Jim Phillips on

In DVD No. 1 of the Self-Reliant Family series I present the eight areas into which all of the material things for physical well-being are categorized: 1–Clothing, 2–Water, 3–Sanitation, 4–Nutrition, 5–Shelter, 6–Wellness, 7–Tools, 8–Supplies.

The word "food" is not used on the list for the simple reason that many people consume lots of things they call "food" that have little or nothing to do with proper nutrition. Nutrition is important, not just having something to eat.

There is a notion that when people are under considerable stress they should eat and feed their children "comfort foods." Consider what most of the "comfort foods" are, and see if this is a valid concept that would make people better when life is tough?

Who promotes the "comfort food" concept, directly or indirectly? It is the manufacturers and advertisers of potato chips, soda pop, candy bars, snack crackers, suckers, cheese puffs, hot cocoa powder, "Survival Hard Candy," artificially-sweetened and colored "sports" drinks, super-processed dry cereal that cost over $6.00-per-pound and is brightly-dyed and loaded with phony fruit flavors, and, of course, the most popular "comfort food" of all, chocolate. It’s true that properly processed cocoa is very high in antioxidants and other phytonutrients that are good for the body, but the ubiquitous milk chocolate and chocolate flavored things you find all over are not healthy.

Note that more than 80% of the ingredients for nearly all of these comforting "things" that people ingest in the name of eating includes (1) highly refined and altered sugars, (2) artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners (which are almost entirely chemically-altered coal tar), and (3) the dead starch remnants of what was once a living whole grain. When taken into a human body, all of these things tax the liver as it tries to detoxify the body from their negative effects.

These things do not promote good health under normal living condition, and they certainly will not promote health and strength under stressful emergency situations.

When a person is under stress, when sleep and rest are limited or poor, when one is exposed to cold, wet, or hot living conditions, when one is around people who are sick or dying, when one has been injured and needs to heal quickly—when one is around any or all of these conditions he/she needs very good body-maintaining, health-promoting, whole, balanced nutrition, and lots of it; period! Anything less leaves the body vulnerable to physical breakdown and illness which can quickly become life threatening, especially during an emergency when health services may be limited or entirely unavailable.

In fact, the whole issue about what is being sold to the public as desirable to eat is all about marketing and sales and businesses showing profits at any cost; it has nothing to do with keeping people strong and healthy. Years ago during the Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles a famous candy bar manufacturer bought the rights to print on their candy bar wrapper "The Official Snack Food of the Olympics." This was nothing more than paid advertising which carried the underlying implication that eating their candy bar wound make one a better athlete. Yet real Olympians in training and during competition know they should never eat a candy bar or anything like it if they wanted to be winners. Eating such things will cause a finely-tuned athletes to lose strength, energy, wind, and speed, and very likely effect the levels of their real potential.

10 Desired Characteristics for Foods

Characteristics suitable for nutrition in emergency and stress situations:

10–Can be used in large quantities at times when high caloric intake is required

Of course, nutrient value is the most important and desired aspect about food.

First, let’s review the five food groups—not the familiar five categories usually discussed, but the real five food groupings that are so very important to understand. They are listed here in order of priority from the most desirable to what must be avoided to be healthy, strong, and vibrant:

For optimal health people should really only eat from food groups I and II; the more from each of the other food groups you add in will have grater damaging effects starting with number three and intensifying as you move down through number four to the worst of all, number five. Let me quickly explain what I mean by each of these groups.

A question often asked is, where do frozen foods and freeze-dried foods fit into this list?

They may fall anywhere into categories two through five depending on what they are and how they were handled and processed. The best frozen foods are the flash frozen, whole, uncooked, unadulterated, vegetables and fruits with nothing added. You certainly also have a group of DEADLY frozen foods too (mostly of the “comfort food” and sweet-treat variety). Most freeze-dried foods fall in categories similar to frozen foods as noted.

If something is to be considered a whole food that can stand alone, it must have a balance of calories from the three main macro-nutrients groups, e.g., carbohydrates, proteins, and fats/oils, with ideal ratios being 40% from carbohydrates, 30% from proteins, and 30% from fats/oils.

It is wise to choose foods and ingredients that are natural, preferably organic, and that provide whole "live" enzymes; such foods and ingredients are usually those that have been through as little processing a possible and that any processing was done with low heat or no heat, thus maintaining phytonutrients needed for good health.

Of course, a healthy diet should include lots of fresh, whole, LIVE foods from the outdoor or the indoor garden. A practical indoor fresh-food source that can be used regularly is germinated and sprouted whole grains/ seeds/ legumes. In fact, to ensure health and well-being during extended emergency situations, one should include gardening and sprouting.

