# Smallest variety of different foods needed for survival **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 4, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-variety-of-different-foods-needed-for-survival/248724 "2004-06-04T22:58:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-variety-of-different-foods-needed-for-survival/248724/1 "2004-06-04T22:58:36Z")
I didn’t know if there’d be a definitive answer for this, so I’ll put it here. We all know the adage about [not being able to live by bread alone](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_209.html). So what would be the smallest variety of foods necessary to survice. That is, you could eat only these foods for the rest of your life. Water is a given. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-variety-of-different-foods-needed-for-survival/248724/2 "2004-06-04T23:42:05Z")
While it’s probably not the ideal food from a culinary viewpoint, you might consider pet food if you are going to be forced to eat one thing the rest of your life. The fine folks at Purina and Iams pack in all the nutrients for Fluffy and Rover to survive, so presumedly you could make a go of it as well. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-variety-of-different-foods-needed-for-survival/248724/3 "2004-06-05T04:19:12Z")
Pet food might work, but I don’t know if dogs and cats have the same requirements as humans. I’ve heard that potatoes are close, if you eat the skins too and include an egg every week or so for the protein. You might need some greens for extra vitamins as well. There was a story in the paper quite a few years ago about a guy who lived on beer for several years (that’s good English beer of course) with only a packet of crisps (potato chips) once in a while for variety. Unfortunately, he first came to the attention of the press when he collapsed and was diagnosed with severe malnutrition. I guess with all that beer he didn’t notice he was feeling sick. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-variety-of-different-foods-needed-for-survival/248724/4 "2004-06-05T14:03:00Z")
Hm, how about: potatoes in skins bananas milk unfiltered beer egg oranges spinach potatoes and bananas for the potassium and assorted vitamines and minerals, oranges to stop from being so bland=) and for the vitamins milk and egg for protein and fat, and the added d vitamins unfiltered beer for the yeast [b complex vitamins] spinach for the iron and fiber. OK, I also love spinach=) and maybe a nice tuna for the omega oils? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-variety-of-different-foods-needed-for-survival/248724/5 "2004-06-05T14:28:15Z")
I remember reading a National Geographic article about potatoes about 15 years ago, and IIRC, the article claimed that you could live without any deficiencies on only potatoes and whole milk, provided you ate the skins. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-variety-of-different-foods-needed-for-survival/248724/6 "2004-06-05T14:44:49Z")
back to my idea…using the usda lookup, i got the following info=) [http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/](http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/) potatoes, baked, flesh and skin, with salt NDB#11828 . 1 medium bananas, raw . 1 medium spinach, raw . 1 cup orange, raw, navels . 1 fruit egg, white, raw, fresh . 1 large milk, whole . 1 cup tuna, bluefin, raw . 3 oz [i like sashimi=)] they don’t have a category for unfiltered beer=( so I dont know how to classify it=( But, it looks fairly nutrition dense even without the beer… Now, with our limited selection of ingredients, do we get to use salt and other spices or not? ---
**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:** [June 5, 2004, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-variety-of-different-foods-needed-for-survival/248724/7 "2004-06-05T14:51:02Z")
In a Peg Bracken book, she lists the following: One lb. wheat flour, two oz. lard, 1 1/2 cabbage leaves, one carrot. She called it the “I’d Rather Be Dead Than Fed” diet. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-variety-of-different-foods-needed-for-survival/248724/8 "2004-06-05T14:59:56Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Now, with our limited selection of ingredients, do we get to use salt and other spices or not? Only if you need them to survive. Salt, possibly, if the above foods don’t have enough.