Are you a “prepper?”
I certainly wasn’t – until the beginning of 2020. With the direction and balance of our country and global community unknown, since January I have felt the urgency to start gathering supplies – so that in case anything were to happen, we have items on hand that can protect our health.
Everything in this article I share with the intention to empower you, not incite fear. I encourage you to use this information to take dynamic action in your own life and make choices for your own family.
It is important that we stay aware of what is happening with our food. This year, the FDA has issued a temporary flexibility policy regarding what is regulated and labeled on food items. This means that companies can add toxic ingredients, change ingredients, and fall short of regulations with no accountability. This can be a slippery slope of putting whatever they want in our food without the proper labeling, monitoring, or regulation – possibly leading to a decline in public health. My family and many of my clients are extremely sensitive to certain ingredients in foods – so without knowing what’s in them, how are we able to make informed choices about our health?
Below is a list and resources of what I have thought pertinent to gather. I kept in mind: What medicinal foods can I have on hand? If there’s a shortage or I can’t get my hands on certain foods, what can I keep that is a powerhouse of nutrients to sustain us? Many of you have asked me about this, so it is my hope that it provides some usefulness to you.
Food
I have begun keeping a bare minimum of 6 months to a year and a half supply. I looked at what my family consumed in a month and multiplied approximately from there.
I got these from a variety of places: Costco, Amazon, azurestandard.com and some local places. I’ll do my best to provide links to resources where I can.
- Seed mix for sprouts (check out how to grow your own sprouts here)
- Lemon juice powder
- Carrot juice powder
- Amla powder
- Papaya powder
- Cranberry powder
- Wild blueberry powder
- Camu camu powder
- Jurassic Greens (Dr. Christopher)
- Pomegranate powder
- Barley Grass Juice Powder
- Spirulina
- Purium, Vimergy, Nutrex Hawaii are good brands
- Dehydrated parsley flakes
- Dehydrated cilantro flakes
- Raw organic honey (found locally, but here is another I like)
- Medjool dates
- Gluten free organic oats
- Dulse flakes
- Spices & seasonings (If the food is bland, you can change up the meal based on the seasoning – it makes cooking the same foods very
- versatile. These are spices for foods but some can also be used for remedies.)
- Dulse granules
- Paprika
- Onion & garlic powder
- Himalayan salt
- Cumin
- Turmeric
- Curry
- Red pepper flakes
- Organic dehydrated onions
- Oregano, basil
- Cinnamon
- Powdered ginger
- Garam masala
- Garbanzo beans & lentils (uncooked) – casseroles, dips, hummus, etc.
- Note: Typically, my family consumes very little of these foods because they are mucus-forming. However, if you’re in a time of famine, or not able to get good food, they are good as a backup – and they store well.
- Wild black rice (actually a seed, not considered a grain)
- Coconut oil (not something I typically use on a regular basis, but could come in handy)
- Maple syrup
- Coconut aminos
- Coconut water
- Seaweed (my boys love to snack on these)
- Sea moss
- Dried fruit
- Dehydrated sun dried tomatoes
- Power Shakes by Purium (These are great to have on hand in case fresh food is not available. They carry some great nutrients.)
- Millet
- Quinoa
- Buckwheat
- Aloe vera leaf gel
Garden
I’ve made an effort this year to expand what we grow at home, and started to save heirloom seeds. I thought about our small space we have available and chose plants that would give a high yield and are versatile. What we are growing can easily be used for many different meals.
Here are the plants I chose:
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
- Watermelon
- Cucumber
- Squashes
- Chives
- Basil
A good thing to have in your storage is this bag of non-gmo heirloom seeds for a “survival garden.”
Supplements
I have gathered a minimum of an 8-9 month’s supply of:
- Cats’ claw
- Lemon balm (Herb Pharm / Hawaii Pharm are great brands)
- Nettle
- Zinc sulfate (Eidon Ionic Minerals, Good State)
- Selenium (Eidon Ionic Minerals, Good State)
- Silica (both the Eidon Ionic Minerals and Orgono brands)
- Herbal Calcium by Dr. Christopher to help with teeth, if my kids get any dental issues and we can’t make it to the dentist for some reason.
- Lower Bowel Formula
- Complete Tissue & Bone by Dr. Christopher, in case of an injury (ointment & capsules)
- Blood Circulation Formula
- Jurassic Greens by Dr. Christopher
- Glandular System Formula
- Lung & Bronchial Formula
- Vitamin C (Purium, Pure Encapsulations, Vimergy, Liposomal C – more suggestions in this article)
- Cell Food
- Bio-Plasma Cell Salts
- Super Cleans-R
- Super Garlic Immune
- Super Lytes
- Elderberry syrup (Gaia Herbs & Seattle Elderberry are great)
- Biofruit
For more about supplements, see this post.
Essential & Carrier Oils
We use oils in our house for many reasons, and I am so grateful for how they have contributed to our health and healing. I’ve stocked up on many different ones. The only essential oils I can recommend at this time are Primavera by Goddess of Spring and Shirley Price (in the UK). If you wish, you can use my coupon code amberbodilyhealth for a discount at Goddess of Spring.
Water
In case of any contamination or shortage, I have six 50-gallon tanks full of house water that I keep off site for our needs. It would be easy to run this through our water filter as we need it. I also made sure I have two extra Berkey shower filters on hand. I highly recommend filtering your water with a high quality filter (here’s why and my favorite filter). It’s not uncommon to find chemicals in your water that can cause cancer (such as bromodichloromethane, chromium, dibromochloromethane, and more – many of which are common byproducts from chemicals used in an effort to disinfect drinking water, but which have been shown to cause cancer and are common U.S. water contaminants.) You can check out what’s in your tap water by going to the Environmental Working Group’s Tap Water Database and typing in your zip code.
Personal Products
- Organic feminine products
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrushes
- The Skin Gel (so versatile! You can use it as a facial lotion, a first aid gel, body lotion…)
- Shampoo & conditioner
- Body wash
I would also recommend keeping an extra stock of bandages, flashlights, and other emergency items.
Why Prepare?
In uncertain times, I feel the need to protect my family’s health with these tools. I would recommend stocking up now versus later. And who knows? If no disaster comes, we will eventually make our way through all of these items anyway, and there is no harm done. I have learned through the years to follow my intuition, and these days, this is where it is guiding me. For those who have asked me or who also feel a prompting to prepare, I hope this served you in some way. I share this to empower you and your health journey. You all have my blessings for health and happiness to always surround you!
With gratitude,
Amber
To get exclusive recipes, health info, and wellness tips straight to your inbox, subscribe here.
To begin your healing journey today with my starting protocol, register here.
