Perfect Prepper Pasta--Couscous

Many, many moons ago, when I lived in the Russian house at BYU, as part of the "curriculum" of living in the house, we ate dinner together each evening, speaking in Russian the whole time with our conversation teacher.  And we also had to take turns preparing those meals.  Making dinner for twelve people each week was a little intimidating, especially since I wanted it to actually taste good and be able to be prepared as quickly as possible.  I was lamenting to a fellow Russian student about my problem, and he suggested that I make couscous, a Moroccan pasta.  I had never even heard of it before that moment, so he had to explain it to me and how I might prepare it.

It's something I've prepared often ever since, and it is perfect prepper food.

What makes it so perfect?  For one, it's pasta; it's got a really long shelf life, like twenty years.  It cooks up just as fast as instant rice--just add to boiling water, cover, turn off the heat, and wait five minutes, then fluff.  However, unlike many other pasta shapes, it is very compact, just like large grains of sand.  It provides a change of pace from rice and other forms of pasta with its unique texture.  And it can be prepared in so many ways with so many flavors.  It can be a salad, side dish, or main course.  It works well for just-add-water instant meals.  What's not to love?

Lots of people are familiar with the little boxes of Near East couscous mixes with the big price tag.  They're pretty close to the Rice-A-Roni and macaroni and cheese boxes in the grocery store, most often on the top shelf.  If you've never tried couscous before, pick up a box and follow the directions to give it a try before buying a twenty-five-pound bag.

Here's the recipe I used with the Russian house students back then and most often with my family now.

Couscous with Sausage and Veggies

• Sausage stew (dehydrated vegetables work very well in this)
• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups water
• 3 beef bouillon cubes
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
• 4 large tomatoes, diced (or a 15-ounce can of diced stewed tomatoes
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Couscous
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups couscous
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large pot, brown the sausage, onions, and garlic.  Drain fat.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cover.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender.  When the vegetables are just about done, in a separate pot with a lid, bring the water to a boil.  Add couscous and salt, cover, and remove from heat.  Let stand five minutes and fluff with fork.

To serve, place a large spoonful of couscous on the plate and top with the sausage and vegetables.


There are numerous recipes on the web for using couscous.  I like the following one BackpackingLight.com because it's a salad and it doesn't require cooking.  It's perfect for an instant meal in a bag.

Herbed Tomato Couscous Salad

• 1⁄2 cup couscous
• 1 tablespoon tomato powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (1 packet)
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (shelf-stable)
• 1/2 cup cool water

Put the couscous and seasonings into a pint-size freezer bag. Pack the Parmesan cheese and olive oil packet in a separate bag. To prepare, add the oil and water to the couscous and seasoning bag, stir well, and let sit for 10 minutes.  Stir again, and sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese.  This salad may be made in a hot version by using hot water.

There are zillions of ways to use couscous, and many more recipes will be posted here sooner or later.

Links to related posts:
Copycat Rice-a-Roni Mixes
Pasta


© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com   

7 april 2023

Duct Tape Suture in a Straw

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on knowledge and understanding you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher care is available.  As long as our society is functioning, you should leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the professionals.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care. 

Can I just say I think this is my favorite suture?  What's not to love?  The price is right, you only need supplies you should already have on hand, and most anyone should be able to use it. Rather than starting off by showing how you put together the duct tape suture in a straw, I think it would be better to show how it works first.

So here we have what looks like a red Sharpie marker on QOTPE's leg, but it is actually a gaping wound.

Fortunately, bleeding was kept to a minimum. 

The needle and thread simply weave in and out on each side through the duct tape.  The skin is never touched, or it's never supposed to be, at any rate. After the "suturing" is done, this is how it looks.

The duct tape holds incredibly well.  QOTPE is still wearing this suture five hours later as she shoots at the archery range today.  (She had to keep it on so I would take her to the range today.)  Unfortunately, I did not "suture" this wound exactly as I should have.  There should actually be some space between the edges of the duct tape so that the wound below can be monitored visually.  Also, as the laceration was a couple of inches long, I should have used two sutures to close it completely.  And ideally, the wound would then be covered with Tegaderm so that it can be visually monitored while at the same time protected from contamination.  So it wasn't perfect.  But she's still alive and healed well, so it all worked out in the end.

