How A NASA Food Scientist Built READYBAR W/ Ryan Dowdy [012]
Ryan Dowdy led the team that fed every astronaut on the US side of the International Space Station. Today he's the founder and CEO of READYBAR, and the problems he was solving at NASA look a lot like the ones we deal with on the fireline: elite physical demands, long stretches without a break, and a food system that wasn't built for performance.
We get into what a NASA food scientist actually does, why 60% of the food mass sent to the ISS is packaging, and how a menu stuck in 1985 (five kinds of pudding) pushed Ryan to build a full meal in a bar with no seed oils, artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. Ryan also breaks down how he created a working group to drive change inside a bureaucracy, funding READYBAR with a USDA small business grant, the new mystery flavor, and the 200 mg caffeine espresso mocha bar.
Work for an agency and want READYBAR for your crew? Email info@getreadybar.com to ask about government and agency pricing.
LINKS
READYBAR - https://getreadybar.com
Agency and government orders - info@getreadybar.com
Megan Lautz, RescueRD - https://rescuerd.com
Introducing Heidi Brackebusch and JJ Shelley - Rugged Athlete Nutrition Coaches - https://www.ruggedathletetraining.com/podcast/introducing-heidi-brackebusch-and-jj-shelley-rugged-athlete-nutrition-coaches
Rugged Athlete - https://www.ruggedathletetraining.com
SPONSOR
Our sponsor for today's episode is READYBAR. Save at https://getreadybar.com with code RUGGED20
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro: Same Problem, Different Mission
06:33 Welcome Ryan Dowdy
07:47 Handmade Bars And A FedEx Office
08:11 How We Connected: The PB&J Pyramid
10:51 From Handmade To 2,500-Bar Batches
11:32 Small-Batch Quality vs. Clif Bar
13:34 What A NASA Food Scientist Actually Does
16:23 Emailing Astronauts For Fresh Food
17:53 NASA's Human Health And Performance Team
18:52 Tubes, Cubes And A 1985 Menu
21:11 Get Your Nutrients From Food, Not Pills
22:49 Bringing Human Performance To Wildland
25:14 Where The READYBAR Idea Came From
26:46 Why We Don't Think About Food
28:39 60% Of Space Food Is Packaging
31:05 Free Radicals, Omega-3s And Vitamin E
33:33 Filling The Sack Lunch Gaps
36:50 From The Mojave To The Iditarod
39:02 The ISS Standard Menu Working Group
42:27 Funding READYBAR With A USDA Grant
45:47 The Mystery Flavor And RIP Blueberry Muffin
51:15 Espresso Mocha: 200 mg Of Caffeine
52:40 What's Next For READYBAR
55:13 Getting READYBAR For Your Agency
The views shared on this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not represent any agency, department or employer.
