GCN on losing weight…and Huel

I started watching this thinking it would be the usual stuff….and some of it is.

But Ollie really sticks it to ultra-processed foods in general, and Huel in particular. I wonder if Huel are still on speaking terms with GCN.

Ollie’s main message seems to be eat more different types of plants. I’m hearing that as more kimchi, which can only be a good thing.

So, vegetables, what are we eating?

EDIT: I did make some kimchi, and it was pretty tasty, but I think I need to throw it out and start over having read all about salt levels and botulism.

But Ollie really sticks it to ultra-processed foods in general, and Huel in particular. I wonder if Huel are still on speaking terms with GCN.

Huel pops up all the time on my YouTube adverts. That alone is enough to make me never even consider buying it.

I might watch later. He’s the one with a science PhD?

I nearly started a thread on ultra processed foods as I’m never sure what counts.

So from yesterday which of these is ultra processed

Brown sliced bread

Naked bar

Waitrose vegetable biryani

I’m assuming avocado, muesli and aren’t ultra processed but supermarket cheese cake is.

Huel worked for me.

Mostly through giving me the runs.

The Phd doesn’t realy help when you are so far off topic. He didn’t manage to find out that the bomb calorimeter energies for foods are corrected on a food by food basos to get nutritional calories.

The Atwater System

had Huel in work for maybe 8 years, this isnt to lose weight, this is to eat more balanced

Significantly better than any grotty old cheese and pickle sarnie i might make for myself but more realistically buy an off the shelf meal deal

So from yesterday which of these is ultra processed

Brown sliced bread

Naked bar

Waitrose vegetable biryani

I’m assuming avocado, muesli and aren’t ultra processed but supermarket cheese cake is.

With a fairly loose interpretation, ask yourself, “Would a caveman recognise this?”

If the answer is, “Yes” then it’s not processed. Any other answer… then proceed with caution.

I’m not familiar with all of the items on your list, but would suggest that the avocado alone is not processed.

I’ve just had a look at those Nak’d bars. “Natural flavourings” is often code for processed. It’s a minefield :-/

I’m assuming avocado, muesli and aren’t ultra processed but supermarket cheese cake is.

Yes, but there are categories.

1. Raw foods, like your avo. and things like Tomatoes, honey etc etc

2. Ingredients. Things that need to be processed to make them, but are otherwise “naturally occurring things” sugar, salt (most herbs and spices)

3. Cooking: mixing stuff in category one and two to make food. Muesli is here.

4. Ultra processing: Either substituting cheaper ingredients to mimic expensive things, or replace them. Cotton seed oil is a good example of this. In it’s raw state its toxic to humans, so process it to remove the toxicity, but then it still smells bad, so process it to remove the smell, and you can now use it in things like mayonnaise and other sauces and spreads because its still cheaper than using say; olive oil. And even better, you still get to call it natural. Also stabilisers, thickeners, modifiers…and so on.

most research is now suggesting that limiting your intake of cat 4 food is better for your health.

Fairly obvious that a meal composed of fresh fibrous veg and protein is going to be best for you. But if you’re in a situation where the choice is between something spectacularly unhealthy (airline food / work canteen / supermarket sandwich / Greggs etc) then Huel is likely to be the superior choice.

It’s a bit generic and boring if you have it every day, but it’s not intrinsically bad for you in comparison to a lot of stuff.

I had a green revolution about 9 months ago, and feeling allthe better for it! Instead of a bacon butty most lunchtimes i scoff some local greens – chard, cavolo nero, broccoli, or spinach at lunch, with a couple of eggs, kimchi, avocado and beetroot.

it doesn’t seem to stop my blood sugar levels from spiralling (no processed food here!), though curiously , over Christmas, and mince pies, stollen, grog and all the rest, my HVAC dropped from 45 to 41….

The generally accepted identifiers for ultra processed food is 1. It has to be advertised at you, and 2 It comes boxed or wrapped in plastic. Generally speaking its made so that food companies can make a profit from it. If it has to tell you its good for you, turns out it probably isn’t.

then Huel is likely to be the superior choice.

You might get away with calling it the ‘less harmful’ choice, but in reality, its probably not even that.

What is Huey?

So from yesterday which of these is ultra processed
Brown sliced bread
Naked bar
Waitrose vegetable biryani

I would say that all of them will be. Most bread is (unless bought from bakery that bakes onsite), the Biryani absolutely will be and so will the naked bar.

You pretty much cannot buy any prepacked item from a supermarket and the only safe area is the fish fruit and veg.

What is Huey?

🎵 It ain’t me…🎵

I wouldn’t touch Huel if I was paid to!

I’ve spent the last 6 months doing some work with a nutritional therapist*.  My reasons for doing this were quite different to the usual “lose weight” mantra. It’s been quite difficult at times but I now feel a little better, have a little more energy, feel calmer and really enjoy eating a varied and colourful diet. My main take-away (sorry) has been to eat as many different plant-based foods as possible (including: berries, seeds, herbs, beans etc… but not much fruit), to drink plenty of water, avoid all processed foods, and to exercise and rest well.

