[1]Image source: galleryhip.com
We all were told as kids, and likely have told our own children, to cut down on sugars and sweets. “One soda is plenty!” or, “no more, you already had a piece of cake.”
But while sugar is one of those food ingredients that we are told to limit when we eat, you may be surprised to learn that it can also play a key role in your survival.
A lot of useful resources are overlooked because of common perceptions of them. Sugar is such an example.
Here are 5 survival uses for sugar:
1.Fire Starter
That’s right, sugar can help start a fire! If you combine sugar with potassium permanganate and add water, it will start a fire [2] in one of the simplest ways known to man. An alternative method: Add a few drops of glycerin to the potassium permanganate.
The Secret To Starting Fires In Even The Most Extreme Conditions [3]
2. First Aid
Believe it or not, sugar can be used in emergency medical applications. For example, did you know that sugar has been used to treat open wounds for centuries throughout the world? Many of the ancient civilizations utilized sugar to treat wounds and stop infections. Sugar works by drawing water from the wound and forming a dressing. Bacteria need water to survive.
To use sugar to treat an open wound, clean the wound as best you can before sprinkling sugar over the cut until the wound is completely covered. To ensure the sugar stays in place, add a bandage or something else. Replace the bandage and the sugar every four to six hours to ensure that the wound is healed the fastest, and make sure the wound is thoroughly covered by sugar.
Note: Also make sure that the wound has stopped bleeding before adding sugar, since sugar can actually increase the flow of blood.
3. Food Preservative
[4]Image source: healthcareaboveall.com
Wait, sugar is a preservative? Aren’t we confusing sugar with salt? No, we’re not. Salt is a good preservative because it resists bacteria growth. But sugar does the same thing. In fact, some foods that are stored today, such as pickles, are stored with sugar in order to preserve them. If you ever want to carry specific foods with you as you travel in the wilderness, sugar is a great way to ensure it doesn’t spoil.
4. Quick Energy Source
A good burst of energy is sometimes all that is needed to boost an individual to traverse the last stretch of rough terrain to make it back to safety. Sugar contains high amounts of glucose and fructose, which are easily absorbed throughout the body, giving you nearly instant energy.
5. Remedy for Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia refers to when a person has had a dangerous decrease in their glucose content in the blood. (The term literally means “low blood sugar.”) Symptoms of hypoglycemia include, but are not limited to, dizziness and lightheadedness, excessive shaking and hunger. Sugar will need to be consumed in this case in order to rebalance the glucose in the body, giving the person instant relief. In a survival situation, this may be the balance between life and death.
Do you know of other survival uses for sugar? Share them in the section below:
You’ll Need More Than Sugar In The Wild. Read More Here. [5]
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