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You Only Need These 8 Canned Foods to Get Through Any Hard Winter — Transcript

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0:00If a winter storm shut your town down
0:02for two weeks, would the cans in your
0:04pantry actually keep your family healthy
0:06or would they just keep everyone full
0:08while they slowly ran down? In more than
0:1020 years of military service, I ate more
0:13meals out of cans and pouches than I can
0:15count and I watched what happened to
0:17people living on the wrong ones for too
0:18long. The lesson was always the same and
0:21it is the one thing civilian preppers
0:23keep getting wrong. It is not how many
0:25cans you have, it is which cans. A
0:28pantry full of chili, ravioli and soup
0:31keeps your stomach quiet for a few days.
0:33After a week or two, people get tired,
0:35irritable, constipated and run down and
0:38they cannot figure out why because they
0:40are eating plenty. They are eating
0:42plenty of the wrong things. So, here is
0:44the idea behind today's video. You do
0:47not need 40 different kinds of canned
0:48food. You need a small, smart lineup
0:51that covers protein, fat, calcium and
0:54the vitamins your body burns through
0:56faster in the cold and dark of winter.
0:59I'm going to give you eight cans. Buy
1:01those in the right amounts and your
1:03family can eat well through any hard
1:05winter emergency. And number one is the
1:08can that covers the vitamin most
1:09Americans already run short on every
1:11single winter before any storm ever
1:14hits. Almost nobody has it in their
1:16pantry. We have all seen how fast the
1:18shelves go. In January 2016, before a
1:21blizzard dumped two to three feet of
1:23snow from Washington to New York,
1:25grocery stores up and down the East
1:27Coast were stripped of bread, milk, eggs
1:29and canned goods in a day or two. In
1:32March 2020, the canned food aisle was
1:34empty across the country for weeks. The
1:36families who already had a pantry never
1:38had to join those crowds. Before we go
1:40any further, one hard warning.
1:42Everything in this video is based on
1:44published guidelines from the USDA, the
1:46National Institutes of Health and the
1:48American Red Cross. It is not a
1:50substitute for professional medical,
1:52electrical or structural advice. If you
1:55are dealing with a medical emergency,
1:57call 911. If you are wiring a generator
2:00into your home, hire a licensed
2:01electrician. The goal here is to give
2:03you the knowledge to make good decisions
2:05when professional help is not
2:07immediately available. Use your
2:09judgment. A quick word on canned food
2:10safety before we start because it
2:12applies to every can on this list.
2:15According to the USDA, low-acid canned
2:17foods like meat, fish, and most
2:19vegetables keep their best quality for 2
2:22to 5 years in a cool, dry place.
2:24High-acid foods like tomatoes and fruit
2:27keep their best quality for 12 to 18
2:29months. Those dates are about quality.
2:32But any can that is bulging, leaking,
2:34spurting liquid when you open it, or
2:36badly dented along the seam or rim go
2:39straight in the trash, unopened if
2:41possible, because those can be signs of
2:43botulism, a rare but deadly food
2:45poisoning. Never taste food from a
2:47suspicious can to check it. When in
2:49doubt, throw it out. Here is how I think
2:51about building a winter pantry, and it
2:53is the same way the military thinks
2:55about field rations. A ration is not
2:58just calories. It is designed so that a
3:00soldier living on it for weeks still
3:02gets enough protein to keep muscle,
3:05enough fat to stay warm, and enough
3:07vitamins and minerals to stay sharp. The
3:09US Army designs its field rations around
3:12roughly 2,400 calories a day for a
3:14soldier working under stress. Your
3:16family sitting in a cold house is not
3:18marching 20 miles, but their bodies are
3:20working harder than usual just to stay
3:22warm. So, every can on this list earns
3:24its spot by covering a gap. Protein and
3:27fat for warmth, calcium for bones,
3:30vitamins A, C, D, and K, iron, fiber.
