What do We Need to Eat to Survive?

I have been through many different "pyramids" in my day. Structure this, servings that, but as I have delved more and more into biology courses in college, I have determined that all you need, essentially are a few trace minerals, carbohydrates (simple sugars), and water. What are the specific building blocks for humans to grow and flourish without any problems at all? I know that humans can survive purely off of a diet of carbohydrates, water, and air for a while, but there is a limit to it. For example: if we were to not have enough calcium, our bone density would degrade. Or if we were to lack Vitamin C (for example out at sea) for long periods of time, we would get scurvy. So what specific elements/compounds do we need to survive other than water, fats, simple sugars, and carbohydrates in order not to develop some sort of deficiency or disease?

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I do not want to know what will "experimentally" help me, I want to know what I definitely need in order to provide my body (and blood) with the nourishment it needs to survive and flourish.

2 years ago

I also do not care how much of everything that I (or any other human for that matter) need. I do not want to know how many servings of fruits and veggies I need, I could search that on Google any day. I need concrete compounds/elements that, when removed from my diet, will cause some sort of malfunction. For example: Zinc is required for processing ATP and for bones to retain rigidity. It is NOT required for people to survive because Calcium would replace the need for Zinc in the long run.

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Sorry for not providing and answer and hope you're not offended, but I just felt like interjecting this here... In an evolutionary sense, the more we can consume the less it matters, as anything could be the source of what we need, not just to survive, but also to evolve further.

The theory being, the less variety you can consume, the higher the chance that you go malnourished and devolve.

Some more thoughts...

30% protein, 40% fat, 40% carbs.

I suppose there are different types of proteins, carbs, and fats, some better than others, not that any should be completely eliminated.

I think I heard that macrobiotic diets get water from the food?
Oh and yeah, all them vitamins and minerals, with more being discovered?

Anyhow, you could probably eat fish, chicken, and rice the rest of your life, but who would want to do that?

Have you studied the process of creating ATP in biology yet?
Truly understand that, then let us know.

A balanced diet.
2-3 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
6 or more servings of carbohydrates, e.g breads, cereals, pasta
2-3 serving of milk or dairy products
1-2 servings of meat or meat products
A little fats and oils
6-8 glasses of fluid or water ( not 6-8 glasses of caffeine)
Specific compounds-- there are heaps of them; for example the 20 amino acids in proteins, glucose- in carbohydrates, fatty acids and fat molecules in fat, vitamins-- each vitamin is a different chemical compound, minerals-- usually a metal ion

 

My thoughts are added as follows:

        If hungry enough, I'll eat about anything that I thinks feeds me.

        A hot broth of any kind is good for morale.

        I'm not educated enough to translate the percentages  I read into the real food I get access to where I live.

        I believe that if something is deficient in my diet, we'll crave it, and figure that out eventually.