Healhty food storage for special diets

Oct102012

13 Comments

Healhty food storage for special diets

Posted in: Featured, Food Storage, Staying Healthy

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healthy food Healhty food storage for special diets

image by williamcho

When I was growing up, I don’t remember there being any kids at school with peanut allergies, or tree nut allergies or gluten allergies. No mom had to hover over their child with an Epi-pen, fearful that a stray PB&J could send their child to the hospital.

How times have changed!

Many of you have asked about food storage for special diets, and I’ve put together a list of general tips and then a few specific suggestions for gluten-free, low-carb, and lactose-free diets.

In general…

Track what you already eat and serve.
Identify recipes and meals that are food-storage friendly, meaning that most or all of the ingredients can be safely stored at room temperature for lengthy periods of time.
Keep everything super simple! Complicated recipes and procedures will make matters worse in a crisis.
Contact food storage companies directly to find out how their foods are processed. Click here for Shelf Reliance‘s allergens report.
Stock up on vitamins and nutritional supplements, especially those you are currently taking. A dose of something like Enerhealth’s Enerfood* would go a very long way toward providing the dense nutrients every body craves and needs.
Remember, whenever you make something homemade, you know exactly what’s in it. Therefore, it’s better to store healthy ingredients than prepared, processed foods.

For gluten-free diets

Look for companies that carry gluten-free ingredients for food storage.
Invest in a good quality grain mill that can also grind rice,
Make your own gluten-free meals in a jar. Vacuum pack the jars, or pouches, with a Food Saver for longest possible shelf life.
Store ingredients to make gluten-free homemade sauces, dressings, ketchup, etc.
Seek out recipes that are centered around eggs, beans, and other protein-rich ingredients.
If you normally buy a gluten-free food, learn how to make it from scratch.
Rice is a gluten free grain, but it doesn’t contain many nutrients. Use this recipe for Super Rice to give it a big nutritional boost. You can store brown rice but it won’t have the same shelf life as white.

Low-Carb Diets

Grow or raise your own fresh foods, including chickens and eggs.
Learn how to� make homemade cheeses.
Store nuts and seeds in vacuum-packed jars.
Stock up on egg powder for egg-centered meals.
Home-can chicken and meat.
Buy #10 cans of the vegetables and low-carb fruits that you eat most. Low-carb diets usually contain large amounts of vegetables, so make sure to stock up on plenty: canned, home-canned, dehydrated, fresh from the garden, and even frozen. (You can always dehydrate frozen vegetables.)

For the lactose intolerant…

Learn how to� make your own almond milk. You can buy raw almonds in bulk and store them in vacuum sealed jars or pouches.
Test each new ingredient or recipe to see if there is a reaction. If not, you’ll know that it’s safe to begin storing that food.
Either grow or buy freeze-dried/dehydrated versions of vegetables that contain a large amount of calcium, such as broccoli, spinach,and kale.
Certain beans also contain a healthy dose of calcium. Check out my bean chart here.
Stock up on Vitamin D supplements to help your body use the calcium you consume.
When stocking up on meats, remember that tuna, sardines, and salmon (with edible bones) provide a great deal of calcium.
Try making homemade yogurt to see how it affects you. Some people who are lactose intolerant can handle yogurt.
If you have the room, buy a couple of dairy goats. Their milk is lower in lactose. If you can handle goat milk, you’ll be able to make homemade goat cheese.

What special diet are you, or a family member, on? What tips do you have for storing food for your special diet?

*Disclaimer: Enerhealth Botanicals is neither an advertiser nor an affiliate. I just like their products and recommend them.

(13) Readers Comments

JL
October 10, 2012 at 1:40 pm

Thankfully no special diets here. My aunt was complaining about her son whole class being nut free. One child was allergic to nuts, gluten, bananas, grapes, dairy, and something else I can’t remember. I couldn’t imagine what that must be like.
Leafy green vegetables are a great source of calcium also. So have a garden and can or dehydrate spinach, kale, and greens. Oh and we need at least 15 minutes of sunlight a day without sunscreen. Great source of vitamin D.

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DisasterMOM.com
October 10, 2012 at 2:24 pm

My son has serious allergies and does best on gluten-free food. I’ve been told that peanuts, in particular, were never meant for our bodies.Thus the reason for so many reactions to them. On the other hand, I personally believe that our GMO’s have created frankenfoods so our bodies no longer recognize these drastically altered foods. Add that to an immune system compromised by an altered diet and you have a recipe for all sorts of health challenges. I know because I have lived with them with my son.