3:34When you put all eight together, the
3:36gaps close. Let us count them down
3:38starting with number eight. Number
3:40eight, canned spinach. Popeye was onto
3:43something. Canned spinach is one of the
3:45most nutrient-dense vegetables you can
3:47put in a pantry. Cooking and canning
3:49shrinks spinach down, so a single can
3:52packs in a lot of leaves, and with them
3:54a lot of vitamin A, vitamin K, folate,
3:57and some iron. In a winter emergency,
4:00when fresh greens are gone from your
4:01diet for weeks, those vitamins matter
4:04for your eyes, your blood, and your
4:06immune system. A can of Great Value or
4:08Popeye brand spinach runs around a
4:10dollar at Walmart in the canned
4:12vegetable aisle. Here is my first
4:15confession. For years, my pantry was
4:17nearly all protein. Canned meat, canned
4:20chili, canned beans. I figured protein
4:23and calories were what counted.
4:26The first long outage I lived on that
4:28pantry. By the end of the first week,
4:30everyone in the house felt sluggish and
4:32nobody's digestion was working right. We
4:34had no greens and almost no fiber. Now,
4:37for every two cans of meat, there is at
4:39least one can of vegetables, and spinach
4:42is the first one I grab. Stir it into
4:44rice, beans, soup, or scrambled powdered
4:47eggs. It disappears into the dish and
4:49does its job. When you shop, look for
4:51the no salt added cans if your store
4:53carries them, because most of the sodium
4:55in a canned vegetable diet comes from
4:57the canning liquid, and you will be
4:59getting plenty of salt from the meats
5:00and the seasonings. And if someone in
5:02your family says they hate spinach, do
5:04not argue. Cook it into a pot of rice
5:07with a can of tomatoes and a little
5:08garlic powder, and see if they notice.
5:10Most of the time, they do not. That
5:13covers the greens. Number seven is the
5:15most versatile can in the kitchen. Stop
5:17scrolling for a second, because
5:19everything we just covered is only a
5:20fraction of what you actually need to
5:22survive. That's why I put together
5:24everything into one place, The Prepper's
5:27Bible, 2026 edition. It's a tight 129
5:31pages packed with 101 field-tested
5:34prepping tricks that actually work when
5:35the power's out and the shelves are
5:37empty. You don't need luck, you need a
5:39plan, and most people wait until it's
5:41too late to build one. Link in the
5:43description, QR code on screen. Your
5:45family's safety starts with one decision
5:47today. Number seven, canned diced
5:50tomatoes. A can of Hunt's or store brand
5:53diced tomatoes runs around a dollar to a
5:55dollar and a half. Tomatoes give you
5:57vitamin C, which you will not get much
5:59of from the rest of a winter pantry, and
6:01they turn plain staples into real meals.
6:04Rice, beans, and a can of tomatoes
6:07become Spanish rice. Pasta and a can of
6:09tomatoes becomes spaghetti. Add tomatoes
6:12to canned meat and you have a stew. When
6:14a family is eating from storage for
6:16weeks, flavor is what keeps people
6:18eating and tomatoes carry a lot of
6:20flavor. But here is my second
6:22confession. I used to treat tomatoes
6:24like every other can and forget about
6:26them for years. Then I opened a
6:284-year-old can and found the inside of
6:30the can had started to corrode. Tomatoes
6:33are acidic and over time that acid works
6:35on the can. That is why the USDA gives
6:37high acid foods like tomatoes a shorter
6:39shelf life, about 12 to 18 months for
6:42best quality. So you buy tomatoes, you
6:45use them in your regular cooking, and
6:47you replace them. Rotate every year.
6:49Here is one meal to remember. One can of
6:52diced tomatoes, one can of chickpeas,
6:54one can of spinach, a spoonful of garlic
6:57powder, a pinch of cumin, and a little
7:00salt simmered together for 10 minutes on
7:02a camp stove outside.
7:04Pour it over rice. That is a hot,
7:06filling, balanced dinner for a family of
7:08four made from three cans and a bag of
7:10rice, and it costs about $4. That adds
7:13flavor and vitamin C. Number six is the
7:16sweetest vitamin you can buy. Number
7:18six, canned sweet potatoes. You will
7:21find them near the canned vegetables or
7:22the canned fruit, often labeled yams
7:25like Bruce's yams, and a large 29-oz can
7:28usually runs around two to three
7:29dollars. Sweet potatoes are loaded with
7:32beta carotene, which your body turns
7:34into vitamin A, plus fiber, potassium,
7:37and slow-burning carbohydrates that keep
7:39you full. A single serving of canned
7:42sweet potatoes covers a big share of the
7:44vitamin A an adult needs for a day. They
7:46are already cooked and soft, so they
7:48work for everyone from toddlers to
7:50grandparents with dental problems, cold
7:52or warm. Mash them with a little
7:54evaporated milk and cinnamon and you
7:56have a side dish that tastes like
7:57Thanksgiving in the middle of a
7:58blackout. And here is why I chose sweet
8:01potatoes over regular canned white
8:03potatoes. White potatoes give you starch
8:05and not much else. Sweet potatoes give
8:07you the starch plus the vitamin A, which
8:10helps your eyes adjust in dim light and
8:12supports your immune system. Two things
8:14that matter in a dark winter house.
