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Help us with an upcoming series on this website so we can bring you the content you need.
Are you prepping for any type of special diet? Please vote and let us know what kind of diet you are prepping for if anything out of the ordinary. (You can vote more than once if applicable!)
Please add other options we may have missed in the comments. Thank you so much for your input!
Thank you for participating! Please be sure to let us know in the comments if you are prepping with a diet we didn’t mention in the survey!
Be on the lookout for our Special Diet series, coming soon. 🙂
cleaner eating
I can’t have food additives, they give me migraines. No lunch meat, bacon, sausage, ham… I already tried some dehydrated food in a bucket and I get the same problem. Everything has to be from scratch, and I pressure-can meat when it goes on sale so I’ll have a well-stocked pantry. So it’ll be rice and beans and cornbread for me.
Anything appropriate for/friendly to babies and small children!
Prepping for a diabetic.
diabetic diet, perhaps that is the low carb diet
Preparing for financial hardships and storms that keep my family holed up for days is always interesting. We, as a family of 5, are all Gluten free, dairy free, and eat no land animals. (Fish and eggs are okay) Hunting is out since we can’t tolerate meat, and we don’t live near any good fishing. It’s a good thing we have chickens!
How about organic or non-gmo? That can be hard to stay away from if you’re getting the already done cans from most of the freeze dried companies.
I just got my freeze dryer off layaway. Even if I can’t grow some things out here (right now its 106 degrees), I can buy organic and non-gmo. I have an order in for a heifer to be butcher as soon as the rancher works his cattle. This way I know its grass fed without any antibiotics added. I save up to purchase a big order, then don’t have to buy meat latter. This allows me to freeze dry myself. Not to mention to buy sales and then process it at a reduce cost to me.
We are “older” and each have a chronic illness. Mine is rheumatoid arthritis. Husband is diabetic and also has high blood pressure.
RA doesn’t really have restrictions but each patient is different. For me, too many night shade vegs can cause a flare. Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant. So, I have to limit those.
For him, sugars of course, and too much salt.
A lot of prepackaged “survival” food has a LOT of salt. I have it stocked, but I also have staples like rice and beans stocked which I plan to add to the pre-packaged food to balance out the salt content. He can’t eat honey for sure, but I do have it and I also stock sugar free syrups and jellies.
Since we have to watch our diets, I tend to stock the things we normally eat and just try to keep in mind what we can’t have too much of.
I would say that when prepping for a special diet, just stock what you would normally eat and be aware of the sodium and sugar content of pre-packaged survival food.
I do the Dash eating plan. It is for help with high blood pressure, heart disease, and atherosclerosis. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The diet is simple: Eat more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods. Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and trans fats. Eat more whole-grain foods, fish, poultry, and nuts.
1. Back in 2016, Mike Adams of NaturalNews.com ran an extensive forensic test on most of the major survival foods suppliers in this country, and found that most (not all) were secretly using GMO, MSG, hidden pesticides, etc, etc laden foods. The link he used to publish his results has since been written over, but I was able to find a snapshot of that page on the internet’s “eternal” memory at archive.org, here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20161107143924/http://organicsurvivalfood.naturalnews.com/organic-survival-food-numanna.html
At that time, I had just placed a 3-month order with one of those offending suppliers, and when I asked if they planned to sue Mike Adams for defamation, they couldn’t be bothered to reply to me. So I immediately canceled that order.
2. I had an emergency hospital stay a year ago related to kidney damage from an enlarged prostate gland. Each issue has its own, but partially overlapping, diet requirements — which rules out ALL of the survival food suppliers above, even the “clean” ones. The VA Medical Center system has 20-30 year old data on the kidney issue, but knows nothing about a lot of foods that have come to market since then. And they seem to be totally unaware of the prostate diet requirement. So I have to rely on the naturopathic / holistic medical community for such knowledge, while ignoring the VA’s mainstream medical community’s ignorance and contempt for what works. So much for the joys of government-corrupted medicine.
