Editor’s Note: The rice and beans combination is not random at all.
Next, white rice has around 90% of carbohydrates, making it one of the best foods to survive. Yet it lacks the protein and fats (essential in the long run) that can be obtained from beans (35% protein-the highest protein content of any seed crop – and 14% fats).
Second, beans and white rice will last for up to 30 years. Under the absence of oxygen and light, white rice lasts 4-5 years (oxygen-free white rice lasts 30 years), and beans almost forever.
And thirdly: It’s cheap! The giant white rice 20 lb bag is about $8-10/kg. So, it’s around $14 for 30 lbs of rice (a 5 gallon bucket). The dried beans are available for $3.32 in 2 lbs bags at Walmart. So, it’s $49.8 for 30 lbs of beans (a 5 gallon bucket).
So, a 5 gallon rice bucket and a 5 gallon beans bucket will cost you about $64. Pretty cheap for a stock of 50 days’ food!
That was estimated for 2000 calories/day (would be exactly 48.5 days), but with much fewer calories/day, we can live.
Bear in mind that you’ll need plenty of water to cook rice and beans too.
Related: The Biggest Stockpiling Mistakes
Rice is rich in starch, and an excellent energy source. Beans are protein-rich, and contain many minerals. Together, the intake of the two contains all the essential amino acids and it is no wonder that this combination is a staple in many diets worldwide.
Here’s why they are a perfect choice for long-term food storage and their calories per pound, survival days, etc …
WHITE RICE
5 gallon bucket of White Rice (30 lbs of rice)
50,000 calories – 25 survival days
1655 calories per pound (uncooked)
590 calories per pound (cooked)
675 calories per cup (uncooked)
205 calories per cup (cooked)
Note: For long term food storage, do not use brown rice (use only white rice) because it will go rancid within a year from its oils.
BEANS
5 gallon bucket of Beans (30 lbs of beans)
47,000 calories – 23.5 survival days
1574 calories per pound (uncooked)
650 calories per pound (cooked)
670 calories per cup (uncooked)
245 calories per cup (cooked)
Note 1: There is a slight variation of calories per pound for different bean varieties. Numbers listed above are an average. They are mostly similar…
Note 2: After many years, beans lose their ability to soften up while re-hydrating in water and the cooking process may result al dente. The beans will remain edible and will not have lost their food value – just saying. Maybe you rotate your beans every so many years…
Having one 5 gallon buckets each of rice and beans will provide nearly 50 days of ‘survival’ calories
While you won’t want to eat rice and beans every day and every meal, the mixture is a ‘staple’ inexpensive food storage as part of your food variety overall.
Many food storage outlets will sell you the already packed and sealed rice and/or beans in buckets for long-term food storage. So by buying in bulk you can still do it yourself and then use Mylar containers, oxygen absorbers, and your own 5 gallon buckets. You might also choose to use an ordinary kitchen vacuum sealer and store smaller quantities (which could still be held in 5 gallon buckets for safe keeping).
By themselves, rice and beans are bland. No doubt there are countless spices and other ingredients you can add to increase nutrition and make them more palatable. What are your suggestions?
