What's the most limited diet a human thrive on

[DogsnKids]

I was chatting to a friend about our ASD DCs rigid diets and started musing about how few foods you could have and thrive. By which I mean get the necessary vitamins and minerals and protein.

I think you could do it on lentils. Am I wrong?

@Sirzy

Ds has arfid and I’m in a fb group and it’s amazing how many children when they have blood tests even with being very limited still aren’t in a worrying position nutrient wise. The body obviously does a good job at getting what it needs somehow

Yes, I read an article recently (can't remember where, unfortunately, or I'd link) about how humans can survive on very limited diets of very different types - say virtually all fish, or virtually all grains. This wasn't to say these diets are in any way optimal, but more a testament to the adaptability of the human body.

Cereal with milk and I'm pretty sure I remember reading that beans on wholemeal toast is a nutritionally complete meal

@TheLovelinessOfDemons

DS 14 is having eating issues at the moment. The only thing he's deficient in is vitamin D. He literally lives on a few carrot sticks a day.

Nearly everyone in this country is low on vitamin D anyway. Hope he comes around soon.

OP

Ten potatoes gives you all your protein for the day

Potatoes are DA BOMB 💣 😁

I'm not sure of the answer but it did remind me of the story of a teenager who lost his sight due to his very very restricted diet www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/sep/03/british-teenager-loses-sight-and-hearing-due-to-processed-food-diet

I remember a visit to a museum in Ireland. There was a n exhibition about the potato famine. There was a display showing the amount of potatoes consumed by one person in one day and it was huge! Apparently it was all they ate…no wonder they suffered so badly when the famine happened 😢

The only hot meal my ds with autism eats is baked beans. He is doing ok.

[quote Anyonebut]@riverpebbles, of course! It’s just that certain things (not all) could build up certain substances over time, so certain restricted diets could be worse than others for these reasons, even if nutritionally, they cover the same bases.[/quote]
Oh, I see what you mean! Like, don't eat tuna every day due to mercury build up.

A relative knew a student who spent all his grant on a guitar and a cupboard full of oats. He had scurvy by the end of term.

I have a friend who mainly ate a liquid diet of copious amounts of Coke and sugary sweets (inc chocolate). Little solid food although the occasional burger. She had a Vit K deficiency as a consequence, so there are very restricted diets that aren't enough. She eats reasonably normally now but did live like this for decades.

I read you can survive on milk , dates and bananas

If I had to I could definitely live on just cheese omelettes!

I'd prefer to be allowed other ingredients too, like tomatoes, and a side salad, but if not I'd survive!

My Doctor told me some years ago when suffering morning sickness ,that milk was a complete food except for Iron .So coupled with Cereal seems a good option .Marcus Rashford said he ate a lot of cereal as a child !

@Jemimapuddleduk

The only hot meal my ds with autism eats is baked beans. He is doing ok.

I think you could live on just baked beans and a pat of butter mixed in

@PupInAPram

A relative knew a student who spent all his grant on a guitar and a cupboard full of oats. He had scurvy by the end of term.

I read about a voyage where the captain warded off scurvy with a teaspoon of marmalade per day

Craving a spud, with butter now.

@UserBotTrending

I have thought about this though.

What about Eggs+ avocados and nuts?
I reckon you could keep going on those three things for years.

Just eaten a brunch of avocado poached eggs and fresh tomato.

Potatoes were the original WW2 superfood. Somewhere I have a collection of wartime food leaflets and they extol the virtues of potatoes, encouraging everyone to eat 1lb (450g) a day.

@joystir59 Same! I eat fairly healthily with lapses for wine & chocolate so I usually have healthy food at home. I had egg, avocado and cherry tomato for breakfast/lunch. I threw a table spoon of balsamic vinegar over it. mmm

@Thatkid

Potatoes were the original WW2 superfood. Somewhere I have a collection of wartime food leaflets and they extol the virtues of potatoes, encouraging everyone to eat 1lb (450g) a day.

I would love this but I think in a world where carbs are so available, potatoes don't suit me, if I eat potatoes, bread I do just crave more.

Chips would be my last meal. If I'm ever on death row.

Lived in a country where one year there was a near famine. Food was mainly eggs, pounded corn, rice when you could get it, spinach and fresh fish or sardines (again when you could get it).

Did fine.

Still think of tinned sardines as a delicious treat though, which is crazy😂

Anyone remember Magnus Pike the scientist? Apparently during WW2 he was involved in research looking at just this issue OP. Obviously a concern as the population may have ended up starving due to the war. He and his team concluded that pickled walnuts provided the best source of necessary nutrients in extreme circumstances. I bought some at Christmas as I had always wondered what they tasted like. Very nice with some cheese but can’t say I would like to eat them exclusively for any length of time!

The only things on this thread my ds with asd will eat are banana cheese

All he'd eat for about a year was bananas, toast, quavers and tinned meatballs with pasta.

He's gotten a lot better in the last couple of years, although he still won't drink milk or eat most meat. Breakfast is always a cheese salad wrap

Potatoes & buttermilk - this was the average Irish diet before the devastating failure of the potato crops & the Irish were known for their strength & health in this era. They occasionally added pork or other meat but it was predominantly potatoes & buttermilk, a nutritionally complete meal

Go in on the total exclusion diet Facebook group for breastfeeding mums who exclude everything to work out their child's allergens. Some of them are extreme and have only eaten 1-2 foods (e.g. broccoli and olive oil) for over a year.