This concept is easy to understand, but, unfortunately it is most often addressed with DEAD and DEADLY foods from cans, pouches, bags, bottles, and boxes. What you want are LIVE and SLEEPING foods that are easy and uncomplicated to prepare.

Low-quality foods are often among the cheapest; high-nutrient-value foods generally tend to be more expensive than cheap empty calorie eats. However, this is not always the case. Some of the more popular, super-refined, and highly-advertised things to eat are among the most expensive "foods" available, yet their nutrient value is often very low or even downright negative (as with "comfort foods" noted above).

It is important that people be informed, vigilant, and willing to do the research to understand what good nutrition means, and to read books and product labels. By doing this good value in nutritious foods needed to support health can be found.

There are LIVE and SLEEPING foods that taste great. Being satisfied by what is eaten involves more than just good taste, though taste is an important part of the equation, it is also a matter of quelling hunger. Being satisfied is mostly a function of the nutritional value coupled with sufficient quantity to satisfy the body's needs.

This is where nutritional balance comes in. A significant contributor to the growing obesity problem in the United States and much of the modern world is that people tend to overeat because nutritional balance is often lacking in their meals and, therefore, their bodies are starved for nutrients not present in what they consume. When their bodies are not satisfied by eating the "food", they feel cravings for "they know not what", so their bodies says "eat, eat, eat" in hopes of finding the missing elements.

One thing that contributes to feeling satisfied with a meal is having a balance of the needed macro-nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats/oils. Too much or too little of any one can leave the individual feeling hungry after eating what should have been a full meal. When the macro-nutrient needs are met and all of the vital micro-nutrients are in place, the individual generally will feel satisfied (full) and not have the urge to overeat.

This goes far beyond foods that don't spoil or make people sick. Desirable foods will have high nutritional value that is retained over many months and even a few years, all without chemical preservatives that have detrimental effects on the body. There are several things that can be done to extend the storage life of foods.

The most critical thing that affects the shelf life of food is temperature. Almost universally, the lower the temperature the longer the nutrient value will be preserved. Temperatures below 60°F are definitely preferred, and colder is better; above 90°F the foods deteriorate much more rapidly. Almost every food item will last longer is stored frozen, below 0°F is best, and there are techniques that will facilitate getting the best results with freezing foods.

Freezing can also be particularly useful for dry goods like nuts, grains, and seeds with high oil content like flax, sunflower, nuts and brown rice. Freezing them will greatly extend the life of the oils they contain and prevent them from going rancid. Properly stored freeze-dried foods are among the most stable in keeping nutrients viable for extended periods of time; however, it is also one of the most expensive ways to preserve foods.

Depending on the food and how it is packaged, other factors that affect nutrient stability are the presence of oxygen, moisture, and light (especially sunlight).

Appetite fatigue simply means that a person become very tired of eating the same thing over and over again and may even stop eating adequately all together. Appetite fatigue can contribute to nutritional deficiencies, physical exhaustion, and emotional stress.

Eliminating this problem involves far more than just having things that tastes good, although that certainly helps. Variety is really important to help minimize this problem, as is complete and balanced nutrition. If a food does not have the nutrients the body is seeking, the individual will become very tired of eating it even though he/she may not know what is missing.

Most people have no clue about how serious this problem can become because they have had no experience with it in the prevalent and typical smorgasbord, cafeteria-style eating habits of our modern society. It is a bigger problem than people might expect, and people may suffer during a long-term emergency that disrupts normal life which forces the use of stored provisions of very limited variety.

It is advisable to have foods available that can stand alone or can be combined with other foods. Variety and versatility enhance the utility as well as the enjoyment of foods and also contributes to the overall benefits which helps reduce the tendency towards appetite fatigue.

This is especially important when starting a storage program with very basic types of whole foods. Beginning with whole grains and legumes is a low cost way to start, but it is important to understand how to use them properly and to employ correct combinations that will provide needed nutritional benefits.

Basic food supplies are fairly unfamiliar in most households these days, and using them requires more preparation time as well as skill and experience. People who have not been using basic foods along the way may have difficulty—both psychologically and physiologically—adjusting to an unexpected change in diet. Appetite fatigue can occur almost instantaneously when people have to shift suddenly to using basic survival foods, plus they may experience additional problems if their digestive systems are not accustomed to such foods. Therefore, it can be extremely beneficial to incorporate foods into the diet that promote variety, good taste, and excellent nutrition which are closer to the normal mealtime experience.

Ideally, foods should be such that they work together compatibly for overall versatility and utility.

Among important criteria for an emergency ration is ease of preparation, which is the reason that wet-pack foods (cans, bottles, and pouches) are most often considered practical for the short-term emergency ration. However, the problem is that wet-pack foods, by their very nature, are DEAD foods. They have been pasteurized either by high heat or by irradiation to kill bacteria, fungi, or parasites, and prevent spoilage.

