When it comes to canned food, you either love or hate it, but what happens to your body if you eat only Costco cans for 30 Days?
In these desperate financial times, people are resorting to drastic measures. Food is expensive, and buying enough to create a well-rounded, balanced meal is getting more challenging. What if it is not an option at all? Then what happens?
We are lucky to live in a time when cheap, quick options are available, and canned goods tend to be the cream of this crop. However, eating nothing but canned foods may have consequences.
Here is what you need to consider before you choose to eat only Costco cans for 30 days.
Can You Live Off Costco Cans?
Everyone is struggling. I don’t care if you are an average Joe or CEO – inflation is affecting us all.
Although everyone is feeling the pressure, for some, the rising cost of food is taking its toll, and drastic measures may be the only way to get by and survive.
Related: Food-Stretching Tips From The Great Depression
When cutting costs, people tend to look to canned goods for savings. Canned food is cheaper than fresh or frozen food and more readily available.
For instance, when you visit the local food bank, you are often given non-perishable foods like canned goods.
What if these canned foods were the only thing you had access to when preparing meals? Curious, I set out to see if it is possible to live off only Costco cans for 30 days, and the results were surprising.
This little experiment can teach you a great deal. It shows you how your thoughts control your cravings, how a lack of nutrients can affect your body and mind, and how much power there is in creative thinking.
Assessing Selection
Anyone who has been grocery shopping knows that Costco is the holy grail of grocery stores. The massive selection of equally massive-sized products motivates many filled carts and stomachs.
Related: The 10 Best Prepper Foods You Can Find At Costco
Costco’s choices make it an ideal place for shopping. Not only is the selection fantastic, the size of the products you can get at Costco easily outweighs any competitor.
Despite the ample options available at Costco, a few things are lacking if you try to live off only canned goods for a month.
First, fresh carbs, such as bread and rolls, are off the table. If you are lucky, you may find canned bread at Costco. However, there is no comparison to the real thing, and it often requires additions that may not be on hand.
Second, while the selection at Costco is impressive, it quickly becomes apparent that meals will be bland, mundane, and repetitive.
You can purchase a wide array of canned meats at Costco, but finding suitable, nutritious foods is still challenging.
Over the next 30 days, breakfast, lunch, and dinner will consist of many cans of soup, canned meats, canned seafood, and a mix of canned fruits, veggies, and desserts.
The First Big Fat Hurdle
Speaking of fat, you will quickly hit your first significant barrier early on in this challenge. Should you find yourself in a position where you are scouring the canned goods at Costco for meal ideas, the first thing you will notice is that most canned foods lack the calories you need to survive and thrive day to day.
Related: The 10 Best Prepper Foods You Can Find At Costco
You will want to choose foods high in nutrients, fiber, and fat if you hope to live on Costco cans long-term.
Canned beans are great, as they are nutritious and packed with nutrients your body needs. At Costco, you can buy cans of various beans or seek out full-canned meals that are bean-rich.
There are multiple options for canned chili or soups with beans, which can be a great option to get the calories you need and fill your hunger.
What is worse than sugar is that canned goods are rich in salt, which can quickly wreak havoc on your system. Consuming excess amounts of salt can cause water retention, increased blood pressure, excessive thirst, increased risk of heart disease.
Canned foods with good calorie intake will be filled with salt, creating long-term health problems if you rely solely on them for nutrition.
The Low Grumble Of Truth
Aside from the lack of healthy meals you can make using Costco cans, you will immediately notice that you are hungry. While canned foods fill your belly, this satisfaction will not last long.
Typically, the sides and carbs we consume with our meals keep our bellies full and us happy.
Canned foods often lack these carbs, and even when they are present (such as in canned steak and potato soup, for example), they are highly processed for preservation and full of chemicals.
The processing of canned goods means that while you will get full from canned foods, you will not stay full as long as you would if you were eating a proper, healthy, well-balanced meal.
Creativity Counts, A Lot
The biggest thing I realized while preparing for and undertaking this challenge was how much creativity would play a role in my success.
You need to be inventive when your meal options are limited to nothing but canned foods you can purchase at Costco.
Luckily, the ample selection helps, but it is still quite challenging.
If you manage to find canned rice and potatoes, it is much easier, but even these get old fast.
Your meals quickly become a means to an end rather than a pleasure.
I must warn you that after 30 days, you will never want to see a can of soup or canned vegetables again. Even desserts are lackluster without creativity, and much trial and error is involved.
You will go to bed hungry more than a few times if you ever attempt to live solely off Costco cans. I would advise you to have many options and plan your meals.
The Best Choices For Success
If you find yourself in a position where you must resort to living off Costco cans for a time, some options will be better than others.
