After SHTF, it’s possible that the nearest grocery stores will be empty within hours. If you don’t want to run out of supplies during emergencies, start scouring the local stores for survival foods before it’s too late. Article by Ethan Huff, republished with permission from Naturalnews.com Prepare for an emergency situation where supply chains fail by investing in a long-term food supply for your family. Ideally, your food supply should include at least six months’ worth of emergency food with a long shelf-life. (h/t to OffgridSurvival.com) Stock up on groceries now before SHTF If you are on a budget, start building your food stockpile using items you can find at the local grocery store. (Related: Top canned foods with the longest shelf life.) Below are several lists of the best food items and emergency supplies that you can purchase from the grocery. Foods for flavor and comfort Comfort foods can help boost morale during a long-term emergency. The items below can be stored for over 10 years, and you can use them to give different dishes a flavor boost. If stored properly, they can also last indefinitely. Alcohol Even if you don’t drink alcoholic beverages such as whiskey or vodka, you can stock up on several bottles to use for trading after SHTF. Salt Salt can be used for food preservation and maintaining proper electrolyte balance in the body. It is also good for enhancing the flavor of your food. Raw honey Honey has a long shelf life and contains numerous vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Cooking staples with a long shelf life Learn how to cook from scratch using the items listed below. Doing this means you can feed your family healthy meals when disaster strikes. These food categories make up the foundation of most recipes. Beans Sealed and kept away from oxygen, beans can last for at least eight to ten years. Adzuki beans Black turtle beans Blackeye beans Garbanzo beans Kidney beans Lentils Lima beans Mung beans Pinto beans Flours, mixes and pasta Flours, mixes and pasta should last for five to eight years in your stockpile. All-purpose flour Cornmeal Pasta White flour White rice (up to 10 years) Whole wheat flour Hard grains When stored properly, hard grains have a shelf life of around ten to twelve years. Buckwheat Dry corn Durum wheat Hard red wheat Kamut Millet Soft white wheat Spelt Soft grains If sealed in airtight containers, these soft grains will last around eight years at 70 F. Barley Oat groats Quinoa Rye Cooking oils You also need cooking oils in your stockpile because fats are a concentrated source of energy and are essential for your overall health. Coconut oil Unrefined, virgin coconut oil has a long shelf life. It can last for more than two years. It also offers several health benefits, making it a great item to add to your survival food stockpile. Clarified butter (ghee) Clarified butter or ghee is butter that has been heated to remove moisture and milk solids. This process increases fat stability and extends its shelf life. You can store ghee for several months to a year if you keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Olive oil Extra virgin olive oil has a decent shelf life. You can store it for up to a year or more in a cool, dark room. Survival foods for short-term emergencies When prepping for most disasters, you should stock up on food that requires very little cooking, or things that can be eaten without any preparation. These items are best for short-term emergencies and they will stay fresh for a long time. These assorted survival foods have a shelf life of two to five years: Canned broth or stock (beef, chicken, or vegetable) Canned fish (salmon, sardines, and tuna) Canned meats (beef, chicken, pork, Spam and sausages) Canned vegetables and fruits Canned pasta sauces Canned soups Cereal Coffee Crackers or rice cakes Dried fruits (apricots, cranberries and raisins) Dried herbs and spices Granola bars or energy bars Hard candy Nuts (Almonds, peanuts, walnuts, etc.) Peanut butter Powdered milk Tea If you want to add more lab-verified products to your food supply, you can also buy products from a trusted supplier. Where to buy lab-verified products for your food stockpile The Health Ranger Store is here to help you prepare for different emergencies. That’s why we’re offering you different clean, lab-verified and healthy food options such as Mini-Bucket Organic Almonds, Freeze-Dried Organic Whole Blueberries and Pink Himalayan Salt Fine Ground. Health Ranger Select Organic Almonds are exactly how almonds should be, complete with a wholesome flavor and a variety of nutrients that make them a bona fide superfood. While most almonds you find in grocery stores are required to be pasteurized or irradiated before being sold to consumers, our premium almonds aren’t fumigated, irradiated, or treated with toxic chemicals. Health Ranger Select Organic Almonds are completely raw and unpasteurized and contain no additives, preservatives or processing aids. Health Ranger Select Organic Almonds are raw, non-China, non-GMO and certified Kosher and organic. To ensure that you get only the cleanest