Despite its pastime as a staple food source of the Aztecs, spirulina has been pitched as a “food of the future.” Multiple world-renown organizations have praised its incredible nutritional efficacy. Tried and tested by NASA and ESA, astronauts have demonstrated spirulina’s value in space, while two branches of the United Nations lauded its viability for fighting hunger and malnutrition back home on Earth. For those who are not so familiar with ESA, The European Space Agency (ESA) has also made a lot of studies about spirulina and want to use Spirulina in their manned missions to Mars!
Diet is essential to our wellbeing, and especially important to astronauts who must strive for peak physical and mental performance. But dietary impact isn’t the only thing space food developers need to keep in mind when designing meals. Weight limits and storage conditions also come into play—and spirulina conquers all these hurdles.
Not only is spirulina naturally high in a spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, it’s also relatively lightweight. This make it an efficient choice for astronauts, who can eat up all its wholesome benefits without sacrificing abundance. And because spirulina has higher concentrations of protein than chicken or tofu, it’s also filling. This means satisfaction, strength, and energy, which is important no matter what your job is!