You will want foods that are high in calories and nutrients. You will also want to ensure you have a variety of foods to choose from, as even after just 30 days, meals become boring fast.
I will suggest a few options to help you through this period, especially when things get tiresome.
For Protein And Calories:
Sausages: Canned sausages are an excellent option to fill your belly and get some calories.
While they are not often the most delightful to consume, they can be fried in spices to create a semi-edible meal in a pinch.
Related: How to Make And Can Vienna Sausages (2 Years Shelf Life)
Tuna, sardines, and other canned fish: While fish is lean, it provides energy and fills your belly. A can of tuna can go a long way toward curbing hunger in an emergency and is something I always keep on hand.
Canned ham, beef, and turkey: Like fish, these meats tend to be leaner when canned. However, they are excellent for creating quick, filling meals that provide much-needed calories.
Beans: If there is one canned good you should always have in your pantry, it is beans. These tiny morsels can sustain you for a lot longer than you think. Not only are beans an excellent source of protein and fiber, but they are also super filling.
Chickpeas: Not the most popular food on the market, chickpeas are a great option to get nutrients and fill your hunger fast. Personally, I find chickpeas to be bland. However, they can be mixed with many other foods to boost protein, fiber, and other nutrients.
For Canned Vegetables:
Mushrooms: Canned mushrooms can perk up a simple meal and provide valuable nutrients. They are also filled with protein and phosphors, which promote health, especially in the blood and bones, and work as a meal replacement.
Corn, peas, green beans, and carrots: Although canned vegetables may not have the same nutrients as fresh or frozen, they still provide much-needed sustenance.
Nutrients are sometimes added during production, making them an excellent choice to have on hand.
Potatoes: Canned potatoes are your best friend when trying to live off Costco cans for 30 days. Canned potatoes are nutrient-rich and will fill your belly. They can also provide the energy you need to survive a crisis. I suggest keeping a few cans on hand.
Canned Fruit Options:
Peaches: Much like the fresh variety, canned peaches provide great nutrients. Not only are they delicious, but canned peaches are also an excellent source of carbs, giving you the energy you need to get through the day.
Pineapple: Despite being high in sugar, canned pineapple provides nutrition and helps to fill you up. Pineapple is also a source of fiber, aids digestion, promotes weight loss, and encourages healing. Having a can of pineapple on hand is a beneficial choice.
Pears: Eating canned pears provides Vitamin B, which lowers blood pressure. They also contain glycosides and tannic acid, which can relieve coughing. Canned pears have a great deal of sugar but are also full of vitamins, are easily absorbed by the body, and promote liver health.
Cherries: Fresh cherries are rich in nutrients, aid inflammation, improve sleep, and promote joint health. While the canned variety may not be as beneficial as fresh cherries and are full of sugar, they can be used as a sweet treat and provide extra calories.
Tomatoes: Yes, they are considered a fruit.
Canned tomatoes are commonly found in the pantry, and for a good reason.
Canned tomatoes can be used to enhance almost any meal and will provide some fantastic health benefits.
Related: How to Can Simple Tomato Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes and Peppers
Besides the canned vegetables and fruits discussed above, there are many other options to consider if you need to live off Costco cans for 30 days.
Meals in a can, such as soup or chili, fill a hungry belly. However, these foods are high in salt. Thus, long-term, excessive consumption can harm your health. Still, they are a requirement you will want to have on hand. I made sure to stock up on soup, chili, pasta and rice.
There are a few other things that you will want to have in your pantry for this experiment. These are a few items that I would make sure you have available, as they can help you create better meals using only canned goods: condensed milk, sauces, spreads, gravy, pudding.
What To Expect And What To Eat
Living off Costco cans is not a lifestyle I would willingly choose. Still, this experiment shows that it can be done. Canned foods have come a long way, and Costco has a great selection available.
Related: 7 Mistakes You Are Making When Buying Canned Foods
Sure, meals will get boring and repetitive if you are not creative and don’t plan. However, you can produce some reasonably satisfying options with a little effort.
Below is an example of meal planning for this experiment. Obviously, choices will vary depending on your location and available options, but with dedication and creativity, you can create great meals from nothing but Costco cans.
Breakfast
Breakfast is one of the most challenging meals to plan, as you cannot purchase canned cereal. My family is not big breakfast eaters and often skips this meal. I know that is not a good habit to have, but it is the truth.
Thus, in my case, I could easily get by with minimal effort. Still, a good breakfast is essential. So here are some options: baked beans and sausages, fruit salad, or fried beans.
Lunch
Lunch can also be a bit of a challenge and will get repetitive pretty quickly. The options are limited without bread to create a sandwich or fresh veggies for a salad.