high-quality almonds on the market, our premium organic almonds are exhaustively lab-tested for glyphosate, heavy metals and microbiology. Packed with beneficial vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, Health Ranger Select Freeze-Dried Organic Whole Blueberries are the perfect health snack that you can enjoy all year round. The freeze-drying process preserves the taste, texture and nutrients of fresh blueberries better than other food preservation methods. Health Ranger Select Freeze-Dried Organic Whole Blueberries contain no gluten or GMOs and are certified Kosher and organic. They are also vegan, non-China and have undergone extensive lab testing for glyphosate, heavy metals and microbiology. A healthier alternative to regular salt, pink Himalayan salt can contain up to 84 different beneficial trace minerals without the harmful additives often found in regular table salt. Pink Himalayan salt is also an underrated preparedness item that you can use for long-term storage. It can be used to create an emergency rehydration fluid, a saline solution, to preserve food and more. Our Health Ranger Select Pink Himalayan Salt contains a full spectrum of electrolytes and trace minerals that are usually stripped away from regular table salt. It is mined from ancient sea salt deposits located deep inside the Himalayan Mountains using the traditional room and pillar mining method. The mined salt crystals are thoroughly inspected and sorted to ensure quality and purity. Visit Health Ranger Store and Brighteon Store to browse more food supplies for your prepping needs. You can also go to FoodSupply.news for more ideas on how to start building your food stockpile. Click on this link for a recipe for Gluten-Free Granola Bars with Nuts and Seeds. Watch the video below to learn how eating Organic Blueberries can help maintain optimal health and nutrition. This video is from the Health Ranger Store channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: The ultimate guide to long-term food storage: What you need to know. Food preservation techniques: Keep your pantry stocked for any crisis. Health Ranger Store explains freeze-dried food vs. dehydrated food. Make your harvests last longer with these timeless food preservation techniques. Sources include: OffgridSurvival.com HealthRangerStore.com 1 HealthRangerStore.com 2 HealthRangerStore.com 3 HealthRangerStore.com 4 HealthRangerStore.com 5 Brighteon.com RELATED REPORT: Top 10 Survival Hacks for Generating Electricity 3 Non-Fearmongering Reasons Survival Food Should Be Purchased Immediately Things are getting bad for millions of Americans, but there is still time to turn things around. Whether that means saving the country or just saving one's family, Americans are still able to take actions that will improve their personal situations while hoping the nation itself can be improved in the near future. "I'm generally an optimistic person so I get very annoyed by fearmongering," said Jason Nelson, co-founder of Prepper All-Naturals. "Most Americans are neither stupid nor blind. They don't need to be told that disaster may be around the corner. Either they see it or they don't." Nelson has seen truly bad situations. As a combat disabled veteran who served across the Middle East, he knows that as bad as many Americans think things are today, they can get worse. That's what drives him to not only try to make things better for his fellow Americans but also to prepare them in case everything goes south. It's easy to point at multiple threats facing Americans and declare them as "existential," but there are actually common sense reasons for Americans to be stocking up high quality survival food. In times of such turmoil, it behooves Americans who have the resources to prepare for what may be coming. Here are three reasons now is the best time to start (or continue) stocking up on survival food, including the 25-year shelf-life Ribeye, NY Strip, Tenderloin, or Sirloin sold by Prepper All-Naturals. Survival Food Is Not Getting Cheaper Freeze drying food is time-consuming and expensive. Beef, for example, must be cooked, frozen, and then freeze dried for over 24-hours in order to retain flavor and nutritional qualities. Unlike dehydrated beef or jerky, freeze dried beef does not suffer from a massive drop in quality. Across the board, food prices are rising. This is especially true in the survival food industry because the food must be taken from fresh to freeze dried BEFORE it can be packaged and sold. Prices have been skyrocketing for meat products to the point that a few survival food providers have stopped offering beef and chicken. Today, companies are doing what they can to keep their prices affordable but that may not be an option if food price hikes continue to outpace inflation... which is already bad enough. They buying power of the U.S. Dollar will almost certainly not get as much food in the future as it can today. Supplies Are Dropping Survival foods that were in stock at all times just last year are being listed as out-of-stock more and more. Even giants like Amazon and Costco are struggling to keep