• gastroglizzy@piefed.social
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    16 days ago

    Iirc, some nutritionist a while back did an experiment where they ate only potatoes for X number of days and proved that you can survive indefinitely off of only potatoes. You can also bury a piece of a potato and it willl grow into a potato plant. They’re basically an infinite food glitch.

      • TheReanuKeeves@lemmy.world
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        16 days ago

        I only recall the guy that did it for 60 days but he had to eat 7-8 pounds of potatoes a day to hit minimum protein requirements. His health markers were also very misleading because he went into the experiment as an unhealthy person. His bloodwork showed improvement because he was only eating potatoes rather than junk. Potatoes don’t have fat, so you’re not getting any essential omegas and along with the B12, there is little to none of: A, D, E, K, B2, B7, selenium, calcium, zinc, and a couple essential aminos

        Those deficiencies would lead to muscle wasting, loss of sight, hormone imbalances, weak bones, permanent nerve damage etc.

        If you put someone who is in good health on a potato diet for a year, even with B12, they would likely be looking at multiple organ failure by the end of that year

        • arrow74@lemmy.zip
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          15 days ago

          Eggs, cheese, onions, and a bit of cooking oil really complete most of the missing nutrients. Rather cheaply as well

          • TheReanuKeeves@lemmy.world
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            15 days ago

            You’ll be missing at least 6 essentials with that list. The shortest list with potatoes to hit everything at sustainable levels is potatoes, sardines, eggs, and a leafy green.

        • derek@infosec.pub
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          16 days ago

          Dogs may be goobers but they aren’t spuds and not acceptable foodstuffs either way. Regardless of breed. You monster.

    • DjangoFett@lemmy.zip
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      16 days ago

      I believe potatoes and cheese ultimately provide all the nutrition the body actually requires for average daily modern life.

      Like, you can actually be physically healthy and well by eating nothing else.

      Mentally speaking the jury is still out regarding the health of a person who chooses to live on nothing but potatoes and cheese, but daily nutritional requirements are absolutely met.

    • crank0271@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      A quick search brings up a couple people who have done this (Ireland notwithstanding). I remember this guy doing it, but there are others.

    • Eq0@literature.cafe
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      16 days ago

      You really have to define what “only potatoes” means, because most potato dishes also have a bunch of other ingredients

  • kurmudgeon@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    The same could be said about corn. It’s in fucking everything in some form or fashion.

    Food and Drink

    • Direct Foods: Sweet corn, popcorn, hominy, grits, cornmeal, corn flour, and tortilla chips. • Sweeteners: High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), corn syrup, dextrose, and maltose found in sodas, candies, and baked goods. • Additives and Thickeners: Cornstarch, maltodextrin, xanthan gum, citric acid, and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) used in sauces, gravies, and processed foods. • Beverages: Beer, whiskey, and soft drinks.

    Animal Feed and Agriculture

    • Livestock Diet: The majority of grain corn grown in the U.S. is fed to cattle, pigs, poultry, and dairy cows, producing the meat, milk, and eggs we consume.

    Fuel and Industrial Products

    • Ethanol: Renewable fuel blended into gasoline. • Bioplastics: Biodegradable PLA (polylactic acid) used in cups, food containers, and packaging. • Adhesives & Household Goods: Glues (like Elmer’s), envelope gum, drywall mold inhibitors (made with cornstarch), hand soap, and laundry detergents

    Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics, and Everyday Items

    • Medicines and Vitamins: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, aspirin binders, and glucose/dextrose used in IV solutions. • Personal Care: Toothpaste, diapers, baby powder, shampoo (citric acid), and cosmetics. • Miscellaneous: Chewing gum (sorbitol/xylitol), crayons, matchsticks, fireworks (as a binder), and toilet paper.

    • cobysev@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      Ethanol: Renewable fuel blended into gasoline.

      When I was living in Nebraska for a few years, I was surprised to find that Super Unleaded gasoline was always cheaper at the pump than regular Unleaded.