The pasteurization process does take care of the "bugs" that would cause spoilage and make people sick, but that same process also significantly degrades the nutrient value of the food. A person can survive by eating DEAD foods, but he/she will not thrive on them.

The ideal ration for both short-term and long-term use should be both LIVE and SLEEPING foods. Storage foods of this type which are also easy to use without a lot of preparation are not common, but they are available and well worth the effort to locate and acquire.

A food that is high or low in a particular macro- or micro-nutrient can reduce peak body functions and performance, especially when used in large quantities. Since balance in all things generally gives the best overall performance in the long run, it is best to use individual foods or combinations of foods that have a balance of macro- and micro-nutrients. Then, whether consumed in small or large quantities, the body will not be thrown out of balance in any particular area that could lead to less than optimal performance or degradation of health.

The foregoing is a brief overview of some principles about survival foods. Information presented herein and on the website is intended to serve as a basic guide for nutrition solutions and should be adapted to fit individual and family needs.

If you are not acquainted with the Ama-amA foods, let me introduce them. I personally eat these food products regularly for the simple reason that they taste great and are very nutritious and satisfying. I also have some stored for emergency use.

Ama-amA foods offer three main products in a variety of flavors: Ama-amA Cereal Mix (eat hot, cold, or dry), Ama-amA Nutrition/ Energy Bar (mix all dry ingredients with cold water), and Ama-J Juice (mix dry powder with water). All Ama-amA foods are made of natural ingredients most of which are certified organic; and there are no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Their preparation does not require cooking, although, if desired, the cereal can be mixed with boiling water and eaten as a hot cereal.

Ama-amA foods stack up well against the 10 Desired Characteristics for foods (discussed above).

1–Very good nutrition. The Ama-amA foods are nutrient-rich, whole, and balanced. The majority of the ingredients are LIVE or SLEEPING. They contain real fruit pieces and freeze-dried fruit juices, grains, and seeds, also raw honey, natural flavoring, grape seed oil, and more. All ingredients are processed with low or no heat. The Ama-amA foods provide the ideal balance of macro-nutrients with 40% of the calories from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 30% from fats and oils. And consumers can read, pronounce, and understand everything in the ingredients list!

2–Easy and simple to prepare. During a crisis, the last thing one needs to worry about is getting out the stove, preparing and cooking a meal, and cleaning up afterward. The same concerns may also apply to other activities like camping, hiking, traveling, sporting events, and when one just doesn’t feel like cooking or fussing with complicated meals. All three of the Ama-amA foods are easy to prepare:

3–Excellent value for the money. For the quality and quantity, Ama-amA foods are definitely one of the best nutritional values available. The well advertised popular national brands of cold cereals and energy bars—usually laced with sugars, artificial colors, artificial flavor, and preservatives—offer little more nutrition than carbohydrates and sugar but cost more per pound than these very high quality Ama-amA products.

4–Tastes good and is satisfying to eat. This is not a survival food to be stored only for an emergency because that is the only time you can stand to eat them. The Ama-amA foods are delicious daily fare! There is a great advantage to using and enjoying them regularly and being accustomed to them so there is no sudden adjustment to strange food in times of emergency. This point seems especially important for children during stressful times where they can eat something familiar. Also, by using the foods regularly, supplies are rotated and will always be fresh.

5–Good stability with extended shelf life. Stored in a cool, dark place (like a basement) the Ama-amA foods will remain viable for more than five years; at normal room temperature they have over a year of storage life; if kept as emergency supplies in the trunk of a car (as I do) they should be enjoyed and rotated every six months.

6–Does not quickly promote appetite fatigue. I have personally been using the Ama-amA foods for six years and have never stopped enjoying them; in fact, at times when I've run out I'm anxious to get more.

As a personal experiment I once ate nothing but Ama-amA foods and sprouts for a two week period to see how I would feel physically and if I would get tired of them after that length of time. For more than one week I ate nothing but the Ama-amA products and, although I like variety in my diet and would have enjoyed other foods, I did not experience appetite fatigue.

7–Works as a snack food or as full meal replacement. Yes, absolutely.

8–Combines well with other foods and improves overall nutrition. Yes, very much so. Since good nutrition is vital to good health, the addition of Ama-amA foods to a food storage program is one of the best-tasting ways to boost the overall nutrient value of supplies that may not provide complete nutrition.

9–Ideal as an emergency ration or as part of a long-term food storage plan. Yes, and from my personal experience I don't know of anything better than the Ama-amA foods for this purpose.

10–Can be used in large quantities at times when high caloric intake is required. Yes, I've tried it personally and was well sustained by eating the Ama-amA products.

