[Closed] Huel. Anyone tried it?

I've been having it for dinner during the week for months now. On its own it leaves me feeling hungry by bed time so I add porridge oats to bulk it up and banana for flavour. It's easy and convenient.

Depends on whether you want to eat better or just fuel

Try something like hello fresh if you want to eat better 3meals for 2 will see you through most of the week

Huel is uninspiring.

Why would you give your product which sounds either like 'gruel' or the noise you make when you throw up?

This alternative actually embraces everything that is unsettling about  'meal in a bottle' type gloop.

https://soylent.com/

Would be great if it actually did contain people, though. 🙂

I tried a pack a couple of years ago. It mate my mouth come out in tiny bumps which lasted around a week. I was given it by a friend who used it a lot of the time, and has started using it again. He sees food as a chore though. I tried it because I was living alone and getting in from riding at gone 10:30 a couple of times a week, it seemed like a good idea for something to have on those circumstances.

Learn to cook?

Even living in a hotel for two months with nothing more than a kettle I managed better than:

6 fish fingers, one kids mini pizza and a bag of crisps.

(Packet of cooked spicy chicken pieces, bag of salad leaves, pita, chilli sauce = cold but healthy kebab was a staple).

Even 'home made' pitta pizzas take no effort and would have more nutritional value, just spread tomato puré, sprinkle cheese, a sprinkle of basil and shove it under the grill, it won't stop you getting scurvy but it at least will taste of actual cooked food.

A bloke at work has been trying it for the last month for lunch.

He reckons it keeps him about as full as just eating one sandwich for lunch does.

He's not noticed any downsides and as far as I can tell is pretty sold on it, as an easy lunch.

I'd rather do some extremely basic cooking (chicken tortilla wraps etc) Huel isn't going to satisfy that craving for pizza,  but simple and reasonably healthy dinners can 🙂

The key for me is to plan before work do I know what two or three things I need to get on the way home from work.

What’s the point of it? Just eat, you know, food...

This stuff just sounds analogous to having sex with a plastic doll instead of another real human being.  🤮

You know they talk about the problems with processed food?  Huel is about as processed as you can get.  It might have the main nutrient groups in it, but real fresh food is full of loads of micronutrients that you just don't get in processed food.

I don't think there are any shortcuts, sorry.  Huel however may be better than a ham sandwich on white bread or a bowl of coco pops.  Probably is, in fact.

<span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> I tried it because I was living alone and getting in from riding at gone 10:30 a couple of times a week, it seemed like a good idea for something to have on those circumstances.</span>

In that situation you cook a big batch of something when you do cook, and freeze it in little bags.  Lived this way as a student and it did very well.  Harder with a family because stuff doesn't last as long.

Yum yum powdered peas an some flax seed 🙂

I get this on my fb feed a lot, I don’t mind thou as I get to see what shite people are being vertised.

Im with the the real food mob, you can always figure out something that’s easy to make and you like but it does take a bit of imagination.

My current is rice with one of the 4 for a fiver street foods in Iceland (pretty much spiced veggies)rice cookers are cool an simples for quality rice an microwave for veggies)

feel free to put in a blender if you want a hurl alike.

I'll offer a counter point to some of the opinions above...

I use Huel two or three times a week, and almost exclusively for lunch. I use it because it's cheaper (and probably better) than a sugar-filled meal deal sandwich/crisps/coke thing at the supermarket (<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Huel works out at about £1 per serving) </span><span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">and it's WAY better than anything I can be bothered to rustle up at home when I've left lunch far too late and I'm starving. </span>

It doesn't taste amazing - think porridge without sugar - but it's certainly tolerable.

OP - I'd certainly advise that you try some. Like you I sometimes don't eat well when left to my own devices, and when I'm away from kitchen facilities I'll often take the easy option. It's nice to know that there is a nutritious meal about 30 seconds away, and it saves the temptation to eat chocolate or crisps instead.

I've been thinking about buying some as a lunch replacement as I'm sometimes getting sausage and chips or spicy chicken burger and chips for lunch or other similar stuff that's not too good for me..

I have cut down on the above by getting slightly more healthy chicken salads and similar some days and I have lost a bit of weight, about 3kg in the last month.

I was thinking of using it more to fend off snack attacks where I might be tempted get a bacon sarnie or something.

I hear you all.

I need to plan better by the sounds of it, shop better, eat better etc. I can cook, I just leave food until the last minute and/or have empty cupboards in the house due to lack of organisation.

I think I'll try it for work though. I eat worst during my night shifts. Crisps/chocolate/sausage rolls etc. Repeat.

I'll give it a whirl for a few meal replacements and report back in a month or so.

