# Could you live on meat and mushrooms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 22, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496 "2011-06-22T23:08:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Weaver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Weaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weaver)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/1 "2011-06-22T23:08:56Z")
A while ago I came across a post-apocalyptic novel where the survivours lived on a diet of meat (specifically pork) and mushrooms. This seemed somewhat doubtful to me but given that the novel’s setting seemed fairly well thought out and researched I decided not to dismiss it altogether. I did some reasearch on the matter (bordom+internet= looking up strange things) but the information I got seems a bit unclear. On a related note, I once heard someone (who may have been inspired by the above mentioned novel) claim that it was possible to survive perfectly well on a diet of mushrooms, potatos and guinea pig meat (don’t ask me why he specified guinea pigs, I’m as puzzled by that as you). Although this seems a bit more plausible then the pork and mushrooms diet in the novel, I’m not entirely convinced that it would work but things are suffiently unclear to cause a bit of a mental arguement on the matter and in the interest of settling it one way or another I’ve decided to ask for a second opinion on the matter, which is where you come in. So, can anyone help? ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/2 "2011-06-22T23:12:23Z")
No fruit or veg? Everything in the list offers protein and minerals, some offers fat. But I find it hard to believe that anyone could live really long without carbs. Carbs are brain power. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/3 "2011-06-22T23:17:31Z")
Yes, it can been done. In fact it HAS been done for an entire year (mushrooms are optional): [All Meat Diet](http://www.mendosa.com/stefansson1.htm)] [http://www.jbc.org/content/87/3/651.full.pdf+html](http://www.jbc.org/content/87/3/651.full.pdf+html) ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/4 "2011-06-22T23:19:32Z")
We have done a few threads before on the lowest number of foods you could potentially live on and still be semi-healthy. Potatoes are one of the really good candidates. Irish people practically did that experiment for real for a long time. Pork makes sense as well although I don’t remember it being brought up often. Pigs are the ultimate omnivores much like people and our meat is supposedly fairly similar according to connoisseurs of both regular pigs and us long pigs. They should have some of most everything we need in their meat. I don’t think I have heard the mushroom solution before and I am not sure why it is needed exactly. However, mushrooms grow extremely quickly under odd conditions where plants won’t so that may be why it was included in a post-apocalyptic story. ---
**Author:** ![Weaver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Weaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weaver)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/5 "2011-06-22T23:45:58Z")
@carnut: That’s pretty much what I thought. The carbs aren’t much of an issue given that we can use protein and fat as fuel if we have to, but I couldn’t quite get over the lack of fruit and veg. @Shagnasty: Given that the novel was mostly set underground, I think that the fact that mushrooms grow without sunlight was the reason they featured. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/6 "2011-06-23T00:04:30Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > No fruit or veg? Everything in the list offers protein and minerals, some offers fat. But I find it hard to believe that anyone could live really long without carbs. Carbs are brain power. You can get carbs from lots of grain products, take your pick. Heck, you could add BEER to your diet to get the carbs you need. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/7 "2011-06-23T00:17:45Z")
You can absolutely live a very low carbohydrate diet essentially forever. Pre-Christian Scandinavians, as well as pretty much any other peoples that lived in the far north (either in Europe or North America) traditionally had diets that were almost entirely protein and fat. My understanding is that the human body needs energy to survive, you can get energy from protein and fat. You also need essential amino acids–those come from proteins, you also need essential fatty acids–those come from fat. There isn’t an equivalent “essential carbohydrate” there isn’t anything that will kill you by not eating carbs, in the medium term (meaning years.) Obviously never having vegetables or fruits might make it so your years aren’t as healthy and may decrease life expectancy in the long term. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/8 "2011-06-23T00:20:23Z")
On the issue of post-apocalypse, it is worth noting that even though humans can live essentially indefinitely off of animal meats alone (the mushrooms would just be a nice bonus) if they were eating solely meat/mushroom because all other vegetation was dead then all animals would go extinct as well. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/9 "2011-06-23T00:49:27Z")
I have to wonder about vitamin C…scurvy’s not a very fun way to die. I think I remember from one of these threads in the past that if you eat some raw organ meats, you can get enough vitamin C…but regular flesh just doesn’t have enough. ---
**Author:** ![Weaver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Weaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weaver)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/10 "2011-06-23T00:59:29Z")
@ Martin Hyde: I wondered where the pigs came from myself, although given some of the details of the setting it was entirely possible that someone had the foresight to include them in any long term survival preparations. Oh, and by the by, if anyone’s interested in the novel in question, the title is _Metro 2033_. A word of warning however, it is a Russian novel and like a lot of Russian literature is rather depressing in places. It also spawned a computer game which is apparently good but very difficult. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/11 "2011-06-23T01:00:28Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > On the issue of post-apocalypse, it is worth noting that even though humans can live essentially indefinitely off of animal meats alone (the mushrooms would just be a nice bonus) if they were eating solely meat/mushroom because all other vegetation was dead then all animals would go extinct as well. The pigs could survive on other pigs, humans, and mushrooms. