From One Day to a Year: How Much Food Do YOU Need to Survive a Disaster?

beans, nuts, canned goods and other survival foods in a cardboard box

The last thing you need during a disaster is a food shortage. You know you should have a good supply of survival food on hand, but do you know how much of that food to store? Read on to learn what you should consider when building your supply and how much you need to survive anywhere from a few days to a year.

What to Consider When Building an Emergency Food Supply

You never know when disaster will strike. One of the first things you should think about is how long your emergency food will last in storage. You don’t want a supply you will have to throw out every few years. Emergency food with a long shelf life will help you be prepared tomorrow or 25 years from now. 

How much food does someone need to survive? It comes down to calories and nutrients. The average adult will need around 2,000 calories a day. You want to get as close to this number as possible with meals, snacks, and drinks. Focus on foods that will keep you sharp in an emergency, like beans and nuts. Avoid sugary and salty foods that might make you feel weak and tired. 

Finally, you need to consider how many people you are prepping for. Make sure you have enough food for everyone. Keep in mind that time-based kits are made for one person. You would need five 3-Month Survival Food Kits to support yourself, a spouse, and three children for that amount of time.

How Much Food Do You Need to Survive a Day?

You probably won’t run into an emergency where you only need a day’s worth of food. Knowing how much food is needed to survive a day can help you prep for short-term emergencies, though. It’s usually recommended you have at least three day’s worth of food stocked up. Again, you will want to shoot for around 2,000 calories to get you through the day. However, you could get by with around 1,200–1,500 calories for basic survival. 

Plan out what combination of breakfast, lunch, and dinner foods will help you reach that number. This will get you through one day, and you can stock up on three of each meal to help you survive three days. Or, you can purchase a 72-Hour Survival Food Kit that has everything you need. 

How Much Food Do You Need to Survive a Week?

A week can still be considered short-term, and you can likely get away with a basic survival calorie count. But you might want to add more variety than a 72-hour emergency supply can offer. Mix up your meals and add other options like energy drinks. The 4Patriots 1-Week Survival Food Kit is a great example.

How Much Food to Survive a Month?

When prepping for a month or longer, you really want to aim for 2,000 calories a day. You might be fine going under this amount for a few days or a week, but emergencies can be taxing on your body.  You need more calories the longer you are stressed. A 1-Month Survival Food Kit can help you cover your bases with meals, sides, and drinks. Variety is big here. You don’t want to eat the same three meals for a month. You should also stock up on other items like emergency food bars to help you hit your daily calories. 

How Much Food to Survive One Year?

A year is a long time to survive. You want to have the right amount of food with the right nutrients and plenty of variety. Make sure you stock up on enough breakfast foods, entrees, sides, desserts, and drinks to last you 365 days. A kit like the 4Patriots 1-Year Survival Food Kit can take the stress out of planning. These kits are designed to give you around 1,500 calories a day. Add other foods like meat snacks and freeze-dried fruit to your supply to supplement your daily calorie intake and make sure you’re well-nourished.* 

Stock Up on Survival Food with 4Patriots

Don’t be caught unprepared when a crisis happens. Plan ahead and start building your emergency food supply now. Thankfully, 4Patriots makes it easy with survival food that can support you and your family. Jam-packed with nutrition, flavor, and variety, these kits will have you ready for whatever the world brings. Order Long-Term Survival Food Kits online today, and be sure to grab one for everyone who depends on you.