When you're having to DIY a suture, you do the best you can with what you have. So how exactly do you put one of these together before an emergency presents itself? Begin with two strips of duct tape, about 4-5" long (they can always be trimmed later if necessary), two 2" lengths of yarn, and one smallish needle (you're not sewing up a cow) threaded with about 24" of thread, doubled over, and knotted at the end.

Not sure why I have two threaded needles in the picture.  Pretend one of them isn't there.

Lay the yarn across the ends of the strips of duct tape.The yarn stabilizes the duct tape and prevents the thread from tearing through.  You could also use toothpicks or twigs, but that doesn't seem like it would be very comfortable.

Then fold the end over the yarn and press down.  And fold down 1/16-1/8" of the opposite end for ease in handling.  Now roll (or fold) from the end with the yarn to the end of the strip of tape.  Repeat for the other yarn and strip of tape.

For the "in the straw" portion:

Fold each folded section of duct tape in half lengthwise and sandwich the threaded needle between them.  Wrap the thread around the duct tape sections.  Carefully insert them into a jumbo straw (1/2" diameter).  If necessary, use the eraser end of a pencil to aid placement.  Seal both ends of the straw with pliers and a candle flame or lighter.

We keep these in our IFAKs and emergency medical kit that we take with us traveling.  There's no point to making them for home use; it will be easier to just get the supplies out if and when we need them.  Because you're not actually suturing somebody up with a needle, you're not practicing medicine without a license.  Because no needle is going in, you don't need anesthetic to prevent inflicting pain.  There is less risk of introducing bacteria into a wound than with a proper suture needle, assuming you have irrigated the wound well, cleaned around the site well, and aren't dragging the thread through dirty areas and contaminating it.  And you won't be further damaging tissue and risking more scarring due to a needle penetrating the skin, unlike what may happen with a suture needle.  The greatest risk is that the individual getting "sutured" will be allergic to the duct tape adhesive, which contains latex.  If that's the case, or may be the case, you can also try this using heavy duty medical tape. 

This Youtube shows the general idea of the duct tape suture.

Remember, you saw it here first.

Links to related posts:
Wound Closure Supply Options
Tapes and Wraps
Lacerations
All About Sutures
Basics of Suturing
Plastic Straw Mini Packages
Mini Sewing Kit in a Straw  

06.25.24

DIY Chicken Bouillon

It is so nice to have a couple of like-minded friends when it come to preparedness.  It's even nicer when they are also concerned about all the garbage in prepared foods and seek alternatives for healthier eating.  

I really hate the little cubes of chicken bouillon at the store because they're loaded with garbage, but the organic stuff is just too expensive.  So most of the time I used home-canned chicken stock where possible, but I never have enough of that.  It never occurred to me that I could just make my own at home.  Yeah, I know, it seems like something simple that everyone else probably knew about.  But just in case there are one or two more people like me, I thought I'd share a couple of recipes for DIY chicken bouillon.

The main ingredient here is nutritional yeast flakes.  I'd heard about them but never paid much attention, so I had to research them to find out more.  Nutritional yeast flakes are not brewer's yeast or bread-making yeast.  They are adored by vegans for some kind of cheese-substitute and adding flavor to their foods.  It's a little bit pricey, in my opinion, running about $8.00 per pound in the bulk section at my local Winco.  Apparently, most people get it at their health food stores.  Of course, Amazon has it, too, but the best you're going to do price-wise looks like about $10.00 per pound.   It has a two-year shelf life.  I couldn't find any information on whether it lasts longer if vacuum-sealed, but it seems as if that would be the case.

I've included two recipes here; you can find loads more online.  Give them a try and see which you like better.  They differ substantially in the amount of herbs.  I like lots of seasoning, but some people like their food a little more subtle in flavor.  Because some chicken bouillon is just too salty and some people need to watch their intake, I recommend using less salt than initially called for and then adding in more until it suits your taste buds.