survival foods shipping or stocked on the shelves. "We anticipated the demand spike last year which is why we started overproducing," Nelson said. "It's easy to stay ahead of the game when you only sell one product type and it happens to have a 25-year shelf life." The biggest challenge for many survival companies is that freeze drying has a finite production scale. The process cannot be sped up and unless there are open freeze dryers, it's not effective to hire more people when demand is so high. In other words, production is forced to remain steady even when so many people are starting to buy survival food as they are today. Quality Matters There's a common theme among many new preppers. Podcaster Joe Rogan said it best when he noted a couple of years ago that he had stockpiled tons of beans and rice buckets and he'll be happy with that and nothing else if necessary. Experienced preppers, especially anyone who has lived off low-quality food for extended periods of time, know that there's a huge difference between good and bad survival food. The psychological effects of eating poor quality foods repetitively often hit much faster than people expect. Then, there's the health concerns; protein in particular needs to be the best it can be for sustained periods of "survival mode" because poor quality meats or meat alternatives can cause cascading medical issues. Click here to see all that Prepper All-Naturals has to offer. Whatever event or events prompt the need to eat survival food, chances are high that over extended periods people will simply opt to eat less of their food because they won't have the appetite to eat what's necessary to retain strength. Low quality food can be both emotionally and physically draining. Today, the "premium" survival food companies are running out of supplies faster than their budget competitors. This is natural because some foods such as the infamous "beef crumbles" offered by many survival stores become less appetizing the more they're eaten. "We had a customer tell us she had tried a few versions of 'beef crumbles' and they all tasted and felt like meat flavored porridge," Nelson said. "Now she's subscribed to receive both Ribeye and NY Strip monthly and she often uses it in her regular cooking." When survival food is good enough to eat during normal conditions, it's definitely good enough to eat if things go south. Prepper All-Naturals is maintaining a strong supply of beef by partnering with multiple Texas ranchers. Their quality is the highest in the survival industry. As for price, they're offering — for a limited time — 25% off all products with promo code "veterans25." (Note: Thank you for supporting American businesses like the one presenting a sponsored message in this article and WLTReport benefits from any purchase made through the links provided. Thank you for your support!)

Yes guitarist Steve Howe picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance

The ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan ( a Muslim, no surprise) has asked the court to approve warrants alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Israel rejected the allegations, calling them antisemitic and akin to historical blood libels. Thune vowed that if the court moves forward, […]

Rep. Thomas Massie told Fox News that by “authorizing long-range missiles to strike inside Russia, Biden is committing an unconstitutional Act of War that endangers the lives of all U.S. citizens. This is an impeachable offense, but the reality is he’s an emasculated puppet of a deep state.” Obviously, Biden, who is on vacation in […] The post Rep. Self Prepares Articles of Impeachment for Joe Biden appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Former NBA player Charles Barkley slammed the Democratic Party in a recent rant about the its losses in the 2024 elections and the subsequent blame-game that it has played in trying to explain why it came up short. The 61-year-old commentator, who is a staunch defender of transgender rights, made the remarks during a recent episode of “The Steam Room” podcast with his NBA on TNT co-host Ernie Johnson. He started his rant by congratulating President-elect Donald Trump on his election victory and wishing him success for his upcoming term in office. “I just want to say this to the Democrats, which I’m an independent who voted Democratic, do me this favor: Shut the f*** up!” he said. “When you win, you get to say what you want to,” he continued. “When you lose, you need to shut the hell up.” He chided those who were making excuses by saying things like, “Oh, President Biden, they didn’t get out of the race soon enough,” or “Kamala didn’t do this.” “We lost because we had no game plan,” he said. “We still haven’t solved the immigration problem, have no viable answers, never addressed inflation.” MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+ He also slammed the Harris campaign and the Democratic Party for focusing its efforts on “bringing all these stupid stars out to rally the vote.” “Hey, I love Beyonce. What is bringing her out? That ain’t gonna make me vote a certain way,” he said. “Cardi B. I like Cardi B, that ain’t gonna make me vote a certain type of way.” “You guys lost because y’all stupid,” he added. Barkley added that he does not believe that “everybody who voted for Trump is racist,” and although he is not a fan of Trump, “he’s the president” and “I’m gonna have to respect the office.” WATCH: Sir Charles Barkley on 2024: “I just want to say this to the Democrats…Do me this favor: shut the f**k up! When you win, you get to say what you want to. When you lose, you need to shut the hell up.” pic.twitter.com/6PCCY3riMD — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) November 20, 2024

