One of our team members grew up in rural New Jersey and had snow gear, flairs and emergency supplies in her car to prepare for wiping out on icy roads. She also had a kit ready for hurricane season with water, emergency food, a battery-powered radio and more. Here in San Diego, we don’t worry about snow or hurricanes. But, we still know we should have emergency kits because we have earthquakes.
If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that disasters that keep you inside and away from fresh supplies aren’t always weather- or natural disaster-related. It’s so important to be prepared to hunker down and wait out the storm — be it figurative or literal.
For any kit, some rules are universal, like making sure you have enough water to last if you can’t get to a tap. The general guideline is three liters per person. But, if you have blood sugar concerns, your needs may be different. For instance, you should have some of your testing supplies with your emergency kit. And, you should think about the foods you add more carefully.
For anyone, it’s essential to make sure the foods you include are more than just empty calories. It’s better to have foods that are higher in protein and healthy fats and lower in simple carbs. That will help you stay full longer. For people with blood sugar concerns, it will also help their blood sugar stay stable. It should be, if possible, food that’s premade or almost totally ready to eat — cooking may be impossible. And remember, just because it’s an emergency kit doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy the food. You might be tempted to buy something because it has a long shelf life. But, if you don’t like it, you might not eat it when the time comes to crack open your supplies. Then you’ve wasted money and space.
It’s important to regularly check that your supplies are within the use-by date. You can rotate the food, batteries and testing supplies to ensure that everything is fresh and that you use things before they go bad. Good food options are canned fish, canned fruit in light syrup, protein bars that are low in carbs and sugar, trail mix or nuts and high-fiber, whole-grain crackers.
Having an extra copy of any medical information you might need, a list of your prescriptions and your insurance card is also essential. You may need to go to a new pharmacy or see a doctor you don’t know in the case of a significant emergency.
One thing you don’t need is a fancy food storage system. You can buy them from websites that swear they are essential. But, your emergency kit just needs to be stored in something sturdy. Something like a Rubbermaid storage bin is great, and they cost about 10 dollars!
With this information, you can make an emergency kit that can help you get through any situation without upsetting your blood sugar. You’ll save yourself money and worry if you prepare now.