8:16If your family will only eat one kind,
8:19go with the sweet ones. That brings
8:21vitamin A and comfort. Number five is
8:23the protein that is not meat. Number
8:25five, canned chickpeas, also called
8:28garbanzo beans. A can of Goya or
8:30store-brand chickpeas runs around a
8:32dollar to a dollar fifty. Chickpeas
8:35bring protein, fiber, iron, and folate,
8:38and they hold their shape better than
8:39most canned beans. So, they work in
8:41salads, soups, stews, and curries. Or
8:44roasted on a skillet over a camp stove
8:46with a little oil and salt as a crunchy
8:48snack.
8:49Here is a tip most people do not know.
8:52The liquid in a can of chickpeas has a
8:53name, aquafaba, and it can stand in for
8:57egg whites in baking. In a pantry with
8:59no fresh eggs, that matters. And here is
9:02my third confession. For years, I poured
9:05the liquid out of every can of beans and
9:07vegetables down the drain without a
9:09thought. In a normal kitchen, that is
9:11fine. In an emergency, that liquid is
9:13water with some of the vitamins and
9:15minerals from the food dissolved in it.
9:17When water is limited, use it. Pour
9:20vegetable liquid into soups, cook rice
9:22in it, or use chickpea liquid in baking.
9:25Every can on this list contains a little
9:27bit of water you already paid for.
9:29And one more no-power trick with
9:31chickpeas. Drain a can, save the liquid,
9:34and mash the chickpeas in a bowl with a
9:36fork, a spoonful of oil, a pinch of
9:38garlic powder, salt, and a squeeze of
9:41lemon juice from a shelf-stable bottle.
9:43You just made a rough hummus with no
9:45electricity and no stove, and it goes on
9:47crackers for lunch.
9:49That is protein without meat. Number
9:51four replaces the milk jug when the
9:53refrigerator dies. Number four,
9:55evaporated milk. A 12-oz can of
9:58Carnation or store-brand evaporated milk
10:00runs around $1.50 to $2. This is milk
10:04with about 60% of the water cooked off,
10:06sealed in a can, and it keeps for a long
10:09time on the shelf. When the power goes
10:11out and fresh milk spoils in a day,
10:13evaporated milk is how you keep calcium,
10:16protein, and vitamin D in your family's
10:18diet. Mix one can with an equal amount
10:20of safe water, and you have about three
10:22cups of milk, roughly the same as a
10:24quart carton, for cereal, coffee,
10:27cooking, or drinking. It makes creamy
10:29soups, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, and hot
10:32cocoa taste like normal food. One
10:35important note, evaporated milk is not
10:37the same as sweetened condensed milk,
10:39which is loaded with sugar, and neither
10:41one is a substitute for infant formula.
10:43Never feed evaporated milk to a baby as
10:46formula. One more thing, evaporated milk
10:48does not keep quite as long as canned
10:50meat or beans. It's quality starts to
10:52fade after about a year, and it can
10:54thicken or darken as it ages. So, check
10:57the date on the can, use it in your
10:58regular cooking, and replace it as you
11:00go. If you want milk that keeps even
11:02longer, add a box of nonfat dry milk to
11:05your pantry as well. That keeps milk in
11:07the house. Number three is the can
11:09everybody jokes about. Here's something
11:11most people won't admit until disaster
11:13hits. Preparation beats panic every
11:16single time. Everything in this video
11:18came straight from the Prepper's Bible,
11:202026 edition, a no-fluff 129-page guide
11:24packed with 101 field-tested prepping
11:27tricks real preppers use to survive
11:29blackouts, storms, and worse. This isn't
11:32about fear. It's about being the one
11:34person who's ready when everyone else
11:36isn't. Grab your copy now before you're
11:38caught scrambling in the dark. Link in
11:40the description. QR code on screen.
