# What is the most "complete" food. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 29, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686 "2002-03-29T02:34:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hayduke\_Lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Hayduke\_Lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hayduke_Lives)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/1 "2002-03-29T02:34:17Z")
Is there any one food that could sustain a human, without consuming anything else (except fresh water)? By food, I mean a natural food…meat, fruit, vegitable, grain, etc., so pizza doesn’t count. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/2 "2002-03-29T02:48:05Z")
Stuffed cabbage. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/3 "2002-03-29T02:59:30Z")
Roast beef sub with lettuce, onion, tomato, hot peppers and sweet peppers. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/4 "2002-03-29T03:07:08Z")
Breastmilk by itself is obviously capable of sustaining humans for the first several years of their lives. You could probably live on it for years thereafter as well. Cow’s milk comes pretty close for humans although it is missing a nutrient or two. But I doubt if there is anything natural that is closer to a complete food in the sense you mean. ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/5 "2002-03-29T03:35:22Z")
BEANS! or bananas ---
**Author:** ![Hayduke\_Lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Hayduke\_Lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hayduke_Lives)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/6 "2002-03-29T03:37:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > \*\*Roast beef sub with lettuce, onion, tomato, hot peppers and sweet peppers. \*\* ok. Now just show me where they grow on trees.😛 ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/7 "2002-03-29T03:43:19Z")
Ummm… I can look at the topics and figure which ones are yours. Have you done the gry post yet? Answer to OP: Fruit. Fresh. The zoo seems to swear by it. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/8 "2002-03-29T04:28:07Z")
I once read about some tests being run on eating raw meat and nothing else. The theory was that Eskimoes have nothing else to eat and survive. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/9 "2002-03-29T04:47:03Z")
Eggs. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/10 "2002-03-29T04:54:12Z")
Beans? Hey, are the above answers real or are you guys just blurting (or typing, rather) out the first food that comes to mind? ---
**Author:** ![partly\_warmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@partly\_warmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partly_warmer)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/11 "2002-03-29T05:36:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hayduke Lives!! \* > \*\*Is there any one food that could sustain a human, without consuming anything else (except fresh water)? By food, I mean a natural food…meat, fruit, vegitable, grain, etc., so pizza doesn’t count. \*\* The question is, why does anyone care? Offhand, I don’t know of any animal that eats just one thing. Yet the health food dimmies have us believe there must be some perfect food that’s an antidote to our foolish modern food that we’ve been eating for 20,000 years. ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/12 "2002-03-29T05:39:37Z")
No joke, man! Beans are it! You got yer protein, you got yer vitties, you got yer versatility in cooking methods, and they’re musical too. Plus they’re not very demanding on soil so they can be grown in various climates with relatively lower strain on the land. Beans rock! ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/13 "2002-03-29T05:47:47Z")
Eggs. They do, after all, contain all the protein, carbs, fats, and nutrients needed to grow an embryo into a baby chicken. That doesn’t, naturally, mean they’re _good_ for you. But they’ll keep you alive & free of malnutrition problems pretty much indefinitely. ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/14 "2002-03-29T06:16:36Z")
SCSimmons, I’m gonna argue with you on those eggs simply on the grounds of securement. You gotta have a chicken to lay those eggs. There are no shortages of chickens, but lookng at this holistically, the way we procure our food is just as important. Chicken shit is a major polluter of water sheds, and feeding them is another factor that can’t be ignored. Go with beans ---
**Author:** ![Swirdle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Swirdle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swirdle)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/15 "2002-03-29T07:32:33Z")
I am wondering if bread-fruit would protect from scurvy. ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/16 "2002-03-29T07:41:39Z")
scurvy, ha! Who needs teeth when you’re gumming beans! ---
**Author:** ![Bromley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Bromley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bromley)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/17 "2002-03-29T08:20:38Z")
Wouldn’t long pig contain all the nutrients you require? (As well as several diseases that you don’t, but no food is perfect). ---
**Author:** ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/18 "2002-03-29T08:24:09Z")
Soylent Green is people haven’t figured out how to do this properly, but this is apparently a great recipe for Long Pig: [http://www.fix.org/jennyg/longpig.html](http://www.fix.org/jennyg/longpig.html) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/19 "2002-03-29T10:58:12Z")
Blood. It carries all of the nutrients necessary to sustain a human being; especially if it’s human blood. If you can find a way to digest an all-blood diet, you’re good to go. What? You wanted a viable single food? Try milk; not quite as complete, but less creepy. ---
**Author:** ![ScottHaneda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@ScottHaneda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScottHaneda)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686/20 "2002-03-29T12:23:44Z")
maybe not that good, but wondering, what about cat food or dog food, seems to work for most animals. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complete-food/100686.md?page=2)