It surely takes a lot of motivation to train for years in order to sit on top of a very powerful bomb, that will take you into the most extreme and remote environment - in the best case scenario. This kind of willpower is a frequent encounter within armed forces, where astronauts are usually recruited from. And yet, the same extremely motivated demographic can find themselves in situations where they are not motivated enough to eat.
Specifically, the low palatability of food manufactured for space missions is partly to blame for astronaut weight loss (Pittia & Heer, 2022). In a similar fashion, the low quality of military food is regarded as the main culprit for the reduced energy intake observed among military personnel (Carvalho et al., 2018; Friedl et al., 2020; Charlot, 2021). Relying on a food source that is not very tasty is a weakness for those sectors: eating enough of something you don't like is difficult, especially on a long-term basis and on a mission where everything else is already mentally and physically demanding.
The consequences of reduced food intake are not limited to weight loss; we are dealing with a case of malnutrition, where physical and mental health is being compromised. Inadequacy of calories means inadequacy of energy sources, important building blocks, and essential vitamins and minerals, leading up to deficiencies that compromise the health status of the crew. The constant feeling of "low energy" puts any person in a state of irritable mood, however, sleep quality is reduced further. The success chances of the mission drop dramatically with the crew in such state. The problems extend also beyond the mission itself; recovery is a lengthier process for a malnourished person, and sometimes it is only partial.
The reasons deliciousness has been left out of the food equation have to do with priority setting. Safety, stability, and practicality must come first in the development process of a food item. However, the insights collected now point towards the importance of tastefulness: no matter how safe, stable, and practical a food item is, if it is not consumed at an amount sufficient to keep the crew healthy, it is ineffectual. It is time to focus on adding flavour, on maintaining texture. On making astronauts and soldiers actually look forward to their next meal.
We are all witnesses to the leaps food technology is making, with more and more palatable options for people adhering to various dietary restrictions. However, the food industry is still not addressing the resource limitations imposed by extreme environments -basically a very extreme dietary restriction. So far, the food items developed for special diets were meant to enrich an otherwise average eating behaviour that includes conventional foods. However, for a mission in extreme conditions, the entirety of nutritional needs has to be covered by the developed food items. No supplements, no side dishes: the final product needs to be a full meal.
Developing pleasurable meals that offer total coverage of needs for extreme conditions is definitely a bigger challenge than developing supplements, or specific food items with limited intended uses. However, hitting this goal is necessary, complicated, and it can only be resolved with an interdisciplinary approach. It has been often the case in my experience that food engineers need a direction to work towards to, a goal to hit when developing a new food item. And that's usually when they turn to me and nutrition science - to dictate the needs and their changes, and to connect the product with the people.
Sources:
Carvalho, M., Botelho, R., De Lacerda, L., & Zandonadi, R. (2018). Sensory analysis of ready-to-eat meals in the Brazilian Army. Journal Of Culinary Science &Amp; Technology, 17(4), 313-325. doi: 10.1080/15428052.2018.1442761
Charlot, K. (2021). Negative energy balance during military training: The role of contextual limitations. Appetite, 164, 105263. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105263
Friedl, K. E., Askew, E. W., & Schnakenberg, D. D. (2020). A ration is not food until it is eaten: nutrition lessons learned from feeding soldiers. Present Knowledge in Nutrition, 121–142. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-818460-8.00007-1
Pittia, P., & Heer, M. (2022). Space Food for the Future: Nutritional Challenges and Technological Strategies for Healthy and High‐Quality Products. In‐Space Manufacturing And Resources, 251-268. doi: 10.1002/9783527830909.ch13
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