DIY Chicken Bouillon #1

1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon basil

DIY Chicken Bouillon #2

1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons minced dry onion 
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon thyme 
1 tablespoon marjoram
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon sage
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder

The chicken flavor comes from the nutritional yeast.  But what do we do when we can't get nutritional yeast?  My good friend Renee thought and thought about this dilemma, and finally came up with the perfect answer:  powdered chicken!  While freeze-dried chicken could be used very easily, it would be less expensive to use dehydrated chicken.  Those who have done it already know that dehydrated chicken loses a lot in texture when it is rehydrated.  It just doesn't turn out all that well for eating.  But it's great for turning into powder for making bouillon. 

Thanks, Renee!

Links to related posts:
Cream Soups and Recipe Replacements
Spanish Rice


© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com   

26 january 2023

Lice and TEOTWAWKI

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on an item you might wish to have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your family as best as possible.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care.  A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.

None of my children has ever had lice, for which I am really grateful.  I'm not bragging, and I'm not asking for it.  But whenever I got a phone call saying that apparently my children might have been exposed to lice, it was like TEOTWAWKI, at least for a day or two.  All social plans got canceled.  Everybody in the house got treated and all the linens were washed, even though all the medical profession says this is unnecessary.  Whatever.  I can be open-minded and reasonable with colds, strep, influenza, maybe even smallpox.  But lice?  Oh, heck, no. 

(It's gonna sound gross, but I think my favorite "illness" as a child was lice.  I didn't feel sick. I got to stay home from school.  And my mom bought me a brand new bead set to keep me occupied making bracelets and necklaces and such.  What's not to love?  I was banned from playing with the girl across the street anymore, but she moved pretty soon anyway.)

We've got three kinds of lice to talk about here, and they have some things in common, but some aspects that are unique to each.

Head lice are what most of us are at least familiar with.  They're about the size of a small sesame seed.  They do not typically carry disease, but the scratching can compromise the skin and introduce infections.  Children are less bothered by lice; the bites don't cause them to itch like they do in adults, so they can become pretty infested before anyone notices.  Unfortunately, lice are pretty easily passed from one child to another, whether it's just in playing together or in sharing toys or combs and brushes.  If you happen to notice something suspicious and are wondering whether it's lice or dandruff, here's your quick and foolproof test:  Dandruff will flake and shake off; lice will not.  If you're still unsure, and you happen to have a black light available (not likely, but you never know), nits will fluoresce as blue dots attached to hair near the scalp. 

Body lice appear very similar to head lice, but they generally confine themselves to the body.  Body lice differ from head lice and pubic lice in that they live in and lay eggs on bedding and/or clothing, especially the seams, and only come out to feed.  Body lice are larger than head lice and can live thirty days between feedings.  They cause severe itching in an area of infestation, with small red, swollen bumps or welts often found at the base of the neck or torso where they feed.  Unlike head lice, body lice can spread disease.  They may spread typhus and are also associated with trench fever. (The recent outbreak of typhus in Los Angeles is attributed to fleas and not body lice.)  Left unchecked, they can actually bleed a person to death.

Pubic lice are difficult to see because of their smaller size and their preferred habitat, pubic hair.  However, while pubic hair is home base, they're open to checking out new locations like mustache or armpit hair or eyelashes and eyebrows.  They spread primarily through sexual intimacy and are considered an STD that is not prevented by using condoms.  Pubic lice do not transmit other STDs.  They can also be spread sometimes through sharing hairbrushes, towels, or clothing.  And they cause severe itching.

What are your treatment options post-collapse?  Commercial products available OTC include:

• RID 
• Active ingredients are piperonyl butoxide and pyrethrum extract
• Designed only for head lice, but physicians recommend for crabs and body lice as well
• Kills lice only, not eggs, so retreatment is required in seven days
• Do not use on individuals allergic to ragweeds
• Nix
• Permethrin-based
• Like RID, it is designed only for head lice, but physicians recommend it for crabs and body lice as well
• Kills both lice and their eggs

Natural remedies from The Survival Medicine Handbook:

• Mix salt, vinegar, tea tree oil, and neem oil (you're on your own for quantities) and apply daily for 21 days for head lice.
• Witch hazel and tea tree oil, applied daily after showering for 21 days for head lice and pubic lice.  
• Bathing with 1/2 cup borax and 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide for 21 days.  

