Like it or not, living in Houston requires storm prepping for hurricanes and their aftermath. But though many disaster preparedness organizations, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, advise that storm kits should include water and non-perishable, easy-to-prepare foods (a three-day evacuation supply and a two-week home supply), most don't give nutritional guidance beyond that.

So how can you eat healthy during an extended power outage? A Houston Methodist dietitian shares her recommended contents for a hurricane pantry — including the gear to preserve and prepare the food — that can provide nourishing variety when you need it most.

The best time to prepare for a storm

The Atlantic hurricane season, when tropical and subtropical storms are most likely to form, starts June 1 and ends November 30. Having your hurricane pantry and other prep materials stocked up and ready to go before the start of the season can ensure that you won't be caught unprepared should a storm suddenly develop earlier in the season, much like the Gulf Coast experienced with Hurricane Beryl.

The state of Texas offers a tax holiday to help prepare for emergencies such as floods and hurricanes. According to the Texas Administrative Code, this tax exemption period starts at 12:01 a.m. on the Saturday before the last Monday in April, and ends at midnight on that last Monday. There is no limit on the number of qualifying emergency preparation items you can purchase, and you do not need to give an exemption certificate to claim the exemption.

Marking your calendar for the tax holiday weekend can be a helpful reminder to review your hurricane kit overall — maybe you need a new phone battery charger or fire extinguisher? And if you're new to Houston, it may help you save some money to build your kit for your new life as a storm prepper.

Tips for preparing to eat healthy during a hurricane

1. Get the gear to preserve food and cook it while the power's out

Disaster preparedness organizations put a lot of emphasis on having that two-weeks' worth of food on hand in the event of a hurricane, but don't say much else about what you'll need to preserve the food in your refrigerator or prepare food after the power goes out.

Coolers and ice to save your perishables

"The first thing that I would recommend is having a cooler available, because once the power goes out the perishables in the fridge will stay good for about four hours, max," says Amanda Beaver, a registered dietitian with Houston Methodist. "The freezer will last for 24 hours if it's half full, and up to 48 hours if full."

Beaver says once those time limits are up, you should move things from the refrigerator into the cooler.

"That way, you can have some milk for longer, or that chicken that you can cook," Beaver says. "Having a cooler available and then ideally getting ice before the storm hits can help you to save some of your fridge items. The key is once the ice melts, you're going to need more ice, or the food's going to spoil. That's the only downside."

Make meals possible with a gas stove, camping or backpacking stove, or charcoal or propane grill

With an extended power outage, cooking methods available can be limited. While non-perishable foods don't require heating, you may enjoy some of them more if they're warmed up. Think of the worst-case scenario: nothing but room-temperature food for two entire weeks.

"If you have a gas stove, you may be able to manually light it with matches or a wand lighter," Beaver says.

Before attempting to light a gas stove, you'll want to see if your appliance has a safety feature called an interlock. The feature prevents gas from entering the range without electricity. If your range has one, you won't be able to use it during a power outage.

"If you don't have a gas stove, or it isn't safe to operate, I would consider getting a camping or backpacking stove that runs on propane or butane," Beaver says. "That way, you can boil water for coffee or rice, or cook some simple meals."

For safety reasons, you'll want to make sure that any hot plate stove is rated for indoor use. If your camping stove is rated for outdoors only, you'll want to make sure to only use it outside the home. And for the grill masters reading this, Beaver says you should be able to use a charcoal or propane grill if you have the tools and ingredients to use it — although she says some tasks, like boiling water, may be more difficult using a grill.

2. Stock a hurricane pantry for a healthy, balanced diet

Think hurricane prep is simply getting a couple cases of ramen and calling it a day? Hopefully not. Beaver emphasizes the importance of planning to still have some variety in what you eat.

"When the lights are out, am I going to want to eat peanut butter on bread and lukewarm soup for every meal of the day?" Beaver asks. "We must be realistic. You need to think, 'OK, it's hurricane season. I need to figure out what is feasible for me to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the event my power is out for two weeks.'"