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Andrea Levitt, 82, was feeling lonely when she met Angelo Williams, 16, at a cookies-and-tea gathering in New York City. Her son and his family had moved away, leaving her days quieter than she wanted. But Angelo’s sense of humor instantly lightened her spirits. “I remember being at the table with Angelo, and he was so funny, it completely got me out of my depression,” she says. And the best part? They discovered a shared passion for basketball, rapidly bridging the decades between them. Angelo was likewise impressed. “We really just hit it off,” he says. Their conversations ranged in topics, covering everything from Andrea’s youth experiences meeting celebrities to Angelo’s anecdotes about his family. Their friendship began through Dorot, a charity organization whose name translates to “generations” in Hebrew. For decades, Dorot has brought together young people and older folks, fostering partnerships that benefit both parties. A cure for loneliness: the power of connection Loneliness is more than just an unpleasant feeling; it is a public health issue. According to US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s 2023 advisory report, loneliness raises death risk to the same degree as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. The pandemic exacerbated this situation, making many elders even more alone. Programs like Dorot address this issue straight on. For Andrea, they’ve filled a vacuum created by her family’s relocation. “It’s been great to get out and meet teenagers like Angelo,” she says. However, the benefits extend beyond simple friendship. Donna Butts, executive director of Generations United, highlights the importance of developing intergenerational ties in bridging societal differences. “When you think about the way we create communities—policies, services, infrastructure—they’re often segregated by age,” says Butts. She defines this as “artificial silos” that separate generations. “Breaking those barriers is essential, especially as the U.S. demographics shift.” Building bonds across screens and tea tables While in-person activities such as as Dorot’s cookies-and-tea parties foster connections, technology is also helping to bridge generations. Dana Griffin founded Eldera in 2020, a platform where older people tutor children ages 6 to 17 via weekly Zoom sessions. The initiative originated as a response to COVID-19 isolation, but it has since evolved into a meaningful opportunity for the elderly and children to interact. Griffin shows how virtual meetups provide older people with a feeling of purpose. “They shower, they brush their hair, they get dressed up,” she says. “When they feel valuable to a kid, it often changes their whole day.” According to Eldera’s findings, these associations can grow to be extremely significant. Many teenagers retain mentor relationships throughout college, spending an average of two hours each week consulting with their elder advisors about anything from roommates to dating. Youth benefit greatly from having someone other than their own family to confide in. “They really need to talk about everything,” Griffin says. Learn, share, and grow together These partnerships are more than just ways to relieve loneliness or mentor others. There is also potential for reciprocal learning. Angelo acknowledges that he first joined Dorot’s summer internship program expecting he’d be the one delivering assistance. Instead, he finds himself learning from Andrea and others. “You get to learn a lot about somebody else and also keep their stories with you,” he says. Andrea agrees. “I find that I have things in common with them, and we can have some really good discussions,” she adds. Griffin believes that these ties remind older people of their significance in a world that often underestimates them. “When a kid chews them out for being five minutes late to Zoom, they feel seen,” she jokes. Breaking down age barriers as a team effort Programs like Dorot and Eldera are developing new kinds of communities, challenging old concepts of age segregation. “Older adults are more likely to be white, and younger people are more likely to be of color,” Butts observes. Connecting these groups is critical for increasing mutual understanding and investment in one another’s futures. Andrea and Angelo’s friendship continues to grow. The two intend to go to a basketball game together soon, demonstrating how these activities foster not only