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Child: Welcome to my Mommy’s podcast.
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Hello, and welcome to the Wellness Mama podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com. And this episode is all about how and why that you might wanna consider having a preparedness pantry, how this can actually be a budget-friendly thing to do, as well as a great way to think ahead, but the pitfalls people often fall into when they start storing food for the long-term. And I’m here with Mira Dessy, who’s known as the Ingredient Guru. And she is a holistic nutrition professional, author, and popular speaker. And she’s known for explaining that it’s not just what you eat, but what’s in what you eat that matters. And she helps people in a lot of different walks of life. And in today, we go deep on the preparedness side, especially if you want to just think ahead and have some food stored but do it from a healthy perspective that’s in alignment with the way that your family eats. So this is something that’s been top of mind for me and that I’m certainly by no means great at. So I’m very excited to learn from Mira today. Let’s join her now and jump in. Katie: Mira, welcome. Thanks so much for being here.
Mira: Thank you for having me on Katie. It’s great to be talking with you.
Katie: Likewise. And we’re going to get to cover some topics I haven’t gotten to go deep yet on this podcast about. And I’m really excited for that. Before we jump into that, from reading your bio and the prep for this episode, I think we have something unusual in common, which is having a fairy garden outside of our house. I’ve not met many people who that’s true for, but my youngest is really interested in that. And so we made for her birthday one year a bunch of little mini fairy gardens that still live on my patio. And it sounds like you have one as well.
Mira: I do. I love that you have one. Yeah mine is outside my kitchen window so I can see it when I’m doing the dishes. And I do a complete reset every spring, but I do regularly have to go out and fix it because mine is mostly on a stump that the squirrels have adopted as the place where they eat. So they sort of move things around and I have to go and put it all back.
Katie: I love that. Well, a topic I’m really excited to chat with you about today, and I think there’s a lot to unpack around, is the topic of preparedness. And like I said, this is not one I’ve covered on this podcast ever and only written about a little bit, but it does seem like potentially a growing topic right now with a lot of uncertainty in the world and something that a lot of people are at least thinking about. So I would say let’s, to start broad, maybe walk us through, is this actually a growing trend right now? And why are people thinking about this more, especially in today’s world and everything that’s going on?
Mira: It’s definitely a growing trend. I am seeing more of it. Preparedness has been a topic for decades, it just hasn’t had this much mainstream attention. I also believe that part of the reason that people are being more mindful about it is that since COVID, there have been supply chain issues and so that has made people think about it. Beyond that, there are also people who live in certain areas, for example, I live in Hurricane Alley so we know that during certain times of the year we’re going to be having issues with weather that could impact our ability to get to the store to get out. A couple of years ago in Texas we had the great Texas Snowpocalypse that shut down the entire power grid. That was exciting. So different people are looking at it for that reason. And then the third reason that I’m seeing with some of the people that I’m supporting is people have more financial concerns and their realizing that if they have a preparedness pantry, it gives their family a little bit more of a cushion because they’ve got food and supplies on hand if they need to stretch things a little bit.
Katie: That makes sense. I know I started thinking about it. Actually, I had family members that were hit by Hurricane Katrina and helped them rebuild their house. So that was kind of my first thought of like, oh, it would make sense to have food around when we were just getting food boxes delivered by the local Red Cross. And then a few years ago, my area got hit by Hurricane Michael and we had to evacuate. It was a whole thing. And since then, I’ve tried to be more proactive about just like you said, having a pantry of things. I actually have an extra closet now that’s kind of my pantry for extra food storage. But I’m by no means very organized with this and definitely don’t have it dialed in. And this is why I’m excited to learn from you today, because it also seems like if you just go on the internet and Google preparedness options, you will get a bunch of really packaged foods or MREs or processed foods. And I know most people listening wouldn’t normally eat those things. And so in an emergency situation where there might even be more stress, that probably wouldn’t be the ideal thing to eat then either. But I also know that the logistics of trying to store things like fresh food for the long term. So I would love any basics you can kind of stair step us into for people who care about health and nutrition and whole food and who also want to think ahead and be prepared.