11:43Preparedness isn't paranoia, it's power.
11:46Number three, Spam. People laugh about
11:49Spam until the lights have been out for
11:50a week. Spam fed soldiers in World War
11:53II, and there is a reason it has been in
11:55pantries for almost 90 years. A 12-oz
11:58can runs around $4 to $5 at Walmart. It
12:01is fully cooked, it keeps for years, and
12:03a single can holds roughly 1,000
12:05calories, about half of what an adult
12:08needs in a day, mostly from protein and
12:10fat. In a cold house, fat is fuel. Your
12:13body burns extra calories just trying to
12:16stay warm, and fat is the densest source
12:18of calories there is. Spam is not health
12:21food. It is high in salt and saturated
12:23fat, so it belongs in your winter pantry
12:26as a calorie and protein anchor, not as
12:28something you eat three times a day.
12:30Slice it thin, fry it in a skillet on
12:32the camp stove outside, and serve it
12:34with rice and a can of spinach, and you
12:36have a full hot plate. Put it in a
12:38sandwich with crackers. Dice it into a
12:41pot of beans. One can feeds a family of
12:43four as part of a meal, and keep an eye
12:46on the lid. Many Spam cans still use a
12:48pull tab or a key, which means you can
12:51open them without a can opener, but
12:53check each can when you buy it, and
12:55never count on it. That is dense winter
12:57calories. Number two is the smallest can
13:00on this list, and one of the most
13:02powerful.
13:03Number two, sardines. A tin of sardines
13:06runs around two to three dollars,
13:08depending on the brand.
13:10King Oscar and Season are two brands you
13:12will see often. Here is why sardines are
13:15on this list. They are small fish canned
13:17with their soft bones, and those bones
13:19are edible and full of calcium. They are
13:22packed with protein, vitamin B12, and
13:24omega-3 fats, the kind your heart and
13:27brain need. And because sardines are
13:29small fish low on the food chain, they
13:31tend to be low in mercury compared with
13:33larger fish. Sardines are also cheap,
13:35small, and easy to store. A dozen tins
13:38take up less space than a shoe box. Eat
13:40them on crackers, mash them with a
13:42little mustard, or stir them into pasta
13:44with a can of tomatoes. If you have
13:46never liked sardines, try the ones
13:48packed in olive oil or tomato sauce
13:50before you write them off. They are
13:52milder than you think. That covers
13:54calcium and omega-3s. And now, number
13:56one. Before I give it to you, let me be
13:59straight about where this list has
14:00limits.
14:01If anyone in your home has high blood
14:03pressure, heart disease, or kidney
14:05problems, pay close attention to sodium.
14:08Spam, sardines, and many canned
14:10vegetables are salty. Look for low
14:12sodium versions. Rinse your canned beans
14:15and vegetables when you can spare the
14:16water, and ask your doctor what makes
14:18sense for you. If anyone has a fish
14:21allergy, skip the sardines and salmon
14:23and lean harder on chickpeas, evaporated
14:25milk, and canned chicken or turkey for
14:27protein. If anyone has gout, ask your
14:30doctor about sardines, since small oily
14:32fish are high in purines. If you live in
14:35a small apartment, eight kinds of cans
14:37fit easily on one closet shelf or in two
14:39plastic bins under a bed. Keep them out
14:42of hot garages and car trunks because
14:44heat shortens the shelf life of every
14:46can. And if money is tight, remember
14:49that most of these cost a dollar or two.
14:51Pick up two or three cans every time you
14:52shop, and in a month or two, you have a
14:54real winter pantry. Number one, canned
14:57salmon. A 14.75 oz can of pink salmon
15:01from brands like Chicken of the Sea or
15:02Bumble Bee or a store brand runs around
15:05$5 to $6 in the canned fish aisle. Here
15:08is why it is number one. Canned salmon
15:11is a complete protein with healthy
15:12omega-3 fats. And when you buy the
15:15traditional kind with the skin and soft
15:17bones still in, those bones mash right
15:19in and give you a big dose of calcium.
15:22But the real reason is vitamin D.
