Average Read Time: 00:01:50
Tomorrow you’re going to be shipped off to an island for one year. You are given water and a choice of one of the following foods to bring with you: (I want you to make the choice that would be the best for your health).
- Alfalfa Sprouts
- Bananas
- Corn
- Hot Dogs
- Milk Chocolate
- Peaches
- Spinach
What will you choose? Every day for one year…
This choice was given by Paul Rozin, a Pennsylvania psychologist, to a group of Americans. This is what they said:
- Bananas (42%)
- Spinach (27%)
- Corn (12%)
- Alfalfa Sprouts (7 %)
- Peaches (5%)
- Hot Dogs (4%)
- Milk Chocolate (3%)
Vitamins and minerals aside, let’s take a quick look at the breakdown of macronutrients:
- Bananas (Carbohydrates: 23 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 0 g)
- Spinach (Carbohydrates: 4 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat: 0 g)
- Corn (Carbohydrates: 19 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat: 1 g)
- Alfalfa Sprouts (Carbohydrates: 2 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 1 g)
- Peaches (Carbohydrates: 10 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 0 g)
- Hot Dogs (Carbohydrates: 5 g, Protein: 11 g, Fat: 30 g)
- Milk Chocolate (Carbohydrates: 59 g, Protein: 8 g, Fat: 30 g)
* All macronutrient values were taken from www.nutritiondata.com. Each measurement is a 100 gram serving.
Can you see why hobo’s go for hot dogs and bologna whenever they scrape up a couple bucks? If you are going to survive off of something make sure to listen to the hobos…
As you know, we need three macronutrients to survive. These are fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Outside of this we also need micronutrients; vitamins and minerals. So if were to survive for a whole year on just one food, our most balanced options were chosen by only 7% of the population. This was the point that Paul Rozin was trying to make. He writes, “Fat, seems to have assumed, even at low levels, the role of a toxin.”
But fat certainly is not a toxin. It is needed to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. It is used to maintain healthy skin, synthesize hormones, and cushion the body’s organs. It also makes you feel full and provides the body with the highest concentration of energy.
Your body needs that fat. It craves that fat. That’s why low fat diets rarely work, and have you binging on fast food in no time flat. So don’t rule out fat just yet, just make sure not to go overboard…
P.S. I had just finished a book called The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood. In it, he was told by the US Air Force survival specialists that the best survival food in terms of cost per calorie is peanut butter. If you’ve got enough water, peanut butter is an affordable and rich source of energy.
Images by Church Fun, Eric Lafforgue, Michael Pickard, vzonabaxter
Comments: Now with what you know, what one food would you bring with you to the island?
Related posts:
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
If you brought hot dogs to the desert island like the one in the photo, they could also serve as cuddly pets before you had to eat them.