# the perfect food -- question for doctors **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perfect-food-question-for-doctors/127713 "2002-09-09T21:33:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kevin\_Partida](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Kevin\_Partida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevin_Partida)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perfect-food-question-for-doctors/127713/1 "2002-09-09T21:33:07Z")
I’ve wondered for quite some time now if a perfect food is possible to manufacture. What I mean by this is a food that can be eaten with the body completely using every part of the food, resulting in no feces. Is this humanly possible? Keep in mind that I have no clue about how the digestive system works, but I think it would be really cool to be able to eat perfect food and never have to go take a poop again. I’m not applying this to urination because I’m pretty sure that it’s definately impossible to avoid, but solid waste I am not so sure. Please be kind and don’t think i’m too moronic :). So anyway, will I ever see the day when pooping is a thing of the past ? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perfect-food-question-for-doctors/127713/2 "2002-09-09T21:58:18Z")
I’m not a doctor (maybe I should not be answering in that case), but I think it’s true that you run an increased risk of problems like bowel cancer if things don’t keep movin’ through. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perfect-food-question-for-doctors/127713/3 "2002-09-09T22:00:34Z")
Oh, plus there’s the fact that poo isn’t just leftover bits of food; it’s dead bits of _you_ (spent blood cells etc). ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perfect-food-question-for-doctors/127713/4 "2002-09-09T23:27:46Z")
Well, I suppose a clear liquid vitamin supplement might do the trick, but good luck on getting rid of the intestinal lining and bacteria that make up about half of an average doody. You’ll poop a lot less, but you’ll still poop. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perfect-food-question-for-doctors/127713/5 "2002-09-09T23:32:05Z")
Might as well get a microbiologist’s point of view - feces is up to 1/3 dead bacteria, by dry weight. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perfect-food-question-for-doctors/127713/6 "2002-09-09T23:35:32Z")
Might as well get a microbiologist’s point of view - feces is up to 1/3 dead bacteria, by dry weight. Crap (no pun intended) - I hope I caught that before it went through. I just reailzed that a lot of the bacteria is, of course, quite alive. Ah, well. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perfect-food-question-for-doctors/127713/7 "2002-09-09T23:46:22Z")
Nah. Your colon is very important in fluid regulation, too. You could eat low-residue foods and minimize your need to defecate, but you’d always produce enough mucous which isn’t meant to be absorbed that you’d lose some material rectally. And the best foods health-wise have fiber in them, aiding in their passage thru the colon, improving absorption. A food that wouldn’t make you poop wouldn’t be a _perfect food_ at all, unless you’re obsessed with your bowels to the point of not wanting to have a normal bodily function. Besides, what’s more satisfying than a good dump? Well, a lot of things, I suppose. But there’s a lot of stuff going on in most person’s lives that’s a lot _less_ satisfying than a good dump, so just enjoy it! QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perfect-food-question-for-doctors/127713/8 "2002-09-09T23:57:09Z")
This is one of my all-time favorite threads: [Why don’t they make People Kibble?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53966&highlight=kibble) MMmmmm… People Kibble aahhhahhhagghgghhah~~~ ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perfect-food-question-for-doctors/127713/9 "2002-09-10T01:53:05Z")
If you are concerned with food efficiency, may I suggest the [Dilberito](http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/1999/03/22/story8.html)? Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert) was one of the co-creators of a burrito that contained 100% of the recommended daily allowance of all nutrients needed by the human body. I’ve never seen a Dilberito in the store, but if you do find some and stock up on them, that’s all you need to eat. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-perfect-food-question-for-doctors/127713/10 "2002-09-10T07:46:21Z")
I’ve eaten Dilberitos. They’re not bad but I wouldn’t want to live on them. In my fantasy world chocolate is the perfect food. (i.e. noncaloric)