The authors of Survival and Austere Medicine, 3rd Edition suggest that if there is nothing else available, hair conditioner or some sort of oil (olive, coconut) can be used to smother lice and nits, and then a nit comb used to remove lice and nits.  This will take a very long time.  (This would not make me happy.  My daughters have waist-length hair.)  And it needs to be repeated a few times a week for a few weeks.

A clinical trial in Australia in 2010 showed that tea tree (10%) and lavender (1%) essential oils in a carrier oil with a shower cap were much more effective than commercial treatments.  Storing essential oils and shower caps may be less expensive than storing commercial products. 

Shaving works for eliminating all lice.  For body lice, an overall shave followed by several hot baths over half a day is most effective.

All linens must be washed in hot water--at least 140 degrees. Burning would be better, if it's an option.   Items that cannot be washed should be placed in plastic bags for two weeks (head and pubic lice) to five weeks (body lice).  Combs and brushes should be soaked in alcohol or hot water (140 degrees) for an hour.

Physicians often recommend Benadryl to relieve the itching.

The best prevention option, beyond strict hygiene and keeping clothes clean, especially when working among people who have lice, is to use permethrin.  Permethrin kills lice, but not the eggs.  However, it is long-lasting and will thus kill any newly hatched lice.  Permethrin is available commercially (Sawyer brand) in sporting goods stores where camping equipment is sold.  It comes in spray bottles to easily apply it to clothing and gear and lasts several weeks.  It is both a repellent and an insecticide and is effective for ticks as well.  It's also available in bulk quantities in feed stores.  How much do you want?  One doctor I know stores two to three quarts of this for his family alone.

(This article is the second in a series of posts on things that bite and treatments for them, beginning with the small bugs and working our way up.  Last week began the series with a post on scabies.  Next week will be bedbugs, followed by ticks, spiders, snakes, dogs and cats.  Apparently, I left out mosquitoes, so I'll have to remedy that and squeeze them in.)

Links to related posts:  
Scabies
Ticks
Bed Bugs 

For further reading:
https://www.webmd.com/children/ss/slideshow-lice-overview
https://www.emedicinehealth.com/lice/article_em.htm#what_medications_treat_lice
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lice/symptoms-causes/syc-20374399
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933647/ (tea tree and lavender essential oils)

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com   

8.6.24

Hypothyroidism Options in TEOTWAWKI

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on knowledge and understanding you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher care is available.  As long as our society is functioning, you should leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the professionals.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care. 

Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce adequate thyroid hormone for the body.  Worldwide, insufficient iodine in the diet is the most common cause of hypothyroidism.  The addition of iodine to salt is why we do not see more cases of hypothyroidism in the industrialized world.  And this is why it is absolutely critical to store iodized salt for our families.  You can read more on that here.

The signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism most commonly observed include:

• fatigue, 
• intolerance to cold, 
• dry skin,
• constipation, 
• weight gain, and 
• hair loss.  

Less common symptoms include:

• hoarseness, 
• depression, 
• menstrual irregularity, 
• forgetfulness, 
• fluid retention, and 
• poor growth (in children).

(Extremely brief and rudimentary biology lesson for understanding hypothyroidism:  thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced by the pituitary gland.  This is what is measured in a blood test to assess thyroid hormone--thyroxine--levels.  TSH tells the thyroid to produce something called T4.  T4 must be converted into T3 to be used by the body.)

The missing or insufficiently produced hormone is called thyroxine.  When the thyroid doesn't produce enough T4, physicians routinely prescribe a synthetic.  The vast majority of hypothyroidism is treated with a synthetic replacement like levothyroxine (Synthroid), which ranks in the top five for most commonly prescribed drugs in the US.  It comes in wide variety of dosages and it is absolutely critical to have the exact right dosage for each patient.

Simple enough.  Except when it isn't.  And this is because the body has to convert T4 into T3, and unfortunately, this critical process can be affected by a whole host of factors, like:

• low-calorie diets,
• antacids,
• prescription medications (sucralfate, simethicone, antidepressants),
• mineral deficiency (zinc, copper, selenium, calcium),
• iron tablets,
• chronic stress (TEOTWAWKI, anyone?),
• herbal medicine (ashwagandha, lemon balm, rosemary),
• soybeans,
• cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower),
• pine nuts,
• walnuts,
• fiber, and
• a whole lot more.

