# cat food has everything needed for life....why isn't there a "people" food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706 "2006-12-03T17:39:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/21 "2006-12-04T03:57:38Z")
[QUOTE=WonJohnSoup] I for one would love decent-tasting People Kibble. But I’ve tried the Balance Bar/Power Bar test for a day and it didn’t feel so hot. It wasn’t the taste, but the discomfort of a gnawing empty stomach, despite having supposedly ingested enough calories to keep alive. [/QUOTE] So then have a bowl of oatmeal or other cereal or some whole-grain toast and then the Balance/Power/Slimfast/Whatsis bar. There’s something called the Satiety Index that lists which foods fill people up the most. So you could use the bars for nutrition and then eat one of the foods on the SI to fill in the gap. Thank you. Where do I pick up my Nobel? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WonJohnSoup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f17d59/32.png) [@WonJohnSoup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WonJohnSoup)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/22 "2006-12-04T04:33:34Z")
? Bread fills me up by it burns away pretty quickly. I think People Chow would need some kind of filler that lets it slowly digest so the person wouldn’t feel hungry. If you end up eating other things along with a Balance Bar to fill yourself up…then you might as well just eat other things. ---
**Author:** ![buckgully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@buckgully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckgully)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/23 "2006-12-04T07:34:23Z")
Ladies and Germs, as a data point I give you… [The Dilberito](http://www.dilberito.com/) (which also happens to be a ghost site, a messenger from times past (2001) rattling the chains it formed in life as a warning for all who pass by) Anyway, a few years ago Scott Adams (Creator of Dilbert) came up with the idea to make human chow in burrito form. They actually tried to get this one off the ground, but the result was a pretty spectacular failure. I think the fact that the Indian flavor variant was an insult to God and Curry, and the rest weren’t all that great, might have been a factor. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/24 "2006-12-04T13:18:47Z")
[QUOTE=WonJohnSoup] I think People Chow would need some kind of filler that lets it slowly digest so the person wouldn’t feel hungry. If you end up eating other things along with a Balance Bar to fill yourself up…then you might as well just eat other things. [/QUOTE] Exactly. People need fiber too, by the way. (They just don’t waste much space with that sort of thing in energy bars.) So a well-balanced People Chow would need plenty of soluble and insoluble fiber. ---
**Author:** ![Shecky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shecky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shecky)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/25 "2006-12-04T14:42:09Z")
Posted by **Rick** > [@](#): > > How about Soylent Green? Isn’t that made out of people? It just seems counterproductive, then. That’s why I like Soylent Red. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/26 "2006-12-04T15:54:13Z")
[QUOTE=Shecky] That’s why I like Soylent Red. [/QUOTE] I tried Soylent Red Green once, but it tasted funny. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/27 "2006-12-04T16:49:00Z")
[QUOTE=WonJohnSoup] I wonder what would happen if someone tried Balance cars for a month? [/QUOTE] I did: while Balance Cars have plenty of iron and insoluble fiber, but I’ve found Mustangs give me more horsepower to get me through the day. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/28 "2006-12-04T21:00:10Z")
My people’s breath smells like people food. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/29 "2006-12-04T21:20:09Z")
[Space Food Sticks](http://www.spacefoodsticks.com/spacefood/history.html)? ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/30 "2006-12-05T22:14:43Z")
[QUOTE=Phantom Dennis] I know I’d buy it in a second. Sometimes I just don’t have the energy or time to prepare myself a meal, much less worry about whether that meal is nutritional or healthy. I wouldn’t even care if it tastes a little weird, as long as it doesn’t induce the gag reflex. [/QUOTE] Isn’t this market niche pretty well filled by Ramen, malt/protein drinks, Doritos, etc. etc. etc.? IME you can eat nothing but bulky hunger-killing junk for a week at least without ill-effects providing you have a moderately well-balanced diet before and after. And a week is about as long as I can manage to eat the same thing day in and day out, no matter how tasty it is. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/31 "2006-12-05T22:20:29Z")
This thread is making me think of that baby food-like “rudimentary paste” they fed **RoboCop**. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2006, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/32 "2006-12-06T00:39:37Z")
[QUOTE=slaphead] Isn’t this market niche pretty well filled by Ramen, malt/protein drinks, Doritos, etc. etc. etc.? IME you can eat nothing but bulky hunger-killing junk for a week at least without ill-effects providing you have a moderately well-balanced diet before and after. And a week is about as long as I can manage to eat the same thing day in and day out, no matter how tasty it is. [/QUOTE] NO! I eat at least three or four meals a week sitting at a computer eating whatever is convenient. Three or four meals of frozen pizza, ramen, and Doritos is NOT healthy. I know. ---
**Author:** ![rocksolid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@rocksolid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocksolid)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2006, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/33 "2006-12-06T01:21:17Z")
Not an answer to the OP but just thought i’d share my little food eccentricity. I’ve NEVER\* eaten anything other than breakfast cereal, bread, potato chips and chocolate bars in my life. I’m 31 and in good health as far as i know. And no, i don’t take any supplements. According to all my friends and family i should be dead by now. Am i killing myself slowly or what? Oh and in response to an earlier post, despite some pretty awful things happening to me i’ve always been a pretty happy person. So maybe there’s something in that lack of variety = happy thing. \*yes i suppose i ate baby foods when i was wee, but since then really nothing except those four things. ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2006, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/34 "2006-12-06T03:10:22Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] I tried Soylent Red Green once, but it tasted funny. [/QUOTE] Heh…I’ve been trying to come up with a pun on this theme, but I’m not worthy. Well done. "I’m a man, and I can change, if I have to… ..I guess…" ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/35 "2006-12-06T04:41:37Z")