Mira: I am so glad you asked that because one of the things I regularly see and actually someone, one of my clients, recently sent me a picture. She’s like, is this ok? And she was showing me her local big box store, which has just started putting out the big plastic buckets that claim to have 175 meals in there. So a lot of people see that and they think that’s what they’re going to eat and they’re just going to stuff it in a closet until they need it.
So first of all, I’d like to begin by saying what’s in that bucket does not represent a healthy choice. There are lots of preservatives and artificial ingredients and other things in there that are just not good for us. One of the things they don’t tell you about that particular bucket is it takes a lot of water to rehydrate those foods. So that’s certainly something you need to keep in mind.
And then the third point is, a lot of people have this mentality of, oh I’m just going to store stuff because it you’re hungry you’ll eat anything. Well that’s a really terrible way to look at it. Wouldn’t you rather have delicious food on hand? My philosophy, I have a class that I teach called the Preparedness Pantry Masterclass. I encourage people to build a 2-4 week store of food that they can have on hand. And we’re looking at things like canned goods, freeze-dried, dehydrated, or shelf-stable things. But to do it in a way that you are actively tracking what your family eats and then using what’s in your pantry. I love that you have a closet, I, that is your preparedness pantry as far as I’m concerned. And I believe we should have two pantries. One is your everyday and one is your preparedness. You should be making food from your preparedness pantry all the time. You shouldn’t just have that closet sitting there and not using it. You want to actively be cycling that into your everyday pantry, so that you know what you’re going to eat is what’s available if you need to tap into that emergency store.
Katie: That makes sense. And I haven’t done that probably with as much detail as you teach it. But I love that you said that about track what you’re actually eating, because that’s one thing I thought a lot about when I started trying to buy ahead on food, even just with food prices going up so much, is was like, oh, I have six kids and they’re basically all athletes and they eat a tremendous amount of food, especially protein, which is a pretty tough one to store. But even just from a calorie perspective, I was like, those food storage buckets, I would be going through so many of those with that many kids. And so I looked at, OK, what are our macro breakdowns? We eat a lot of protein and a whole lot of healthy fats. And a lot of the pre-prepared food are more processed carbs, which would make us feel not great if we’re not used to that. So I have a lot of things stored like canned sardines, tons and tons of like olive oil, coconut oil, tallow for the calorie density. Also things like salt and different minerals. For me, it also includes supplements because those are kind of a big part of our routine as well.
But can you give a little more detail about how you walk people through the process of even figuring out what you need? Because to your point, we’re probably not just going to want to live on canned beans and green beans, even in a survival situation.
Mira: Right and one of the other things I want to say is, so your family clearly does eat beans, that’s great. If someone who’s listening, their family is like, nope not eating beans, please don’t stock up on beans. Like that’s totally not worth it. Look for another option. I encourage people to keep track of what your family eats over a two-week period of time. Know every single meal. And then break it down to every single ingredient. And then figure out what you’re able to store. One of the biggest things I also encourage people to look at, making sure that they have plenty, on hand, because most people don’t think about this, is things to make your food taste good. Spices and seasonings and things like that.
And then, as you look at what your family eats and what you want to begin to store, then you start looking at how can you do that. I mean, let’s face it most of us can’t go out and just spend $1000 to fill our pantry. So we have to do it a little bit at a time. And the best time to start is now. You know, even if all you do is buy $10 extra at the grocery store this week. But we do a little bit extra every time, and then over time we’ll have a bigger store and from there we also begin to know because we’re watching for it, when the sales cycles are at the grocery store. And that allows you sometimes to stock up.