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Still, you can eat some satisfying lunches if you think creatively. Here are a few examples: steak and potato soup, tuna salad with a fruit salad dessert, canned ravioli with a pudding dessert.
Dinner
While dinner can be complicated even under the best circumstances, using only canned foods makes it even more of a challenge. While I would not say my ideas are the healthiest options, they are filling and do their job. If you want to eat only Costco cans, you’ve got to be creative.
Chili, followed by a fruit dessert: Canned chili is a go-to meal when you eat only Costco cans. Luckily, most Costco locations have a wide variety of chili options, and you’ll likely try each brand two or three times during the 30 days.
Chicken, rice, and vegetable stir fry: I use the term stir fry lightly here. This meal consists of a can of chicken, a can of dainty rice, and a can of mixed vegetables.
Although the meal lacks flavor, it works to fill the belly and is not too bad. I would suggest you stock up on various spices if you want to create more meaningful meals.
Beef, potatoes, and vegetables in gravy: This meal can be interesting. However, it will be pretty mushy and lack the traditional density that accompanies potatoes.
Related: Canning Mormon Beans For Long Term Preservation
Once you get past the baby food texture, this meal is filling and nutritious, which is all that matters. You can also enjoy a sweet treat if you are lucky enough to find canned pudding or canned mousse at Costco.
You will notice that there is a lack of texture in canned meals. Everything is soft and mushy, and the flavor also lacks in many cases. However, you can find some flavorful soups that help make things easier on the palate.
Final Thoughts
If like me, you have wondered what happens when you eat only Costco cans for 30 days, you now have the answer.
Your salt and sugar intake will skyrocket, your meals will be dull and repetitious, you will forget what flavor is very quickly.
Still, with some determination and creativity, it can be done. That does not mean it should be done if you can avoid it. But at least you know that the option is there should you find yourself in such a situation.
What would you create if you had only canned food? I would love to hear your ideas.
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Neat article
The most horrible and scary thing is, every brand name that COSTCO carry’s HAS BIOENGINEERED INGREDIENTS, or GMO’s proven to be hazardous to our Health! I will be cancelling my COSTCO and SAMS CLUB memberships. I do not agree with their foodstuff, nor their politics.
I am finding more and more ORGANIC options at COSTCO at a fantastic price.
Since I am not “brand loyal”, i am happy with the organic choices, be they Kirkland or any other brand.
I occasionally buy organic Butter Beans, imported from Italy, and even though the can states BPA free I always rinse the beans carefully since there is no guarantee that the BPB, BPS, BPN, or whatever other coatings they replaced it with, are safe. They focused people attention on the BPA then conveniently avoided the replacements. Clever marketing.
If I only had canned foods: Well, I’m sure you’d also have flour, salt & pepper, and milk (real or powdered) – so I would make Creamed Tuna & Peas (on toast if possible). Make a white sauce, add tuna (broken up), and a can of peas (double the tuna & peas if need be), heat until warm enough to satisfy. DELISH!!
Canned breakfast wrap?
What about the plasticizers in canned foods/can lininigs? I thought they caused all kinds of health problems! Don’t get me wrong, though, we do eat some canned foods! I am a huge fan of canned apricots in natural juice from Wegman’s.
you’re only 20 years out of date >>>>
20 years late but, your canned food is still a viable option
Generally good advice. Remember! Eat the contents. Not the cans!
I can open the top and bottom out of the can, flatten it with my hand and put it between 2 short pieces of 2 x 6 in a big vise in my kitchen. It flattens down thin. I was going to take them to the scrapyard but now am using them for shielding in my basement fall out shelter.
For those too young to have eaten C-Rations, you can live a long time on canned food. It may taste and, sometimes, smell like dog food but it fills the belly and gets you through another day.
C-Rats were at a minimum less nasty when heated than when cold.
Better check you’re can goods, because there are some that will not last, the test of time.
Can fruit last for a while but will start to get a very Metallic taste to it, so much that you cannot consume it. Maybe 1 yr. then I would not push it much longer, but better to use it before that time.
Can Tomatoes last about a yr. and then they too will start to get that same metallic taste to them as well. That also goes for Spaghetti sauces also.
You can, put that into jars and use that product and it will last for about 3 yrs. Maybe longer, but I use mine within 2 yrs.
You will need to heat that product to a boiling point and your jars should be 250 to 300 degrees. 1/8 teaspoon of salt and pour it into the Hot jars, “Be careful ” pour a little in at a time the jars can BUST OR CRACK because of the high temperature. Then turn them upside down on a thick towel and cover till cool then store and use before the date is up that you put on them. I saw an old Italian woman do it this way and it works well.
