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Picking up on yesterday, let’s consider what happens if you did get a year’s worth of wholesome food put away, but the year is about up. A similar situation is if you didn’t get a year’s worth of food put away and are having to scrounge or otherwise depend on outside sources of food. In all cases, the health of you and yours depends on getting the right amount of those 72 trace elements I mentioned yesterday, as well as the 9 essential proteins your body can’t make for itself.
The answer lies in supplements, which is to say vitamins, minerals, and other products that will help you get anything you miss in food. Yes, you can find supplements that claim to provide all you need for those 9 proteins, but it’s not really a good idea to bank on that. Supplements can, however, give you all those trace elements you need for health.
Trust me when I say that there are those out there who will cheerfully recommend any number of protein powders and supplements to replace meals. Some may even work for values of work. I will guarantee you that those recommending them, as well as the people who create/sell them, can and do make a lot of money off of them. Caveat Emptor!
There are a lot of supplements sold that claim many things, but those things may or may not be verified. There is more regulation than many will admit (more on that in a bit) but there are still some who may be peddling snake oil. My favorite is still the calcium supplement sold that did indeed have several hundred times the amount of calcium of any other supplement. Only thing was that it was a form of calcium that could not be absorbed by the body…
There are all sorts of supplements sold for any ailment or problem out there. Thing is, when you boil it down, any given supplement will only work for about a third the population. I’ve had doctors who took that fact and decided that supplements wouldn’t work period. Change doctors. Seriously. For me, I have tried a number of supplements over the years, and looked for results in bloodwork. No results, no more of that supplement. Currently, I take a couple of things that I am not sure really do much. But, my bloodwork right now is some of the best in my life, so neither my doctors nor I want to rock the boat so I continue to take them. That said, any stocking I may or may not do reflects what we know works versus what we are not completely sure works.
For survival, you really need to be focused on those things that provide you trace elements and other compounds you might not get from tight rations. Things I will recommend: a good multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D.
A good multi-vitamin gives you most of those trace elements in the recommended daily amount. Go generic and you can get a multi-year supply for a reasonable amount. No, it’s not perfect but it gets you most of the way there. Yes, right now you are urinating most of it away. In a survival situation you likely won’t be. You will be glad to have it.
Why Vitamin C? Scurvy for one thing. In a true disaster, Vitamin C can end up in short supply in your food (or lack thereof), which can and will result in scurvy and other delights. Just ask the British Navy, who finally figured out that a lime a day kept the doctor away. Again, inexpensive and can prevent a number of health issues.
Why Vitamin D? You may or may not be getting much sun for a while in a nuclear war or similar disaster. Low D-levels have been found to be linked with a host of medical issues, and no one wants to see rickets and other delights return. Again, D3 is inexpensive and can prevent a number of other health issues.
What else do you need? You really need to sit down with your doctor to work that out. It’s times like these that I truly miss the sadly defunct Doctors for Disaster Preparedness. In the madness of the peaceniks towards the end of the Cold War, there were doctors who said it was immoral and just plain wrong to prepare for a nuclear war (or any other disaster). Thus was DDP born in counter, and it was a very good organization who’s members could and would help you prepare. If you trust your doctor, get with them and ask what you should look at getting and taking.
For example, I take a particular fish oil capsule because of the changes in my bloodwork once I started taking it. My cardiologist is not Miss Merry Supplement Supporter in some respects, so when she looked at the previous results, looked at the current results, and simply said “keep taking it!” I paid attention. It’s also one that I need to do a better job of stocking as it is expensive (by my standards). It is also dependent upon imports.
Which is another reason you want to stock up now. I think many Americans would be amazed at how many food items, supplements, and pharmaceuticals come in whole or in part from overseas. Particularly China, where the CCP are assholes. As I noted the other day, stock up now on items that are imported, like coffee, chocolate, and — in this case — supplements. Get them now and get several years worth of each for each person. Even if we miss having a nuclear war, there are other things afoot and you are quite likely to not just be glad to have them, you may well need them as much or more than for a nuclear war.
The other reason to stock up now is that the same people who brought you the useless and destructive lockdowns, ineffective masking, and so many other delights now want to regulate supplements. The initial goal is to expand FDA oversight (and when has that not creeped, or even galloped, into more regulation???) of supplements in order to protect consumer health and safety. That latter phrase is getting right up there with “it’s for the children” as a sign of bad legislation. What it is saying is that you are too stupid to research and choose wisely for yourself, that you need to depend on your betters to decide for you what you should take or when. There are already some in Congress who have indicated that they would like to see supplements not only more tightly regulated, but even turned into something that requires a prescription. Stock up now, and remember the first rule of Preparedness Club.
Do I wish I had more stocked up? Yep. Feel free to hit the tip jar, it would be very much appreciated. Do you need to stock up? My magic 8-ball says yes, might want to check yours.
By the way, if you aren’t comfortable talking with your doctor about supplements and preparedness, aside from considering a new doctor, look into talking with a different doctor, PA, or even a good nutritionist about what will work best for you.
Preparedness On The Fly Series
Preparedness On The Fly (Food)
Preparedness On The Fly: Water
Preparedness On The Fly: Light
Preparedness On The Fly: Cooking
Preparedness On The Fly: Protection
Preparedness On The Fly: General Thoughts
Preparedness On The Fly II: Complete Nutrition I
Of Interest
Start Of All Posts On Preparedness
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