A lot of people say that the Irish people survived for centuries by only eating potatoes, the truth is that potatoes were a staple diet but they also ate fish, vegetables, and meat occasionally. Eating one food type alone will only lead to organ failure sooner no matter how nutritious it might actually be.
The best single food to live on is human breast milk, it has all the nutrients which our body needs, and this is why babies grow so fast. Other foods to live on are potatoes, beans, kale, fat, trail mix, eggs, seaweed, coconut, meat, and salmon. Humans are omnivores, which means that we need a varied diet in order to survive, in theory, you could survive by simply eating potatoes, milk, and oats but not by eating just one type of food.
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It is not a good idea to eat the same food every day, although in a major SHTF situation you will probably only rely on just one or two food types to survive. Humans are omnivores, no matter how hard do vegans want to convince everybody that we only need vegetables in order to survive, the truth is that vegetables lack an essential component for our body’s correct functioning which is fat.
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We need a varied diet in order to keep us healthy, and if we eat the same thing every day forever, sooner or later we will end up developing serious health issues. If you have eaten so much of some food item that you actually got sick, and you could never eat it again then this is what could happen if you rely on a single food to survive. No matter how healthy the food might be, sooner or later your body will get sick of it and you will have trouble even digesting it.
The problem seems to be that after eating the same type of food for longer periods of time we develop some kind of resistance to it, vitamins and minerals are good but having too much in your body will cause complications like Hypervitaminosis. When you eat some new kind of food which you have never eaten before, your body will try to digest as much of it as possible, your body will actually remember what kinds of nutrients the food has and this way it can produce a craving if you are deficient in some minerals, vitamins and even salt.
However, if you eat the same food every day your body will not digest it fully, as you probably have all the vitamins and minerals in your body that you need as you have been eating the same stuff. This means that your body will digest it at the beginning, but sooner or later it will actually start to reject it, which will make you vomit and have diarrhea. Now imagine that you have hoarded a ton of potatoes and you can not eat them because you get sick. Some people might even end up eating dirt in order to survive, if you want to know more about it then check out my recent article Can you eat dirt to survive? ( What are Mud Cakes? ).
Best Single Food To Live On
While it’s not advisable to rely solely on a single food for a balanced and nutritious diet, if I had to choose one, it would be quinoa. Quinoa is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids, making it an excellent source of plant-based protein. It is also rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, including magnesium, iron, and phosphorus. Quinoa is gluten-free, easy to digest, and has a low glycemic index, making it suitable for a wide range of dietary needs. Its versatility allows for various preparations, such as salads, pilafs, and even as a substitute for rice or oatmeal.
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Human Breast Milk
Human breast milk has everything that a growing body needs, and if you would drink enough of it then you could survive forever just by eating human breast milk. You might think that any kind of milk would be good to live off almost forever, the problem is that animal milk is made to help the young animal to grow as fast as possible, and the needs of an animal are not as high as the needs of humans when it comes to fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
One essential component for our survival is fat, if you go to your local supermarket you will see 2-5% milk, this is because the milk has been skimmed which means that most of the fat has been taken out of it. On the other hand, if you have the possibility to buy fresh and real milk from a local farmer then you will notice that it contains a lot of fat. This fat is also in human breast milk which allows the babies to develop faster. If you want to know how to store powdered milk correctly then check out my recent article How to store powdered milk long term ( Top 7 Ways ).
Potatoes
You have probably heard of a recent trend of the single food diet, this is mostly done by people who want to lose weight. This works for the vast majority of people who have been eating junk food and tons of sugar every day, as eating only potatoes will give their bodies a massive shock and they will start burning their fat. Potatoes have a lot of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals which our body needs although eating potatoes is a bare minimum diet to survive.
Although potatoes do contain a lot of protein, but the problem is that they are compared to other starchy foods and not meat. Pound for pound meat has a lot more protein than potatoes and you will have to eat several pounds of potatoes just to get your daily recommended intake of protein. You can even eat potatoes that have already sprouted, for more information check out my recent article What to do with sprouted potatoes? ( Top 8 Uses ).