15:24According to the National Institutes of
15:26Health, very few foods naturally contain
15:28much vitamin D, and fatty fish like
15:31salmon are among the best sources there
15:33are. Your body makes most of its vitamin
15:35D from sunlight on your skin.
15:37In winter, across most of the northern
15:39United States, the sun sits too low in
15:42the sky for your skin to make much
15:44vitamin D at all, and people spend their
15:46days indoors under heavy clothes. That
15:48is why so many Americans run low on
15:50vitamin D every winter, even in a normal
15:53year with the power on. Now picture a
15:55long winter blackout with everybody
15:57bundled up inside a dark house for days
15:59or weeks. Vitamin D plays a big role in
16:02your bones, your muscles, and your
16:04immune system at exactly the time of
16:06year when colds and flu are going
16:08around. A can of salmon is one of the
16:10few things in any pantry that fights
16:12back. Mix it with crackers and a little
16:15mustard for salmon patties fried outside
16:17on the camp stove. stir it into pasta or
16:19rice, or eat it straight from the can.
16:22Two cans a week for the household and
16:24you are doing better than most families
16:25in a normal winter. And if you have ever
16:27been turned off by the bones in canned
16:29salmon, give them one honest try.
16:32They are soft enough to crush between
16:34your fingers, and once they are mashed
16:36into a salmon patty, nobody can tell
16:38they are there. Skinless and boneless
16:40salmon is available, too, but you give
16:42up most of that extra calcium. Now,
16:44three rules for eating out of cans
16:46during a blackout, because this is where
16:48people get sick. Rule one,
16:50open only what you will eat at that
16:52meal. Once you open a can, the food
16:54inside is perishable, just like fresh
16:56food. The USDA says perishable food
16:59should not sit above 40° for more than 2
17:01hours. If your house is cold, you may
17:04have a little more time, but do not
17:06count on leftovers from an open can
17:08sitting on the counter until tomorrow.
17:10Cook for the meal in front of you and
17:12use smaller cans when you can. Rule two,
17:15never heat a sealed can. People see this
17:17in movies. A can of beans set right in
17:19the campfire. A sealed can heats up, the
17:22pressure builds, and it can burst and
17:24spray boiling food on you. Always open
17:26the can first. Better yet, pour it into
17:29a pot or a skillet and heat it on a camp
17:31stove or grill outside, never indoors.
17:33And remember, every can on this list is
17:36already cooked. You can eat all of them
17:38cold if you have to. Rule three, drink
17:40more water than you think you need.
17:42Canned food is salty, and a pantry diet
17:44is often lower in fiber and water than a
17:46normal diet. The American Red Cross
17:49recommends storing at least 1 gallon of
17:50water per person per day. On a canned
17:53food diet, use it. Staying hydrated
17:55keeps your digestion moving and your
17:57head clear. So, here is the whole lineup
17:59and how much to buy. For a family of
18:01four to get through 2 weeks eating
18:03mostly from the pantry, a simple target
18:05looks like this. Eight cans of salmon,
18:08one or two a week per person, 12 tins of
18:11sardines, six cans of Spam, 12 cans of
18:14evaporated milk, 12 cans of chickpeas,
18:1712 cans of sweet potatoes, 12 cans of
18:19diced tomatoes, and 12 cans of spinach.
18:22Add your rice, pasta, oats, and a can
18:25opener that does not need electricity,
18:27and your family is not just full. They
18:29are covered on protein, fat, calcium,
18:31vitamins A, C, D, and K, iron, and
18:34fiber. That is the difference between
18:36surviving on cans and staying healthy on
18:38them. Before you go, the same hard
18:40warning I gave at the start.
18:42Everything in this video is based on
18:44published guidelines from the USDA, the
18:46National Institutes of Health, and the
18:48American Red Cross. It is not a
18:50substitute for professional, medical,
18:52electrical, or structural advice. If you
18:55are dealing with a medical emergency,
18:57call 911. If you are wiring a generator
19:00into your home, hire a licensed
19:02electrician. The goal here is to give
19:04you the knowledge to make good decisions
19:06when professional help is not
19:07immediately available. Use your
19:09judgment. When the lights go out and
19:11your street goes dark, you want to be
19:13the house that already has water, heat,
19:15and a plan. Not the house knocking on
19:18doors at midnight asking for candles.
19:20Start

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