Chances are that stocking up on chocolate is the last thing that comes to mind as you attend to your preparedness efforts. However, this sweet treat can provide you with plenty of benefits during a survival situation. Here are a few examples of how you can put chocolate to good use during a crisis, and hopefully they will be reason enough to add some to your survival kits and stockpiles.
Lubricant
Grease from chocolate bars can be used as a lubricant for a variety of tools, machines and other applications in a survival situation. While this may not be your first choice, chocolate may end up being an effective line of defense against damage caused by friction between moving parts. It may also be useful for lubricating stubborn bolts or screws in order to make them easier to remove.
Rust Proofing
Many metallic items that are essential in survival situations are susceptible to corrosion and rust. This is particularly true if you can’t properly-store tools or gear and protect them from the elements. While you can use anything from oil to petroleum jelly or grease to coat these surfaces, chocolate can also be used in a pinch as well.
Cleaning and Polishing
Most hard chocolates are mildly-abrasive, and they can be used to clean or polish various surfaces. Just coat, buff and rinse, and you’ll be surprised at how much dirt and grime that chocolate can remove. You can even skip the rinsing part in order to leave a greasy coating on surfaces in order to produce a nice shine. This can be particularly helpful when you want to polish a mirror or piece of metal in order to use it as a signal.
Hygiene
Chocolate can provide you with an emergency form of toothpaste or soap when other options aren’t available. It’s abrasive enough to help remove plaque and bacterial deposits on teeth, and it can also help to lift dirt, grime and gunk from the skin as well. The important thing is that you give yourself a good rinse after use in order to avoid attracting insects or inviting bacteria to grow in your mouth.
Hot Chocolate
Aside from being a nice drink to warm us up on a cold night, hot chocolate can actually help to ease the symptoms of hypothermia. Take about half of a chocolate bar and melt it in a cup of hot water, and drink it slowly for maximum effect.
Bait Trap
Use a couple of pieces of chocolate as bait near traps that you’ve set to catch small game. All kinds of scavengers will be attracted to the scent, and this is a great way to make your traps more-productive.
Food
Chocolate contains not only sugar, but healthy fats in addition to other compounds that do our bodies good. If you need a quick energy boost or want to load up on calories, a candy bar can get the job done. Not only that, but chocolate can help to boost mood, calm jittery nerves and even help us to sleep better.
Leverage
Finally, chocolate can be a great item to use for bartering as it can entice someone to make a deal. You can also use chocolate as an incentive for kids to behave, and it also makes for a nice reward after reaching goals.
Make sure that you have some dark, hard chocolate candy bars stocked away so you can take advantage of these and other benefits during a crisis. While it may seem unnecessary now, you’ll be glad that you have them on hand once you’re thrust into a survival situation.