I could be tempted by this stuff as the odd convenience thing. But the cheapest thing I can find is a £45 huge pack of the stuff!
Is there not some sort of single-serving sample sachets to see if it's actually palletable?
They must be losing a fair few potenential customers (myself included) becuase of this.

+1 for just eating nicer/better food.

A few people at work have been using it for months as part of a diet to loose weight. They rave about the stuff...

Raving on Huel?

A mate literally turned into Skeletor eating (only) that stuff for about a year. Was all over FB saying how great it was, he looked awful though and was a walking advert against it imo.

An alternative view would be that our view of how 'well' some one is based on looks/image has changed with the amount of fats and sugar in our modern westernised diets....

Couldnt pay me to eat it though.

Cool, Skeletor is proper hench, sign me up!

I could be tempted by this stuff as the odd convenience thing. But the cheapest thing I can find is a £45 huge pack of the stuff!

The wife was looking into it, after recommendations from people in the gym, but the initial cost has put her off so far...

I keep trolling their ads on instagram & facebook...

My partner was using it some time ago - they changed the recipe & it changed it to thick gloop that was a bit like vomit & tasted pretty crap.
She wanted her money back, but they wouldn't have it. Had a big long email spat with them. Even tho one of packs was unopened they would take it.

In fact you've just reminded me I'm waiting for them to come back to me on Facebook...

I think I’ll try it for work though. I eat worst during my night shifts. Crisps/chocolate/sausage rolls etc. Repeat.

Problem is, if you want a sausage roll you want a sausage roll, drinking huel just means you'll have huel and a sausage roll an hour later.

Even tho one of packs was unopened they would take it.

sell it on Ebay?

I could be tempted by this stuff as the odd convenience thing. But the cheapest thing I can find is a £45 huge pack of the stuff!

That was my barrier to entry also.

I sometimes don't eat properly at work.  I don't really get hungry very often, so forget to eat until the middle of the afternoon and then think "well, I might as well wait until teatime now."  I thought this stuff might be a better option than a 3pm Pot Noodle, but I'm damned if I'm dropping fifty quid on something I've not even tasted.

So...

Even tho one of packs was unopened they would take it.

Split it into baggies and sell it as "trial packs" at a fiver a pop to STW members?

Have it for lunch every weekday. Quick to 'prepare', known number of calories, nutritionally complete.

Works great for me.

Obvs not as good as buying fresh ingredients and preparing delicious and nutritious food for myself, but that's not going to happen in my case. Huel in the hand is worth 2 prawn salads in the bush as they (don't) say.

2.5 scoops in 750ml of water  is 350 calories or so and keeps me going all afternoon as long as I have a bit of fruit.

I used to visit the garage for a large choccie milkshake, large sandwich pack and a sausage roll. (Pushing 2000 calories every lunchtime). Huel has to be better, although far less satisfying.

Agree the £50 start up costs were a bit of a hefty leap in the dark. As long as you stick with it £2 a day is a cheapish lunch *although* it's not good value - the stuff is made of oats so it's the most expensive porridge you'll ever buy!

Anyway a big vote for Huel from me. It's helped to change my life.

Being very flippant here, but wouldn't a bowl of porridge and a multi vitamin do the same job?

(I am not a nutritionist, obvs.)

Have it for lunch every weekday. Quick to ‘prepare’, known number of calories, nutritionally complete.

Works great for me.

....................

I used to visit the garage for a large choccie milkshake, large sandwich pack and a sausage roll. (Pushing 2000 calories every lunchtime). Huel has to be better, although far less satisfying.

My lunch isn't that dissimilar, except I have a ready meal from a tin or microwave tray. Usually costs £1, so the same as huel, has about 300-400 calories.  Takes no effort other than an ability to walk past the chocolate isle, and actually tastes of real satisfying food.

I can see the appeal of supplements for athletes were finding 5000 calories a day becomes difficult without making food too much but for meal replacement? I suppose it's slim-fast for blokes.

Being very flippant here, but wouldn’t a bowl of porridge and a multi vitamin do the same job?

If a multivitamin tablet was going to get fully absorbed by the body then it certainly would.

Handy to be able to mix it in a shaker which isn't  really feasable with oats.

But yes, Huel is essentially porridge with stuff added so yeah, I'm sure it could be replicated very easily.

My lunch isn’t that dissimilar, except I have a ready meal from a tin or microwave tray. Usually costs £1, so the same as huel, has about 300-400 calories.

The labels on microwave meals and tins suggest they have a lot of salt/saturates etc. Plus it's still more time than shaking some fluid about.

Having had a quick refresh - I remember what the problem was, she started talking to them about getting a refund, they have a 30 day money back window.

She was already talking to them with 5 days of that window left, unfortunately at the time she was heading out of the country for a week & couldn't get it sent back until it would've been outside of that window. Despite raising that issue with them & explaining that she would be unable to get it back to them before the time had elapsed they wouldn't budge on the 30 day rule.

