Astronauts banned from eating one food on board the International Space Station due to explosion risk

Who would have thought that one otherwise harmless food could prove so dangerous, as astronauts have been banned from eating a particular ingredient due to a genuine explosion risk.

Space food hasn't exactly got a reputation for being gourmet, and recent tales have shown stranded astronauts resorting to soup made from their own urine to survive.

That still hasn't stopped some from celebrating the holidays though, and recent Thanksgiving celebrations have seen stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore from enjoying some smoked turkey and butternut squash.

There is one part of a holiday meal that has been banned by the International Space Station though, and it could prove controversial depending on your stance on the veg.

These balls of doom have been banned for their explosive properties (Maximilian Stock, Ltd. /Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Brussel sprouts, love them or hate them, are a fundamental part of the Christmas dinner, and they'll always find their way onto your plate even if you're their biggest hater.

You'd have to give them up if you went into space though, as their tendency to make eaters gassy poses a serious risk of explosion when in space.

That's because your farts are flammable due to the production of carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen, and nitrogen in your passed gas, which are all highly flammable - especially within a confined and vulnerable space such as the ISS.

They're not the only banned substance either, as cabbage, broccoli, and the dreaded baked beans have also been expelled from space for similar reasons.

As reported by the Daily Star, tech expert and TV presenter Maddie Moate explained: "Sprouts have a tendency to make us quite gassy. And you wouldn't want a crew of astronauts sealed inside the space station feeling uncomfortable because farts are flammable."

There's also the question of the farts themselves, as you can imagine that they'd be quite unpleasant to deal with from a spell perspective in such a confined space.

You wouldn't want to be trapped here with a smelly fart, would you? (NASA)

NASA has dealt with floating turds before, but I doubt that they'd want to put up with any eggy smells when trapped 250 miles away from Earth.

It's estimated that healthy humans will end up farting around 40 times a day, but within a six hour period following eating gassy foods like sprouts or baked beans, you could pass around two whole Coke cans of wind.

That's definitely something to think about the next time you tuck into broccoli, or when you're enjoying the ever-contentious brussels on your Christmas dinner plate, as the farts you'll likely produce in the next couple of hours could blow up the International Space Station.

Who knows, it's a solution that could end up saving NASA from paying Elon Musk $843,000,000.