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You will have to take responsibility for doing your own research, and making your own decisions. All food items (unless otherwise noted) should be stored: a. clean b. dry c. cool (40 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 5 to 18 degrees Centigrade) d. well-sealed Protein, Carbs, and Fat are the three essential macronutrients needed by the human body. Stored foods should include good sources of Protein and Carbs and Fat. You will have to decide for yourself which foods, and how much of each food, to store. Carbs and Fat also provide necessary calories. Fat contains 8.84 calories per gram. White sugar contains 3.87 calories per gram. Complex carbs have over 4 calories per gram. Vegetable Oil Fat is an essential nutrient. Fat is essential for the structure and healthy functioning of the human body. The body can make any of the various fats that it needs, as long as it has two essential fatty acids: LA -- linoleic acid, also called omega-6 fatty acids, and LNA -- linolenic acid, also called alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, or omega-3 fatty acid. Only these two types of fat are essential. Other types of fat, such as omega-9 fatty acids, are healthy, but not essential. The optimum amounts of LA and LNA, and the optimum ratio have not been established, but generally the body needs more LA than LNA. If you are going to store food, be certain to store vegetable oil with both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. The percentage of LA and LNA in any particular type of oil varies. Numbers given are examples only. See the USDA nutrient database for more information. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ Vegetable oils should be stored cool, sealed, and out of direct sunlight. Vegetable oils will not keep indefinitely. Oils that store well will keep one to two years. Purchase vegetable oil in containers no larger than an amount you will use within a month or 2, so that you use the oil before it goes rancid. Keep opened vegetable oil in the refrigerator; it will keep longer. If possible, keep unopened vegetable oil in a refrigerator, or as close to refrigerator temperatures as possible. Refined oils keep much longer than unrefined or partially-refined oils. Buy unrefined oils for short-term use, and refined oils for medium term storage. Most vegetable oils have a 'best by' date on the container of about 1 to 1.5 years from the current date. Prefer to buy oils with longer 'best by' dates. Avoid oils with no date marked. The oil will remain safe to consume some number of months beyond the 'best by' date, if it has been kept clean, dry, cool, and well-sealed. 1. Soybean Oil 50% LA 7% LNA Stores well and has good balance of LA and LNA. 2. Canola Oil 30% LA 7% LNA Stores well and has good balance of LA and LNA. 3. Walnut Oil 53% LA 10% LNA Stores well and has good balance of LA and LNA. More expensive than many other oils. 4. Camelina Oil 20% LA 35% LNA Camelina oil has too much LNA and too little LA, but it stores well. Use in combination with oils that are high in LA, such as safflower oil. 5. Safflower Oil 74% LA Use in combination with oils that have LNA. 6. Corn Oil 53% LA 1% is LNA Use in combination with oils that have more LNA. 7. Sunflower Oil 40 to 65% LA (varies depending on type of oil) Use in combination with oils that have LNA. 8. Peanut Oil 32% LA Use in combination with oils that have LNA. Amount of oil to store: You will have to decide for yourself how much oil to store. Example: 8 tablespoons of oil per day is 962 calories, which is probably more calories from fat than you need. So 8 tablespoons per day is more than enough, and this is about 44 liters of oil (about 12 US gallons) per year. Depending on how many calories you burn per day, you might want to consume 4 to 8 tablespoons of vegetable oil a day, which is about 480 to 960 calories a day. Not Best for Long-term Storage: Flax oil is very healthy, and contains a large percentage of omega-3 fatty acids (LNA). Use in combination with oils that are high in omega-6 fat (LA). If you purchase flax oil, store in the freezer or refrigerator. Flax oil does not store well. Flax oil has a strong taste, which some persons describe as 'fishy'. 14% LA 54% LNA Hemp oil is very healthy, contains a good amount, and about the correct proportions, of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Hemp oil does not store well. Keep in refrigerator or freezer. Hemp oil tastes like hemp; it has a strong vegetable taste. 60% LA 20% LNA Sesame seed oil is healthy, and contains a significant amount of omega-6 fat, but little or no omega 3. Also, sesame seed oil does not keep well, and should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer. Sesame seed oil has a strong taste that does not go well with all foods. 41% LA Pumpkin seed oil is healthy, and a good source of omega-6 fat, but has little or no omega-3. Claims that certain varieties of pumpkin oil are high in omega-3 are unsubstantiated. Pumpkin seed oil does not store well, and has a strong pumpkin seed taste. 45% LA Olive oil stores well, but has less than 10% LA and little or no LNA. |