I have found that Beans, Chili, and Stews and Tamales and cream products last the longest.
Then, there are can meats, now they will last a very long time.
Key Stone Meat is one of the best on the market to prep, and still cheapest I can find. It has two ingredients meat and sea salt, that’s all and the taste of the beef is outstanding.
Can ham is also a good one to prep it has a lot of preservatives and will last a lifetime, I have some that are 5 or 6 yrs. past date and still very good.
Veggies in a can, some cans last and most that I have tested cannot last but about 2 yrs. Then the product starts to break down and get mushy. There is one thing about can veggies, when you open them, Do Not throw the liquid away, the juice or water that is in the can product. Drink it or cook with it and them drink it after you have cooked with it. It will only last a day or so before it goes bad.
Can Sauerkraut go’s bad fast because of the acid in the tin can. Buy jars if you store for longer term.
If you do not do test on these can products then when the time comes that you have to go out and scavenge for food and then you find some can food, you will defiantly need to know if it is, somewhat safe to eat.
I try and buy in jars if I can.
stay sharp
It must be iterated that the amino acid content of beans are like the spokes in a wheel, some very low and others higher. In order to obtain the highest levels (we deplete from organs before muscles), you must merge beans with another protein source like grains (rice, corn, quinoa, etc.), a dairy or meat. Then just a little raises all aminos to their highest levels instead of all being lowered to the least spoke.
Excellent observation Mamma Doc.
Rice and Beans, corn and bean (corn best after niximalzation with lime or lye for more nutrition) have been the prime foods for many in Mexico-South America for centuries. Mexican food is noted for adding nightshades like potatoes, tomatoes and cheeses-sour creams to their food for flavor and more complete nutrition.
A small portion of meat (a processed squirrel would do) added to beans and rice add flavor as well as ammino acids. Meat as a bulk item of your protein will be a rich man’s habit as it was for centuries before Kroger’s.
While this is an article about canned foods dry milks with a dab of vinegar can be used to make cottage cheese or sour cream. A garden takes time but is worthwhile. If not planted in tidy rows all of the same most folks will never know it’s a garden until the tomatoes turn red or corn is near harvest. My volunteers in my compost pile are untidy but productive.
Dry goods PLUS Canned, Plus a little air rifle hunting and a garden (nothing like hunting over bait) is a pretty nice thing to have when thing get stupid.
Canned foods might not only get boring, but the mushy cooked texture will also lose its appeal quickly–leaving a craving for fresh and crunchy! And the relatively low fiber may cause its own digestive issues.
why not incorporate pasta and rice into the meals? you obviously will have to have a source of water or you wont live the 30 days in the first place. Chick peas mashed down with some olive oil and spice creates hummus which is nutrient dense protein packed and delicious you are better off eating that than canned ham .im guessing the person who wrote this is over 50 and is a meat and potatoes person .in a survival situation beans are your friend dessert? really dessert thats your worry in a survival situation? my guess is you wont last long if creature comforts like desert are a priority .natural peanut but buter is a life saver and i lived off of it and ramen in college .while costco sells bulk cheap their selections stink the average supermarket has a much wider variety of canned foods .just my thoughts .
Red ant, your response is well thought out and is based on your testing and experience. I personally have canned goods in the four to five year range and am not afraid of them. When the topic of shelf life of canned goods come up I always feel compelled to point out our own gov action. In 1969 (Viet nam) the army was feeding me C-rations dated 1953. For lunch when we were on the move I usually opted for turkey loaf and any of the cans of fruit. I just couldn’t handle beef stew or the greasy pork at room temp in the heat of the day while pushing hard.
I have reread red ants comments and will rate them as good advice and goals for readers, I am just noting that any of us may reach the point where the date on a can is not the biggest issue of the day.
Got a question for everyone, where can you get jars of tomato sauce? I have spaghetti sauce in jars but my other tomato products are canned (other than some tomatoes that I freeze dried myself).
Very good point about the rations. From my own personal experience rummaging through canned food that is years out of date i can add a couple points that can quickly help people sort through canned goods that may be inedible. Any can that’s bulged on one or both ends. Chuck it, don’t open it. Any can that has rust that also appears wet or damp in the rust areas. And any can that passes the previous tests, and after you open it has a black discoloration starting at the seam of the can on the inside and is working it’s way down. This is oxidation and while it’s not a sure indicator of danger, it’s still probably best to chuck it. And obviously, smell it. If it smells terrible and not like what it’s contents normally smell like, chuck it. Have sorted through and eaten many, many cans of food this way without sickness. Minor note, if, for whatever reason, a canned good ends up in garbage that gets burnt, be advised that those cans explode violently w/o any warning, are as loud and similar to a shotgun blast and can spray anyone nearby and up to 10 feet from the fire. Very likely burning them with extremely hot contents. You can test one in a hot fire in a covered burn barrel to see what i’m talking about. Obviously, only when you are in an area that won’t bring police or unduly alarm neighbors AND an area that you can keep, or there are not, people and pets in the immediate area of the burn barrel. Sometimes bulk canned goods will occasionally lose a label on some cans. Following the above guidelines is a must and it’s canned roulette from there! Lol
Domeliving
You have to re can the can tomatoes into Ball canning jars.
