Keeping it Fresh!
For decades Latter-day Saints have been directed to '
lay up in store' enough food and necessities to sustain our families for an extended period of time. So many decades in fact, that most of us have been raised with the principle. And yet, only a small percentage of us are sufficiently prepared.
We recognize that the counsel to be
temporally prepared is inspired, and when we are not fully compliant we feel a little uneasy about it. After all, "
If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" the scriptures tell us. But the questions remain:
1. What do we store? Where do I start?
2. How much of it do we store?
3. How do we use what we store? What do I do with it?
and sometimes the biggest and most important question of all -
4.
How can we possibly afford it?
Introducing 'THRIVE Freeze Dried Food' that not only addresses each of these questions, but does so with the freshness of
strawberries, bananas, pineapple, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and many many other fruits and vegetables that otherwise would be missing from food storage plans of the past. For many, the term "
food storage" conjurs up images of boring food with little variety: canned tuna, macaroni, wheat, rice and dried beans. Hey, not to get personal, but do you really eat most of that food on a daily basis? Not that there is anything wrong with tuna, macaroni, wheat, rice and bean - they're in my food storage too, but really - how long would your family be happy with them alone? At THRIVE, they don't use the term 'food storage' to avoid the old stigma that is often associated with it. After all, this is NOT your mother's food storage.
Hopefully, we already have a good supply of canned goods.
Commercially Canned, or Home Bottled:
It is generally understood that canned fruit and vegetables retain about 40% of the original food value of their 'best fresh day', but did you know that the fresh fruit is not always the best option? So much depends on where it comes from, how long it has been traveling, and under what conditions? And of course, how long has it been sitting in the store / on your counter / in your fridge. Canning damages heat sensitive nutrients like Vitamin C, but so does extended shelf life.
By law, food is processed within a relatively short window from harvest to canning / freezing. Canned fruits and vegetables often use high amounts of sugar or salt in the canning process,
and undergo high heat over an extended period of time. Recommended
shelf life is 2 years. YIKES! We all have home bottled fruit much older
than that. ... I'm not going to tell you how old some of mine is.
Commercially canned fruit has a recommended shelf life of up to two years. YIKES again!
Frozen:
Frozen foods are an excellent way to preserve foods and some argue
that frozen is preferable to fresh. That is actually true for some
fruits. The reason being is that fruits are flash frozen immediately
after picking whereas most
fresh fruits spend weeks between harvest and the market. Nutrients are lost each day after a fruit is picked. Frozen fruit retains more nutrient value than canned, but looses more during extended storage. A big down side is that the texture
of
frozen fruit is affected and usually inferior to fresh. Recommended shelf life of frozen fruit? 8-10 months. YIKES again.
The
biggest draw back of depending on the freezer is ones dependance on
electricity. Make no mistake - a full freezer is NOT food storage. It is
convenient to be sure. But it is only that. It is a convenient way to
store food so that one can take advantage of seasonal items, good
bargains etc. It is NOT food storage.
Dehydrated - Commercial or Home dried:
Dehydrated food undergoes initial damage to vitamin C due to the slow 'cooking' nature of dehydrating, but has many other benefits. Its weakness - surprisingly - is 'shelf life'. Dehydrated foods have a optimal shelf life shorter than one might expect. Stretching beyond that yeilds a poorer product. Time / heat / and water are required for reconstitution.
Each method of preserving food has its advantages and disadvantages, and should all be used for a well rounded long-term food storage. None of the above can be expected to retain much food value past two years.
Lets face it. The weakest area of all food storage programs is fruits & vegetables, especially vegetables. Unlike Popeye, we are not a canned vegetable kind of people. We don't like them. So how DO you include vegetables into your food storage? And just as important, how do you make them more a part of your family's daily life? Enter Freeze Dried Fruits & Vegetables.
What is FREEZE DRIED?
Freeze-drying is a process that allows food to be shelf stable
while retaining the maximum amount of nutrients. Freeze dried foods
retain their original color, form, size, taste and texture. The result? A product that is not only superior to ALL other methods of preseving, but one that is usually superior to fresh produce purchased in your average grocery store as it retains nearly 100% of the original nutrient value. Whether
eaten every day or saved for the future, THRIVE Freeze Dried products
will taste great, stay fresh, and contribute to overall health. Can it get any better than that? Oh yes, the BIG Deal - Wait for it ...... THRIVE Freeze Dried food has a shelf life of 25 - 30 YEARS!
You read right, 25-30 YEARS!
And I haven't even told you the best part yet. There is every reason to use THRIVE foods every day. Did you know that the average home throws at least 25% of their groceries in the garbage? Think for a minute about what you recently threw in the garbage from your fridge? For many, it is far more than 25% of fresh produce!
Question: With THRIVE Freeze Dried Foods, what part of that can of Freeze Dried Spinach will go slimy before you use it so that it needs to be thrown in the garbage? Answer: ZERO.
Question: What portion of that can of Freeze Dried Strawberries do you suppose will go moldy before you use it so that you have to throw it out?
Those days of wasting your grocery money by throwing food out are over! 100% ZERO Waste. Now you have to admit - that is a first.
HOME STORE
So how do you start your own 'Home-Store' with food that will be as good next year as it is today? Food that will be as good 3 years from now as it is today? Food that will be as good 25 years from now as it is today? How do you include THRIVE Freeze Dried Fruits & Vegetables into your family's long term food storage? and also into your daily menu planning?
4+ Convenient ways to get THRIVE Freeze Dried Food.
1) You may purchase most of them from a few specialty retail stores who carry them. In Canada THRIVE dairy and meat products are not available in retail stores. Neither are the convenient sized pantry cans.
3) You may purchase through Home Parties - attend one or host one (
great host benefits bytheway). Click
HERE to find a Consultant near you.
Or 4) what most people are choosing to do - you may purchase on a personal Q Program.
What is the Q?
Your own 'food-storage' long-range plan which ships to you in regular, affordable packages on a monthly basis. Thats right. Straight to your door. Every month. BEST price - Guaranteed.
And the Bonus way - 5) THRIVE is always looking for new business associates to help spread the good word to those who 'eat'. If you would like to join our team or find out more - visit
thrivewithcindycanada.shelfreliance.com and click on "
Join My Team".
Adding THRIVE foods to your family's grocery budget reduces daily waste, improves over all health, and continually adds to your Home Store all while staying within what you can afford.
It simply doesn't get any better than that! Before you know it, you'll be well on your way to protecting your family with a viable, stable, long term and nutritionally sound source of food.
THRIVE: Welcome to a New World - where food storage stays FRESH.
