Is there one meal, processed or natural, that one could eat every day that would provide all his needed nutrients?
Taste is less of a concern, and simplicity is key. I understand that yes, one could prepare a huge meal according to the food pryamid, but i’m thinking more along the lines of sitting down, plopping a can of goop on one’s plate, and violla, all the necessary ingredients to keep the body ticking until the next meal of goop.
So… to the dopers… replace “goop” with something that exists and is edible. Any Ideas?
yeah… exactly like People Kibble… seriously, if two people indipendantly came up with that in a small community like ours, i can’t imagine why it wouldn’t be marketable, especially to those who are weight conscious. "Pour one gram of People Kibble for each pound of body weight to maintain weight…’
You mean like the slop they pour into naso-gastric tubes? That stuff kept Terry Schiavo “alive” for years, and is the saving grace of at least one sensitive stomach I’ve heard of. The makers of Glucerna (nutrient shakes for diabetics) apparently also package the stuff for NG use, vanilla flavoring and all.
If we’re talking about naturally occurring foods, then I’m confused by the term ‘meal’—does it have to be a single foodstuff, or can it be a prepared dish composed of several ingredients? If it’s the latter, you should investigate Roy Walford’s works. He was a professor of pathophysiology at UCLA who in later life developed an interest in using caloric restriction to extend the human life span. He used a computer to design nutritionally complete ‘convenience foods’ that a person could make at home. They were designed for people on the go—most of the recipes were designed such that a person could make a large quantity of the stuff and live off it for several days, negating the need for daily food preparation. Since caloric restriction was the goal, all of the meals are extremely low in fat and were designed to contain all of the nutrients known to be needed to sustain human homeostasis. You can trust what Walford says implicitly—he was neither a health food quack nor a reputable-scientist-gone-slightly-bonkers a la Linus Pauling. Walford was a thorough, respected, and published researcher with impeccable credentials. At his peak, he was one of the world’s most respected authorities in the field of biogerontology.
Now, if we’re talking about synthetic foodstuffs, then there are an endless number of things that humans could eat which would fit the bill. People in comas have been kept alive for decades on liquid parenteral solutions which are designed to be nutritionally complete. I know a little quadriplegic girl who’s trachea is sewn shut. She is fed through a stoma in her chest—twice a day her nurses stick a plastic tube in the stoma, attach a funnel to the other end, pop a can, and pour it right in. She’s eleven years old and still going strong.
Some other possibilities:
Commercial laboratory primate food, such as Purina Monkey Chow.
Any dog food which has it’s content regulated by the NRC.
SlimFast. (I’ve scrutinized the contents pretty thoroughly and I can’t see any holes nutritionally, but BLECCCH—I’d rather eat the dog food. But to keep the record fair, the stuff should keep a human alive indefinitely).
The list goes on, but I’m running out of ideas—and I’m not going to resort to Soylent Green jokes. You can take it from here.
I’m too lazy to find the link, but there was something I saw a couple of years or so ago that said that a diet of only Guiness would supply all the nutrients you need.
Of course, you would have to drink 47 pints a day, which might have some additional consequences…
Not quite- you’d also need a large glass of milk, and another of OJ- if I remember correctly.
Back to the OP- Rice, (+ maybe corn) & beans will just about do it. I’d say a large glass of citrus juice (or a pretty serious multivitamin) and you’re in business.
I have seen some salads with a nice amount of meat- something like a Cobb Salad might just do it. Eggs are pretty complete. You have veggies, cheese, eggs, & meat, so I think you’d be OK.
Ok, here is what we need: complete protiens (just about any meat, but you need at least two veg sources for all the Aminos), Vitamins & minerals, Calories (Fats, carbs and/or protiens), Fiber, and “Essential fatty acids”.
Power-type bars generally don’t have enough fiber, and if you ate enough of them to get the 2000Cal you need, you might get too many of some vitamins.
Raw meat just about does it, also. (Raw meat has Vit C).
As I mentioned in the earlier thread Patty O’Furniture linked, Purina Hight Protein Monkey Chow should work. I’m not sure if it’s still marketed under the Purina brand, but here are some details: High Protein Monkey Diet
You may not even need a formula to maintain your weight. I think some studies have suggested that when a person is taken off a “cafeteria” style diet (i.e. you can pick whatever you want to eat from a large variety of choices) and restricted to a single food, he/she tends to only eat what’s needed.
I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be a problem for monkey chow: Yum, yum!