Have not found tomatoe sauce in jars, only cans. So I re can them.
C-rations were good, I thought…
Don’t mind MRE’s either.
I to have can goods that are 7, 8 and 9 yrs, past date. Still good for me…
Stay sharp
Thank you…
red ant, thanks for your reply about getting tomatoes into glass. I will probably do some that way but I will continue to freeze dry some too. I lean toward freeze dried and put away in mason jars for my long term stuff. That way there’s no concern about mice, bugs, or a wet basement.
Domeliving
I to have freeze dried food but do not freeze dry my own. I put dehydrate food that I do into Ball jars. I like Ball canning jars better.
You should have a variety of all kinds of food put up. Try eating beans for a yr. Lol…
I transfered most all my food to mylar bags, yes made in U,SA and increased the oxygen asobers from 300 to 500. They vacuum down very nice and no air left. Good and tight bag.
But I have a mess a canning jars.
Lots and some are very very old.
I even have a Ball Whiskey decanter.
Stay sharp
and Thank you…
Jarred spaghetti sauce perhaps? I find plenty of jarred and reasonable priced in WM.
Mostly good information, but Costco does NOT have “massive” selection. They have a big store, and large quantities, but actually have a smaller variety of most items.
Look at the cereal aisle in a regular grocery story and compare it to Costco’s cereals. There will be at least five times as many choices at the regular store.
Canned goods and most other grocery items are similar.
Costco offers bulk, not variety.
Though I no longer have a Costco card, my brother does and I often go with him to pick up certain things that Costco has that other stores do not, or have better prices.
I believe I could have a much more varied diet than suggested in the article. There are many more options in cans at Costco than were listed. Including some breakfast items such as sausage gravy, roast beef and corned beef hashes for example.
The meats listed left out a few, such as the canned ham already mentioned. There are also many other fruits that are canned that can add variety.
Using one of the canned meats plus canned vegetables can create a variety of soups quickly and easily. Especially if you have power and can use a crock pot of some type to heat up the mixture and keep it warm.
If you add other shelf-stable foods to the canned goods you can have a very good pantry from Costco.
Just my opinion.
I’m not the world’s greatest cook, and I have a cast iron stomach, so my tastes are sometimes pretty strange. Considering we are only allowed to consider canned food, I think I would try to mash canned potatoes and make a thin potato pancake, then use Spam, ham, or corned beef to make a sandwich. Dry some spinach for “greens” for a little extra flavor, and it may not be too bad.
I have the attitude that I will try anything once.. twice if I like it. Monotony of eating the same foods seems to be the biggest downfall on the article. Eating a “normal” meal, meat/vegetables/dessert, will get old if you can’t have a variety. Since canned bread is not something that I have seen in my area, a normal sandwich is out of the question, but may be an option for others. So to break the monotony, I would experiment making casseroles using noodle soup or canned spaghetti, mixed vegetables, and some extra meat.
I won’t try the 30 day experiment on my own, and I hope it never comes down to me only having canned goods to survive on. I have herbs and spices, sugar/honey, flour, cornmeal, dry pastas, chickens, and hopefully enough foraging around me that I don’t have to worry too much about how to enhance the flavor of my canned goods.
Like you, i don’t have master chef credentials, however, i’ve lived alone, off and on, for over 10 years and don’t go to the fast food places but maybe 3-5 times a year and that’s always because of being hub-deep in some mechanical repair away from home that runs into the wee hours. Having said that though, i do eat lunch every Saturday at a normal sit-down restaurant with friends. So for the vast majority of the time i make all my meals. Eat all my mistakes too, lol. I love chili and have made many varieties of it. Eat chili every single day for lunch. Once in a great while i run out of chili and have a Slim Jim for lunch. Between batches, so to speak. I make two week batches and sometimes eat chili for dinner too. Anyway, i can easily eat for 30 days out of cans using the suggestions above and my own preferences. While, as mentioned above, all canned cuisine isn’t the best for you it can still be a pretty tasty variety with just a tad of imagination. While most of my evening meals are just one or maybe two items, i can and have eaten canned food fairly frequently. Vienna sausages, tasty but not the best for you, many varieties of chili, green beans, asparagus, corned beef hash, soups, enchiladas, etc will make plenty of variety for 30 days. In reality, if you are eating out of cans for 30 days it’s not because you want to. So forget eating balanced meals, getting just so many carbs, having dessert, etc goes right out the window. Likely you’re eating canned goods cold, in the dark or maybe with a candle and shivering to say warm under a bundle of blankets and hoping maybe the power will come back on, cell phones will work again, vehicle might start again and the people who’ve been trying your doorknob once in a while don’t figure out your hidey hole and use brute force to break in. Those are the likely window trimmings of such a forced diet.
