Picture a British sailor in the 1700s, six months into a transatlantic voyage. His gums are bleeding, his joints ache and his teeth are loosening from their sockets. He isn’t dying from starvation because his belly is full of salted meat and hardtack. He’s dying from the absence of a single molecule: vitamin C. Scurvy is one of humanity’s most instructive biological lessons, and it has nothing to do with quantity. The sailors were eating. They were simply eating wrong by relying on a monotonous diet that lacked one compound the human body cannot manufacture on its own.
According to clinical literature, the human body lacks the functional gene (GULO) to synthesize ascorbic acid endogenously, meaning our vitamin C pool can be fully depleted within as little as one to three months on a deficient diet. Symptoms like bruising, hemorrhage and impaired wound healing follow reliably. The treatment, historically, was as simple as a lemon.
That story is the perfect entry point into a deeper question: could a human survive indefinitely on just one food? The answer, in short, is no. But the why is far more fascinating than the conclusion.
The Nine Essentials Of The Human Diet
Our biological needs are extraordinarily specific. Protein alone doesn’t cut it because we need the right protein. Of the 20 amino acids required for human protein synthesis, nine are classified as essential:
Histidine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Valine
These nine amino acids are classified as essential because human and other mammalian cells lack the metabolic pathways necessary to synthesize them in sufficient quantities. They must come from food, every single day.
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Importantly, a deficiency in these essential acids won’t always be immediately obvious. It manifests as fatigue, cognitive fog, weakened immunity and impaired tissue repair; in growing children, it leads to stunted development.
The problem is that no single whole food delivers all nine essential amino acids plus adequate vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and fiber in the proportions the adult human body requires across a lifetime. Human breast milk comes extraordinarily close — it is, after all, biologically engineered to support a ridly developing infant — but it is a developmental food, not a maintenance one. For the rest of us, the chemistry is unambiguous: we are obligate dietary generalists. Variety is not a preference. It is a prerequisite.
The Evolutionary Case For The Omnivorous Human
To understand why we are this way, you have to go back millions of years.
Paleoanthropological evidence drawn from dental microwear, stable isotope analysis and fossil records paints a consistent picture: for proximately 99% of human evolutionary history, gathering and hunting formed the nutritional foundation of our ancestors’ lives. Agriculture is a relative newcomer, arriving only around 12,000 years ago. Before that, the hominin diet was characterized by breadth — tubers, seeds, fruits, insects, meat, marrow — shifting with seasons, geogrhy and opportunity.
Researchers have described humans as highly omnivorous, exploiting a wide range of plant, animal and fungal foods across environments as disparate as the Arctic tundra and equatorial rainforest. And crucially, our physiology evolved to match.
Fossil evidence and comparative anatomy show that the reduction in gut size seen in Homo erectus coincided with increased meat consumption and, later, cooked food — a dietary shift so significant it likely contributed to the caloric surplus that fueled brain expansion. The brain itself consumes roughly 20-25% of resting metabolic energy in humans, compared to just 3-4% in most mammals. Feeding that organ required dietary quality, not dietary simplicity.
The genomic evidence is just as compelling. A renowned 2007 study published in Nature Genetics examined copy number variation in the salivary amylase gene, AMY1: the enzyme that breaks down starch in the mouth. The researchers found that populations with historically high-starch diets carry significantly more copies of AMY1 than those whose traditional diets were low in starch.
This copy number variation correlates directly with salivary amylase protein levels — more copies, more enzyme, more starch-digesting cacity. The authors identified it as one of the first known examples of positive selection on a copy number-variable gene in the human genome.
Think about what this means. Our genome didn’t just tolerate dietary variety; it actively evolved in response to the specific foods available in different ecological niches. A species locked onto a single food would have no such selective landsce to operate within. Dietary monotony, evolutionarily speaking, is a dead end.
