When All Hell Breaks Loose (49 page)

What about Eating "Old" Food?

Foods should be thought of in two distinct ways regarding its eventual spoilage. Fresh food has both
palatability
and
nutritional value
. While technically all food starts to lose trace amounts of its nutritional value soon after the harvest, it might remain palatable or edible long after most of its nutrition is gone. How much nutrition is lost in foods is dictated by how much nutrition the food had in the first place, how the food was processed, and how it was stored before going home with you from the store. As explained in the junk food section, empty calories are just that. Food devoid of nutrition will leave the body starving for nutrients and you will still feel hungry after eating large amounts of nutritionally empty food. The end result is that a six-month supply of food that's old will not last six months, as you will eat more of it to remain healthy and "full."

When the grid goes down, your refrigerator will undoubtedly contain at least some perishable food. Eat the food in the refrigerator first, and then eat from the freezer. Save stored foods until all perishables are eaten. In a well-stocked, well-insulated freezer, foods will usually still have ice crystals in their centers—meaning they are safe to eat—for up to two days. However, use caution. After the 2003 blackout in New York City that left 9 million people without power for up to two days, an increase in diarrhea was linked to the consumption of meat and seafood from homeowners' unpowered refrigerators.

Nutritional loss aside, most foods will eventually break down until they look, smell, and taste like hell. While it's impossible for the layman to know how much nutrition a food has lost, even little Johnny is capable of spitting out something that tastes disgusting. Luckily for us and Johnny, food that has lost its palatability is a great clue that it doesn't contain squat for nutrition either.