I am a professional chief and worked at many 5 star restaurants. I have even made breakfast for a President
Why not add pasta and/or instant potatoes to the emergency rations? Just use things from your emergency stores on a routine basis, instead of having a separate storage area, and ROTATE YOUR STOCK. That way, you will not be trying to figure out what to do with a year’s worth of emergency rations 3 or 4 years from now!
There is really no need to limit diet to canned food. There are many shelf stable foods to be stored to make much healthier and appetizing meals, like rice, barley, wheat berries, pastas, freeze dried or dehydrated foods like veggies, powdered milk, cheese, and butter and all sorts of meats, etc. Most only need water to prepare. These would be much more nutritious. Buy in bulk to store.
This was my first thought when the author was mentioning that carbs and bulk were missing in the canned food diet. Spaghetti, noodles, rice can all be added to make more casserole-type dishes, dried beans can be cooked with canned meat and veggies, and maintaining a good supply of canned broths will add the liquid needed, as well as flavor. (If water is in short supply). I store all such dry goods in large glass jars, and have some that are over 5 years old that still taste great.
Low sodium vegetables and fruits canned in juice are usually priced about the same as the salt and sugar added ones, which would help avoid too much sodium and empty calories. Salt is cheap, and pepper and a handful of spices are a good investment to make simple food delicious.
If you prep at all, keep some flour, sugar, oatmeal, cornmeal, powdered milk and eggs, and baking soda. It isn’t difficult to learn to put together biscuits, griddle cakes, cornbread – all can be baked on the stove top if necessary. A fresh-baked anything will add a lot to a bland meal – and you can buy butter in cans!
Another thing to mention is that canned food will last longer if it is stored at a consistent and cool temperature. 12 cans of tuna were split between 2 storage areas at my house. After a couple of years, I went through the footlocker in the kitchen, which received daily sun exposure. ALL of the tuna cans had swelled. So I got curious and checked the other area, a shaded file cabinet in another room. All those cans were still OK.
I wish I had a nice root cellar to keep canned food in. I think it would last a super long time.
Amen to keeping canned foods cool and dry. Have a friend who likes to keep a certain amount of canned goods in his vehicle at all times. Several times he’s had puffed up cans and several leakers as well due to them being exposed to high temps in summer and i think the movement factor figures in as well, somehow. Obviously, it will make mush or soup out of most canned goods due to the movement factor.
I think you’d be much better off with freeze dried food. Properly stored, most foods are safe/stable for 20 to 30 years. When rehydrated they have approximately the same nutrition value, appearance and texture as they did when fresh. They are much lighter in weight than the canned goods, and if you’re doing your own freeze drying you can control the variety and quality. A lot of people are buying home freeze dryers. It’s a big initial investment, but it’ll pay back quickly. One man paid for his fd by selling home freeze dried Skittles at the farmers market. Check around in your community, and find out if someone has a fd that might be willing to share (or rent) a tray or two.
You are so right, right, right about dehydrated foods! Been pricing and looking at different brands and sizes of dehydrators. Some of the commercial stuff has a vacuum sealer built into the unit if i’m remembering that correctly. Pricey though. U can buy quite a variety of economical used dehydrators on ebay for not much and a vacuum sealer too. $2-300 will get ya setup with a used home quality pair and $3100 will get ya set up with a new stainless commercial pair. Lots of space in between. Keep one thing about dehydrators in mind, if you’re gonna dehydrate meat the unit you are using needs to go a little higher temp than other non-meat items need. I THINK they need to go to 165 degrees for meat. Better check me on that temp though. that’s what i member off top of my head. I’m definitely getting that setup, just trying to figure out the best balance between cheap and “get a loan”, if ya get what i mean. lol
I have never heard of Skittles being freeze-dried, but it sounds like they’d be a hit.
I seen them done. My Spanish ex wife used to make them
Wood Stock
Go to, Shelf to Table, web site, they have freeze dried Skittles and much more.
Stay sharp
Freeze Dried Mississippi Mud Pie Ice Cream Sandwich ROCKS!