What A Mono-Diet Does To The Human Gut Microbiome
Your gut contains somewhere in the neighborhood of 1014 microbial cells, a number that rivals, or possibly exceeds, the count of your own body’s cells. This community of bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses is an active metabolic partner, synthesizing compounds your own cells cannot make, regulating inflammation, shing immune responses and even influencing mood through the gut-brain axis.
A 2014 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition identified long-term diet as the single largest exogenous factor affecting gut microbiome composition. Short-term dietary shifts produce modest, transient changes. Long-term monotony, however, can fundamentally restructure the microbial landsce.
Diets rich in diverse plant fiber promote the growth of beneficial bacteria and elevate production of short-chain fatty acids — molecules like butyrate that maintain gut barrier integrity, dampen systemic inflammation and support metabolic health.
Remove that variety, and what follows is dysbiosis: a collse in microbial diversity, an overgrowth of pathogenic taxa and a cascade of downstream consequences including elevated risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.
A mono-diet, regardless of which food is chosen, would almost inevitably produce this outcome. Even a nutritionally dense food like eggs or salmon (which are excellent individual choices in a varied diet) cannot supply the range of fibers, polyphenols and prebiotic compounds that sustain a diverse microbiome. The gut isn’t just fed by what you eat. It’s shed by the full breadth of what you eat.
The Folly Of Extreme Human Dietary Restriction
We are, in the most precise biological sense, unfinished. Human evolution did not stop at the Paleolithic. Genetic adtations have continued in response to dietary shifts, but the pace of cultural dietary change has now far outrun the pace of genomic adtation. We are, in other words, metabolic creatures navigating a food environment our evolution never anticipated, and the mismatch creates real physiological costs.
This is precisely why certain modern dietary movements, however well-intentioned, deserve scientific scrutiny.
The Lion Diet, for instance, which reduces intake to ruminant meat, salt and water, operates on the assumption that eliminating most foods eliminates inflammatory triggers. For a small subset of people with severe, treatment-resistant autoimmune or hypersensitivity conditions, there may be a short-term clinical rationale worth exploring under medical supervision. But as a prescription for average adults? The biochemical case against it is substantial. An all-meat diet provides essentially zero vitamin C (remember our sailor), no dietary fiber to sustain gut microbiota and no plant polyphenols to activate antioxidant pathways.
Diets high in saturated fat and devoid of fermentable fiber reliably reduce microbial diversity and elevate systemic inflammation markers, the precise outcomes the diet claims to prevent.
Pescatarianism, the practice of excluding all meat except fish, is considerably more nutritionally defensible and, for most people, well-tolerated. Fish provides high-quality complete protein, o-3 fatty acids, vitamin D and B12. But even here, long-term adherence without attention to dietary variety (i.e., iron sources, diverse plant fiber, legumes, whole grains) can produce micronutrient gs, particularly in women of reproductive age. The label matters less than the actual breadth of the plate.
What the science converges on is neither dietary maximalism nor minimalism, but diversity. The evolutionary record, the biochemical requirements and the microbiome literature all point in the same direction: the human body was built for a broad, varied, seasonally shifting diet. Extreme elimination diets, whether eliminating all plants, all animals, or nearly everything, work against the fundamental architecture of our physiology.
Did you already know how a mono-diet could affect the human body? Take my fun and challenging Human Anatomy IQ Test to really put your knowledge to the test.

Aunt Flo might have met her match.
For most women, that time of the month is more than just an inconvenience — it brings painful symptoms that are bad enough to keep many home from school, work and other plans just to recover.
But before you reach for the hot water bottle and pain relievers, a first-of-its-kind study suggests simply swping your period products could significantly ease that discomfort.
Researchers followed a group of 188 women across the US over three full menstrual cycles.
The participants, whose average age was 30, all experienced menstrual cramps not linked to endometriosis — a chronic condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, often causing severe pain, heavy bleeding and other symptoms.
During the first cycle, participants used regular tampons, one of the most commonly used period products nationwide.