–Lewis
After the VA almost killed me 45 years ago, I’ve never been back. I will NEVER go to them again. Have you ever talked to a registered dietitian, particularly a renal dietitian? They can really help with your diet needs for kidney issues. Just a thought.
The VA saved my life almost 20 years ago. The VA here in Milwaukee is better than a LOT of private hospitals. I know this because my sister was not only an M.D. but a D.O. and worked at some VA hospitals. She died due to an operation on her spine at a private hospital.
Insulin – how prepare and care for – big issue!! Needs to be kept cool – great if have electricity. Can’t be frozen.
And get limited amounts at a time; where does supply come from??
Have you read One Second After?
Modified Paleo, some grains, mostly rice, a little whole grain pasta.
At the same time, some quick meals of canned ravioli, spaghettio’s and the like to get through the immediate problems before digging into the stored items.
I have to be very careful when I do grocery shopping for our regular needs. My Momma is sensitive or allergic to several common things: nuts, peppers and jalenpos, tropical fruit, canola oil, nitrites and nitrates in meats……….. So shopping is very interesting. Oh! And have to shop for diabetic, lactose intolerant, and high blood pressure.
a diabetic diet during an extended emergency cooked from food storage without access to grocery stores.
I feel horrible when i eat salty food. So when i buy freeze-dried foods, i buy “ingredients” instead of “meals in a can or bag.” I will say it’s hard to prep or have a manageable weekly grocery budget without relying on carby staples like bread, rice, pasta, or potatoes. It is also astonishing how much sugar and salt is in processed packaged-canned-jar food.
It is interesting how our bodies are unique. You feel ill eating salty food, but I get “sugar sick.”
This just proves that we need to stock up on individual ingredients to handle the unique needs of all that we would help.
I plan the same way, finally got my husband on the same page! I have sensitivities/allergies to wheat, milk, white potato (sweet potato are a different plant family), and need to limit the rest of the nightshades as well. (worst allergy combo I can think of!) I’m also pre-diabetic with heart issues, so have to limit salt/sugar too!
I convinced my husband by going down and pointing out one of the prepackaged #10 cans, showed him all the stuff that was in it and said “Here, I have ONE meal that can be made ONE way and ONLY one way.” Took him over to where we have the canned beef/chicken/pork and picked up a can of beef, showed him that it was meat and a little salt. “Here I have only one ingredient, I could make chili, hamburger soup, tacos…” and the list went on lol. He now orders ingredients over meals. We’ll keep the meals for trading/group feeds though.
Low salt, low carb as I have high blood pressure. Low carb low sugar since my husband has high blood sugar (pre-diabetic).
I have to eat around MSG. It’s in quite a bit of panty Staples and also goes by others industry names. It’s a hard one to eliminate.
Diabetic
Diabetic and low vitamin K diet – I’m on warfarin.
With a recent diagnosis in the family of high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, I’ve had to rethink all food preps that are “meals” ordered from these companies. Too much salt and sugar in everything. I have changed my plan to single item foods such as freeze dried fruit and vegetables, along with “no salt” seasoning blends and single herbs. I’m learning about almond flour use in baking and other keto type things useful to a diabetic diet. Trying to avoid sugar and salt in a grocery store in this day and age is difficult. Even types of canned and frozen vegetables have sugar and salt added. Don’t even look at boxed food. Even frozen items have sugar/salt. Huge learning curve last 6 months!!!!
Kosher-style, so nix on the oft included bacon, pork and ham. At least one vendor selling canned meat only seems to offer that you must buy pork cans to get the beef and chicken cans. I could use in trade but I would rather not.
Daughter is allergic to beef. Broth is OK, just not the actual beef.
Husband needs to watch high blood pressure and high sugar.
I am allergic to milk-based products.