Katie: Yeah. And I would guess, like you mentioned, not wanting to just go buy the preparedness buckets at Costco, but I would guess there are things at a lot of stores that are great to keep an eye on and that do have sale prices or good bulk prices. I know I got quite a bit at Costco, but also I’ve ordered a ton from Thrive Market and places like that when they had sales on like sardines or canned meats or protein sources, especially. But do you have any favorite resources? I know you also have a lot online. I’ll make sure we link to your actual guides on all this, but kind of good starting points for categories for people to think of, or maybe like if they’re just starting out, what would be a few extra things they would add to their shopping list that would go into the preparedness pantry?
Mira: Yeah, I do encourage people to look at how they’re utilizing their freezer. Unless you’re concerned about a power outage, a freezer can be a great way to extend your store. I also encourage people to look at making sure that we have some sort of fruits and vegetables, especially the vegetables because those are really nutritious, nutrient dense foods that are good for us to add in. My big thing that I am starting to share with people now is also looking at adding freeze-dried vegetables and fruits because those in the can are good for anywhere between 10-25 years. I do open them and use them in my pantry but just having something like that on hand can be a good way to build a long-term store where you’re not concerned about a power outage or something, you know, clearly it doesn’t last that long in your refrigerator.
Katie: That makes sense. And I know this varies based on people’s health preferences and food tolerances, but what about healthy carb sources? I know, like I said, those are not the priority for me with food storage because I feel like we need the protein and fats long before we’re going to have a deficiency of carbs. But I also know with active kids, carbs are helpful as well. And so I do have things like rice stored, but what do you recommend in that category with the obvious caveat that some people will be avoiding certain whole groups of those?
Mira: Yeah, for that particular category I do encourage people, anyone who can consume them, to look at things like rice or other grains, oats, quinoa, that kind of thing, millets, those can all be a good carb source. And then also to remember complex carbs, things like sweet potatoes and squashes and those kinds of things, those can be sourced freeze dried to have for an extended period of time. Also, if you’re in an area where you can get them fairly readily, having squashes, especially if their fresh picked, they will last for an extended period of time. Normally we buy them cause we’re going to use them that week but they will actually last for a couple of months if they’re stored in a cool, dry place.
Katie: Yeah, and I know it’s a whole probably separate topic for a separate day, but for people who are able, I feel like having the ability to garden and just having a rotating garden is also, of course, a great option for a variety of reasons, including the sun exposure and the microbiome exposure and then renewable food source as well.
Are there other categories of preparedness that people don’t often think about, for instance, like household goods or toilet paper or hygiene products or medication and supplements? Or is there anything else beyond food that you have people be aware of?
Mira: I love that you asked that because in the preparedness pantry masterclass we do talk about that. We have a whole section on first aid, and I brought in guest experts. So we talked about first aid from a homeopathic, holistic, essential oil, herbal, and a functional medicine perspective. So bringing in people who could talk about the things people needed there. I do also encourage people to think about the basics, like you said, toilet paper, definitely, batteries, light, those kinds of things. And I also really encourage people to think about your pets. Pets count as people in my opinion. And if you’re preparing for your family, you need to make sure you’re also taking care of our little furry friends.
Katie: Yeah. So what do you recommend there? Because I could see how often that might get overlooked in a preparedness situation, but our pets will obviously be hungry as well. Is that as simple as just storing extra of their food or are there better ways to plan ahead for the pets?
Mira: Great question. Definitely storing ahead for their food as much as you can. So some people, if their pet has dry kibble, looking at how long it will last. Potentially having to vacuum seal some of it so it will last a little longer. If they have canned food, just making sure that you’re rotating those cans. You don’t want to buy an extra case of their food and just leave it in the corner of the laundry room for 5 years, you know. You want to be using it. If they need medications, making sure that you have handwritten instructions for anything that anybody might need to know for them. And then also making sure that if they have specific other health needs because of mobility issues or whatever, you can address that if you have to transport them or if you’re stuck in an emergency situation.