I get that this was a canned food only challenge. Not sure why only canned food though. Even in a SHTF scenario where you hit up a Costco for supply, there are many other shelf stable products you omitted. Why didn’t you include jarred goods? They are at least as stable as canned food tho they weigh more if they require transport. Also the empty jar has many other survival uses. Adding something as simple as spaghetti sauce to the list adds a lot of flavour and protein if you get a variety with cheese. Also a lot of items in tetra pack boxes would also add flavour and variety. (But I admit, not pest proof) If the point of the challenge was to use shelf-stable and easy to store items, these would also make the grade. Rice, pasta and flour all take more effort to make them pest-proof and shelf-stable so I understand omitting these items. Herbs and spices in glass jars would be a welcome addition if the challenge had included them. Just transfer Costco spices from plastic bottles to clean food jars to keep pests out. I guess I don’t get why the challenge was limited to cans when it could have been a challenge to use what you’d find at Costco that’s stable, easy to store (no pails, bags or absorbers etc needed) and pest proof.
The exception would be if your home was contaminated with radiation from a Global Nuclear Exchange or a nearby nuclear plant meltdown. Then only canned goods in tin cans would be the safest food to eat.
yeh – everyone knows a box of pasta will become a radiating package of doom >>>
does anyone bother to actually learn anything outside some BS sci fi movie?
Ur right about the contamination. Never thought of that specifically until now. With that in mind i may make a change to a planned food storage area. Thank You! I say that as a 2nd Russian nuke sub slips under the waters, heading to it’s new destination. There’s a couple generations of people that are gonna wake up to, and possibly realize the massive, world -ending threat of nuclear war. Things were tense in the 60s and I was but a tiny tike then. I hope i have enuf time to finish my preps b4 things are a mess.
That was my thought. For home canning, most people use glass jars, so I would include anything from Costco in at least a glass jar, and maybe include the plastic jars as well. This would add a few extra items and include a wide range of spices that are sealed in glass. These would all qualify as “canned” even if the sealed bowls (various rice and other product bowls) and pouches (like Seeds of Change Organic Quinoa and Brown Rice) still wouldn’t be included.
Thank You, DEMOCRATS!!
And Republicans
I eat a lot of canned food but sometimes worry about it being soaked in the plastic though. I rinse the peas good but it is hard to rinse the soup. Aldi’s is a good place to go also. Stock up winter is coming and possibly WW III .
Correct me if i’m wrong, and i certainly could be, but i think the big deal about the can linings is BPA. Many canners are going away from can linings all together and back to what it was years ago. Kind of a golden hued metal treatment of some sort. Possibly chemicals from BPA could leach into the food, especially if not stored in a cool area. Doesn’t have to be refrigerated, just cool, 60’s or lower is what i’m thinking is correct. Anyone out there know of a study on can linings and the dangers from?
the can lining issue got settled over 20 years ago >>> go Karen over something else that is a rumored hazard ….
I find it funny no one mentions canned broth. It’s always been a kitchen staple for me and can turn a boring food into something delicious.
I drink it cold
My Italian mother cooked meals that would work well for this circumstance. Macaroni was the base with an addition: Beans, peas, chickpeas, chalifour or lentils made for a one pot dinner that was satisfying. Since these meals were home cooked sodium was controlled.
If you eat only Costco cans, you must be a goat!
I prefer what’s inside of the cans 🙂
I still cannot, for the life of me, figure out why preppers and conservatives, in general, are still going to Costco instead of Sam’s Club. Are the products at Costco these days produced somewhere other than China? That is the only reason I can come up with. I joined Costco way back when it was Price Club, but we found out quite a few years ago that, hidden way down deep in the Costco Membership Agreement online is a clause saying that firearms, whether carried concealed or openly, are forbidden in the facility. There was at least one case where a member was shopping, he reached up for an item and his firearm was spotted by some other member who ran up front to Customer Service, told them about it, the police were called, the store was evacuated but nobody said why and when the Concealed Carrier came out, he was told to stop and put his hands up. Since he didn’t know the LEOs were yelling at him, he did not comply immediately and they shot him. Once we found out about that rule in the Membership Agreement, we dropped our membership and switched over to Sam’s Club. And btw, since it is a “private club,” they do not need to post it as a “gun free zone” (AKA “victim-rich environment”) at the door.
As for recanning tomato sauce, be sure you sterilize the canning jars first, fill them with hot contents, then put them through a hot water bath process. Check various sources online or the Ball Blue Book canning guide for the time required based on the contents, jar size and your altitude above sea level. Do not skimp on time in the boiling water bath.
Hint – if you are concerned about the amount of salt in the canned goods, buy the Low Sodium varieties, if they are available. And for canned fruits, try to find the varieties that are packed in juice instead of syrup. Also, try to stay away from any products with High Fructose Corn Syrup.
