So, after watching the first 6 episodes of Buffy on FX, and the new season premiere, and a couple versions of Dracula for my English class, I’m wondering about the nutritional value of blood.
I figure if I stuck to 3 people per day (or night, rather) I’d be taking in a similar volume of food as I do now. So, what would the nutritional value of this blood be? Would it be just barely enough to keep me alive? Would it be as nutritionally sound as the food I eat now? Would there be a difference between drinking the blood of a healthy, fit person and say, someone overweight and with high cholestorol?
How about the general health of a blood-drinker? Would a blood-only diet result in complications from a lack of fiber? Is there enough protein and such for muscle growth? I’ve heard of juice diets. How similar would this be?
So, what are my chances as a vampire?
(If this has been asked, I’m sorry. I searched a little and didn’t find anything. Also, I don’t really plan on feeding on the living… yet)
Yes, for vampire bats, leeches, hookworms, malarial plasmodia and, of course, the undead. Pleasant company, no doubt. Humans, unfortunately, don’t have the stomach for blood contrary to personal fetishes and perversions. Blood is a strong gastrointestinal irritant, and in significant amounts can induce vomiting andor diarrhea. And however luscious that red stuff feels going down, it comes back much the worse for the trip through gastric acid (bloody shit and bloody vomit…it doesn’t get much worse smell- wise). Imbibe enough of it from an exogenous source over the long run, and you might get iron overload syndrome which can cause liver and heart disease among other things.
If you consumed a volume similar to the amount of food you take daily you would doubtless be hugging the porcelain altar.
I’m not entirely sure it wouldn’t be possible to live on a diet of blood. The Masai live on a diet consisting fairly much entirely of cows milk and blood, and seem to be able to tolerate it fairly well. Blood contains sufficient calories, all the necessary vitamins, minerals etc. It’s just a little lacking in fibre.
Buffy has amazingly reliable info. Just last week I learned how to build my own personal “Do-it-yourself” stake kit, WARNING 95% of vampires die annually to stakes
actually in China and alot of Asia (bar the muslim and buddist countries) pigs blood is sold often at the super market , it is dried into cubes of purple stuff and you take it home and boil it or dissolve it in warm water an mash it up , never tried it myself but my chinese friend always used to drink it , he said the iron content in it made him strong which could be true since he never worked out and was pretty strong
oops made a minor mistake the sell them at open markets the blood cubes not at the super markets , china supermarkets look pretty much the same as western counter parts and the kiddies dare not eat the more traditional stuff
"The tearing apart and eating alive of sacrificial victims may refer to the earliest history of the cult of Dionysus. An ancient and violent cult ritual existing since the dawn of paganism stipulated that, by eating alive, or by drinking the blood, of an enemy or an animal, a person might somehow capture the essence or “soul-strength” of the victim. The earliest Norwegian huntsmen believed in this idea, and they drank the blood of bears in an effort to capture their physical strength. East African Masai warriors also practiced omophagia, and they sought to gain the strength of the wild by drinking the blood of lions. Human victims were treated in this way by Arabs before Mohammed, and head-hunters of the East Indies practiced omophagia in an effort to capture the essence of their enemies.
The Maya and the Toltecs practiced similar ritual human sacrifice, cutting the heart from tens of thousands of living victims and drinking their blood"
etc etc etc
The biggest problem with living off blood is that it’s too salty. IIRC, you’d have a net loss of fluid as your body tries to eliminate the extra salt through your urine. I’ve read this in a couple of wilderness survival books, when they recommend not drinking the blood of animals you’ve hunted.
I suppose if you also allowed yourself to drink water, you’d be better off …
Arjuna34
Don’t the Masai eat mainly, not blood, but beef? There’s gonna be a difference.
Whenever I have a cut or open sore (often, since I’m a hasher) it has a strong metallic smell and taste. I’ve gotta think that couldn’t be good for you as a regular, exclusive diet. It would be bad for the kidneys and liver.
Nope. The Masai eat very little beef. I gather it’s something they only eat during festivals or when their animals die naturally. Their satndard diet is milk and blood. The ownership of acttle is very, very important in Masai society and considered to be a gift from the Gods specifically to the MAsai. The thought of actually doing anything to reduce your livestock numbers is anathema to them. Killing cattle just for food is out altogether.
Blood is, not surpisingly, isotonic. There would be no excess salt whatsoever to be removed. Even if allowed to dehydrate a little it would only be very slightly hypertonic and the kidneys can comfortably handle reasonably hypertonic solutions provided you’ve got enough food. Drinking blood and spinal fluid has been known to keep people alive fro considerable amounts of time at sea and is highly recommended.