Beans
If you want to live off eating only one type of food then beans would be excellent, especially because they do have a fairly long shelf life. Beans are packed with a lot of protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins. A lot of cultures around the world have beans as a staple diet, although they do not eat just one variety of beans. The problem with beans is like the problem with any other kind of food eaten for long periods of time is, you will develop a tolerance for it, and sooner or later your body will actually reject it.
Kale
Kale is considered to be a superfood and its nutritional value is somewhere between cabbages and Brussels sprouts to which it is closely related. Kale has a lot of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K1, which are all essential for the human body to function correctly. The problem with kale is if you eat a lot of it your body will absorb a lot of thallium, which is a toxic heavy metal. Kale improves the absorption rate of this heavy metal, no matter if you cook it or you eat it raw.
Fat
The Inuit nations have been eating fat for thousands of years already. You might think that eating all that fat would make them have high blood pressure, cholesterol, and other health complications alongside obesity. The truth is that the Inuit are one of the most healthy people in the world, but you have been taught all your life that fat is not healthy so what gives? Normally the human body can take all the energy it needs just from fat.
The problem is that we can use glucose or sugar for energy also, and people who are obese are not obese because they eat fat but because they eat so much sugar. If you want to know how to store grains long term then check out my recent article How to store flour long term ( In 9 Easy Steps ).
Trail Mix
Trail mix is a combination of dehydrated fruits and nuts, these usually have a lot of protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins. The problem is that you will not get enough vitamin C in your diet, mainly because dehydrated fruits do lose most of their vitamin C through the dehydration process. Nuts and seeds are fairly hard to digest and you will have to eat a lot of it just to get your daily recommended dose of protein and carbs.
Eggs
If you could only eat 3 foods forever then they should be, milk, potatoes, and eggs. Eggs have plenty of fat and other nutritional components that the body needs. Although you will lack some vital minerals like Vitamin C if you only eat eggs.
Seaweed
Seaweed is plentiful to come by, especially if you live near the coast. Cultures that have been living near the coast for thousands of years already have figured out how valuable food seaweed can be. The good thing about seaweed is that almost every type of seaweed is edible, it has plenty of vitamins but lacks fat and it is fairly low in protein.
Coconuts
By far one of the best foods which you could eat almost forever is the coconut, it has almost every type of mineral and vitamin the body needs, in addition to plenty of protein, carbohydrates, and even fat. There have been numerous tales of people stranded on a desert island surviving only by eating coconuts, even if there is no source of fresh water on the island. Coconut has a lot of water in it which is especially useful on a desert island.
The one problem with eating coconut every day is that the sugar contained in it will slowly decay your teeth, in addition to this, you might even lose your night vision because you will lack some of the vitamins which are essential for night vision such as Vitamin A. If you wonder how you could survive on a deserted island and what items you should have, then check out my article ( Top 10 ) Things to take on a desert island.
Meat
There is a diet called the carnivore diet, people who are using this diet eat only meat. Most types of meat have plenty of fats, carbohydrates, and protein, the problem is that if you only eat lean meat then you will lack a lot of minerals. Although if you eat meat in addition to organs such as the liver you will get all the nutrients your body needs, even vitamin C. There is one source of meat with which you will not be able to live for a long time, this is the rabbit meat.
Rabbit meat is so lean that it barely has any fat, without fat your body will have a hard time absorbing all the nutrients from the meat and you will actually use a lot more energy digesting the meat than you get from it.
Salmon
Not all types of fish have enough nutrients for you to be able to survive for a longer period of time, except salmon. Salmon has a lot of Omega 3 acids which are vital for the human body, in addition to this, salmon is considered a fatty fish which means that you will get plenty of good fat in your diet. As with all diets containing only fish, sooner or later you will develop vitamin C deficiency which will lead to scurvy.
Key Takeaways
- Look for a single food source that provides a wide range of essential nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
- Choose a food that is calorie-dense to provide sustained energy and support your daily energy needs.
- Opt for a food with a long shelf life, resistance to spoilage, and the ability to be stored for an extended period without the need for refrigeration or special conditions.