But, I should have also clicked “Anything, Just Feed Me!” for our teenage grandsons. They are flexible and will eat just about anything. Proud of them for that.
My husband went through several years of being allergic to beef. We concluded that it was the antibiotics in the meat. We avoided it completely for about 10-12 years. Now, he can eat it occasionally without having a reaction.
I am on a low sodium diet, which means we pretty much have to fix everything from scratch. It’s a lot healthier anyway!!
Looking for Vegan, Gluten Free and without -any- form of corn (xanthum gum, cornstarch, etc. is in this family). Alternatives to rice…concern for arsenic.
Maybe wheat berries and bulgur. Also millet, amaranth, barley, quinoa. Red Mill is a good brand, but it seems a bit pricey. Shop around and do some price comparison/ availability/taste tests. Good luck.
Low salt diet. I do not can any foods with salt as DH cannot have it. Nor can I cook using any salt. Also diabetic diet. No sugar, which also means low carbs. as carbs can turn into sugar.
I cannot eat beef nor some turkey products due to meat allergy from a tick bite. I found out the hard way after eating a hamburger for dinner and had a reaction.. I can safely eat cheese, chicken,fish,ground turkey
a form of low carbs, a diabetic diet
My son, 23 years old, is total-care, special needs. He is restricted to a diet that consists of nothing larger in texture than a number 2 baby food. His main nutrition source is Boost or its equivalent. We supplement that with the #2 baby foods, yogurt, applesauce and juice. Suggestions for maintaining this diet for him are always welcomed, as is bug out/in tips. Thank you!
Depending on your budget, you might want to look at hand operated food mills to prepare your son’s food if the power goes out and you run out of prepared options. Lehman’s carries some, but you may find better prices elsewhere. Food mills can also be used for preparing some foods for home canning. Hope this helps.
I’m prepping for a child with multiple food allergies including all nuts, dairy, wheat, soy, and legumes. It makes it tough for us to rely on standard prepping food which is largely wheat, soy, and legume based. However, in continually stocking up on foods he’s not allergic to, I think we have an overall healthier food supply.
Hubby is gf (celiac), dairy free, soy free, and spicy free. I, wife, am gluten free, (violently ill), dairy sensitive. It is not a problem to prep, since this is the way we live. We just read labels. We have an adult son who can eat anything – so we are prepping with less expensive things for him – canned goods etc. (He thinks we are crazy, and we will do our best to keep him alive anyway. 🙂
Well, if there was a SHTF/grid down situation, I think a lot of type 2 diabetes might just solve itself if everyone has to walk or bike everywhere they need. And the additional manual power chores, eating non-ultra-processed food stuff.
Low sodium for a cardiac patient.
I have to eat a low salt diet. I am especially looking for recipes I can put up with a water bath canner or pressure canner that don’t require so much salt. Also, my father has type 1 diabetes, so lower carb for him, even though the rest of us still eat carbs.
Our biggest dietary concern is my wife’s allergy to garlic. So we have to watch the ingredients list very closely. If garlic is listed in the first 5 or 6 ingredients, we can’t get that food. She’s also allergic to certain shell fish.
Other than that, no real issues.
Ovo-lacto vegetarian for 46 years – no meat, fowl or fish nor their by-products.
Heart healthy Mediterranean Diet
Prepping for an infant under 3. Special Almond milk with formula and eats misc foods for most part.
Before he passed my husband was on a special diet because he was on dialysis. Now I am on a whole food, plant based diet. (a subset of vegan)
Very tough: I don’t eat meat or eggs but also not supposed to have grains, legumes, nightshades, dairy, anything processed, sugar, mushrooms or wheat. I can eat fish but I have to stay away from the bigger species because of the mercury. The only canned product I buy is organic coconut milk. I’m supposed to be on a FODMAPs diet pretty much permanently but after six months, it is simply impossible so I’m still including many of those things above anyway. When the shtf, I’ll probably be reduced to living off rice and supplements 🙁 thanks for running such a great site.