Beaver suggests planning a hurricane kit like you might for your regular weekly meal planning. Consider your usual eating habits and those of your household. Do you skip breakfast, but your kids require a large breakfast? What do you and your loved ones usually like to eat? Understanding these preferences can help you plan breakfasts, lunches and dinners you'd actively want to eat.

Hurricane meal planning

"Some good breakfast options for those who like a light breakfast are protein bars or nuts and dried fruit," Beaver says. "For people who like something heartier, oatmeal with some dried fruit and peanut butter, along with water or shelf stable milk can be an option. Pasta and jarred pasta sauce or flavored tuna or salmon packets with rice or crackers could be lunches or dinners."

Ready-to-eat camping meals, where you add boiling water to the packets to reconstitute the food, have options for every meal of the day. Beaver says having some of these on hand can be a good option if you can boil water when the power is out — but that you'll want to read labels.

"The only downside with them is that they're very high in sodium," Beaver says. "But I think that they are a good option to have, especially in the day and age we live where we're having all these really active hurricane seasons."

Those with chronic conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease will want to plan their meals and pantries to accommodate their unique dietary needs.

"A lot of the things that are more shelf stable are a little more carbohydrate rich," Beaver says. "For someone with diabetes, I'd suggest making sure the meal has a protein source and then a balanced amount of carbohydrates, trying to keep it to about a cup or less of carbohydrate per meal. For those with kidney disease, things are a bit more challenging because someone could have both a sodium and potassium restriction. People with kidney disease need to be especially careful in their planning and really make sure that they have options on hand that they can eat."

And, finally, Beaver says that you should also include some comfort foods in your hurricane plan.

"Living through a storm where your power is out is so emotionally and mentally draining — it's such a frustrating experience and it's stressful," Beaver says. "I think that having some shelf-stable treat foods available to give you comfort and enjoyment is important. You want to have things that bring you some security and some normalcy, not from an emotional eating or stress eating perspective, but just from a normalcy and an 'I'm OK' perspective."

Healthy hurricane meal ideas

Light breakfasts

• Granola bars or protein bars
• Dried fruits and nuts
• Whole grain cereal with shelf stable milk

Hearty breakfasts

• Oatmeal with water or shelf stable milk, dried fruit
• Eggs (from your fridge within four hours of the power going out, or from your cooler) with toast and nut butter

Snacks

• Fruit (fresh, dried, unsweetened applesauce, canned fruit in 100% fruit juice)
• Nuts, trail mix
• Whole grain crackers
• Granola or protein bars

Lunches and dinners

• Ramen using half the seasoning packet for less sodium
• Flavored tuna packet with whole grain crackers and a side of apple
• Low sodium canned soup with a side of whole grain crackers
• Camping or backpacking meal (check the sodium level)
• Peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and banana sandwich
• Spaghetti with jarred sauce and a side of canned veggies (rinse and drain to remove some of the sodium)
• Chicken or fish cooked within four hours of the power going out or from your cooler with a side of rice and rinsed and drained canned veggies

Shelf-stable dairy

• Almond milk
• Low-fat milk
• Nonfat dry milk
• Rice milk
• Soy milk
  

Treats enjoyed mindfully

• Chocolate, or chocolate covered nuts or dried fruit
• Crispy rice treats, cookies
• Banana or apple with nut butter and cinnamon

3. Have a plan for your grocery trip before the storm hits

You know you'll want to head to the grocery before a storm hits to have ice available for your cooler(s). But what else should you consider stocking up on that final trip? You might be surprised to hear that Beaver suggests hitting up the produce section.

"When you cut a fruit or a vegetable, that's when it needs to be refrigerated or cooled in a cooler," Beaver says. "Most veggies and fruits that are uncut are OK to be stored at room temperature. So, if you can be deliberate in that last trip before the storm, you can pick any uncut fruits or vegetables you like, such as grape tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, bananas, or peaches. It's important for your comfort during the storm and when the power is out that you have things on hand that you like."