Picture this: You’re an astronaut in the future, and you’ve just reached a new galaxy, millions of light years away from ours, that has yet to be explored. What do you think you’ll find? What kinds of planets will you encounter? Which ones will you land on, and which ones will you avoid?

The Planets:

The Fruit Planet

A sweet, healthy planet that is a common stop for space travelers looking for an energizing healthy snack. Cargo ships picking up tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, avocados, okra, squash, pumpkin, and corn commonly go to the vegetable planet instead of the fruit planet because they mistake these foods for being veggies. This planet grows pineapple, coconut, papaya, dragon fruit, guava, passion fruit, and bananas in the tropical regions. Berries, apples, pears, grapes, melons, and squash grow in the cooler regions. These fruits taste best and are most nutritious when eaten in their region and during their season. For a scenic adventure, check out the grand Grape Gorge, the flavorful Fig Fjords, the appalling Apple Arches, and the majestic Melon Mountains.

Exports: Dessert Planet, Salad Planet, Soup Planet, Breakfast Planet, Sandwich Planet.

The Vegetable Planet

A super healthy stop for anyone looking to improve their diet. Some of the healthiest foods in the entire universe come from this one planet. Veggies here can either be eaten raw, or cooked to your preference. Though cooking can affect the quantity of nutrients in vegetables, as long as you eat a variety of raw and cooked veggies, you’ll get all the good stuff you need. The great thing about veggies they’re so versatile. Potatoes are starchy and can be used to make mashed potatoes, cut up and put in soup, or roasted with other veggies like carrot, onion, and Brussels sprouts. Citizens living here tend to live the longest in the galaxy, with an average lifespan of 200 years! For scenery, check out the green Broccoli Forests, the creepy Carrot Cavern, and stop by Turnip Town and Beet Ville for some delicious recipes!

Exports: Salad Planet, Breakfast Planet, Soup Planet, and the Sandwich Planet.

The Dessert Planet

A tasty retreat! This planet usually has a cool climate, but there are some hotspots like Hot Fudge Field and Lava Cake Land, Caramel Canyon, and the Muffin Mesas. This planet is often confused with the ‘Desert’ planet, which is actually right next to it. Just don’t stay here too long, or else you’ll get a stomach ache! This planet is best kept for special occasions, like birthdays and holidays, so you don’t get too unhealthy. Citizens living here typically only live to around 50 years old, the greatest causes of death being diabetes and heart disease.

Imports: Nut Planet, Fruit Planet, Dairy Planet, Candy Planet, and sometimes the Bean Planet.

The Dairy Planet

If Wisconsin were a planet, this is what it would be like. In order to even step foot on the planet, you must wear a cheese hat at all times. This planet even has a real cheese moon! To supply the dairy, a nearby grassland planet is populated by billions of cattle, which are milked daily. Sadly, this is causing massive amounts of pollution on the planet, and animal rights activists and environmentalists have started to protest, saying that the planet should use more plant-based dairy. This planet isn’t all that bad for you, just make sure to come here in moderation. Just make sure to choose the lower fat options, as dairy contains lots of saturated fats that can contribute to heart disease. If you can’t have lactose, this planet thankfully has other options, like almond milk, rice milk, and soy milk, which can be better for you and the environment. If you’re looking for some scenery, you must check out the spectacular Butter Buttes, the majestic Milk Marshes, and the gorgeous Ghee Geysers.

Imports: Grassland Planet, Nut Planet, Grain Planet, and the Bean Planet.

Exports: Dessert Planet, Salad Planet, Breakfast Planet, Sandwich Planet, and the Soup Planet.

The Seafood Planet

As you may have guessed, this planet is made entirely of water! This planet contains every type of seafood you can think of: octopus, salmon, lobster, tuna oysters, and even puffer fish! This planet is great for fishing, but over fishing has caused a decline in the fish population. Thankfully, however, laws have recently been passed to regulate fishing, imposing a bag limit, banning trawling, and protecting endangered species. This planet contains plenty of lean protein high in B vitamins and healthy fats like Omega 3s. Some of the healthiest seafood options to choose are salmon, tuna, and shrimp.

Exports: Salad Planet, Sandwich Planet, and sometimes Breakfast Planet.

The Bean Planet

The Bean Planet, or ‘Legume’ planet is a common stop by vegetarians, vegans, and people wanting to eat healthier. This planet is packed with plant-based protein. Recently, this planet was awarded for saving the most animals out of any planet, because no citizens need to eat any animal protein; they get plenty of quality protein from all the legumes! Exports from this planet are also quite cheap, as beans are easy to grow and don’t require as much water as other plants. What is quite confusing, though, is peanuts are exported from this planet, not the nut planet! (They’re a legume). For adventure, explore the depths of Chickpea Cave, travel through the Fava Fjords, trek the Pinto Plateau, and relax in the Lentil Lands.

Exports: Salad Planet, Breakfast Planet, Sandwich Planet, Soup Planet, and Dessert Planet

The Nut Planet

No kidding, this place is pretty nuts! Thanks to recent squirrel measures, this planet is now majorly producing again! This planet is high in plant-based protein, though slightly less than the bean planet. However, this planet makes up for that with its abundance of heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Seriously, this place is so good for your heart that citizens here live to 150, and still run marathons! Nuts are also very versatile, being added to oatmeal, put in desserts, put on salads and sometimes soups, and even going in sandwiches. For some scenery, check out the magnificent Almond Alps, the Pistachio Plains, the pristine Cashew Coast, and the gorgeous Hazelnut Hills.

Exports: Dessert Planet, Candy Planet, Salad Planet, and Breakfast Planet.