In short, the Ama-amA foods are very nutritious, great tasting, easy to prepare, serve well as emergency or longs-term storage food, and have an outstanding cost-to-benefit ratio. They are quality products that I’m always adding more of to my family's supplies.

Anyone can easily understand how sprouting whole grains/ seeds/ legumes fits in a well-planned food storage program, as well as learn to practice the process regularly.

10 Reasons Why Germinating and Sprouting of Grains/ Seeds/ Legumes should be part of every well-planned short-term and long-term food storage program:

In light of the 10 Desired Characteristics for foods presented in the beginning, what specific benefits are offered by germinating and sprouting?

1–Very good nutrition. A whole "live" SLEEPING food is awakened to become a nutritious LIVE food.

2–Easy and simple to prepare. Although sprouting is not hard to do, it does require a fair amount of hands-on care that can seem inconvenient enough to deter many people from the practice. For me, this concern has been resolved by the EasySprout™ which I now consider to be the best sprouter in the world, especially for long-term emergency situations.

The EasySprout™ is like no other seed sprouter that I've ever seen; in fact, it is so different from all other sprouters which I own (about a dozen of them) that I almost did not buy it when I first saw it in a store. But, being curious and wanting to know if the claims listed on the box were true, I bought the EasySprout™. I have been more than pleased with the EasySprout™, and all of my other sprouters have been relegated to the show-and-tell department. All the others do work, but the EasySprout™ is my personal preference and I now promote it because it makes sprouting so easy for the novice and the expert to do on a daily basis.

Because it’s so convenient and easy to use, in the past year and a half that I've had the my EasySprout™, I've produced and eaten more sprouts than in the previous 35 years I've been sprouting! With the EasySprout™ I've never lost a batch of sprouts to mold or spoilage or dehydration, a periodic occurrence with some of the other methods.

Key features of the EasySprout™:

3–Excellent value for the money. This is a huge benefit to convert low-cost whole grains/ seeds/ legumes into the equivalent of expensive fresh vegetables.

4–Tastes good and is satisfying to eat. Sprouts, like other new fresh greens or vegetables newly added to a diet, may need some time to adjust to. However, this transition can be facilitated by starting with some of the milder tasting sprouts (like lentils), and mixing them with other foods in the existing diet. (I now eat sprouts regularly, alone and plain as well as adding them to other foods of all types; one very satisfying meal or snack alternative is to mix sprouts with Ama-amA cereal or stir them into a crumbled Ama-amA bar.)

5–Good stability with extended shelf life. Most grains/ seeds/ legumes when stored properly will keep for many years just waiting to be awakened, exceptions being some seeds that have a high oil content and may go rancid within 6–12 months (like sunflower seeds and flax seeds), however, their storage life is greatly extended by refrigeration or freezing.

6–Does not quickly promote appetite fatigue. Variety is the spice of life—especially to the taste buds—and the various flavors of sprouts that can be enjoyed include: lentil, wheat, spelt, kamut, rye, fenugreek, radish, broccoli, green pea, adzuki, garbanzo, sunflower, almond, etc.

7–Works as a snack food or as full meal replacement. Sprouts are best suited as an addition to other foods, but are also great for snacking between meals or as a meal themselves; as a meal replacement a blend of several sprouts works better than a single type of seed.

8–Combines well with other foods and improves overall nutrition. Yes, absolutely; one of my favorite ways to eat them is with the Ama-amA foods, a delicious and nutritious combination. They are especially beneficial to improve the overall nutrition when combined with foods of lesser value.

9–Ideal as an emergency ration or as part of a long-term food storage plan. Sprouts are an excellent supplement to any other type of emergency foods being served, or in conjunction with long-term food storage.

10–Can be used in large quantities at times when high caloric intake is required. Adding large quantities of fresh sprouts to supplement other foods or less nutrient-dense foods can be extremely important, especially if increased caloric intake is needed.

In short, sprouting can be an important part of a healthy everyday lifestyle and will be vital during emergencies. The EasySprout™ will make sprouting easy for the beginner as well as those who have been sprouting for years by other methods; you'll fall in love with it!

My recommendation is to have at least two Easy-Sprouts systems per person. Three would be preferred to accommodate continual sprouting with one in soaking mode awakening the SLEEPING seeds, one in growing stage, and one from which to be harvesting and eating LIVE sprouts!

To be healthy and strong before, during and after emergencies should be of vital concern to everyone, and what you eat and drink will play a critical role in doing just that. I don’t believe you can afford to leave this to chance, but must be seriously engaged in the process of both learning how to do this and in following through on what you’ve learned.

What’s been presented here is not intended to encompass everything that you need to know by any means, but it will give you a point of reference as you continue to gain further information and understanding while building an environment for your well-being no matter what is going on around you.

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