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/12 "2011-06-23T03:50:28Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > I have to wonder about vitamin C…scurvy’s not a very fun way to die. I think I remember from one of these threads in the past that if you eat some raw organ meats, you can get enough vitamin C…but regular flesh just doesn’t have enough. Right, scurvy would be the problem on a all-meat diet. Here’s what a human needs (in order) Protein /Amino acids Fiber Fats/EFA Minerals Vitamins. The last three are all easily done by pill. Meat has plenty of fat in any case , and most vitamins & minerals (except when cook, then no vit C). No fiber, however, but that can also be done by supplements. A human does not need carbs, nor are they “brain power”. Fats & proteins can be metabolized into needed glucose. So just meat (the shruums are more or less pointless, nutrition-wise), and you’d need vit C and fiber. Note that the eskimo ate some small plants & berries and even the stomach contents of caribu, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/13 "2011-06-23T04:03:22Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > You can absolutely live a very low carbohydrate diet essentially forever. Pre-Christian Scandinavians, as well as pretty much any other peoples that lived in the far north (either in Europe or North America) traditionally had diets that were almost entirely protein and fat. > > My understanding is that the human body needs energy to survive, you can get energy from protein and fat. You also need essential amino acids–those come from proteins, you also need essential fatty acids–those come from fat. > > There isn’t an equivalent “essential carbohydrate” there isn’t anything that will kill you by not eating carbs, in the medium term (meaning years.) Obviously never having vegetables or fruits might make it so your years aren’t as healthy and may decrease life expectancy in the long term. Bingo. Very good answer. Carbs are the PREFERRED source for energy because they are most easily converted to glucose (which is what your brain runs on). But when you take carbs out of your diet, your body will begin to convert protein into that glucose (glucogenesis). ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/14 "2011-06-23T10:51:47Z")
In survival courses people are taught not to eat mushrooms as the nutritional value is so low that you use up more energy looking for and picking them than you gain by eating them. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/15 "2011-06-23T12:46:40Z")
> [@Weaver](#): > > @ Martin Hyde: I wondered where the pigs came from myself, although given some of the details of the setting it was entirely possible that someone had the foresight to include them in any long term survival preparations. > > Oh, and by the by, if anyone’s interested in the novel in question, the title is _Metro 2033_. A word of warning however, it is a Russian novel and like a lot of Russian literature is rather depressing in places. It also spawned a computer game which is apparently good but very difficult. I’ve played this game. Yes, it is very good, a standard 3D scrolling FPS shoot-em-up, but so depressing and dreary. It has the most realistic gun workings I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/16 "2011-06-23T15:13:45Z")
> [@Weaver](#): > > .. On a related note, I once heard someone (who may have been inspired by the above mentioned novel) claim that it was possible to survive perfectly well on a diet of mushrooms, potatos and guinea pig meat (don’t ask me why he specified guinea pigs, I’m as puzzled by that as you). .. WAG: his “diet” includes no vitamin C. Guinea pigs are one of the only other mammals that don’t produce their own vitamin C and can therefore get scurvy. Somehow … somehow … the two got conflated in his mind? ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/17 "2011-06-23T15:26:04Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Right, scurvy would be the problem on a all-meat diet. > > Here’s what a human needs (in order) > Protein /Amino acids > Fiber > Fats/EFA > Minerals > Vitamins. What do we need fiber for? > [@DrDeth](#): > > A human does not need carbs, nor are they “brain power”. Fats & proteins can be metabolized into needed glucose. Well, technically, carbs ARE brain power. You are correct that other molecules can be converted to glucose but, remember, glucose is a carbohydrate. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/18 "2011-06-23T16:15:45Z")
Playing around with my [fitday.com](http://fitday.com) account, I think the diet will work for most nutrients, provided you’re not averse to variety meats. The things I’m having trouble finding sufficient sources for are vitamin E, vitamin D, and manganese. There is some manganese in pork liver, but to avoid hypervitaminosis-A, you don’t want to eat more than 6 oz a day. That only provides about 50% of the RDA of manganese. Pork heart has a bit of vitamin E, but I can’t get to 100% of the RDA even if you eat 3000 calories of it. Mushrooms that have been exposed to ultraviolet light (natural or artificial) are supposed to be much higher in vitamin D than those kept entirely in the dark. A pound of raw pork brain has over 100% of the RDA of vitamin C and only 570 Calories. Brain is also an excellent source of the essential fatty acids, while the fat found in the rest of the body is generally not. As mentioned above, it is possible to survive without eating carbohydrates even though glucose is the preferred fuel of the nervous system. Glucose made from protein can supply roughly half the needed brain energy and ketones made from fat can make up the difference. Even if that were not true, mushrooms and pork liver both have a bit of carbohydrate. Mushrooms are a pretty good source of several minerals and vitamins. Gnawing on pork bones would provide plenty of calcium and magnesium, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/19 "2011-06-23T17:29:36Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > What do we need fiber for? Regularity ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496/20 "2011-06-24T01:33:51Z")
I seem to recall reading somewhere that whale meat or whale fat is a source of vitamin C for those from the far north. I am aware that grain is not necessary for our diet but I did think that veg was. I sit corrected. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-live-on-meat-and-mushrooms/586496.md?page=2)