How much food does a person need per day to survive?
The amount of food we consume daily has a significant impact on bodily function. Most adults need a minimum of 2000 calories to sustain metabolism, muscle activity, and brain function. However, too many calories can lead to weight gain and a variety of diseases.
Jesse Feder, Registered Dietitian, says, “ A person can only survive short term on 500 calories a day. This is extremely low and can lead to serious health issues over time.”
Current Red Cross guidelines advise people to store at least three days of non-perishable food and water, and this is been their longtime standard. Each year we wait to see if they will increase that minimum to a week, and we think they should.
An ideal daily intake of calories varies depending on age, metabolism and levels of physical activity, among other things. Generally, the recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories a day for women and 2,500 for men.
“On a 1,200 calorie diet, your body has to make adjustments. You can't live optimally on that. If you are young and active, you would lose weight and fat over time, but your body would make metabolic adjustments. "You might get cold hands and feet more easily, and you would be preoccupied with food a lot of the time.
Eating one meal a day can increase your blood pressure and cholesterol. This occurred in a group of healthy adults who switched to one meal a day to participate in a study. If you already have concerns in either area, eating just once a day might not be safe. Eating one meal late can cause your blood sugar to spike.
Beef liver comes in at number one on our list of most nutrient dense foods. Commonly referred to as “nature's multivitamin,” a 3.5 ounce serving of beef liver exceeds many of the minimum recommended daily intake of numerous hard-to-get nutrients. It's also a rich source of protein.
Tomatoes. An abundance of health-promoting nutrients can be found in tomatoes – lycopene, vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and flavanol antioxidants, to name but a few.
The 80/20 rule is a guide for your everyday diet—eat nutritious foods 80 percent of the time and have a serving of your favorite treat with the other 20 percent. For the “80 percent” part of the plan, focus on drinking lots of water and eating nutritious foods that include: Whole grains. Fruits and vegetables.
In general, it is likely that a person could survive between 1 and 2 months without food. As many different factors influence the length of time that the body can last without food, this period will vary among individuals.
Something better than potatoes? Eating only one food probably won't do any harm in the short term. However, there is no known food that supplies all the needs of human adults on a long-term basis.
What is the most powerful survival food you can make at home?
Hardtack, Pemmican, Parched Corn, and Trench Cake Are Some of the Original Foods for the Long Haul. MREs and emergency ration bars are fine examples of modern survival foods. These bug-out-friendly items can be stored for long periods and provide sustaining nutrition, two key requirements for survival food.