Richard Williams – be aware that there is a huge difference between a dehydrator and a freeze drier. In price, power required, time required and length of shelf stability. Also, even if you freeze dry something, you need to vacuum seal it or seal it up with an oxygen absorber to keep it shelf stable for long term storage. I like to dehydrate tomatoes, put them in mason jars and vacuum seal them. Don’t need to worry about the acid affecting the containers that way.
If you have a vacuum sealer, there is an accessory you can get that allows you to pack dry food into a mason jar and vacuum seal it for extra long storage and it keeps the pests out and can be resealed. Last time I checked, mice, rats and even Florida Palmetto bugs couldn’t chew their way into glass jars and metal lids. Don’t know about the reusable plastic Tattler lids.
Thanks for the tip, I’ll dig deeper into that. Haven’t bought anything yet, so my options there are open.
I know there’s been some documentaries around about people eating McDonalds for a month and their health over that time.
I’m curious about what it’d be like to eat out of a preppers pantry for a month or two – effect on health.
All this soft food from cans – might affect your gum health. Vitamins – are there enough? All that salt and sugar – how’s your blood pressure?! That sort of thing.
If you eat only food from cans, you will poison yourself rather quickly with BPA can linings and GMO food substitutes. (If God didn’t make it, don’t eat it!)
The less cans of ANYTHING is a really good thing.
I could never understand why anyone would spent $3 for a can of PROCESSED beans when you can buy 4 times that amount of DRIED beans which will last years after that nasty canned shit has expired and the can has rusted through.
~/Lee
You have any idea how much garbage you people eat all day long that is good
Amen brother!! Make a lot of chili and other stuff with beans. Very carefully counted the beans in a 15.5 oz can. Black runs around 480 per can as they’re slightly smaller. Pintos run about 265 per can and Red Kidney run about 166 per can. I say about/around because I’ve counted multiple cans and as they vary significantly I’ve averaged to get a number. You are right on the money on your percentages. It’s 25% of the cost of canned. I feel better now that i know that I’m not the only one who’s counted beans, lol.
Uh,… keep your diet varied as much as possible. ? And stay away from GMO, all questionable frankenfood, not much soy (the isolates mess with you hormones), organic when possible. Eat healthy.
I started canning my own foods partly because I didn’t like the idea of eating out of store-bought cans. I also find that having bulk carb foods like flour, oatmeal, rice, sugar, and other baking ingredients would be a big help in avoiding the problems that this kind of diet would create. Just a 50 pound bag of oatmeal or rice could make these foods a lot more palatable.
Ya know, I’ve only been on this forum for a relatively short time. But I’m gonna, hopefully, clear up a couple concerns i see being wondered/asked about over and over in various posts relating to types of food. Over and over i see people mention, relative to another post, why don’t they, the poster, include, spices, flour, etc. OK Here’s why flour and many wheat-based products aren’t mentioned. Gluten. Google gluten sensitivity and read what is common medical knowledge now. To VASTLY SUMMARIZE Gluten damages parts of the intestines. Lots of preppers know this and simply don’t respond to questions about why they don’t have good ol American flour mentioned in their prep stuff. Because “good ol flour” ISN’T anymore, not since dwarf wheat was introduced in the late 50s/early 60s. There is a book called Wheat Belly that explains it in vast detail. It’s not a huge book. Can be easily read in one day or over a weekend. I reduce Gluten containing products to the bare minimum in my stores. Which is to say none. My one weakness in that area is beer. I still really like to enjoy a wonderful Imperial Stout, Doppelbock, or Imperial IPA once in a while.
Why did the author limit herself to only cans? She walked right past huge sacks of rice, beans and who knows what else. Those items can be bought cheaply and sealed up (lots of Youtube and other instructional ways to increase the life of that food). If the SHTF, Costco will run out of stock as fast as anyone else. I would rather see what kind of longevity can be found in the various canned food found at Costco. An exploration of the calories vs cost vs longevity. What are the best rational choices one can make now to stock up for that moment of crisis and need. It was a well written piece, but it seems that one thing not addressed is the heavy bisphenol load (BPA) you would get from the can lining. Most canned soups and such have that as a huge issue. Eating bulk rice and beans avoids that huge issue. (Is BPA Contaminating Your Soup?)
You can avoid some of the sodium in the vegetables by draining the liquids. Rinsing can get a little more. You do lose some of the vitamins in the brine.
You can get many of the fruits in juice or light syrup instead of heavy syrup which avoids some of the added extra sugars.
While I usually try to get tuna packed in water, you can get tuna and other fish packed in oil to get those extra fats in your diet.