What is actually wrong with meal replacement shakes?

As i cant edit anymore, i will see about buying this and trying it. Could work as a snack or after exercise meal.

 

So this was my breakfast today: 3 scoops Huel (458 calories, 14g fat [the good kind], 42g carbs, 1g sugar, 8g fibre, 34g protein, 0.6g salt, and healthy portions of all vitamins and minerals the body needs), a dash of coffee, and water, all blitzed in a Nutribullet for 10 seconds. I timed myself at my usual pace and it took me all of a 1 minute and 17 seconds including all preparation and washing up. Quick, easy, clean, tastes great and relatively cheap.

I know exactly what is in my food. I won't get hungry for another 4-5 hours, and I've got a bag of Huel and blender at the clinic so I won't be wasting money on crap at work. I put myself back on 100% Huel recently and I'm sleeping better, my body fat is falling by the day and I get little to no DOMS despite significantly increasing my training load.

 

Well that's ok because Huel is powdered food, it is not a meal replacement. It's not a different type of food, it's just a different way of consuming it. The people who make the stuff are better educated in the field of nutrition than, I would argue, every person on this forum.

Not sure if you saw the bit where I wrote that I have been on >80% Huel since November 2015. I have had no problems. Quite the opposite in fact. I've done a fair few stretches at 100% (including presently), and during one of those I had a battery of health tests done (ECG, urine, stool, blood sugars, cholesterol etc) and everything was fine. I'm on a 100% stretch now and feel fantastic. I'll probably eat solid food again at some point soon, either because I'm at a social event or purely because it's available (such as a big fat chocolate chip muffin in a coffee shop). But I don't know what's going into those solid foods and it's highly likely they are not as good for me as Huel.

Just for the record - I do not have a stake in Huel whatsoever. I'm just a very satisfied customer.

 

Seeing as it's a liquid does it not just exit your gut really quickly and, nutrition aside, make you feel empty again soon after? Or is feeling satiated entirely down to nutritional content (complex carb breakdown, blood sugar etc) rather than actual physical state or quantity in the gut itself?

 

No, digestion remains fairly normal albeit with a slight increase in regularity and, without being too vulgar, increased "smoothness" in faecal texture due to getting your RDA of fibre.

The drink's texture can best be described as a thick milkshake; you can make it thicker/thinner by adding/subtracting water as preferred. So you will definitely get that same "full belly" feeling as if you had eaten solid food.

 

I don't think the people at DIY, are trying to sell anything. The whole site is Do it yourself. Hence the DIY. So I am uncertain what nerds cooking up food in moms basement have to do with someone looking up a recipe and doing it them selves.

I have never heard of Huel before this thread. Though to be honest, it sounds expensive, and if it really is just a meal replacement powder, I can just make one my self cheaper, using the recipes at DIY.

 

Does that include laboratory testing to accurately measure the quantity and quality of macro and micro nutrients?

Again with the meal replacement thing. It's still a meal, still food. Just powdered. Calling it a meal replacement makes it sound like a gimmick.

A lot of people are put off by the price. When you consider the cost (and quality) of eating out, and how much wasted (solid) food people throw out, Huel is a bargain. It's an investment in one's health.

 

Seems good nutritionally but still far more expensive than my weekly grocery shop. Each meal is about £1.50, and at 5-6 meals a day that's £52-63 a week, which is over double what I'd normally spend at the high end.

 

I'm thinking along these lines. I spend around £60 per month on my meat shop for meals for four. That much for for just me for a week would seriously put me in hot water with the missus lol.

For me though, I LOVE FOOD. I love to cook, love to eat, and love to enjoy food socially so for me I couldn't pull off a liquid diet at all. Anyone who can has my utmost respect. I replaced my breakfast with a protein shake everyday and I'll be honest, some days it kills me (regardless of how nice the shake is) to drink it.

Van, when you first went on to Huel, did you struggle with cravings for any solid foods at all? I know you said you felt full and satisfied but what I want to know is did you ever just feel like you needed a favourite meal. I'm really interested in the mental link with food and our reliance on it not just for sustenance but also comfort etc.

 

Oh yeah. Not even going to try to deny it. I made the mistake of going 100% Huel right off the bat and I felt what I imagine crack heads feel during withdrawal: headaches, stomach cramps, nausea etc. Then I followed their advice of gradually introducing it to my diet and I have never looked back. Even now there are times when I get a sudden urge to eat a whole jar of nutella with a spoon, but I also feel much better conditioned to resist those unhealthy habits. I definitely notice the effect solid food has on me now that I didn't before, like bloating with milk and bread, bouncing off the walls due to a sugar high and so on.

 

I easily spend £60-£80 on a 1.5-2wk shop for me and my girlfriend and don't spend on extravagant luxuries.. How on earth are you guys doing it for so little??

I'd say at about £1.50 a meal the huel seems pretty good value anyway; especially if you aren't using it for 100% of your daily meals.

I get paid on the 15th and I'm going to give it a bash. I reckon using it in the morning and having one more in the day to start with should be a fair test of if I'll like it and will make a £40 bag last most of the month. I'll post how I get on for anyone interested.

 

It's definitely not for everyone. But anyone who is remotely interested should give it a shot. It makes managing weight in the lead up to a competition much easier as well.

@Knee Rider I would suggest getting the 9-flavour boost pack with your order so you can sample the different flavours on offer. The matcha flavour boost with a dash of coffee and ice is awesome, it's like a green tea latte.

 

Out of interest - how does intake of food vary during the day meal wise - with Huel? I tend to have very specific food highs and lows. So i eat medium breakfast. small lunch. larger dinner but early (about 5-5.30). are all the Huel meals the same "food content? ".

 

A typical Huel "meal" is 3 x 38g scoops (see my breakfast post from yesterday for nutritional values). That will leave you feeling pretty satiated. If you want less, just add less powder and water for a smaller portion.

 

I also have no idea how people are eating for such little money. A standard lunch on the go is easily £3-£6. I got a sandwich, orange juice and packet of yum yums from M&S yesterday and that was £5+! Sure you can go less than that with a home made lunch (sandwiches, etc) but £1.50 for a complete meal is cheap I think. Especially one that is nutritionally balanced. Me, wife and 2 kids regularly spend £100 a week on shopping.

 

Dude - you have to check out the meal deals - although they have been getting much less generous of late - Tesco seem to have the best meal deal ( sandwich / or wrap, drink, and snack (crisps, chocolate, possibly a pice of fruit [fruit used to be included but may have been dropped].

when dinning on the go I usually go for a flaphal wrap, a ridiculously expensive healthy smoothie, and a packet of crisps all for £3.

 

I'm only buying for one so it's cheaper in that respect, but I also eat pretty simple stuff. Just rice/potatoes, some veg and some meat. I never really eat on-the-go except sometimes at work and if I do I can get it refunded.

I think you answered your own question - you can save loads by just preparing meals in advance if you're going to need them, and by not buying yum yums

 

Life is yum-yums. Yum-yums are life.

 

I spend £150 a month, every month. That gives me way more Huel than I will actually use so I gift some to friends. Huel's price tag might be a bit heavy, but it's consistent.

 

I don't need lab testing when I can follow a recipe with known ingredients. Which, thanks to label laws here, I know exactly what is in it. Also thanks to the very numerous variations and custom recipes on the site, I can find a recipe for any need or occasion I could want. All for a far lower cost, and total control of what I put in. Literally no downsides what so ever..