# How much edible meat on a human body? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 28, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820 "2010-01-28T23:16:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/1 "2010-01-28T23:16:14Z")
Watching a documentary on the Donner Party and its turn to canibalism, I’m now curious as to how much edible tissue there is on a human body. I have no idea, but if “edible” is limited primarily to muscle tissue, I’m guessing a 175 lb. man might be worth 15-20 pounds or so. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/2 "2010-01-28T23:18:15Z")
Depends on how you define meat. You can probably add a lot of fat and connective tissue and still get something equivalent to mechanically processed chicken. The rest of the fat is technically edible too I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/3 "2010-01-28T23:18:53Z")
If we’re talking about cannibalism by the starving, a lot more than muscle is going to be considered edible. A 175 lb man with normal body fat levels will have about 26 lbs of fat on him… much more calories in that. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/4 "2010-01-28T23:22:33Z")
Oh, and don’t forget the marrow and brains. All edible, though watch out for those prions! ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/5 "2010-01-28T23:26:23Z")
More than enough for a snack, not quite enough for a meal. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/6 "2010-01-28T23:49:50Z")
Obligatory xkcd link: [xkcd: Donner](http://xkcd.com/30/) ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/7 "2010-01-29T00:11:54Z")
Not to mention internal organs. Insert flava beans and chianti reference here. ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/8 "2010-01-29T00:22:20Z")
> [@xash](#): > > Obligatory xkcd link: [xkcd: Donner](http://xkcd.com/30/) [Onion link, too.](http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33574) ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/9 "2010-01-29T00:28:49Z")
> [@ZPG\_Zealot](#): > > Not to mention internal organs. Insert flava beans and chianti reference here. And whatever’s left over we can stuff in the intestines and make sausages. Can you tell I’m getting hungy? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![toodlepip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@toodlepip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toodlepip)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/10 "2010-01-29T00:31:09Z")
An average human is around 40% muscle, 15ish% fat. Women have slightly more body fat and less muscle than men. A lot of the organs might also be considered edible - liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain - depending on hunger and squeamishness, there’d probably be around 3 kg of edible offal. Obviously, in an extreme survival situation you’d be dealing with a starved individual; modify your expectations accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/11 "2010-01-29T01:14:04Z")
According to Karl Wurf’s To Serve Man- A Cookbook For People, an ideal 240 pound specimen yields 144 pounds of edible meat. It’s right there on page 7. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/12 "2010-01-29T01:25:49Z")
> [@ZPG\_Zealot](#): > > Not to mention internal organs. Insert flava beans and chianti reference here. Flava Flaaav! Joe ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/13 "2010-01-29T01:34:17Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > Flava Flaaav! > > Joe You know, even if I was desperate enough to resort to long pig, I think I would need extra incentive to eat a man that ugly. That’s a repulsive thought that goes one step beyond mere cannibalism. Besides, he looks kinda tough and stringy. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/14 "2010-01-29T01:53:04Z")
Can we get a mod to add “Need answer fast” to the thread title? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/15 "2010-01-29T02:48:39Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > Watching a documentary on the Donner Party and its turn to canibalism, I’m now curious as to how much edible tissue there is on a human body. I have no idea, but if “edible” is limited primarily to muscle tissue, I’m guessing a 175 lb. man might be worth 15-20 pounds or so. In the Donner Party’s circumstances “edible” is not limited to muscle tissue - before they resorted to cannibalism, they were boiling old cow skins and leather to eat. They would have eaten absolutely everything, muscle, liver, lungs, kidneys, intestines, brains, and everything else. They would have cracked open the bones for marrow, and then boiled them for soup. Bones make up about 12-15% of an adult’s weight. Tendons and gristle will also be pretty much indigestible; however, part of the bones’ weight, the marrow is edible. Let’s say maybe 20% of a human carcass is inedible. Using that estimate, a 175 lb man would yield 140 lbs of edible matter. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/16 "2010-01-29T02:59:04Z")
Damn, this thread makes me want to see Ravenous again. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/17 "2010-01-29T02:59:45Z")
The secret’s in the sauce! ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/18 "2010-01-29T04:37:17Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > Watching a documentary on the Donner Party and its turn to canibalism, I’m now curious as to how much edible tissue there is on a human body. I have no idea, but if “edible” is limited primarily to muscle tissue, I’m guessing a 175 lb. man might be worth 15-20 pounds or so. That sounds extremely low to me. Cattle typically dress out at 62% to 64% of the weight on the hoof (e.g., a 1000-pound steer would provide 620 to 640 pounds of meat). I understand we’re not built like cows, but I wouldn’t expect the difference to be that great. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/19 "2010-01-29T06:46:08Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:18, topic:526820”] That sounds extremely low to me. Cattle typically dress out at 62% to 64% of the weight on the hoof (e.g., a 1000-pound steer would provide 620 to 640 pounds of meat). I understand we’re not built like cows, but I wouldn’t expect the difference to be that great. [/QUOTE] Does that include organ meat and offal? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820/20 "2010-01-29T08:40:00Z")
> [@toodlepip](#): > > An average human is around 40% muscle, 15ish% fat. Women have slightly more body fat and less muscle than men. A lot of the organs might also be considered edible - liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain - **depending on hunger and squeamishness,** there’d probably be around 3 kg of edible offal. I would assume that in any circumstance involving cannibalism, extreme hunger is a given and squeamishness has ceased being a consideration. You’ve kind of passed the point where pickiness is an option. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-edible-meat-on-a-human-body/526820.md?page=2)