      Turns out, since Nebraska’s largest export is corn and corn products, they end up with tons of ethanol byproduct left over. So Super Unleaded, which has more ethanol than regular, is cheaper so they can get rid of it all. Supply and demand.

  • RBWells@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    Bamboo is crazy - you can eat it, make floors out of it, make clothing out of it, bowls and plates. And apparently beer as well. I don’t want it anywhere near my house because one of the reasons it’s so useful is its ultra rapid growth rate. But it is amazing.

    • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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      15 days ago

      It’s not as hard as you think to get rid of. It does take 3 seasons though, so it’s a long process…

      You basically just have to starve the rhizome and you can do it without chemicals even. You wait until the shoots start developing leaves and cut them all down, then just keep repeating that process. If your lucky the rhizome will start rotting by year 2, but it generally takes 3 years. You need to ensure it spends as much energy as possible shooting and don’t let it get any sunlight from leaves.

  • TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip
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    16 days ago

    Rice is pretty versatile too. It’s just that western countries only use rice as an alternative to mashed potatoes with meat. That’s basically the only purpose for rice in the west. Doesn’t have to though. Just check what they’re doing with rice in Japan.

    • CapuccinoCoretto@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      “The west” is litterally the greatest Global Village in the world with a bit of everyone from everywhere. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian restaurants abound, and it doesn’t stop there. Let’s not gatekeep rice like it’s some strange mystery.

      • TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip
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        16 days ago

        It’s available, but generally speaking people don’t even realize what it could be used for. Many westerners have actually eaten rice in a variety forms because of the reasons you mentioned.

        When you eat at an Indian restaurant, you’ll just eat the strange little cakes without realizing that they’re actually made of rice. That’s not what people think when they hear the word rice.

    • simulacra_procession@lemmy.today
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      14 days ago

      Most of the southeast of the US would like a word. It was a cash crop down there for a long time, no thanks to slavery of course but true nonetheless. Most notable in Cajun cooking especially nowdays, but there are a lot of traditional rice based dishes in the Carolinas and other southeastern states. I eat hoppin john on new years for the black eyed peas good luck :)

      • TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip
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        14 days ago

        What I meant to say is that rice tends to keep its form in the West. It’s cooked and mixed with a variety of different things. What you see on the plate can immediately be identified as rice.

        Asian countries get very creative by turning it into flour or paste and using that like any other ingredient. Just like butter, sugar, or salt could be encountered anywhere, rice can hide just about anywhere. You would never know unless you made that food.

  • CannedYeet@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    My favorite is breakfast potatoes. Or at least that’s what I call it. Other people usually call it vodka.

  • shalafi@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    I only grew potatoes once and a fungus got the tops after awhile, yet I still got 5X what I put in the ground with zero watering, fertilizing or even looking at them. I also didn’t make a proper mound so I probably could have got 10X.

    They’re so damned easy I’ve wondered if most of the cost at the grocery is from transporting all that weight. Corn’s the second easiest food I’ve grown.

    • kestrel7_7@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      It’s moving them, and the various fungi/blights. As you discovered you can’t just grow them in the same soil over and over again without diseases, so managing that can be tricky from a like real estate/topsoil perspective

  • gaiussabinus@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    I’d like to note that all staples are staples for the reason of calorie density and utility. Many kinds of crops like heritage corn and wheat can also be eaten almost exclusively if treated correctly.

    • Starya67@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      During Victorian times, poor people in the north of England were healthier than those in the south, because those in the south ate bread and those in the north ate potatoes. Potatoes have vitamin C, wheat doesn’t.

      • Shindo66@lemmy.world
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        16 days ago

        I read a book a while back that actually had a big chunk on this sort of thing. Most people dont realize that for eons people ate the same staple, day in and day out. Very specific deffieciencies came about from what the people in the region ate.

    • littlelordfauntleroy@lemmy.zip
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      16 days ago

      Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that’s about it.

  • Geobloke@aussie.zone
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    16 days ago

    Milk is pretty amazing, animals turn something that we can’t eat and we turn it into cheese and if you it put on a pizza it gets turned back into a vegetable