# Is there any single food that can sustain a person? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 12, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934 "2007-09-12T17:16:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hobohob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Hobohob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hobohob)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/1 "2007-09-12T17:16:54Z")
I.e., can man live on bread alone? And water and air of course. And a Centrum Daily Multivitamin. I’ve heard dogs can live on just corn and soy meal. And people get all the key proteins from rice and beans. But is there one food that would do it? I’d allow mixtures like bread, meatloaf, or chicken noodle soup. ---
**Author:** ![Hobohob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Hobohob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hobohob)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/2 "2007-09-12T17:24:25Z")
And no, I don’t want ad hoc combinations like “Just put your daily diet in a blender”. Nor any SciFi refernces to the daily food pill. Real food that already exists. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/3 "2007-09-12T17:26:38Z")
“Meat loaf” and “chicken noodle soup” are not “one food”. So why not a stew of _any grain_ with _any legume_, with a dollop of V8 sloshed in, and a slice of cheese melted on top? ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/4 "2007-09-12T17:27:25Z")
Not a complete answer, but this [classic Cecil column](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_209.html) may be of interest. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/5 "2007-09-12T17:37:15Z")
[Why don’t they make People Kibble?](http://208.100.26.199/sdmb/showthread.php?t=53966) ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/6 "2007-09-12T17:42:50Z")
I asked a version of this myself a long time ago but it was more restrictive. I asked about a single ingrediant that would do the trick )e.g. brocolli, beef, or humpback whale blubber). I don’t think anyone came up with a longterm solution. Given your criteria, you could easilly make pizza that could sustain you forever but that isn’t an interesting answer UMHO because you can have all the food groups accounted for on one pizza. Scurvy is a big threat to this type of idea so you have to acoount for enough Vitamin C. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/7 "2007-09-12T18:07:35Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Scurvy is a big threat to this type of idea so you have to acoount for enough Vitamin C. [/QUOTE] Or, if you pick something that’s pretty nutritionally complete, like eggs, it has zero fiber and therefore isn’t feasible for humans to live on long-term. ---
**Author:** ![back\_before\_irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@back\_before\_irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/back_before_irony)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/8 "2007-09-12T18:45:25Z")
[QUOTE=Rube E. Tewesday] Not a complete answer, but this [classic Cecil column](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_209.html) may be of interest. [/QUOTE] Actually, that is a complete answer. Cecil only poses water and vitamins as problems, but the OP allows those. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/9 "2007-09-12T19:04:30Z")
Does the goop that goes into feeding tubes count? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/10 "2007-09-12T19:14:32Z")
Pizza ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/11 "2007-09-12T19:15:51Z")
potatoes 9with the skins and a little milk and butter). it sustained the Irish from ca. 1600-1840. of course, if you can’t grow them you have a problem. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/12 "2007-09-12T19:18:35Z")
Beer, for a broad enough definition of “beer.” If I’m allowed to vary the beers that I drink, I can survive indefinately on beer. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/13 "2007-09-12T19:24:47Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Beer, for a broad enough definition of “beer.” If I’m allowed to vary the beers that I drink, I can survive indefinately on beer. [/QUOTE] Extra lemon in your hefe-weizen, sir? You’re looking a little…well, scurvy. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/14 "2007-09-12T19:38:51Z")
I was thinkung CaveCreek Chili Beer, but hefe will do quite nicely. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/15 "2007-09-12T19:45:46Z")
Haggis. I’d rather die than eat it again. End of problem. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/16 "2007-09-12T19:53:50Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] I was thinkung CaveCreek Chili Beer, but hefe will do quite nicely. 😃 [/QUOTE] Added benefit to hefe is that it has a good bit of fiber…always hard to come by on an…ahem…liquid diet. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/17 "2007-09-12T20:29:57Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Beer, for a broad enough definition of “beer.” If I’m allowed to vary the beers that I drink, I can survive indefinately on beer. [/QUOTE] Wouldn’t you die of alcohol poisoning at some point? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/18 "2007-09-12T20:41:06Z")
[QUOTE=sturmhauke] Wouldn’t you die of alcohol poisoning at some point? [/QUOTE] Drinking beer? Not likely, assuming you’re just drinking steadily throughout the day, and giving your liver time to do its thing. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/19 "2007-09-12T20:55:00Z")
This guy tried to go a week eating nothing but Monkey Chow: [The Monkey Chow Diaries](http://www.angryman.ca/monkey.html) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934/20 "2007-09-12T21:02:14Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] potatoes 9with the skins and a little milk and butter). it sustained the Irish from ca. 1600-1840. of course, if you can’t grow them you have a problem. [/QUOTE] I was gonna ask about this. My dad claimed that that’s all he ever saw his parents eat when he was young. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-single-food-that-can-sustain-a-person/418934.md?page=2)