# You Can Choose Three Staples **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 25, 2020, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467 "2020-02-25T01:59:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/1 "2020-02-25T01:59:14Z")
Something I wonder about Due to some circumstance (wishes from a Genie, deal with the devil- ? don’t fight the hypothetical) you have to select the only three staples for a new earth. Which three do you choose, and why? Do you create a world where there are no animal-based staples? This was inspired by a conversation about potatoes and how calorie-dense they are, and they seem to grow anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/2 "2020-02-25T02:17:15Z")
I’m not sure there are any three crops you could pick and still have a complete nutritional meal. Some meat would probably be entirely necessary - not optional. And no matter what you pick, a _lot_ of people would be, in effect, constantly sickly even if they were technically surviving, because humans don’t all have identical digestive systems. To make matters worse, you’re looking at some very restrictive food storage options. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/3 "2020-02-25T02:24:02Z")
Tribbles, Leola root, and popcorn. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/4 "2020-02-25T05:51:23Z")
Soy, broccoli and barley. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/5 "2020-02-25T06:30:02Z")
Beans beans beans ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/6 "2020-02-25T06:51:23Z")
So, “staples” just means the foods eaten in bulk, not the only foods consumed. I’m going to go with wheat, olives and … some sort of legume. Currently torn between chickpea and common bean, with the bean edging out the chickpea for breadth of varieties. Wheat over other grains and potatoes for overall nutrition profile and for versatility of derived products. Olives because olive oil. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/7 "2020-02-25T06:56:19Z")
[ol] [li] **Milk** - which hopefully can be made into cheese, cream, butter, and other milk products, for variety[/li][li] **Soy beans** - likewise, hopefully they can be turned into miso, tofu, soy nuts, etc.[/li][li]Whatever\*\* powerhouse fruit or vegetable\*\* wins the nutrient contest: probably something like sweet potato leaves, but maybe sweet potatoes, strawberries, spinach, or carrots. You’re going to want good amounts of vitamins A and C, for sure.[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/8 "2020-02-25T07:08:19Z")
Avocado seems to be the closest thing to a complete-food vegetable there is. So that. And beans. And rice. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/9 "2020-02-25T11:52:43Z")
I’m enjoying the replies. I hadn’t considered milk. Animals are quite expensive to maintain, but milk is incredibly versatile and properly prepared can store quite well To my mind, a good staple shouldn’t be too perishable, and should have high yields. So personally, I think things like strawberries and avocados might not be ideal. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/10 "2020-02-25T11:55:29Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > So, “staples” just means the foods eaten in bulk, not the only foods consumed. > > I’m going to go with wheat, olives and … some sort of legume. Currently torn between chickpea and common bean, with the bean edging out the chickpea for breadth of varieties. > > Wheat over other grains and potatoes for overall nutrition profile and for versatility of derived products. > > Olives because olive oil. And yes, staples means just that. The bulk, storable, high yield foods that can provide the base nutrition for a society. At least, that’s how I’d define a staple off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/11 "2020-02-25T13:01:36Z")
. . . and here I thought this was going to be a thread about office supply vendors. :smack: Tripler My choice: magenta toner, a working three-hole punch, and the comfy AssMaster 6000 chair. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/12 "2020-02-25T14:51:00Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > And yes, staples means just that. The bulk, storable, high yield foods that can provide the base nutrition for a society. At least, that’s how I’d define a staple off the top of my head. Agreed. For the record, I ummed and aahed over olive oil more than the other two. But ultimately it can be stored, it has a higher yield than rapeseed, peanut or sunflower, and from what I can gather, is way less environmentally destructive than the higher-yielding palm and coconut oils. That and it’s a staple of many of my favourite cuisines. Must admit, it’s probably soy I’d miss most. Maybe I should replace common bean with soy. Yeah, lets say my final 3 is: Wheat, soy and olive. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/13 "2020-02-25T23:02:15Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Avocado seems to be the closest thing to a complete-food vegetable there is. So that. > > And beans. > > And rice. I could probably live out my life on that if only there were tortillas. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/14 "2020-02-25T23:17:07Z")
Maize (corn), beans, and squash. Reputedly the three together provide a complete nutrition profile. And grown together in the same field, (bean vines growing up the corn stalks) replenish the soil and do not require rotation. ---
**Author:** ![Cadae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Cadae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cadae)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/15 "2020-02-26T00:16:44Z")
Surprised how many are choosing at least 1 from the FDA list of top 8 major allergens: Wheat Soybeans Milk Eggs Peanuts Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans) Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod) Crustacean shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp) which account for 90% of reactions and any of which would shut out a huge percentage of eaters ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/16 "2020-02-26T00:28:32Z")
Tato, corn, mutfruit. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/17 "2020-02-26T00:50:12Z")
Maize, rice and beans. ---
**Author:** ![Cadae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Cadae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cadae)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/18 "2020-02-26T00:57:10Z")
Potatoes, spinach, beans ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/19 "2020-02-26T06:07:25Z")
> [@Cadae](#): > > Surprised how many are choosing at least 1 from the FDA list of top 8 major allergens Because I don’t care enough about allergy sufferers? And they don’t matter for the hypothetical, since it’s not “the only foods that will exist” And ~1% (for coeliac) and 0.3% (for soy) is\* in no way\* “A huge percentage of eaters”. They’ll just have to make do with all the non-staple foods they can eat…just like IRL. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467/20 "2020-02-26T08:24:22Z")
Rice and lentils (dal) are the staple foods of India, and eaten together provide a complete protein profile, and taste good together. Add a vegetable or two like spinach or broccoli and you could live very healthily only on that for a long time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-choose-three-staples/848467.md?page=2)