If you've been paying attention to the news lately, you may be feeling on edge.  You may feel as though time is running out for you to get your preparedness supplies and emergency food in order. You may be new to prepping, and feeling like there's too much to accomplish.  It seems like everything, everywhere, is sold out.

This feeling of urgency can make you feel hopeless and panicked, and that's not productive. If you're in a hurry, there's no time for a lack of productivity. It's time to focus and create your food supply immediately. If an event like a quarantine occurs during which you are unable to leave your home, you'll want to make certain that you can keep food on the table without waiting for a handout to be doled out at the whim of some government agency. (If you are preparing for a potential coronavirus quarantine or pandemic, check out this best-selling book on the topic.)

Generally, I write about healthy food. I write about focusing on whole foods without additives, and I firmly believe that is the very best way to build your food supply.  I believe strongly in the value of a pantry that you will use day to day to nourish your family.  You can learn how to build a pantry like that in my book Prepper's Pantry.

However, if you do not have a food supply waiting in your pantry, or your supply isn't big enough, you might be focusing on speed.  You can then add healthier options at your leisure.

Create a stockpile with emergency food buckets

Let me be clear that I think purchasing healthy whole foods is the very best way to build a food supply. Grabbing shelf-stable options from the store or a supplier is a great way to put back a nutritious stockpile. However, it may not be the fastest way.

If you're trying to build a food supply quickly, consider ordering buckets with a month's supply of meals.

Here's why every prepper should have some emergency food buckets stashed away:

1. A lot of calories can be condensed into a very small amount of space.

2. If you have the capacity to boil water during an emergency, a filling meal can be yours.

3. They add variety and speed to an emergency food supply.

4. Calorie for calorie, they're lightweight and easily portable in the event of a bug-out scenario.

5. They're professionally packaged to have a 25-year shelf life, so you can get it, stick it in the back of your closet, and forget about it until you need it.

Now, the downside.

If you're looking for ready-made meals, none of them are going to be completely free of additives. This is impossible because they're made to last for 25 years, to take up minimal space,  to cook up quickly and efficiently, and to taste reasonably good.

If you're going this route, some compromises must be made. Yes, emergency food buckets contain processed food, but you don't have to let go of all of your focus on healthful choices.

You may look at the prices of these items and say, "Oh, I can't afford this." But you have to remember, this is enough food for an ENTIRE MONTH.  At $300, that means you're spending $10 per day on food that only requires the ability to boil water.

You'll notice on the list of extras that I recommended a gentle laxative. Some people, when dependent solely upon MREs or dehydrated foods, become constipated.  I also recommended a high-quality multivitamin to help ensure you're getting the nutrition you need.