I've been asked by e-mail from several folks about my comments concerning powdered milk. I think one should be aware that fresh skim milk and the powdered version don't have the same nutritional benefits. During the drying process the heat forces a combination of lysine with the sugars in the whey. Chemical testing still shows its presence, but when it is combined with the milk sugar (lactose), it is not available for use by the body. What has been assumed by some was that the Mormon basic 4 plan would have the milk make up for the lysine deficiency of wheat. (The basic four group is powdered milk, whole wheat, salt and sweetener.) Lysine is one of the essential amino acids- these are nutrients the body can't synthesize. Therefore they must come from food sources. Another drawback with wheat is that it contains phytic acid, a phosphorus compound that inhibits the absorption of calcium, which in turn increases calcium requirements. If you have large amounts of wheat in your storage plan a calcium supplement may be in order. High grain consumption can also cause zinc difficiencies. The human body absorbs zinc easily so store the cheapest vitamin form- zinc gluconate. Calcium carbonate is the most easily digested form of calcium. Supplements that contain a combination of both vitamins and minerals should be used within two years because interactions cause a loss of potency. Some folks have asked just who the h*ll am I to be so opinionated about food storage. I don't have a degree in nutrition (my brother does have a PHD in plant in plant pathology and genetic engineering, if that counts for anything). I've just asked a lot of questions of the experts, and done a lot of research. I'm just reporting what others have revealed to me. My bio- I'm 44, happily married (twice) to the same wonderful person, have 2 boys aged 16 and 7. I own a landscape maintenance business and sell a food storage info book on the side. I don't have an idea of Y2K severity, but I'm no gambler so am preparing for the worst. I'm buying a year or two of thing we already use (like toilet paper), so I won't have much waste. I figure the peanut butter and other canned goods will be donated to the local food bank if things don't deteriorate.

-- skipper clark (skipper@cncnet.com), October 14, 1998

Answers

I have received samples of powdered milk from Maple Island, 1-800-369-1022. They have the best tasting and most nutritous powdered milk available on the market. They are located in North St. Paul, MN. They are nitrogen packed. Just call them and they'll send you all the info and samples. I do not own stock in this company nor do I have any relatives that work there. It's just a good product.

-- Bardou (bardou@baloney.com), October 14, 1998.

Hey, I've been raised on powdered milk and spam in the 60's and 70's and I've grown up to be strong and healthy ;)

But for sure, as an RN, I'd recommend at least a supply of good multivitamins (plus iron for women), and vitamin C (500 mg is my choice) and E (400 IU) by themselves (on top of the multi), those are very important for a strong immune system (I take them everyday). You can't overdose on vit C (water soluble) but you can on E (non-water soluble, stored in liver.) Those are adult dosages. Use doctor recommended dosages for kids depending on ages.

That's my plan on vitamin supplement, no matter what I get to eat.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), October 14, 1998.

Ditto from another RN on vitamin AND mineral supplementation - a one-a-day prep for each person in the family will help fill in the gaps. Also, should we get to that point, the body itself will be under stress and have higher nutritional requirements.

Skipper, you don't have to donate everything to a food bank. What you CAN do, and what we plan to do, is just take a big break from the grocery store, and perhaps just stay in the habit of having food stores for all the other little unexpecteds that pop up in life, or to help when our friends, neighbors, or relatives hit a rough patch. That was good info - thanks!

BTW, as far as the taste of powdered milk - if you reconstitute it and shake it up sp a lot of air gets into it (does that make sense?), it tastes more fresh. Also, if you mix it several hours before you want to drink it. ALSO, to get kids used to it, start by mixing half reconstituted milk with half fresh - stretches your food dollar now, and then, you can gradually increase the proportion and they don't really notice. Also, adding stuff like Nestle's Quik helps. We have used powdered milk pretty extensively in the past.

-- Melissa (financed@forbin.com), October 14, 1998.

Thinking about what Melissa said about stress, and what Skipper said about calcium, how about some TUMS? :-)

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), October 14, 1998.

For those of you who get fever blisters, be sure and keep L-Lysine on hand....peanut butter, wheat, and stess are big contributors to developing fever blisters...you still want to be able to kiss your honey don't you????:>

also an RN...and worked in transplant research...

-- deborah cunningham (dac@ccrtc.com), October 14, 1998.

Can I ask you RN's out there what I can possibly take or drink that will soothe what seems to be an inflamed bowel or intestine? I don't know of any medicine...doctor's are of no help in this. I wish I knew of a remedy before y2k hits, because I will really be in a fix if I don't comfort this painfull area when ever it gets a flare up. I do try to avoid milk and can't enjoy cereal anymore. If I knew what started it up, I could possibly avoid that particular food...but I don't know. PLEASE HELP ME! I would appreciate any suggestions or help from any of you. Please don't suggest going back to the doctor...I get nowhere from any of them! Sincerely, Georgie

-- Georgie O'Day (Georgie@wellness.net), October 14, 1998.

Georgie, I know you don't want to hear this, but the best thing for your case is to go see a good doctor. Intestinal inflamations could be caused by several reasons, ranging from minor to very serious. RN's aren't qualified to give you advice from problems like this. Even if we were, we would need to know a lot more about your medical history and your routines etc. (Except for Nurse Practitioners, they can diagnose and prescribe, but you have to consult them at thier office like doctors.)

If the doctors you've consulted haven't been of any help, I would advise that you consult one from a large research hospital nearest where you live (if you're in a rural area, it might take a trip to the nearest city.) Call that hospital for a doctor referal who specializes in your problem.

I should mention that longterm stress will cause bowel irration/inflamation, as well as stomach problems (ulcers, heartburns etc.) for many people. If you've been worrying a lot about Y2K lately, it probably exacerbated your problem. Try getting off the internet for a week or 2, do pleasant activities that you enjoy. Take long walks and fresh air, or try excersising, this will help you sleep better and relieve stress.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), October 15, 1998.

I am not a doctor nor a nurse but you may be suffering from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Millions have this problem. There's several books out on the subject and what you can do for it. My husband has the same problem and I took him off of milk products and that seemed to help a lot. If it's a food allergy, you can fast one day and then add one food at a time until you find one that bothers you. It's a tough way to go. And when you go to a doctor, just remember he/she is "practicing on you."

-- Bardou (bardou@baloney.com), October 15, 1998.

Georgie, this is for you. my husband has had IBS his entire life, and recently things got a lot worse, with acid reflux and hiatal hernia causing 2 expensive hospital stays (stupid emergency rooms insisted on treating him for nonexistent heart attack rather than hiatal hernia, at first--thank god they finally looked at the x-rays, which faintly showed his stomach ON TOP of his diaphragm, instead of below it.

i did some research on the net, also used some common sense, and told my husband he had food allergies--found a local nutritionally-oriented doctor, and armtwisted hubby into getting the tests. he got the IgG blood test for DELAYED food allergies. the actual test was done by Immuno Laboratories, Inc. of fort lauderdale and they tested his blood and found a reaction to 11 out of 102 foods tested. some were not a surprise to me, but others were. he had to cut out these foods for 3-6 months before trying them again. rotation of foods you eat can help prevent some of these problems. GET THE TEST--it's worth it! hubby is much better.

if you have the cash, you can also try the IgE Immediate Allergy test. we haven't done that one yet. good luck!

-- Jocelyne Slough (jonslough@tln.net), October 16, 1998.

you can get plenty of lysine from legumes and they complement grains very well.

-- Jocelyne Slough (jonslough@tln.net), October 20, 1998.