Tag: Space diet

In 1961, Yuri Gagarin was the first person to eat in space, consuming puréed meat and chocolate sauce from tubes. This set the stage for modern space cuisine, prompting innovation to address nutritional and logistical challenges when determining what kind of food do astronauts eat in space.

Food sent to orbit must be nutritious and tasty to keep astronauts healthy during long missions. The food options for astronauts have improved a lot from bland tubes of the Mercury program to a wide variety of meals available today.

Alan Shepard, the first American in space, started the steak and eggs tradition before his 1961 mission. This pre-flight meal was a low-fiber, high-protein choice. It was designed to minimize the need for a restroom break during the early, short spaceflights.