It’s already difficult to find nutritional food with long shelf lives, but it becomes harder when you have a food allergy. When disaster strikes and food becomes limited, any person with a food allergy would have a hard time finding something to eat. As a prepper, you need to take that into consideration when stocking up on food supply. (h/t to BeansBulletsBandagesAndYou.com)
Food allergies affect 32 million people in the U.S., with 5.6 million comprising of children. That means that one in 13 children has food allergies.
Find out first if any of your family members, including yourself, react negatively to certain foods.
There are eight well-known food allergens:
Allergic reactions to any of these foods comprise most of the serious accounts of food allergies in the U.S. In an SHTF situation, some preppers may try eating edible plants, like dandelions and cattails. Make sure to have your family members checked for those, too.
Try different kinds of meals, and observe your family members’ reactions. Here are common signs:
Seek medical attention immediately if any of your family members show these signs. Reactions to food allergies can be dangerous, including anaphylaxis, an immediate violent response that may potentially cause death.
After identifying any food allergies, you now know which foods to avoid. When buying raw ingredients, it’s easy because you can avoid the allergen outright. However, it’s harder when you’re buying processed foods.
Follow these tips to prevent allergic reactions to these foods:
The key to ensuring that your food does not have any allergens is to make them yourself. There are different ways for you to preserve food, including:
Here are some things to remember when preserving your own food:
Mild symptoms of allergic reactions can last from a few hours to a few days. However, a serious reaction needs to be treated immediately. (Related: How to treat your allergies without needles or shots when SHTF.)
The most effective emergency treatment is injectable epinephrine or EpiPen. In the case of anaphylaxis, it needs to be injected within minutes to curb the violent side effects. For preppers with food allergies, they need to be part of their emergency supplies.
However, EpiPens have relatively short shelf lives. Labels state they can last up to 18 months. Some studies point out that they can be used for up to four years, but they are less effective by then. EpiPens also need to be stored somewhere cool and dark.
In an SHTF situation, having food allergies is difficult, but it’s more than possible to prepare for them. It’s smart to have EpiPen supplies, but the best way to avoid an allergic reaction is to learn more about your allergy and prevent reactions from happening in the first place.
Find out more about preparing food for people with special needs at FoodSupply.news.
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