Katie: And I’d love to talk a little bit more about the water side as well, because I feel like maybe this often gets overlooked. And I would guess this can be a maybe tricky part of planning ahead, because if we’re just thinking about storing water, it takes up a lot of space. And there’s like the quality issues of how do we make sure it stays bacteria free, but also without adding too many chemicals to keep it that way. I know as part of, I’m not very planned ahead on this one. So I’m actually really excited to learn from you. But I do also think about in my family, the salt side, because I realize in a situation where we’re depending only on these foods that I’ve stored, we’re going to somewhat inadvertently be in a little bit of ketosis because we’re prioritizing protein and fats, which means our demands for salt are going to go up to keep the body healthy. So I do store a lot of salt. And from my understanding, the great thing about salt is it lasts almost forever. So I have a tremendous amount of unrefined sea salt in my house. But what about the water side of that equation? What’s the best way to handle water and planning ahead?
Mira: Yeah, that is such a great question. Water is something that typically does tend to be overlooked. I first of all should start by sharing that the ratio, which clearly for your family is going to be a lot bigger than for some other people is 1 gallon per person per day of water. And that is for drinking and potentially cooking, depending on what you’re cooking and how much. We then clearly need more for sanitary purposes, however, that doesn’t need to be completely clean water. If we need to, we can flush a toilet with dirty water, kind of thing. Washing pots and pans does need to be clean water though.
So I will share, you know, this was a learned experience lesson. When I first got into preparedness, it was many, many years ago, we were living in Vermont, we would get snowed in in a blizzard and so I realized we needed to store water. And I just went to the grocery store and I bought a whole bunch of those 2.5 gallon container things and I stuffed them in a closet and I was like, yay we’re good. Until the day I went in there and realized that the floor was wet because that plastic is so thin it can leak. So the first thing is to make sure you’re storing it in an appropriate container. The containers I like are called Aquatainers. And they’re essentially sort of like the same thing that you store fuel in. It’s a very thick plastic. They are however food grade and they are specially made for water. There are other varieties that you can get that are filtered, so it will filter the water as it comes out.
I do encourage people to look at what their available sources are because the recommendation is to try to have at least 2 week worth on hand. Storing that much is really not practical in our modern lives. We don’t have a space we can do that. So we look and see where are other water sources, and what are things we can do to filter. Do you have a big Berkey? Do you have a Life Straw? Do you have another type of filtration device that will clean out some of the potential bacteria that might be in these other sort of free water sources.
Katie: That’s a great point. So having a filter that doesn’t depend on necessarily water pressure or electricity to work gives you a much wider range of available water sources. Like I would guess even in a pinch, that would include things like swimming pools or fresh water that you would find in nature or things like that, as well as I know I’ve seen, I don’t know if you recommend these, but big storage things that can fit in a bathtub if you know you’re going to be entering a tough situation. So like before the hurricane, I filled those up just to have them and then we ended up not needing them. But do you feel like those are a good option or those are more of a secondary kind of idea?
Mina: Yeah, so those are called a water bob. And yeah it’s this big plastic thing and it fits into the bathtub and you just attach it to the faucet and it fills up. Those can be ok, the biggest challenge with those afterwards is making sure that once you’ve emptied it, it is completely dry so you get nothing in there. And I do also encourage giving it a little bit of a bleach cleanse just to make sure.
When you’re storing water long term by the way we do have a couple of options. One is we can use two drops per quart of bleach and the reason we do that, not because we’re drinking, it’s to help make sure that nothing happens to that water. The other thing is you can use iodine, however iodine breaks down faster so for longer term storage, a couple drops of bleach per quart. When I do, I do preparedness pantry consultations for people and one of the biggest things I get is, oh, I’ve got a swimming pool, I’m good. And the answer is you don’t want to drink that water. Not without filtering it first. Now here’s the thing, if you have a swimming pool, chances are you have what maybe 20,000 gallons back there. That’s great. But you know, leaves fall in it, pollen falls in it, other things get in it, and you’ve got all those pool chemicals, so you have to have something that will filter. And that’s where like I said a Life Straw, a big Berkey, those kinds of things are good options. Yes, that’s a great source, but you can’t drink that straight.