For their second and third cycles, they were given the option to switch to either a menstrual cup or disc made by Saalt, an Idaho-based company that produces reusable period care products.
Each day, the participants tracked their symptoms, leaks and how often they changed products.
By the end of the study, the researchers found that 78% of the women reported improvements in symptoms like cramping, headaches, fatigue, bloating and food cravings while using cups or discs compared to tampons.
And the relief wasn’t just modest. The share of women reporting zero cramping, for example, jumped from 4% during the tampon cycle to 24% while using cups or discs — a six-fold increase.
There were even some unexpected perks. About 14% of participants said they bled for fewer days while using cups or discs compared to tampons.
That finding resonated with Cherie Hoeger, Saalt’s co-founder and CEO, who said she noticed similar changes after making the switch herself.
When I first tried a menstrual cup, I remember being shocked by how comfortable it was compared to tampons, she said. There were several times where I not only forgot that I was wearing it, but also forgot that I was still on my period.
My cramping also started to diminish, and I noticed that my periods were seemingly cut shorter, lasting only four or five days rather than the typical six days I had experienced for the prior two decades, Hoeger continued. I was truly blown away.
Since launching Saalt in 2018, Hoeger said she’s heard similar stories from customers who use the company’s cups, discs and period underwear.
This was the inspiration behind commissioning the study — we wanted to substantiate the anecdotal evidence we’d heard from customers for years with third-party data and give women research that supports an alternative to the tampon default, Hoeger said.
While the study identified a link between cup and disc use and fewer symptoms, researchers say more work is needed to understand exactly why. Still, there are several key differences between the products that could offer clues.
One distinct difference between cups and discs and tampons is the method of interaction, as cups and discs collect blood and tampons absorb it, said Dr. Marybec Griffin, a sexual health researcher who worked on the study.
There’s also the structural components of the two methods: cups and discs are more flexible so they move with the body where tampons are more rigid and don’t have the same flexibility, she added.
Griffin also pointed to recent research that detected metals, including arsenic and lead, in tampons from multiple brands, noting that little is known about the effects of long-term exposure.
Currently, the FDA doesn’t require companies to list ingredients or chemicals for tampons or pads, she said. This means users aren’t aware of the potential health risks.
Participants in the study seemed to find the switch from tampons to cups or discs relatively simple.
Before the study began, only 30% of women had ever tried a menstrual cup or disc. The biggest reasons for avoiding them were concerns about heavy flow and worries about mess.
Hoeger said this ick factor is a common hesitation among those on the fence about making the switch to reusables.
I understand that hesitation because consumer behavior change is inherently challenging, she said. However, as women actually make the switch and adjust to cup maintenance, they adt quickly and report that it becomes routine.
This experience peared to play out in the study.
Despite being new to the products, 71% of participants said that the cups or discs were easy or very easy to use.
The women also grew more comfortable with the products over time, with 75% describing them as comfortable or very comfortable during the first cycle and 83% saying the same by the second.
When it came to leakage, the average leak rate with tampons was about 30%, while between 10% and 30% of women reported leaks when using cups or discs.
On the convenience front, participants used an average of three tampons per day, compared to two changes daily with cups or discs.
People don’t always realize that because our premium medical-grade silicone cups and discs hold up to three to four times more flow than a tampon, you rarely have to empty them in a public setting, Hoeger said. If you do, users can easily empty, wipe and reinsert the product right in the stall, waiting until they get home for a deep clean.
Looking ahead, 76% of the participants said they planned to keep using cups or discs after the study ended.
The remaining 24% who opted out pointed to issues like difficulty removing the products, discomfort, bladder pressure or other side effects.
Adverse events were rare but did occur: one participant reported bladder pressure, one experienced worsened cramping, two developed yeast infections or itchiness and one needed assistance removing the cup.
Researchers noted these issues may be tied to natural anatomical differences — such as a retroverted uterus or a shallow pubic shelf — which can affect how these products fit. Many women, they added, may not even know they have these variations.
