How much should I plan to eat each day?

I found great nutritional information on some official government or government-sponsored websites.

The first one determines how many calories a person should consume daily based on activity level. Again, I think if I am in the middle of some kind of emergency, my body just might need more than the usual calories I regularly consume. Not sure I have ever seen a sedentary child, but I suppose an ill or injured child might need less caloric intake temporarily. I think I would probably seek advice from a pediatrician on this topic.

Calorie Range - this is based on activity level:


2–3 years of age: 1,000 calories (sedentary) 1,400 calories (active)
Females
4–8 years years of age: 1,200 calories (sedentary) 1,800 calories (active)
9–13 years of age: 1,600 calories (sedentary) 2,200 calories (active)
14–18 years of age: 1,800 calories (sedentary) 2,400 calories (active)
19–30 years of age: 2,000 calories (sedentary) 2,400 calories (active)
31–50 years of age: 1,800 calories (sedentary) 2,200 calories (active)
51+ years of age: 1,600 calories (sedentary) 2,200 calories (active)

Males
4–8 years of age: 1,400 calories (sedentary) 2,000 calories (active)
9–13 years of age: 1,800 calories (sedentary) 2,600 calories (active)
14–18 years of age: 2,200 calories (sedentary) 3,200 calories (active)
19–30 years of age: 2,400 calories (sedentary) 3,000 calories (active)
31–50 years of age: 2,200 calories (sedentary) 3,000 calories (active)
51+ years of age: 2,000 calories (sedentary) 2,800 calories (active)


After determining one’s caloric level, the following provides the amount of each food type needed.
If your body requires 1000 calories a day, you will need to eat 1 cup fruit, 1 cup vegetables, 3 oz. grains, 2 oz meat and beans, 2 cups milk, and 3 teaspoons oil

If your body requires 1200 calories a day, you will need to eat 1 cup fruit, 1.5 cups vegetables, 4 oz. grains, 3 oz. meat and beans, 2 cups milk, and 4 teaspoons oil

If your body requires 1400 calories a day, you will need to eat 1.5 cups fruit, 1.5 cups vegetables, 5 oz. grains, 4 oz. meat and beans, 2 cups of milk, and 4 teaspoons oil.

If your body requires 1600 calories a day, you will need to eat 1.5 cups fruit, 2 cups vegetables, 5 oz. grains, 5 oz. meat and beans, 3 cups milk, 5 teaspoons oil.

If your body requires 1800 calories a day, you will need to eat 1.5 cups fruit, 2.5 cups vegetables, 6 oz. grains, 5 oz. meat and beans, 3 cups milk, 5 teaspoons oil.

If your body requires 2000 calories a day, you will need to eat 2 cups fruit, 3 cups vegetables, 7 oz. grains, 6 oz. meat andbeans, 3 cups milk, and 6 teaspoons oils.

If your body requires 2200 calories a day, you will need to eat 2 cups fruit, 3 cups vegetables, 6 oz. meat and beans, 3 cups milk, and 6 teaspoons oil.

If your body requires 2400 calories a day, you will need to eat 2 cups fruit, 3 cups vegetables, 8 oz. grains, 6.5 oz. meat and beans, 3 cups milk and 7 teaspoons oil.

If your body requires 2600 calories a day, you will need to eat 2 cups fruit, 3.5 cups vegetables, 9 oz. grains, 6.5 oz. meat and beans, 3 cups milk, and 8 teaspoons oil.

If your body requires 2800 calories a day, you will need to eat 2.5 cups fruit, 3.5 cups vegetables, 10 oz. grains, 7 oz. meat and beans, 3 cups milk, and 8 teaspoons oil.

If your body requires 3000 calories a day, you will need 2.5 cups fruit, 4 cups vegetables, 10 oz. grains, 7 oz. meat and beans, 3 cups milk, and 10 teaspoons of oil.If your body requires 3200 calories a day, you will need 2.5 cups fruit, 4 cups vegetables, 10 oz. grains, 7 oz. meat and beans, 3 cups milk and 11 teaspoons oil.

Sorry about the long winded text above but I stupidly thought I could cut and paste a cool looking chart but ended up hand jamming every single word. I thought nutritional information was important enough to be included. I learned quite a bit about the nutritional aspect of planning for food storage. I now have to bump up my planning for fruits and vegetables....who knew that I was so nutritionally deprived. I have also learned that I am probably eating way more protein than my body needs. Sorry, I am not going so far as to weigh my meat intake tho. LOL.

I am sure there are those folks who question the requirement for oils. Oil are essential to our bodies in several ways. We need oils for our skin, hair and nails. In other words, the cooking oils, butter, salad dressings, etc., all contribute to keep us lubricated internally and externally. Believe it also contributes to supporting our tendons and ligaments too.

Again, I am not sure which site (s) I grabbed this information from, and I am certainly not claiming this information as my own. Just trying to get a handle on what I need for my preparedness planning.

Yep, it is scenario time. I love dreaming up these dangerous situations that might require me to break into my storage supply.


Scenario Three

It is 2:30 in the afternoon and you are sitting at your desk reading your e-mail. Suddenly, the fire alarms start sounding, and the fire team leaders start an immediate evacuation plan. As your fellow workers rush to their designated safety zones, everyone notices thick black smoke billowing out of cafeteria windows. Flames are leaping ten to twenty feet above the roof line. As the alarms continue, fire truck and rescue vehicles pour into the company parking lot. You overhear one of the fire battalion commanders mention that it is a grease fire, and it is like it might to spread to other areas. High pressure water is being flooded over the rest of the building in an effort to contain the fire and keep it from spreading. Employees are told to go home and await further instructions. Later in the evening, the local news features your building’s fire and it likes look like you won’t be going to work in the morning. Hmm, when will you be returning to work? Your supervisor calls with the great news that only the cafeteria was destroyed. Big deal, the food wasn’t that great anyway. But she goes on to say the entire building has suffered considerable smoke and water damage. Several million of dollars, in fact. The work estimate to restore the building is going to take at least several months. Because the damage is extensive, no one can work in it. Some of the workers will be moving to an alternate site to resume their normal duties. Your position, however, is not moving to that site, and, as a matter of fact, you are to be furloughed until the renovation is completed.

A situation similar to this actually happened to my office – a very small office. The county was rooting around where it wasn’t supposed to be, and caused the sewer system to back up into our office. The damage was so bad the health department and EPA became involved. Thanks to some smart thinking on the boss’ part we remained operational. We did, however, have to lay off personal because over 50% of our building was damaged and therefore so was our business. Those people who were let go never returned to work at our business. The point of this is, ya just never know what is going to happen at your place of employment.

This brings up another point. Some businesses are so small that if the key employee, the boss, dies, is unable to work, or just closes down the operation, all employees will be unemployed. That too nearly happened to our office. Made me stop and think where would I be if something happens to my boss.

I have found a really great female (shock) prepper!!! She is so full of common sense, love her style of writing, and the topics about which she writes all seem to be relevent to me. Just love her blog entitled "She survives." You can find her at http://shesurvives.blogspot.com/

Goals for the week. 1. Work on ways to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet. 2. Look for some oxygen absorbers for my long term storage of wheat, rice and flour - gets buggy if not properly sealed. 3. Continue to research my preparation needs. 4. Re-look my meal plan idea and start extending it to 30 days