In the modern world, most of us don’t often contemplate survival. Back in our hunter-gatherer days, humans had to worry about predators, war, famine, and harsh elements - any of which could snuff out life with nary a moment’s notice. Today, we’re pretty well insulated from these threats, but in a way this leaves us even more vulnerable than our nomadic ancestors.
It’s easy to take peace and prosperity for granted. Just because things in our personal lives and in society are working well now, it may not always be this way. However, history shows us that this is rarely the case. Whether you fall victim to a life-threatening home invasion, or live through the next major economic collapse, you may have to fight for your own survival in a way you never previously thought possible.
So how do we prepare for worst case scenarios like these? It all starts with the home, your place of refuge when things go from bad to worst.
Protection Against People
It’s important to keep your home secure against those who might enter it against your will. Start by ensuring that your doors are strong and securely locked. Perform the same safety check on your windows. Consider adding bars to ground level windows, especially if you live in an area with lots of foot traffic, and invest in a security camera system if this is appropriate for your situation. Enhancing this basic level of home security can make your home an inconvenient target for a burglar.
It may also be a good idea to buy a weapon or two, which could come in handy in a variety of unpleasant occurrences. If you’re accustomed to guns, buy a gun or two. If you’re not accustomed to guns, but want one anyway, consider buying a shotgun. This will be useful for protection in many scenarios, and won’t be as dangerous or troublesome to manage as a handgun, particularly if you don’t have years of experience. Make sure to train with any guns you bring into your life, and make sure that anyone in your household who could access your guns does the same.
Protection Against Social Breakdown
While society may be pretty stable where you live, we know from world news that this is not always the universal case. Energy shortages occur, currencies collapse, rebellions break out, and supplies stop being delivered in times of war. How will you be prepared when and if the next social breakdown occurs?
You’ve already protected your home with security measures and weapons. Now it’s time to prepare your pantry for the worst. Having months worth of water and shelf-stable food is a must, if you’re worried about your ability to get supplies in the case of an emergency. Similarly, a generator (and other off grid living methods) can make sure you’re supplied with energy when others are without. You may even want to find a way to supply your water needs from a well, rather than city water, or to capture and purify rainwater for the same purpose.
Having a large garden for food and natural medicine will also be indispensable in a social breakdown scenario. Your survival won’t be bound to what foods may or may not be delivered to your local megamart. Instead, you’ll have food independence in the form of nutritious crops, and possibly even livestock such as chickens, pigs, or cattle.
The last obvious requirement for long term survival in a long term disaster situation is money or wealth. Money in the form of fiat currency (Dollars, for example) may not be useful for exchange if the value of this currency is severely depressed, as has happened with Venezuelan hyperinflation. Instead, having wealth in easily tradable forms, such as gold and precious metals, may be the better bet.
There are endless ways to prepare your home and lifestyle for survival scenarios. Hopefully, you’ll never have to put these plans into action, but you will have the peace of mind that comes from knowing you and yours will be safe, no matter what.
Vitamins and Other Compounds that Provide Antioxidants
Along with the immune system, antioxidants are one of the primary ways our bodies fight disease. Unlike immune cells, however, antioxidants are primarily found in the diet. Our bodies harvest these chemicals from a variety of sources, such as vitamins and other nutritional compounds found in food. Let’s take a look at some of the most plentiful chemical sources of antioxidants, so that we can better seek these out in the meals we eat every day.
Antioxidants From Vitamins
Vitamins are chemicals that the body needs to operate. For the most part, essential vitamins can not be produced in the body, or at least not in the quantities necessary to preserve life. Therefore, vitamins must be sourced from outside the body, and food is the easiest way to make this happen.
Vitamins have many roles in the body, and a number function as antioxidants. These include vitamins A, C, and E. Vitamin A can be found in foods like liver, carrots, and egg yolks. Vitamin C is found in foods like citrus fruits. Vitamin E is found in nuts, vegetable oils, legumes, and grains.
Some antioxidants are derived directly from vitamins. For example, benfotiamine is made from vitamin B1 with plants and animals. Benfotiamine may be converted within the body. This conversation may also occur in a plant or animal, entering the body of a human when it consumes these as food.
Antioxidants From Other Chemicals
There are many other nutrients and chemicals that, while not vitamins themselves, provide essential antioxidant activity within the human body. Like vitamins, most of these are also consumed as food. There are hundreds of examples.
One important antioxidant chemical is astaxanthin. A natural pigment found in fish, shrimp, algae, and yeast, astaxanthin decreases oxidative stress as a powerful antioxidant. Other examples include manganese (found in seafood, lean meat, milk, and nuts), beta-carotene (found in pumpkin, fruits, spinach, and parsley), various flavonoids (found in tea, citrus, onions, and apples), and lutein (found in leafy vegetables).
Sourcing Antioxidants
There are two primary methods we use to sourcing antioxidant vitamins and compounds in our diets. One or both of these methods may give you the results you are looking for. The first is by finding antioxidants through a balanced diet, rich in natural foods. The other is to supplement your diet with antioxidants, using bioavailable supplement products from Metagenics, Premier Research labs, and other trusted sources.
Wherever you get your antioxidants, it’s important to understand what effects these powerful chemicals are likely to have in your body. Unlike what we normally think of as “medicine,” antioxidants are more useful for prevention than healing (though they can heal, as well!). Antioxidants work to make the body work as it should. Ideally, someone who is already healthy will consume plenty of antioxidants, thus ensuring that their bodies continue to operate as desired for a long time to come.
However, people who are ill may still derive benefit from antioxidants. It takes time, exercise, and proper nutrition to turn the tide in an unhealthy body. It’s a process that may take months or years. And while antioxidants alone are unlikely to transform someone very ill into the picture of health, they can work in cooperation with other healthy nutrients and practices to make a real difference, even in someone who is very unwell.
Therefore, antioxidants, in the form of vitamins or other compounds, should be of interest to any reader. Antioxidants are essential to normal body function, so all of us should have a plan to consume our fill of these life-giving chemicals. See to it that you get more than enough antioxidants for the job, and your body will do the rest.
