There was a time when even NASA didn’t know if humans could eat in the microgravity environment of space. Thankfully for the future of long-term crewed missions, John Glenn proved that it was indeed possible when he ate applesauce from an aluminum tube while orbiting the Earth in 1962.

Since then, the research conducted at our Space Food Systems Laboratory at Johnson Space Center has resulted in improved taste, variety and packaging of foods intended for space travel. Current-day astronauts are now given a standard menu of over 200 approved food and drink items months before launch, allowing them to plan their daily meals far in advance.

So, with such a variety of foods to choose from, what does the typical astronaut eat in a day?  Here is an example from the International Space Station standard menu:

Sounds tasty, right?

However, these are only suggestions for astronauts, so they still have some choice over what they ultimately eat. Many astronauts, including Tim Kopra, combine different ingredients for meals.

Others plan to eat special foods for the holidays. Astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren did just that on Thanksgiving last year when they ate smoked turkey, candied yams, corn and potatoes au gratin.

Another key factor that influences what astronauts eat is the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables, which are delivered via resupply spacecrafts.  When these foods arrive to the space station, they must be eaten quickly before they spoil. Astronaut Tim Peake doesn’t seem to mind.

Nutrition is important to help counteract some of the effects spaceflight have on the body, such as bone and muscle loss, cardiovascular degradation, impairment of immune function, neurovestibular changes and vision changes. 

“Nutrition is vital to the mission,” Scott M. Smith, Ph.D., manager for NASA’s Nutritional Biochemistry Lab said. “Without proper nutrition for the astronauts, the mission will fail. It’s that simple.”

We work hard to help astronauts feel less homesick by providing them with food that not only reminds them of life back on Earth, but is also nutritious and healthy. 

Here are some unusual space food inventions that are no longer in use:

Gelatin-coated sandwich and cookie cubes

Compressed bacon squares

Freeze dried ice cream

I’ve lost (and gained, and lost, and gained, and lost) a lot of cumulative weight. I’ve been obsessing over my weight and going on poorly informed fad diets since before I hit puberty; in the past 3 years, I’ve weighed 98 pounds and 158 pounds. Right now I’m in the middle, where I’m supposed to be for my height and build. Saying you lost 60 pounds in fun, but it wasn’t achieved in a healthy way and it happened way too fast to be sustainable. 

Still, it helped me learn a lot about my body. After a lifetime of dieting, I know in at least the most basic terms what does and doesn’t work for me. None of this information is revolutionary, and it’s all immensely subjective. Every body is different, but through a stupid amount of trial and error, I know a lot about mine! 

Some of this information might be helpful, but take it with a grain of salt- if something doesn’t feel right to you, it probably isn’t. 

If a man asked me “if I was ok” while i was buying pads I would be extremely uncomfortable!!!!!!! Oh my GOD! That’s so incredibly invasive, like cashiers should never comment on people’s purchases because it’s none of their business. Like if she was buying pads and was like “man I feel like shit, I feel like I’m gunna keel over” then yeah ask if she’s ok but if she’s minding her own business than its none of your business to comment. This makes me never want to go to the store again. That also applies for things like medications and pregnancy tests and personal items!!

they’re 50/50 not feeling ok, you’re being compassionate, but they’re buying a health care item for something very private that they more than likely don’t want to talk about. 

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And the best part about this technology is that it’s open source, meaning you can build one yourself from the blueprints that are available for anyone to download. 

I think this is so relevant. You are indeed, at least to a significant extent, what you eat. There is so much research to show what a great impact the right foods can have on mood, and how the right nutrition can help stabilize emotional imbalances. 

To read more about how various foods may affect the biology of your brain and body, read this article from Dartmouth to find out more.

Submitted by coffeebeansandtomatosauce