Nutritional Recommendations for Mars Expedition
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The diet on Mars cannot be, for obvious reasons, similar to ours on Earth. The diet that many of us have is surrounded my marketing more than actually what our body needs to consume to be healthy. We don’t know what the food we consume is made of any more. Obesity is climbing its way on the noncommunicable diseases chart in an alarming was, as well as hypertension and diabetes. First of all, the food we take to Mars would have as best interest avoiding the appearance of these particular diseases as well as others that can relate to a bad non healthy diet.
Next in business is that we have to break through the paradigms that we have about food, most of us, here on earth. On our round table we discussed some important topics of our daily lives diet. In this topics we had: artificial sweeteners, consumption of milk and meat, energy and hydrating drinks, amongst others. These particular list are quite popular for us, yet after research we came to the conclusion that they are not necessary on our diet and some of them are even harmful.
The portions of meat we need are quite small. Artificial sweeteners are no good for us, all the sugar we need we can obtain it from fruits and vegetables. We aren’t supposed to consume milk, we are the only mammals that keeps consuming milk after we are not babies any more, and also the only mammals that consume other animals’ milk. Energy drinks are harmful for health and have nasty consequences if drank; energy drinks are only good to have a quick boost to rehydrate after a really hard and long workout.
In the end:
* We do not need to take sugar to Mars, just the sugar contained in fruit and vegetables is enough.
* We would need to eat a variety of nuts, seeds and dehydrated fruit and vegetables to obtain all the necessary proteins during the trip. Also we would produce biosynthetically grown meat when arriving to Mars and we would cultivate vegetables and grains.
* Vitamin B-12 would be obtained from vitamin B-12 supplement.
* Calcium and vitamin D would be obtained from calcium rich dehydrated fruit and vegetables. When arriving to Mars, we would cultivate fruit and vegetables (by micropropagation). Sun light would be obtained from special lights. Also astronauts would have to exercise for prevent bone mass loss.
* There has to be a balanced between potassium and sodium in the body. Deposits of sodium chloride have been found in Mars.
* It is not necessary to take energizing and hydrating drinks to Mars.
References:
* “Harvard Medical School Addresses Artificial Sweeteners and Health.” Harvard Medical School Addresses Artificial Sweeteners and Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2013. <http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HEALTHbeat_033005.htm>
“Nutrition.” Cerebral Hacks. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.<http://www.cerebralhacks.com/nutrition/energy-drink-and-its-effect-on-your-brain/>
“What Are the Dangers of Energy Drinks and Alcohol?” LIVESTRONG.COM. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/290931-what-are-the-dangers-of-energy-drinks-and-alcohol/#ixzz2PVgtv7rM>
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