Katie: Got it. Are there any other categories that people overlook that are good to be aware of?
Mina: I think one of the big things that people overlook is making sure that they have at least a few things in their car so that if you are stuck somewhere and something happens, you’ve got a few resources in the car. You know, for example, a good pair of shoes if you have to hike, a whistle so that you don’t burn out your voice hollering for everybody because you know a whistle is pretty easy to make sound with. Having some emergency flashers.
I don’t encourage storing food and water in the car long term just because like I live in Texas so the heat for that. But you know, making sure if you’re going to go on a trip beyond the confides of where you live, that you have something in there. And then I think the other thing that is really, really helpful to do when it comes to your car, I strongly encourage people to never let their car get beyond a half of a tank of gas. Because let’s say you know, just every life and you’re around and its fine but then you’re told to evacuate or you decide to evacuate, if you’re running on fumes, which I’ve discovered in doing this work, most people do, they like glide into the gas station, barely making it. Like that’s not healthy because you’re not going to get very far. And it costs you just as much to top off at the half tank every time. So I think that is a really huge practical thing that everybody needs to start doing.
Katie: That’s a great tip. I know a question I’m sure you must get often and people might have as you’re talking is what about the cost? What is reasonable to expect for a cost of getting a preparedness pantry set up and keeping it going? And is there a way to do this in an attainable way for most families?
Mina: That is a really great question. I wish there was a number that I could give you. Unfortunately the needs are so different for every single family because of family size, because of what they are prioritizing in terms of the types of foods that they’re going to have available. And so, I encourage people instead to simply look at starting with, how much can you set aside on a weekly or monthly basis to just begin to build a little bit at a time. And I’ve had some families where they’ve said, I’ve got $5. And I’m like, great, start with $5. And then there are other families who are like, I want to go out and I want to buy a whole bunch of stuff and I have a $200 budget, what should I buy? Well that’s where you look back at your menus and your food sources and then you look at what you already have on hand and fill in the gaps. And then go from there. So I think it’s a really about just getting started because you know, my tagline is the best time to plan for an emergency is before there is one. And so we don’t want to wait until something happens. We simply want to start now and do a little bit at a time.
Katie: And I know you’ve mentioned you have so many other resources available for this and people can keep learning from you and you can help people specifically figure out what they need to store for their families. But where can people find you online and where would you recommend they start to build their own preparedness pantry and just to be thinking ahead?
Mira: Thank you so much for asking. So if people want to learn more about me in particular, they can certainly go to theingredientguru.com. That’s my website. Of course, I’m on all the socials as The Ingredient Guru as well. If they want to learn more about preparedness, I do have a wonderful program called the Preparedness Pantry Masterclass. I would love to give you a special link that you can share with your people. And so I’ll get that to you. But in that class, we go through, I have workbooks and all of the training that they need. Plus, we have a monthly call every month to continue to explore new preparedness topics.
Katie: Wonderful. I will make sure all those links are in the show notes at wellnessmama.com for any of you guys listening on the go. But Mira, this has been so fun. And for you guys who have enjoyed this episode, keep an eye out. We’re going to do another episode all about fragrances, and I’m excited to dive into that topic. But for today, thank you so much for your time and for being here.
Mira: Thanks so much for having me.
Katie: And thank you for listening. And I hope that you will join me again on the next episode of the Wellness Mama podcast.
If you’re enjoying these interviews, would you please take two minutes to leave a rating or review on iTunes for me? Doing this helps more people to find the podcast, which means even more moms and families could benefit from the information. I really appreciate your time, and thanks as always for listening.
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