Doug Freyburger wrote:
It's true that low carbers often focus on fresh foods. That doesn't
mean that the shelf stable foods we buy have to be high carb ones. Do
you buy low carb foods that are prepared? Get more of those to prepare
for an emergency.

Most things that I prepare need to be stored in the refrigerator.
I may bake something that could survive outside the refrigerator.

Cheese is a way of preserving milk. They types of cheeses that last
well without refrigeration are the ones with classic names. "Real"
cheeses. All of the types that come in rounds. In an emergency I'll
eat the "fake" cheeses first. The ones that come by the slice really
are now all fake these days. Then the block types. Last the wedges.

I guess I have been conditioned by always seeing cheeses in the
refrigerated sections at stores--well, all except the big uncut
wheels and the tiny dregs that are put out for people to pick up
for an on-the-go snack.

Why avoid hard sausages? Also jerky and canned meats.

Because my mother died of pancreatic cancer, and one theory is
that such meats can be a contributing factor.

Yeah, good stuff when eaten as ingredients. A bit much when eaten as
staples.

I did get several cans of sardines. I looked at tuna, but it
either was from iffy waters, or it contained soy, or it was
extremely expensive. I even went back to look for smaller cans,
but there were none.

I've seen milk in tetrapak boxes. It needs no refrigeration until
opened. It's not a common product, though.

I got some, but those little packs contain 11 grams of carbs! Too
bad Calorie Countdown (aka Carb Countdown) doesn't come like that.
I also got a fresh carton of cream, and specifically
ultra-pasteurized cream, which I figure might last for a tiny while.


In the short run I'm one who points out there are priorities in life and
low carbing is not as high as other priorities when it comes to
emergencies. I don't advocate fighting hospital meals for this reason.
To me it's more important to heal to the point you get out of the
hospital than to fight them over the food.

Well, as I have said (possibly here), having been derailed before,
I don't WANT to risk derailing again. I know that even if I THINK
it won't happen, it may happen. Hospital meals are a scary
prospect.

In the long run I favor buying low carb products to stock the shelves
especially if everyone in the house is a low carber. Jars of nut and
legume butters. Making your own rules but I always have some commercial
jars. Cans of low carb veggies. Never as good as fresh or frozen but I
always have some cans of green/yellow/wax beans, asparagus, you name it.

I have nut butters. I have to say that I LOOKED at the canned
veggies, but they were most unappealing. The ones I would eat are
not the best LC choices.

Dried beans are medium carb and they are shelf stable. Few emergencies
last longer than a canister of butane to keep a bean pot going.

I have legumes. I do eat them in small quantities (with some
guilt, but they have their virtues). Good idea. And I can even
make something out of them, and maybe tuna, with oil and vinegar
and herbs. Not my usual approach, but fine. I could also try
something with clams and beans (thinking along Portuguese lines)....

Keep plenty of shelf stable low carb items in the shelves as a matter of
habit and you get used to shopping. The better news is stores don't run
out of them fast in emergencies.

Obviously, my shelves, which are stocked for almost every
contingency as far as different cuisines go, are not fully stocked
for LC purposes. That has been gradually happening.

Thanks for putting some thought and energy into this, Doug.

Jean