I try my best to have my son learn what he can eat and manage it himself with my supervision so he doesn’t have to make everyone miss out because of his food allergies. We don’t want special treatment and are capable of not needing special attention. I know his class is being very sensitive but every year they send out a letter telling everyone else not to bring things he is allergic to. I step in and asked them not to change what they are doing. I can have on hand for the teacher special foods and we have emergency procedures in place too. As far as tips, I personally would stick with freeze-dried foods with a long shelf life that meet his needs. Sounds like your article has a lot covered for moms like me. Great job!! disastermom

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Breanna
October 10, 2012 at 3:12 pm

Red raspberry leaves have lots of calcium in them too–they make a nice tea, and are a handy byproduct of a berry patch you may want to have anyway.

One other thing, include benadryl in your storage. Even if no one in your family has allergies, it can at least buy you a little time if you have a guest have a bad allergic reaction. That happened to me once, and I had TWO benadryl pills in the whole house! Never again!

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Angela
October 10, 2012 at 4:52 pm

I would edit the section about gluten free diets to specify that gluten free ingredients purchased from contaminated facilities/shared equipment will make you sick. Certified gluten free food storage is the way to go if you want to protect yourself from getting sick when you really don’t have time for it. Augason Farms is where we’ve been able to find ours from. They also offer non-gmo products.

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Alexis
October 10, 2012 at 5:37 pm

I have a food storage question. On another site I read that we shouldn’t keep brown sugar in mylar with O2 absorbers. They said that, because of the inherent moisture, storing it that way would set up a botulism problem. Is that true.

Also, what would be the best way to store dry cat food. I had thought about putting it in mylar with O2 absorbers, but it is pretty greasy. Do you know? And, if it can be stored like that, how long would it be expected to last. I want to get the babies prepared, but I don’t know how to do it.

Thanks

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- jen
  October 11, 2012 at 5:22 am
  
  Brown sugar is easily stored separately….you just need sugar and molasses….and corn starch/tapioca starch to make powdered sugar.
  
  Reply
Alexis
October 10, 2012 at 5:38 pm

I have a food storage question. On another site I read that we shouldn’t keep brown sugar in mylar with O2 absorbers. They said that, because of the inherent moisture, storing it that way would set up a botulism problem. Is that true?

Also, what would be the best way to store dry cat food? I had thought about putting it in mylar with O2 absorbers, but it is pretty greasy. Do you know? And, if it can be stored like that, how long would it be expected to last. I want to get the babies prepared, but I don’t know how to do it.

Thanks

Reply
Mom23Wolves
October 11, 2012 at 9:08 am

Oooh, love the idea of weaning the family off of rice with super-rice, especially now that all the reports of high arsenic levels in rice have come out. What next?!

Also, I have been trying to clean up my diet and get healthier, so have read a LOT about nutrition in the last few months. Even if you don’t have any allergies, low glycemic (carbs primarily), low dairy, etc. is just healthier. Great tips.

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Kimberly@Food Storage Jar
October 11, 2012 at 9:31 am

Hi there the idea of seperate food storage jars for special diets seems to be really interesting. My sister have been Vegan since 5 years now would like to recommend this post to her thanks for sharing!

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Amy R.
October 13, 2012 at 10:56 am

I am gluten sensitive and prefer to eat paleo as much as is possible. This can be a difficult diet for food storage when you live in a rental (and don’t have the option to raise as much of your own food – especially animals). Could someone recommend some good ways to store/sources for whole meat and vegetables for long term storage? (Meat especially, veggies are easier to get fresh, freeze dried and canned)

I have a well-stocked freezer, but if the power goes out for more than a week, I’m pretty SOL in terms of meat storage.

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- Danielle @ Analytical Mom
  November 3, 2012 at 8:56 pm
  
  Have you looked into canning your own meats? You’d have to invest in a pressure canner, but it’s pretty simple. Another option might be drying or making jerky or biltong. This wouldn’t last forever, so you’d have to keep rotating it regularly, but if you make your own, you can keep the ingredients Paleo. One of my highest priority Paleo storage items is coconut oil, too… tons of animal protein isn’t necessarily mandatory if your survival situation doesn’t require a ton of exercising, but good, stable saturated fats like coconut oil are always critical! I’m in the same boat as you here, trying to figure things out from an Ancestral Health POV.
  
  Reply
Tom
October 13, 2012 at 7:09 pm

A great ingredient for gluten intolerants is the grain quinua. It’s extremely versatile and a complete protein. Just remember to rinse before using – it has a coating that is inedible.

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Tom
October 13, 2012 at 7:10 pm

Sorry, typo – quinoa

Reply