Asked whether she thinks it’s better overall to use cups or discs or tampons or pads, Griffin said the jury is still out and may be different from person to person.
She noted that prior research has documented that cups reduce infection rates relative to tampons, offer longer wear times and generate a fraction of the environmental waste.
Our research adds another layer by linking cup and disc use to reduce subjective symptom burden, Griffin said. Our findings are preliminary, but we believe that women should be given all of the information available to make a fully informed choice about how to manage their periods.

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – The National Archives Foundation, National Restaurant Association and Drink Company hosted a food festival as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration, bringing regional cuisines from across the country to Constitution Avenue.
For one night, guests took a multi-state culinary adventure by walking two blocks in the nation’s cital. Constitution Avenue was turned into a restaurant with the home of the Declaration of Independence as the backdrop.
Taste of America featured four chefs from each corner of the country using regional menus to tell the story of American culture.
It feels wonderful, said Billie Jo Edmonds of Mo’s Seafood & Chowder in Asotria, Ore.
She represented the Northwest, serving the menu from Mo’s Seafood and Chowder to highlight the tradition and community of Astoria.
People come to the Northwest, they know Mo’s. And so to be able to bring it to a national stage like this, it’s incredible, Edmonds said.
There are stories in every single dish that we serve. The marionberry is such a local to the northwest, some claim maybe even just to Oregon, and so it felt really pertinent to have it come here, she said.
Massachusetts, North Carolina and New Mexico joined the list. Guests took their tastebuds on a cross-country adventure, learning about the ingredients and flavors that make each dish unique.
We’ve been around for 80 years, and to celebrate 250 with America, it’s an incredible honor, Edmonds said.
The event was part of the three-day Spirit of Independence festival. It benefited the National Archives Foundation and celebrated America’s 250th birthday.

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Restaurants and other food vendors ordered to close and allowed to reopen by Orange County health inspectors from May 28 to June 4.
Breakfast buffet at Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 1411 S. Manchester Ave., Anaheim
Closed: June 3
Reason: Cockroach infestation
Reopened: June 4
Caffe Gazelle, 16041 Bolsa Chica St., Huntington Beach
Closed: June 3
Reason: Cockroach infestation
Reopened: June 4
La Huasteca at The Source, 6980 Beach Blvd., Suite J-301, Buena Park
Closed: June 2
Reason: Rodent infestation
Reopened: June 2
International Pastry at Wholesome Choice, 18040 Culver Drive, Irvine
Closed: June 2
Reason: Unproved construction/remodeling
Loi’s Kitchen, 10130 Garden Grove Blvd., Suite 133, Garden Grove
Closed: June 2
Reason: Insufficient hot water
Reopened: June 3
Food sales at Stanton Party Supply, 10401 Beach Blvd., Suite 220, Stanton
Closed: June 1
Reason: Cockroach infestation
Reopened: June 4
Phat Ky Mi Gia, 14140 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove
Closed: May 28
Reason: Cockroach infestation
Reopened: May 29
This list is published weekly with closures since the previous week’s list. Status updates are published in the following week’s list.

Re Federal limits on food aid to begin today (June 1): Tax cuts for the rich and program cuts for the poor — the implementation of food stamp eligibility restrictions and eligibility re Medicaid-funded health care access — has resulted in a $1.5 billion reduction in funding, about the same amount as the $1.5 billion in tax cuts for those earning over $500,000, according to Food Research and Action Center data. More than 40% of the 5.5 million people on food stamps in California are working families. More than 61% are in families with children; and more than 19% are in families with older adults or disabled individuals. And 59% have incomes below the poverty line.
As John F. Kennedy reminded us in his Jan. 20, 1961, inaugural address, If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. Any country that forces people to work in order to obtain food they cannot afford to buy deserves our condemnation, not commendation.
— Rosemary Johnston, San Diego