Low(er) FODMAP diet
Hello Daisy and fellow readers. I had renal-cell cancer and had my left kidney, adrenal, and several lymph nodes removed. As a result, I have been diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease in my remaining kidney. I am required to radically change my diet to preserve my kidney and prolong it’s usable time. I have a fairly complex diet requirement as the removal of an adrenal gland has left me with weak adrenal, and removal of the lymph nodes have left me with adrenal lymphedemia (swelling of my left leg). While most of the above diets are awesome, I must be careful not to get too much of the wrong stuff. For example: I am not supposed to eat too much animal protein, but halibut, tuna, and some salmon is OK along with a limited amount of lean meat, which is to say cow is out but elk or deer is acceptable, while moose and bear are not. I can substitute all my cow for a limited amount of American Bison until I am able to get deer or elk. Avocado is great but beans and rice are better because they are not as oily. I crave lime but the acid is detrimental to the kidney so I have to limit the amount I consume. I love bananas but too much potassium causes phosphorus overload because the kidney is limited on how much it can filter and I could end up with phosphorus poisoning. Salt is my killer. Basically, my diet is an exercise in chemistry of food.
It would be interesting to see a prepper’s pantry based on my diet requirements. I would be willing to research this at length and provide you with a first draft article or information/resources to write the article yourself.
Sincere.y
Janette from Oregon
I’m hypoglycemic and have insanely high blood pressure, and require a lot of additional protein and green veggies.
Allergic to yeast, cheese, mushrooms, grapefruit (which I hate, anyway) and anything fermented (including beer, wine and alcoholic drinks). Never mind prepping–it’s hard to order in a restaurant, even!
Younger Kiddo is allergic to gluten, so we try to feed him lots of proteins, and fresh fruit and vegetables. Low cereals and gluten just on weekends, a pizza, or a lasagna. Pasta in school days just once a week. Good thing is, tapioca is cheap and he likes it so it’s a good substitute.
My older daughter is allergic to eggs,dairy,wheat,sugar, beans, and multiple other things. She gets a rash and her tonsils swell until they touch.We do the best we can, but we really can’t buy prepared food. Prepping is vital because some of the things she eats are not always easy to get. (Every time we run out of rice flour, the store is out too…) I’d like to hear what other people with food allergies do to prep, because it can be tough.
The previous comments, in addition to your original list of special diets covers most of my concerns. Not all, however. Here are some possibilities that I would like to see addressed in the upcoming series, or in another article or series of articles.
1) A ‘normal’ balanced diet using LTS single ingredient foods. (as opposed to the LTS meals that are available). Not only recipes for using the LTS foods, but what other shelf stable foods are required (or would greatly enhance) to get the best results from using the LTS ingredients.
2) A practical post major-event recovery diet that takes into account the probable much higher physical activity levels that many will be required to achieve on a regular, perhaps daily basis. Again using single ingredient LTS foods and the common LTS shelf stable packaged and canned foods. This would be a diet of at least 3,000 calories with 3,500 to 6,000 calories required quite often. It would be heavy on high quality protein (ie: red meat, eggs, etc.) on the order of 100g per day in a 3,000 calorie diet day (13% of the calories), with 50% of the calories from healthy fats (coconut oil, avocado, certain animal fats, plus a few others), and 37% of the calories from various carbohydrates, including a certain amount of sugars in comfort food type desserts.
3) A post event diet that is highly dependent on foraged foods, including animal protein from mammals, fowl, and fish; in addition to the vegetation that can be foraged. The vegetation would need to be high in high protein foods, high fat foods (difficult), and high sugar foods. Fruits, nuts, berries, tubers, etc. I think a significant supply of LTS seasonings, herbs, spices, flavorings, and adjuncts would be required, with recommendations for which ones and suggested quantities for a variety of timeframes from six months to several years. Foraged substitutes for common imported only foods, such as coffee, tea, chocolate, and some of the flavorings and such would be a good addition.
