linnugripiblog

First off, there’s no sign at all that it’s here... yet.

And there’s a question of whether the bird flu will ever truly mutate into a virus that goes from person to person.

Still, the government says buy a whole lot of tuna and other non-perishables to hold your family for a while.

Sarah Yakubov, who has four kids, says, “The government says a lot of things. I don’t have space for all that food.”

So, maybe not all of us are gung-ho about the idea, but we still wondered, what does it mean to store at least a two week supply for a family of four?

To make sure we got the right stuff, we asked registered dietician Amy Fleishman of Mt. Sinai Medical Center to take us shopping at B.J.’s.

First into the cart: dried fruit.

“Good source of calories not really a good source of protein, but something to have on hand if you want to stockpile something for a disaster,” says Amy.

We also bought beef jerky! “This lasts a long time and it’s high in protein this would be a good thing to store,” Amy states.

Amy says given that protein and carbohydrates have the same number of calories per gram—four—the focus is more on the protein, because she points out, “The protein is important for the muscles. It can be canned tuna canned chicken canned salmon canned protein is a good source it’s compact and moderately priced.”

“These canned beans can be a good source as well. It’s fairly cheap,” she adds.

Soup was a big choice. “Maybe we’ll get some vegetables in there.”

And surprisingly, so was high grain pasta! ““If you have one serving or less you’re going to get 200 calories and ten grams of protein.”

And at 5.59 per huge container with 32 servings, “It’s a good bang for your buck.”

Add the screw top sauce and we were all set.

We also got two big cans of peanuts, two big boxes of crackers, oatmeal for breakfast, canned fruit, some apple juice and sports drinks in large plastic containers, tang powder to add to the water, so the kids get more nutrients and don’t get bored with plain old h2o.

But the most important thing of all—water-is actually the biggest problem. We only put one box on the line because of size and weight; for a family of four, you need ten!”

Overall you need a gallon of water per person per day: two quarts per person per day for foot preparation and cleanliness, another two for drinking.

Other pointers:
Don’t forget the plastic and paper utensils and plates and the can opener.
Avoid caffeinated beverages--they dehydrate.
And, avoid salty food as much as possible; it makes you thirstier.

When all was said and done, the total: $287.70. Not a lot for two weeks, but that’s two weeks of food that might never get eaten.

Zulay Urbistonvo who was shopping that day, remarked, “I feel sorry for people who don’t have the money.”