Surviving the Fall: Food Prep
“The crazy right-wing conspiracy theorists are right about almost everything." -Ray Peat (2017)
This article was written by guest writer, Nate Lawrence.
The idea of a “Great Reset” or doomsday-type collapse is surely something to ponder…
After all, many of our blackpilled, tinfoil hatted, contrarian, anti-authoritarian, and doomer frens have made it seem eminent…
The crazy right-wing conspiracy theorists are right about almost everything." -Ray Peat (2017)
So far, many scenarios that once seemed unlikely have now become reality, but to what extent does preparing for collapse hurt more than it helps?
My thinking is that we make much more progress by simply letting go of conspiracies, letting go of psyops, and living every day like a great reset.
In my opinion, the possibilities of major alterations to the environment are very real, but this shouldn’t consume us.
My thinking has been oriented by the idea that energy flow is what allows us to oxidize electrons from the food that we eat and the environment that we live. This is what fuels our bodies to maintain proper function and structure. Stress impairs oxidation and causes a buildup of electrons that pushes us into a reductive state. All of the toxic parts of our environment impair this electron energy flow.
With an efficient energy flow, life is kept constantly moving at all levels. Nothing is allowed to pile up, no blockages form; the flow of energy itself is an antibiotic.
Every day we assimilate energy and expel it outwards.
The metaphorical “board” is wiped clean daily.
The Expenditure of Energy
When we’re producing abundant energy, there should be no concern of needing to hold on to anything, no worry about losing it all, and in fact, expending energy exorbitantly should be the goal. Burn hot don’t burn at all.
In the right environment and physiological state, we should absolutely feel like we’re overflowing; free to synthesize and constantly metabolizing.
Energy expended will be replenished during rest, and with an understanding of bioenergetics, we can actually keep that energy constantly increasing.
This isn’t to say it isn’t still good to hold some resources. Just like in the liver and muscles, glycogen is stored as quickly accessible energy in the case that resource requirements intensify. Glycogen acts as an energy reserve to help the body to maintain proper function.
This is why I see the storage of food products as the most important physical “reserve” to maintain.
Physical health serves as a base to burn through to weather any storm of life. This is also Brute De Force’s thinking. The idea is that a person should become adaptable to the point of being able to take losses, at any level, while still moving forward. Running through resources, utilizing supplies, and continuously metabolizing.
As long as you have the right stimulation, or right structure, I think holding onto some resources can be an absolute positive thing; rather than holding you down or holding you back, and this is what I shall discuss…
A Bioenergetic Framework
One of Dr. Ray Peat’s first focuses regarding nutrition was how to eat on a low budget. Ray found that one could survive at relatively cheap cost consuming a diet of potatoes, dairy, beef liver and some other sources. These foods are all relatively accessible and possess a high nutrient to cost ratio.
I think this focus has effectively brought a general understanding of how to determine how to provide sustenance while still avoiding harm in any circumstance.
I also think that understanding what food can keep in any climate for a long period of time without spoiling is something that can additionally allow a person to maintain energy under any sort of collapse.
With of this being said, I shall now discuss some foods and supplements that I think would be valuable for a person to stock, wherever that may be:
Foods
sugar, honey (good source of easily absorbed carbohydrates, both last indefinitely)
grass-fed gelatin (good source of anti-stress protein with glycine and proline, lasts indefinitely as long as it’s kept dry)
ghee, coconut oil, beef tallow (good sources of fat, fat soluble vitamins, high smoke point, multi-functional, can last indefinitely)
canned oysters (high vitamin and mineral content, can last up to 5 years), freeze-dried eggs and meat (can last up to 25 years)
UHT milk (can last 6-12 months), sweetened condensed milk (can last 2 to 5 years), powdered milk (can last indefinitely)
potatoes (can last several months), white rice (can last almost indefinitely), masa harina (can last 9-12 months)
applesauce, canned fruit (no additives such as citric acid, HFCS, etc. varies significantly, can last 1-5 years) marmalade, jams, jellies (no additives such as citric acid, HFCS, etc. can last up to 1 year), Mexican Coke (lasts indefinitely)
water filtration and purification (reverse osmosis, and or a high quality pour through filter, coffee can filter water1)
instant coffee (can last up to 20 years)
When storing food, it’s important to store things in a cool, dark, and dry place to maximize the shelf life. Many of these foods keep much longer than typical estimates found online, but can still expire much sooner if not kept properly.
Supplements
aspirin (anti-inflammatory, pain relief, promotes blood flow, lowers cortisol, opposes estrogen, anti-lipolytic, good to combat environmental pollutants)
thyroid hormone (supports oxidative metabolism AKA conversion of glucose into energy, holistic benefits)
niacinamide (improves the NAD/NADH ratio to produce ATP, promotes healing, anti-lipolytic, anti-serotonin)
methylene blue (anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, supports immunity, lowers nitric oxide, can accept electrons, repairs ETC to produce ATP, good to combat environmental pollutants)
vitamin E (anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-fibrotic, anti-estrogen, good for topical use and healing, good to combat environmental pollutants)
vitamin D and K (supports immunity, lowers PTH, somewhat androgenic combo, prevents calcification, vitamin K quinone AKA electron acceptor)
baking soda (multi functional; oral consumption raises CO2, cleaning, tooth wash, deodorant, etc.)
vinegar (multi-functional, cleaning, etc.)
taurine (boosts white blood cells count, promotes GABA, supports the liver and promotes bile)
magnesium (relieves pain, great topically, promotes GABA AKA calm and sleep, laxative, NMDA antagonist, calcium channel blocker, lowers PTH)
cascara sagrada (most potent natural substance that lowers cortisol, can be used as a laxative)
activated charcoal (binds to toxins in the gut, helps to detoxify from environmental stressors)
pregnenolone and progesterone (universal anti-stress substances, support nervous system, support cognition and overall vitality, anti-cortisol, anti-estrogen, anti-fibrotic, both good topically)
BPC-157 (promotes overall healing)
hydrogen peroxide (cleaning, disinfectant)
other various first aid supplies (treating injuries, etc.)
Many of these substances can last almost indefinitely, or may just lose potency, but please do your own research, and be aware of any risks of expiration.
Closing Considerations
It’s important to consider digestibility, harm avoidance, and your current context. I’ve purposely chosen many of these foods and supplements under the framework of avoiding harm while still supporting energy.
For some individuals things like starch or various types of milk can cause issues (I made a video to help troubleshoot milk here.) Others may have issues with simple sugars, as in the case of a bacterial or fungal overgrowth, some may have issues digesting fat…
The point is, when resources become scarce, it could become difficult to survive as an individual who has already been harmed by our current environment, so understanding how to be prepare could be important.
This article was inspired by Danny Roddy, from a podcast episode that he recorded with Ray Peat and Georgi Dinkov that you can find here.
If I’ve made any mistakes with my estimates, or if you have any recommendations, please DM me on Twitter or X.
I hope this framework I’ve provided can be useful…
Thank you for reading!