4) Home grown and/or foraged food diets that help reduce the symptoms of most of the ailments and diseases listed for the other diets. To include various herbs, and specific foods for specific applications.
5) A health maintenance diet using LTS, foraged, and home grown items, such as rose hips for vitamin C, and foods or supplemental herbs and foods to provide many of the other micro-nutrients that are difficult to get from LTS and process foods. Magnesium, potassium, selenium, iron, and many others that people often get now through vitamins and supplements.
6) An easy to grow garden diet that provides the majority of the basic nutrition elements that require the fewest difficult to grow or otherwise obtain or store items to round out the diet.
7) A general diet that works well with intermittent fasting for both health reasons and food conservation reasons.
8) An ‘iron rations’ diet that utilizes LTS ‘survival’ and ‘trekking’ foods such as jerky, pemmican, parched corn, pinole, Alpine Erbswurst, instant potatoes/oats/grits, and similar foods for times when other foods must be conserved for use by those that need them the most, or for those that must be out, away from resupply for sometimes extended periods, and must maintain a low profile to avoid detection.
9) A group of medical diets to prevent and/or treat various likely illnesses that could occur, as the actual disaster, or in conjunction with a disaster. Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-diarrhea, anti-constipation, anti-vomiting, sleep-inducing, fever reducing, etc. foods and combinations.
10) Pregnancy, post-pregnancy, new-born, infant, and toddler diets using LTS foods, specialty LTS foods, specialty shelf-stable grocery foods, and home grown foods.
11) Diets for those that are weak due to deprivation, the result of injuries, and for those that are recovering from difficult situations.
Hopefully some of these can be covered at some point.
Thank you for the project.
Just my opinion.
Actually, I need lobster with a LOT of butter.
And lemon! LOL!
I’m on Dr McDougal starch solution whole plant food starch is m main foods
LPR or GERD would be good to cover (I’ve had LPR), which are the result of acid reflux. I had no idea how many people had this problem until I got it! It’s basically low fat, low acid (including citrus, citric acid). Low or no spicy, fried and fatty foods; citrus fruits; tomatoes; chocolate; peppermint; cheese; and garlic, as well as caffeine, carbonated beverages and alcohol.
Prepping for my senior mother who is a diabetic (no insulin, thank God) and who is a fussy eater. Have been trying out different foods now to see what she’ll eat and how it effects her blood sugar levels. She HATES beans, BTW, a prepping standard and a good source of protein and fiber….sigh!
My husband is on a low salt diet and also has high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It would be even more important in a long shtf time since he would run out of meds. We watch that on things we buy to store.
Monica
Would need low/lower sodium.
Food allergies to peanuts and tree nuts
I follow a gluten free, dairy-free, Nightshade free diet due to autoimmune disease. None of the survival food companies have any prepared meals I can eat. So I buy individual freeze dried foods, and dehydrate as I have time and inspiration. I’m also learning to can prepared meals that I can eat. Figuring out which of my recipes are suitable for canning is a slow process and I’m learning as I go.
As close to pesticide free and non GMO.
Oh my yes! We are prepping for my husband’s Type 2 Diabetes. As he will tell anyone his diabetes is controlled by “diet, exercise, and a B*tchy wife”. He is right! He is on no medications whatsoever for the diabetes. He has gone from weighing 368 lbs. down to 177.2 lbs. At 77 years old, and after years of eating whatever pleased him this weight loss is a small miracle.
Portion control, watching carbs, sugars, calories, it all adds up, but I have to try to keep giving him “different” things to eat each day. He can get in a rut very easily and will then turn his nose up at things.
Soy free as well as artificial flavors and colors.
I prep for myself with Fibro. No night shades, potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, egg plant, non gmo bread or gluten free. NO MSG. processed sugars.