# Can a person survive off of avocados indefinitely? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2016, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482 "2016-06-16T00:40:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/21 "2016-06-16T12:54:01Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > That’s so strange for me. I was pretty sure the skin as an organ was a two way street, or is it only for excretion? You can absorb water into your skin, but not through it. If you are thirsty, in other words, it doesn’t do you much good to soak in a bath tub. You would need to drink some water, and that water would be absorbed thru the digestive tract. You also don’t absorb salt thru your skin, which is a good thing, because it would upset the saline balance of the system whenever you went swimming in the ocean. That’s also why drinking sea water is a bad idea - it’s too saline, and your kidneys can’t excrete it fast enough. You can absorb some things thru your skin, but mostly it acts as a barrier. THe mucous membranes are more where things are absorbed into the body. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/22 "2016-06-16T12:57:55Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > You can absorb water into your skin, but not through it. If you are thirsty, in other words, it doesn’t do you much good to soak in a bath tub. You would need to drink some water, and that water would be absorbed thru the digestive tract. > > You also don’t absorb salt thru your skin, which is a good thing, because it would upset the saline balance of the system whenever you went swimming in the ocean. That’s also why drinking sea water is a bad idea - it’s too saline, and your kidneys can’t excrete it fast enough. > > You can absorb some things thru your skin, but mostly it acts as a barrier. THe mucous membranes are more where things are absorbed into the body. > > Regards, > Shodan thanks for your post. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/23 "2016-06-16T13:16:08Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > Given that this the dope, I’ll go all pedant and point out that no one can live indefinitely regardless of what they are eating. After much thought :rolleyes:, I believe you’re correct. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/24 "2016-06-16T13:20:29Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Avocado thieves… lol. The greatest trick the avocado thief ever pulled was convincing the world that he doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/25 "2016-06-16T14:34:38Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > If you really mean a _desert_ island, I don’t think you’d find many avocados there. More likely, some variety of cactus. Or sea critter, if you can catch it. If they really mean a “dessert” island, it would really open up the dietary options. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/26 "2016-06-16T14:41:18Z")
I never tasted avocados until I was 17. So I survived off of avocados for my first 17 years just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/27 "2016-06-16T18:41:26Z")
[Avocados can fulfill all your needs.](http://oglaf.com/incubus/) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/28 "2016-06-16T19:40:01Z")
Just add a little seawater to your drinking water, about 5%. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/29 "2016-06-16T19:58:32Z")
Searching the web, I see several sources that say an avocado seed/pit is 1. safely edible 2. a good source of calcium 3. able to do some combination of: cure cancer, reverse arthritis, prevent asthma, make you immune to the flu and establish world peace. I’m assuming that #3 is just so much woo, but if the other two are correct, we’ve solved at least one of the nutritional deficiencies. I can’t find any proper scientific breakdown of the nutrients in the pits, but it wouldn’t surprise me to find other trace nutrients that we need. Isn’t selenium commonly found in nuts/seeds? Drying the pits also gives you a way to preserve food for seasons in which there are no fresh avocados. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/30 "2016-06-16T20:50:58Z")
Interesting. Never occurred to me to use the pits for anything but starting a new houseplant. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/31 "2016-06-16T21:01:27Z")
We’re assuming fresh water is also available, correct? If you had to get all your water from avocados, I suspect that won’t be very healthy. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/32 "2016-06-16T22:29:30Z")
I’m guessing none of you have ever lived on nothing but avocados … there’s some “other” issues here … think about it ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/33 "2016-06-16T23:31:03Z")
While avocados might provide a decent amount of total protein, is it a complete protein? Very few individual plants provide enough of all of the essential amino acids at once. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/34 "2016-06-16T23:35:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > While avocados might provide a decent amount of total protein, is it a complete protein? Very few individual plants provide enough of all of the essential amino acids at once. [This article](http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/amino-acids-avocados-1089.html) claims avocados contain all essential amino acids. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/35 "2016-06-16T23:54:35Z")
That article also talks about “22 amino acids”, and doesn’t give quantities for any of them. Almost any plant or animal will contain all 20 amino acids, but most won’t contain them in the same proportions that humans need. That’s why I said “provide _enough_ of all of the essential amino acids”. Like, if 100 Calories worth of avocado contains 5% or more of the body’s needs for one particular amino acid, then 2000 Calories worth will provide all you need. If it provides 4%, well, you can exercise enough to make a 2500 Calorie diet appropriate, so it’s still a pretty good source. But if it provides half a percent of your needs per 100 Calories, then you can still say that it contains that amino acid, but unless you’re glutting on 20,000 Calories a day, it won’t be enough. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482/36 "2016-06-17T00:01:21Z")
Only nine amino acids are essential for humans. This nutritional analysis rates avocado protein extremely high - i.e. it contains a good quantity of all nine, see the blue fan “proten quality” graphic lower right: > **[SELF: Health, Fitness, Nutrition, Beauty, Love, and Culture](https://www.self.com)** > > Here for you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482.md?page=1)