That's a whole lot of stuff that can affect the T3 and T4 levels.  What's a person to do?  The best advice is to take thyroid medications on an empty stomach, and at least 1-2 hours before or 1 hour after any medications or mineral supplements to avoid or reduce interactions.

Then there are the effects that Synthroid and its generic equivalents have on other medications.  Like insulin and type-2 diabetes medications.  Synthroid can diminish the efficacy of diabetes medications.  (Type-1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, and hypothyroidism can be as well.  The two often go hand-in-hand.)  On the other hand, Synthroid potentiates warfarin, so that if the warfarin dose is not reduced, serious bleeding may occur.

Getting the right dose of Synthroid is essential; unfortunately, that is going to be very difficult to do post-collapse.  It will require careful monitoring of signs from a physician.  Getting the right dose is not something that occurs overnight, or even within a week or a month.  While there is not so much risk if the dose is too low, there is significant risk if the dose is too high.  Hyperthyroidism is no good, either.

As many of us often contemplate a time when DIY everything is going to be the norm, we wonder what was done before synthetic drugs were available.  In the case of hypothyroidism, before synthetics were available, desiccated and powdered extracts from pig and cow thyroids were used.  Armour Thyroid, derived from cows and pigs, is still on the market today.  There are nutraceuticals--plants compounded into tablets and used as medicine--for treating hypothyroidism, but most physicians shy away from them.  And there are natural supplements like Thyromine.  How well any of these options will work on any given patient depends on too many variables to be able to make any general statements.

If you have hypothyroidism, according to Dr. Koelker, author of Armageddon Medicine, discuss with your doctor whether treatment is mandatory for you.  For a significant number, treatment is not actually required.  If it is required, stock up on your medications.  Synthroid is very cheap from All Day Chemist.  If you get the tablets that are double your required dosage, you can then use a pill splitter to halve your cost.

The best recommendations for dealing with hypothyroidism post-collapse are to get not only Dr. Koelker's book Armageddon Medicine, but also her hypothyroid self-study and preparation course.  I have several grid-down medicine books and have attended courses.  No one covers hypothyroidism anywhere near as well as she does. 

UPDATE 21 February 2022:  Some patients cannot take the generic equivalent of Synthroid.  An article at the following address covers this issue and suggests a few options for patients in this situation.  https://www.restartmed.com/synthroid-vs-levothyroxine/

Caution:  Untreated hypothyroidism in a pregnant woman may result in birth defects in the baby.


Disclaimer:  I receive no benefit or any compensation whatsoever from Dr. Koelker or any company or product mentioned in this post.

Links to related posts:
Salt
Armageddon Medicine review

 For more information:
Armageddon Medicine, Dr. Cynthia Koelker, pp 388-401.
Hypothyroid self-study and preparation course
https://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/herb-drug-mix-hypothyroidism-herbs-and-drugs
https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2017/02/13/food-and-drug-interactions-are-important-levothyroxine-and-fiber/
https://www.sharecare.com/health/thyroid-supplement/synthroid-interact-medications-foods
https://www.livestrong.com/article/423936-synthroid-interactions-with-vitamins/

"FDA Acts to Ensure Thyroid Drugs Don't Lose Potency Before Expiration Date," US Food and Drug Administration, 3 October 2007, https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/fda-acts-ensure-thyroid-drugs-dont-lose-potency-expiration-date (accessed 10 November 2020).

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com   

29 january 2023

Dietary Deficiency and Consequences--Protein

In previous posts we've covered the importance of  vitamins and essential minerals, also known as micronutrients, in the diet.  Now we'll turn our attention to the macronutrients protein, carbohydrate, and fat, the basic building blocks of nutrition.

In an ideal diet, protein is consumed only to build and repair tissue; it is not used for calories or energy.  Yes, protein can be a source of energy because, after all, it has calories, the same four calories per gram as carbohydrate.  However, it should not be considered a primary source of energy for a few good reasons.  First, the body does not need excess protein.  In fact, consuming too much protein may contribute to the formation of kidney stones.  Also, protein is generally more expensive than carbohydrate.  In addition, unlike carbohydrate and fat, the body can't actually store surplus protein.  So what happens to the excess protein that we consume?  It goes to the liver and undergoes conversion therapy--into carbohydrate.

