the food into individual freezer bags and clearly label them. If you included food that has a strong flavor or smell, such as jerky or peppermint, seal them in a freezer bag by themselves before putting them in the bag with the rest of the food. This keeps the flavors or scents from “contaminating” everything else. Separating the food into bags will help you remember when the food is supposed to be eaten and prevent you from forgetting something.
Step 8

Ideally, include 3 gallons of water for each person. This is just enough drinking water to last one person for three days and does not include water for cooking or washing. If you don't have enough space, 1 gallon will suffice as long as it is only for a few days. Also, include water purification tablets so that you can get more drinking water if necessary.
Step 9

Don’t forget the can opener! Include a can opener even if you don’t have cans in your 72 hour kit. The food you receive from emergency workers or find along the way may be in the form of cans. You should also pack forks, spoons and knives.

Comments

LilacGirl said

Flag This Comment

on 2/10/2009 Great article, very helpful, detailed, clear, and interesting. Good advice for everyone.

AprilThomas said

on 1/30/2009 The 72-hour kit tips are really a good idea. We lost electric for a day and a half last year, and that was hard at home to cook anything.