friendships but also enduring memories. A model for the future Programs like Dorot and Eldera demonstrate that uniting generations is not just heartwarming, but also revolutionary. These partnerships help to alleviate loneliness, encourage empathy, and create spaces where wisdom and youth can coexist and thrive. As Griffin puts it, “These relationships remind older adults of their worth and teach younger generations lessons they can carry forward. Everyone benefits.”The post Cross generational friendships: how teens and elders are transforming their lives first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Christine Yu, an award-winning sports journalist, is challenging the current quo in a male-dominated fitness sector that includes everything from research papers to gym regimens. As the author of Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes, Yu pushes for a new strategy that takes into account women’s specific requirements. “Your body shouldn’t be considered a limitation,” Yu emphasizes, noting that women and men have fundamental physiological differences impacting exercise performance. She presents three important, women-specific exercise ideas below to help any woman approach fitness in a healthier way. 1. Make strength training a priority First and foremost, Yu advises against skipping the weights. Strength training is one of the most effective workouts for increasing longevity. It’s a method of maintaining muscular mass, which Yu claims is a predictor of both health and longevity. Unfortunately, many women are still hesitant to engage in strength training due to societal expectations to avoid “bulking up.” “Girls aren’t encouraged to go to the gym and lift,” says Yu, whereas boys’ sports teams often promote gym time from a young age. However, the benefits are too substantial to overlook. Strength training is more than just growing muscles; it also promotes bone health, which is especially important as we age. Muscle is known as the “organ of longevity,” and for good reason. Strengthening your muscles early on provides the groundwork for improved health over time, reducing bone loss and increasing resilience to injury. So, if you’ve been putting off strength training, think about starting with simple workouts recommended by experts. Don’t worry—you won’t “bulk up” overnight. 2. Eat enough to power your workout (and your life!) When it comes to diet, Yu’s advice is surprisingly straightforward: eat enough. “The most important thing is to make sure that you’re eating enough,” she stresses. “When you don’t have enough fuel—not only to support daily activities of life but to support your exercise—you dig yourself into this hole in which you don’t have enough energy.” Without enough nutrition, Yu continues, your body may seek to preserve energy by shutting down non-essential functions. This can cause irregular menstrual cycles and have an impact on gastrointestinal health, cardiovascular health, and even emotional well-being. Furthermore, underfueling affects exercise performance, which is counterintuitive for those looking to enhance their fitness. “You’re not going to adapt to your training, you’re not going to recover well, you’re not going to perform well,” Yu notes. Rather than suggesting a specific diet, Yu advocates prioritizing consistency and appropriate intake throughout the day to minimize energy deficiencies. She explains that even a 300-calorie deficit—roughly the size of a snack—can make a difference. “Just make sure you’re getting enough food in your body to support what you’re doing,” she says. 3. Rest and recovery are part of the process Strength training is important, but so is understanding when to recover. Recovery enables the body to mend and adapt, making it an important part of long-term fitness achievement. “At my age, I do need to make sure I’m hitting the gym and strength training; I do need to make sure I’m hydrating and paying attention to my nutrition; [and] I do need to make sure that I’m resting and recovering because my body needs more of that time,” Yu shares. It’s tempting to push yourself through every workout, especially if you see results, but pushing your body too hard can lead to damage. “If I do want to continue doing these things in the long term, I do have to be patient,” Yu says. Injuries often require more recovery time than if you’d simply incorporated rest in the first place. Stretching, foam rolling, and acupuncture are all fantastic strategies to enhance muscle healing and ensure your body’s long-term strength. The bottom line: embrace your journey Yu’s takeaway message is simple but effective: listen to your body, respect it, and don’t rush the process. “Respect your body where it is,” she declares. A balanced approach to strength training, good nutrition, and recovery can make a significant difference in your fitness journey. So take it one day at a time, and remember that the ideal fitness routine is one that works for your specific body.The post 3 essential exercise tips every woman should know, according to a sports journalist first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.