[QUOTE=rocksolid] Not an answer to the OP but just thought i’d share my little food eccentricity. I’ve NEVER\* eaten anything other than breakfast cereal, bread, potato chips and chocolate bars in my life. I’m 31 and in good health as far as i know. And no, i don’t take any supplements. According to all my friends and family i should be dead by now. Am i killing myself slowly or what? Oh and in response to an earlier post, despite some pretty awful things happening to me i’ve always been a pretty happy person. So maybe there’s something in that lack of variety = happy thing. \*yes i suppose i ate baby foods when i was wee, but since then really nothing except those four things. [/QUOTE] As long as your breakfast cereal is well fortified with vitamins, I can’t see how you’re posing any immediate risk of malnutirition to yourself. DISCLAIMER: IANApersonatallqualifiedtocounselyouonnutrition. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2006, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/36 "2006-12-06T05:24:50Z")
[QUOTE=rocksolid] Not an answer to the OP but just thought i’d share my little food eccentricity. I’ve NEVER\* eaten anything other than breakfast cereal, bread, potato chips and chocolate bars in my life. I’m 31 and in good health as far as i know. And no, i don’t take any supplements. According to all my friends and family i should be dead by now. Am i killing myself slowly or what? Oh and in response to an earlier post, despite some pretty awful things happening to me i’ve always been a pretty happy person. So maybe there’s something in that lack of variety = happy thing. \*yes i suppose i ate baby foods when i was wee, but since then really nothing except those four things. [/QUOTE] Really? Nothing? No pizza with friends or at the office? No cake and ice cream on your birthday? No popcorn at the movies? No taking a date to dinner? No green vegetable or meat in your entire post-infancy life? This brings up a serious question that we haven’t answered yet: what ARE the basic human dietary requirements? I know we need certain micronutrients, most of which are in any multivitamin. (Anything missing can be gained from additional supplements. Biotin is too expensive to put a full dose in most multivitamins, so you’d probably need some of that.) I know we need a certain number of calories (about 2000-2500 on average) from a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. We also need a certain amount of fiber. Is that all? Is there anything else we need nutritionally? If I made a mix of pulverized vitamin supplements, starch, powdered soy protein, soybean oil, and cellulose in the proper proportions, and consumed it every day with sufficient water, would I be missing anything besides my sanity? Would this be the ideal food, from a purely nutritional standpoint? If not, what would I need to add? ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2006, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/37 "2006-12-06T09:38:24Z")
Anthony Burgess wrote a book called ‘The Wanting Seed’ - it was pretty similar to Soylent Green - IIRC the product was ‘Spam’ A long time ago I was told that the UK Government is very tolerant of the pet food manufacturers as they are regarded as a potential strategic industry should there be a war. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2006, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/38 "2006-12-06T10:23:25Z")
[QUOTE=chappachula] My cat has been fed nothing except dry pellet cat chow for 10 years, and she is perfectly healthy. The cat food supplies all the nutrition she needs. Why is there no dry pellet “people food” that contains all necessary nutrients? Not that I’m expecting people to eat the same dry stuff every day all their lives. But it could be very useful— Say, for soldiers, for emergency relief supplies at disaster areas, and for long-term relief of starving villagers in Africa. Oh,yeah, and also for lazy people like me. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Perhaps the better question is why subject a cat to 10 yrs of the same food. I’m sure it is possible for both pets and people to eat the same meal every single time for their entire life but who would want to? Food is as much about enjoyment as it is about nutrition, what person would want to eat the same thing for 10 years? My 19 yr old cat is sooooooooo on her last legs. She doesn’t have too much longer, she has back leg issues, her memory is going (she comes into the room and then doesn’t seem to know why or she goes out the window and can’t remember how to get back in) but the one thing she is CLEAR about is food. Sometimes she NEEDS cheese and will sit in front of the fridge until cheese is delivered. Sometimes she only wants fishy canned food, other times she only wants dry food. She has always been a fussy bugger but I can’t imagine how much she would have objected to dry food every day. It seems so unnatural to feed dogs or cats dry food ALWAYS. Of course it seems like they like it…starving isn’t fun but it’s a wonder that boredom and total removal from a natural diet doesn’t kill them off. I understand this dry food is highly scientific but try offering the cat a piece of fish instead of the grotty old dry food everyday and see what happens. Dry food makes them live longer? Maybe…but is it a fun life? Give your cat some cheese…it won’t kill them 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2006, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/39 "2006-12-06T10:24:50Z")
[QUOTE=rocksolid] I’ve NEVER\* eaten anything other than breakfast cereal, bread, potato chips and chocolate bars in my life. I’m 31 and in good health as far as i know. And no, i don’t take any supplements [/QUOTE] First thought was, do you have any teeth and hair left? 😛 Is there any sort of, um, “mulch” I could make myself that could be set or frozen for lengthy periods of time? I was thinking that if I liquidised all my fruit and veg and poured it into a mould, or made a big cake out of it, the goodness in all the food I put into it would be lost pretty soon. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2006, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706/40 "2006-12-06T11:41:16Z")
[QUOTE=rocksolid] I’ve NEVER\* eaten anything other than breakfast cereal, bread, potato chips and chocolate bars in my life. I’m 31 and in good health as far as i know. And no, i don’t take any supplements. According to all my friends and family i should be dead by now. Am i killing myself slowly or what? [/QUOTE] No, you’ll be fine. I wouldn’t recommend it as a diet to anyone who wasn’t Scottish, but bearing in mind we scoff down such things as deepfried mars bars and chips, you’re almost a health freak by national standards. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-food-has-everything-needed-for-life-why-isnt-there-a-people-food/382706.md?page=3)