Stockpiling for Super El Niño? Nutritionists reveal exactly what you should fill your kitchen cupboards with as the extreme weather event ramps up

As the Super El Niño weather event ramps up, Brits have been urged to stockpile food.

Dame Angela Eagle, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told The Guardian: 'If you've got a store of a bit of food that can keep you going for a while before the emergency services can get to you, you're going to be a lot better off than if you haven't.'

So, what items should you be stocking up on?

Richard Kirwan and Graeme Close, nutrition experts at Liverpool John Moores University, have revealed exactly what you'd need to survive for a 'few weeks'. 

'The current government recommends that the public stock up on non-perishable food that doesn't need cooking,' they explained in an article for The Conversation.

'But this vague guidance doesn't really give us much to go on. So what should we buy to ensure we're eating well in the event of a disaster?'

Richard Kirwan and Graeme Close, nutrition experts at Liverpool John Moores University, have revealed exactly what you'd need to survive for a 'few weeks'

Protein

Protein is not only important for maintaining muscle levels and metabolism, but is also one of the most filling options.

The nutritionists advised stocking up on tinned meats such as chicken, stewed steak, or meatballs – as well as tinned fish. 

'You can boost nutrition if you get your sardines in tomato sauce,' they said.

'Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that is linked with lower levels of inflammation.'

If you don't eat meat, tinned beans are a great option, as well as long-life milk. 

The researchers added: 'A few cartons of long life milk or skimmed milk powder can also be useful to have on hand. These can be added into meals for both calcium and protein.'

Carbohydrates

Carbs are a great source of energy, which the researchers say should be your 'priority when building your stockpile'. 

If you still have access to power and water, they advise opting for dried carbs such as brown rice, wholegrain pasta, porridge oats, and wholemeal couscous, as well as microwave pouches of rice or grains. 

Scientists warned El Niño is 'firmly established' and 'being supersized before our eyes' as temperatures continue to rise

What to include in your Super El Nino stockpile

• Tinned chicken
• Tinned stewed steak
• Tinned meatballs
• Tinned sardines in tomato sauce
• Tinned beans
• Long-life milk
• Brown rice
• Wholegrain pasta
• Porridge oats
• Wholemeal couscous
• Microwave rice pouches
• Tinned/canned vegetables (carrots, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, sweetcorn, beans, peas and lentils)
• Whole nuts and seeds
• Canned rice pudding
• Custard
• Canned fruit in juice
• Jam
• Honey
• Biscuits
• Multivitamin supplement
• Unopened bottles of water

They said: 'Opting for wholegrain carbs gives you more fibre, vitamins and minerals. 

'Fibre is hugely important for keeping you regular as well as for keeping you feeling fuller for longer, stabilising blood sugar after meals and feeding a healthy gut mircrobiome.'

Alongside these carbs, make sure you've got a good variety of canned and jarred vegetables, such as carrots, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, sweetcorn, beans, peas and lentils. 

In addition, whole nuts and seeds are a useful, shelf-stable snack. 

Comfort foods 

While carbohydrates and protein are key, the researchers suggest including some comfort foods to help with the monotony of living off your stockpile. 

'Some comfort foods in small amounts might also be worth having,' they said.

'Think canned rice pudding, custard, canned fruit in juice (also a great source of fibre and minerals) and maybe some jam, honey and biscuits.'

Multivitamins 

While you should get most nutrients from your stockpile, the researchers advise having a multivitamin and mineral supplement on hand. 

'A diet of canned, ready-to-eat or dried food is probably going to be deficient in some nutrients, particularly vitamin C, which is very sensitive to processing,' they explained.

'Vitamin C is vital for immunity and maintaining healthy connective tissue, so a supplement can be useful. 

'Taking vitamin C can also help you absorb iron – making it even more useful when diet quality isn't the best.'

Water

Finally, make sure you've got some unopened bottles of water in your stockpile. 

The experts added: 'Around three to four litres per person per day is recommended – though you may also want to include extra for cooking and sanitation.'

WHAT IS THE EL NINO PHENOMENON IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN?

El Niño and La Niña are the warm and cool phases (respectively) of a recurring climate phenomenon across the tropical Pacific - the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short.

The pattern can shift back and forth irregularly every two to seven years, and each phase triggers predictable disruptions of temperature, winds and precipitation. 

These changes disrupt air movement and affect global climate. 

ENSO has three phases: 

• El Niño: A warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures (SST), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Over Indonesia, rainfall becomes reduced, while rainfall increases over the tropical Pacific Ocean. The low-level surface winds, which normally blow from east to west along the Equator, instead weaken or, in some cases, start blowing the other direction from west to east. 
• La Niña: A cooling of the ocean surface, or below-average SST, in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Over Indonesia, rainfall tends to increase, while rainfall decreases over the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The normal easterly winds along the Equator become even stronger.
• Neutral: Neither El Niño or La Niña. Often tropical Pacific SSTs are generally close to average.