It left a very poor taste in her mouth. Not quite as bad as Huel, but not far off.

we have a bunch of 'hueligans' at work - they drink the stuff every morning/lunch it seems and constantly go on about how great it is.

I tried it when it was starting out (not sure what the offer was, but I had two bags of the unflavoured stuff) and found it to be almost undrinkable in standard form.  Once you add some fruit though it makes a massive difference.

I wouldn't choose it over proper food - but if you can't/won't prepare a decent meal then it's better than a lot of the options we go for in those desperate times when we're hungry and presented with supermarket/garage offerings I suppose.

I've recently grabbed another bag, as it's great when I have a crohn's flare up and solid/spicy/fatty food (basically all the tasty stuff) is a no go and it gives me something to easily prepare and that my guts can easily process

I’ll offer a counter point to some of the opinions above…

I use Huel two or three times a week, and almost exclusively for lunch. I use it because it’s cheaper (and probably better) than a sugar-filled meal deal sandwich/crisps/coke thing at the supermarket .Huel works out at about £1 per serving) and it’s WAY better than anything I can be bothered to rustle up at home when I’ve left lunch far too late and I’m starving.

It doesn’t taste amazing – think porridge without sugar – but it’s certainly tolerable.

"tolerable" and "cheap" everything I look for in food ha ha.

Who on earth eats porridge for lunch anyway?

Prisoners?

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jul/31/huel-human-fuel-hi-tech-food-powder

written by a woman, who doesn't work in IT so may not apply here. Also the recipe may have changed.

I'd have thought that if your lunch consisted of "large choccie milkshake, large sandwich pack and a sausage roll" then almost anything would be an improvement, health and nutritionally. If your lunch consists of a flask of lentil and vegetable soup and a salad then stick with that "for the win".

They must be doing something right as they have just secured 26 million USD in funding!

A colleague used it sometime back and has started again to help with his weight loss.

In this day and age nothing surprises me and all you need are a couple of 'health conscious' celebrities and or millennials to endorse the product and you are off and running.

Can't agree more with Molgrips about the processed food bit.

Can’t agree more with Molgrips about the processed food bit.

"Processing" isn't some kind of nebulous voodoo that magically makes something unhealthy. How do they make Huel? Judging by the bumpf they try to sell it as wholefoods, which I guess they grind up maybe? Removing things e.g. with white bread/rice makes it unhealthy, which isn't happening here? They're not adding cheap, nasty oils, loads of salt, preservatives (I think), salt, etc which is what I'd traditionally associated with "bad" processed foods.

Also, 😂 at those panning the idea of Huel and then advocating cheap-ass ready meals! God knows what is in those. Not to mention the single-use packaging which is pretty disgusting if you're having one every day. At least Huel comes in a big-ass sack 👍

Never tried it, BTW, but would be tempted to give it a go! I'm as guilty as others at grabbing a pasty or sandwich/crisps meal deal (or worse!) sometimes. Be interested to hear how people get on.

Huel's bought by the sort of people who would buy a manual machine instead of actually riding their bike and practising manuals.

It doesn't sound like traditional processed food as in stuffed full of sugars and synthetic fats which the body struggles to break down, looks more like dehydrated health food to me.

why not do some thing like over night oats. I just pour some oats in a Tupperware box put some almond milk in a spoonful of mixed seed a couple of spoons of Greek yogurt quick mix together and place in fridge for the night.

The thought of that Huel isn’t very appetising.

It doesn’t sound like traditional processed food as in stuffed full of sugars and synthetic fats which the body struggles to break down, looks more like dehydrated health food to me.

Processing in itself is not ideal regardless of sugars and fats.  You lose lots of good for you stuff.  Also, nutrients often don't work singly, they are part of a whole range of stuff that needs to work together.  See theories on seed oil consumption and the balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6.

Anyway.  It's undoubtedly better than a bag of crisps and a mars bar, but they are unlikely to be your only two choices I reckon.

It doesn’t sound like traditional processed food as in stuffed full of sugars and synthetic fats which the body struggles to break down, looks more like dehydrated health food to me.

That's my *hope*. AIUI the problem with processed food is the sugars/syth fats and salt they add for taste and all the good stuff that gets removed for taste. I can confirm from experience that Huel has nothing added or removed for taste!

I'm quite disappointed with this thread, I was hoping for lots of suggestions of alternatives to Huel that are faster to prepare/easy to store a months worth in a drawer at work/tastier/healthier. I was also hoping someone might confirm/debunk the claim that it contains the 28 essential vitamins in a form the body can absorb.

It’s “Hurl” not “Huel” ...or at least it should be.