On the flip side, insufficient protein consumption forces the body to start breaking down muscle.  And this even happens when the body is injured, if protein consumption is not increased to meet the elevated demands of the body to repair and build tissue.  Anyone recovering from surgery or physical injury requires a lot of protein.  Insufficient protein consumption may also interfere with some medications because protein is not available to transport the drugs.

Protein deficiency is detrimental at any age, but particularly to developing fetuses and infants and small children.  The effects of insufficient protein are irreversible and include decreased brain size and diminished function and increased stress sensitivity.  In older children and adults a lack of protein contributes to deficiencies in the immune system which may, and often do, become life-threatening.

Kwashiorkor is severe protein deficiency seen in children.  The classic symptom of this condition is the swollen belly you see in images of starving children in third world countries.  Apathy, stunted growth, fatigue, and flaky skin are other symptoms.  This condition very rarely occurs in the developed world and almost always involves small children being fed fad diets or ignorance of the parents regarding nutritional needs of children with milk allergies.

While true protein deficiency is rare in the industrialized world, as we age we sometimes need more protein to maintain muscle mass (because if we don't get enough protein from our food, our body starts to rob our muscles) and prevent bone fractures.  The changes that occur in the body as we age and due to insufficient protein consumption are gradual and are often considered part of the normal aging process.

Protein deficiency leads to cataracts, heart problems, and muscle atrophy, conditions most often seen in the elderly.  On the way there, people may experience slowed metabolism, difficulty losing weight, muscle and joint pain, slow wound healing, and poor immunity to illnesses.  We may not see a whole lot of kwashiorkor, but we do see the consequences of insufficient protein in the diet in our country and even in our families right now. 

So how do we insure that we have adequate protein in the future?

We can make sure that we have complete proteins in our diet.  By complete we mean foods that contain all the essential amino acids for building protein.  And this pretty much comes only from meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, and soy.  Other complete proteins that are plant-based include quinoa, hemp, and buckwheat.  Chickens and rabbits are the most economically feasible way of securing a fresh protein supply when the grid goes down. 

Fortunately, it's pretty easy to combine foods that are considered incomplete sources of protein to make a complete protein.  Examples of these food combinations are beans and rice, wheat and milk, lentils and barley, and peanut butter and whole wheat bread.  Even more fortunately, these foods do not need to be combined within the same meal, just within the same day.  Getting adequate protein in the diet isn't really rocket science.  A well-balanced, varied diet will meet all your protein needs for optimal health under normal circumstances.  Just remember, however, as was mentioned above, that when the body is injured, especially with burns and fractures, substantially more protein is required.

Related posts:
Dietary Deficiency--Carbohydrate
Dietary Deficiency--Fat 
Dietary Imbalance--Fiber 

12 march 2023

Spanish Rice

One of the best things about the internet is being able to find recipes for everything.  And so it was, about ten years ago, when I'd already spent a few years trying to wing it in the kitchen making my own Spanish rice.  And failing to some degree every time.  I finally set aside my pride and went to the internet.

And there it was.  The perfect recipe.  Easy.  Only five ingredients.  And it could be made entirely from food storage.  What's not to love?

And when you combine this recipe with previously posted recipes for tortillas, refried beans, and salsa, you have the basics of a Mexican dinner.  Throw in a little cheese (freeze-dried, or what you've been able to keep in a root cellar) and perhaps a garden salad, and you're set.  And just in time for Cinco de Mayo, though why that's important to celebrate in this country, I haven't yet quite figured out.

Spanish Rice
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons chopped onions (or 1 heaping teaspoon dehydrated onions reconstituted in 2 tablespoons water)
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
2 cups chicken broth (or 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon in 2 cups water)
1 cup chunky salsa

Saute the onions in oil.  Add the rice and cook until lightly browned.  Add the broth and salsa and bring to a a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.

Links to related posts:
Flour tortillas   
Refried beans   
Salsa   

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com   

20 june 2024