Why astronauts swear by eating breakfast that doctors say is linked to cancer and heart attacks

They teach us that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but when you're circling 250 miles above the Earth on the International Space Station, it's not a case of popping to McDonald's for an Egg McMuffin.

There are many problems when it comes to putting astronauts in space, with feeding them being one of the big drawbacks. We already know you can't drink alcohol in space, while astronauts are also banned from eating Brussels sprouts due to flammable 'gases' emitted.

We've come a long way since Yuri Gagarin first went to space in 1961, and back then, he consumed tubes of beef and liver purée.

It was also in 1961 that Alan Shepard became the first American in space, swearing by a specific 'breakfast of champions' before he took off on the Freedom 7 spacecraft.

The Aerospace Medical Laboratory's Beatrice Finkelstein specifically selected a big plate of filet minion, eggs, orange juice, and tea for Shepard. This astronaut diet was then replicated by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins in 1969. In July 2023, Aldrin celebrated the 54th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch with a staple plate of steak and eggs.

NASA apparently picked steak and eggs because it's high in protein and low in fiber, reportedly meaning astronauts don't need to go to the toilet during a flight.

Steak and eggs was chosen for being 'low residue', which reduces the size and frequency of bowel movements.

Things have changed a little these days, although high-protein and low-fiber meals are still the norm. Astronaut Mike Fincke decided on grilled lobster tails and a baked potato before a mission in 2011.

As for the original plate of steak and eggs, the Daily Mail says how it might not be the healthiest choice.

Steak and eggs has been linked to heart disease due to its high saturated fat levels, with a study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) finding that eating red meat every day triples the amount of cholesterol-increasing trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in the gut.

One man completely turned his life around when he ate nothing but red meat and eggs for a year, and despite warnings that a similar diet could be linked to everything from cancer to heart attacks, he lost some serious weight.

Although modern space meals still need to be freeze-dried or undergo thermostabilizing to prevent bacterial growth, more modern snacks ranging from granola bars to cookies are now part of the average astronaut's diet.

Michelin chef Alain Ducasse even worked to create haute cuisine for the International Space Station in 2006, with the European Space Agency explaining how a special menu comprised of dishes including riviera-style swordfish, quails roasted in Madrian wine, and space 'far' (a Brittany tart). Our mouths are already watering because it definitely sounds better than trapped astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore drinking urine soup.