While I’ve been able to find some decent canned seafood in grocery stores, canned meat has been a different story, even when it comes to that store people jokingly call “Whole Paycheck”. Sorry if you’re in a country that doesn’t get that reference. Canned meat is typically not good though, at least in my experience. Finding something I felt comfortable stocking up on took some time.
Finding something I considered palatable and something I would want to actually stock up on took a little trial and error. While it is true that survival food isn’t supposed to be something a foodie would rave about, I don’t want to have to struggle to eat it at the same time. Considering that I will be getting an abundance of nutrients and sustainable energy from canned meat, I want to be able to somewhat enjoy eating it.
After lots of trial and error, we feel comfortable recommending this brand:
What Options Do You Have With Canned Meats?
If you got into canning and decided to can your own meat, the sky is the limit. You could also season your canned meats and maybe have some taco meat you can crack open and maybe even figure a way to get some corn chips or tortillas to enjoy it with.
Canned Beef — Ground beef and a pulled style chuck roast are the most common options you’ll find. Of all canned meats, canned beef should have the most nutrient content by a small margin.
Canned Chicken — The favorite here would have to be lean chicken breast, and it’s also the most common type of canned chicken. It’s lean and it packs a protein punch.
Canned Turkey — Canned turkey is high in protein, and it also aids with sleep from the tryptophan if you are suffering from insomnia, which will effect numerous people when adrenaline and cortisol are so high.
Canned Pork — Pulled pork is a canned option, and it can be pretty good too. Especially if you’ve figured out a way to have some barbecue sauce to enjoy it with.
Sauces like barbecue sauce and mustard can be helpful when eating canned meat products. I predict in times of survival your body will almost mute your taste buds so you can effectively ingest calories to fuel your body. That being said, canned meat isn’t unpalatable and it doesn’t taste terrible, but dipping sauces might be helpful.
When it comes to canned meats, you should always keep the sodium levels in mind. Some are very high in sodium and could dehydrate you and make your need for hydration greater than it otherwise would be, if water preps are limited. It’s also a good idea to opt for more lean choices. I see nothing wrong with fatty meat, but when it comes to canned options, the high fat ones are typically heavily processed foods like Vienna sausages, or even worse, spam.
Why Canned Meat Is A Must For The Prepper Pantry
Having food that is nutrient dense and calorie dense is what you should be aiming for. You will be needing physical energy and mental capacity to sustain yourself during such chaos. Without nutrient dense foods like canned meat and canned seafood, your ability to think clearly will also be diminished.
There are 15 nutrients found in meat that you won’t find in plant based foods. Some of these nutrients will be essential in times of survival too. You get a wide host of the B vitamins, including the very important B12, which is key considering that some of the symptoms of a B12 deficiency are weakness, fatigue and impaired brain function. B vitamins are the star in meat, but you get every other vitamin as well, with the exception of Vitamin C. Meat contains a host of essential minerals like zinc, selenium, iron and phosphorous. Nutrient contents vary between beef, chicken, turkey and pork, but they are all abundant in critical vitamins and minerals. They all give you a generous amount of protein as well.
