Preparing For Food Shortages
How to stay healthy and manage with fewer ingredients and products
As most of us are aware, fertillizer is in short supply, food processing plants have been going up in smoke, transport systems are blocking up, and we are being warned about forthcoming food shortages. But please don't believe the exaggerated claims of "famine" - at least not in the west (I'm not so sure about Africa). In the west the shortages will mean discomfort and inconvenience rather than hunger. This article is about what you can do to stay healthy, and gives ideas for managing with fewer ingredients and products.
As you know, I'm a naturopathic nutritionist, or perhaps I would describe myself as a modern naturopath. A science-aware advocate of what the early naturopaths taught and used to combat disease. That includes infectious diseases such as smallpox and diphtheria, which they treated much more safely and successfully than their vaccine-oriented counterparts. Don’t believe me? You can find these facts in an excellent medical history book by Suzanne Humphries MD and Roman Bystrianyk, https://dissolvingillusions.com.
In my view, modern scientific nutrition has done us no favours by describing our food as "protein, fat and carbohydrate" (PFC) instead of focusing on natural food groups (NFG): animal products, grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts, legumes.
The PFC concept has conditioned us into thinking of food as essentially meat or fish, butter or oil, and starch or sugar. With a few vegetables thrown in as "garnish", and perhaps some fruit if you happen to like it. It does not put a helpful picture in our head of what our bodies really need.
On the other hand the NFG concept gives us a clear picture of food in its natural state. And therefore (based on common sense) what God designed us to eat and intends us to consume. Using this concept, sugar becomes a mere flavouring like salt and spices, and is no longer an item to include in food pyramids as a source of "energy". ALL food provides energy, which is simply another word for calories.
Leaving those ideas aside for a moment, let's focus on the natural food groups as a guide to getting us through possible forthcoming food shortages.
Animal products
These spoil quickly unless frozen or preserved. If they become hard to obtain, don't worry, they really are not essential foods. Not even dairy products. Whole plant foods like broccoli and kale are an excellent source of calcium. Much of the world's population does not consume any dairy items after early childhood, because they cannot digest them. So don't worry. If you have been reliant on animal products, it would be quite beneficial to have a rest from them. Meat and fish are hard on the kidneys. Those of us aged over 50 are quite likely to have lower kidney function, and I found that avoiding animal products completely, was the only way to improve my ailing kidney function when a surprise test result showed up mild kidney disease. (Mild kidney disease has no symptoms.)
Most people are completely unaware that the biggest cause of cardiovascular disease is poorly functioning kidneys. Doctors do know this, but their "protocols" do not include testing your kidneys if they find something wrong with your heart or arteries. I would advise demanding a kidney function test in this case. Pay for it yourself if necessary. There's no medical treatment for poor kidney function, but a properly-informed registered dietician will be able to confirm that a low-protein diet is the best way to help your kidneys.
Since meat and fish products are acted upon by bacteria in your intestines to create some powerful toxins (eg. indoxyl sulphate) that only well-functioning kidneys can properly eliminate, I would advise learning to explore and enjoy more plant-based meals.
Grains
What will you do if bread disappears from your local stores? It's quite possible. Even if there is enough bread, people are afraid of shortages, so they buy more than they need, thus creating a shortage that would not have otherwise existed. Remember the 2020 toilet paper crisis? For the same reason in 2020 it was also hard to buy flour and yeast. Because flour doesn't spoil quickly like bread does, people were buying it in quantities to make their own bread.
A good alternative to wheat flour is