The Grain Planet

This planet is all things grains: wheat, oats, rye, and even sometimes corn! The grain type of corn, or ‘field corn’ is different from the vegetable type, which is sweet corn. The main differences are the sugar content; sweet corn has more sugar than field corn. Nevertheless, both are healthy additions to your diet. At least half of all grains on this planet are whole grains. Whole grain eating citizens are healthier than those who eat refined grains, having more sustained energy from the complex carbohydrates and fiber. For scenery, check out the calm Wheat Woods, the dark Corn Cave, the rushing Rice River, and the grand Oat Ocean.

Exports: Dessert Planet, Grassland Planet (feeding cows), Breakfast Planet, Candy Planet, and Sandwich Planet.

The Candy Planet

This planet is sweet, sour, and everything in-between! Just don’t stay too long, otherwise you could get a sugar rush and crash or get a bad stomach ache. This planet is high in processed ingredients, so it has a planet full of factories to supply all of the necessary ingredients. Sadly, that has caused the factory planet to be one of the most polluted in all the galaxy. It also takes lots of palm oil, so the candy planet producers have built plantations on nearby rain forest planets, harming the rain forest ecosystems in the process. Who knew something so sweet could also be so destructive. People living here also don’t live that long, just like the dessert planet. If you want some scenery, Check out the churning Chocolate Channel, the gorgeous Gummy Gulf, the silent Candy Cane Forests, and the magnificent Mint Mountain Range.

Imports: Grain Planet, Dairy Planet, Nut Planet

Exports: Dessert Planet

The Breakfast Planet

This planet might just be the home of morning people. Filled with mostly whole grains, complete proteins, and fruits, this planet is one of the healthiest out there. However, there are some unhealthy things on the dark side of the planet, like sugary cereals, muffins, bacon, sausages, biscuits, and breakfast sandwiches. One surprising thing that can be found here is even leftover pizza! Just be careful to choose whole grains, and include some protein in your breakfast. For example, one of the healthiest items that can be found on this planet is oatmeal with nut butter and fruit. This is a great combination of complex carbs, healthy fats, plant-based protein, and antioxidants from the fruit. This planet is a great stop to fuel your morning, or in space, right after you wake up. For some scenery, check out the great Egg Esker, The outstanding Oatmeal Oasis, and the terrific Toast Tombolo.

Imports: Fruit Planet, Vegetable Planet, Grain Planet, Seafood Planet, and the Dairy Planet.

The Soup Planet

This planet is known for being warm, cozy, filling, delicious, and mostly healthy! Most soups of this planet are warm, but there are some exceptions. On the poles, there are soups like gazpacho, cucumber soup, and cold Korean Noodle Soup. Soups can be a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, especially when they contain lots of veggies. Look for soups like lentil soup, gazpacho, chili, bean soups, and vegetable-based soups like butternut squash and pea soup. These soups are some of the healthiest, as they contain fiber, minerals, antioxidants, and plant-based protein. For scenery, you can hike up the Tomato Soup Volcanoes (Bring a bowl and spoon), canoe up the Ramen River, explore Gazpacho Gorge, or climb Minestrone Mountain.

Imports: Vegetable Planet, Fruit Planet, Grain Planet, Seafood Planet, and Dairy Planet.

The Salad Planet

This planet is cold, warm, healthy, crunchy, and delicious! Imagine a big bowl of crispy greens, topped with salty olives, crunchy croutons, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, and your favorite dressing (or none, if you’re like me). Now imagine an entire planet that just specializes in making these heavenly green bowls of goodness. That’s the salad planet! This planet has infinite customization; you can create any salad you can think of! Dinner rolls and pasta are commonly brought to the salad planet, as they are good sources of carbohydrates, which salads typically lack. Some other not-so-common salads found on this planet are egg salad, tuna salad, potato salad, and chickpea salad. For some scenery, check out the majestic Caesar Canyon, the curious Caprese Caverns, the calm Cobb Cove, the wonderful Waldorf Waterfall, and the Tabbouleh Tide Pools.

Imports: Vegetable Planet, Fruit Planet, Grain Planet, Seafood Planet, and Dairy Planet

Exports: Sandwich Planet

The Sandwich Planet

This planet is both healthy and unhealthy; it just depends what you choose. First, you should always choose whole wheat bread, and make sure it’s 100% whole wheat. Then, you should make sure you put in some veggies and lean protein. Now you’ve got a substantial lunch that’ll keep you energized. There are the common sandwiches, like tuna salad, egg salad, PB&J, Ham and Cheese, and BLT, but some of these aren’t the healthiest. To make a PB&J healthier, you could replace the jelly with fresh fruit, like banana slices, berries, or even kiwi! You don’t even have to use peanut butter; any nut butter will work just as well. For your ham and cheese, you could add some fresh lettuce or spinach, tomatoes, or any other veggies that you like to make it healthier. You could even get creative and make a healthy sandwich on your own! I like to put smashed beans on a sandwich, or open a packet of tuna and put it on with some veggies. If you want an adventure, check out the BLT Basin, the PB&J Plateau, and the scenic Ham and Cheese Highland.

Imports: Grain Planet, Seafood Planet, Dairy Planet, Vegetable Planet, and Fruit Planet.

Time to Head Home

Sadly, you have to leave this wonderful galaxy, but you’re taking something with you: the knowledge of what’s good to eat and what’s not, and what foods are destructive to the environment and what foods aren’t. You’ve also probably learned new ways to prepare the foods, and maybe you’ll want to try some new recipes. Tell your family and friends what you’ve learned from this adventure, and maybe they’ll want to try something new, or they can help you prepare something you don’t know how to make. Have fun, be creative, and stay healthy!