*I know, I know.

What is Huey?

It’s the stuff that comes up after you try Huel

Yes, just stick to making your own food and buy ingredients that haven’t been ‘flown in’ from half way across the world. Also buy fruit/veg/salad ‘in season’ where possible. Even better still, grow your own and cook with this, ( where possible). Own grown food will look wobbly and misshapen, but will taste great.

Isn’t “huel” the noise that you involuntarily make when you smell it?

including: berries, seeds, herbs, beans etc… but not much fruit

Why not fruit?

Not that I’m overly worried as I struggle to remember to eat an apple when the GF buys them.

Huel, AG1 and the rest have always  sounded like a load of cobblers to me.

Please buy more Huel; they have just placed a huge order with my employer and it’s apparently only the first stage. There’s OT at stake here people!

Why not fruit?

Possibly the sugar content. I’m back on Keto and have given up apples and bananas, along with anything potato or rice based, bread, biscuits, chocolate. In other words, anything that brings joy…

I’ve never heard of huel. I had a quick Google but they seemed to have wrapped up the Google results pretty well and everything reads like an advert. Is it some sort of modern slimfast milkshake type nonsense?

I missunderstood what Huel is and was always put of by a name thats so close to Gruel. However I’ve been using it for a month now for breakfast at work. It tastes fine and keeps me full until lunch ago no stacking. At home I prefer eggs for breakfast but I’d argue huel is better than most cereals or processed bread. The ingredients isn’t full of preservatives, palm oil or sugar.
It’s a convenient meal with precise calories without resorting to takeaways.

So not sponsored by huel :)but  I lost 1/3 of my body weight by doing huel for breakfast, salad for lunch and a “normal” dinner…. And running 5-10k each day. Now have swapped the salad for a huel hot and savoury. This gives me 800cal + dinner each day with low carbs and low sugars

It worked for me and I find huel convenient especially when I am in hotels and on the road as I can bring it with me in the cabin on planes.

The new huel bars are much better tasting than the old black bars but also have much more carbs than I want. The huel ready pots also have waaay to many carbs in my personal opinion (your diet may differ)

Anyway worked for me – may work for you or may not

So not sponsored by huel :)but  I lost 1/3 of my body weight by doing huel for breakfast, salad for lunch and a “normal” dinner…. 

Bloody hell…. How much did you weigh…?

If I lost a quarter I think I’d collapse.

I look at Italians and the amount they eat, yet don’t see many fat ones.

I remembered this – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RGSbpLbWos .  I’ve never fancied it but there are worse alternatives , sandwiches for a start

Ha ha ! went from 94 to 62 – huel kept me full and allowed me to easily control calories

Thought that was an interesting video. A lot of it we probably all know, its applying it.

I’d not really thought of Huel as ultra processed foods, but it obviously is. Two colleagues at work used it, one was advised to stop by a nutrionist, not quite sure why, it was affecting another health issue.

On the other side, a clubmate has used it for 7-8 years as part of his training and nutrition plan, gone from overweight cyclist to podiums at national, european and world CX champs in his age group.

Huel worked for me.

Mostly through giving me the runs.

As it looks almost exactly the same as Jevity this is the least surprising thing I’ve read today. And you won’t be getting a flexiseal.

There’s a lot of shite and groupthink on socialmedia. Remember ten years ago when we all went out and bought the 4HB book and iDave was our nutritional deity?

….And running 5-10k each day.

I think that’s doing the heavy lifting here rather than the Huel….

I could eat +3000kcal a day if I was running that distance daily.

Best definition I’ve heard of ultra processed food is if items on the ingredients list are things you wouldn’t find in your cupboards at home then they’re ultra processed.

Chris van Tulleken has done several talks and interviews on the subject, including this TED talk:

Thanks folks, it’s been an education

And running 5-10k each day.

Interestingly that GCN video debunks the link between exercise and weight loss.

Eating properly and losing weight is EASY if you eat low calorific density foods.

Essentially you want to eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg that is full of water. Things like fresh meats and fish are also great.

It’s really obvious, but you need to make yourself feel ‘full’ with the least amount of calories. Being hungry, is different to feeling full. People need to learn when they actually need to eat, and when they don’t.

I eat 1500 calories a day at the moment, and have done so for a couple of months. All that has changed is eating nothing I don’t prepare myself, and halving my portion size. For example, I still will eat a burger, but I won’t have chips, or something with it.

And don’t eat anything that is pre-made, which obviously includes anything processed in general.

If you don’t have control over what’s in the end product you eat, you’re not trying hard enough.

You just need to have a good 5 main meals, breakfasts and lunches you know how to make and have the ingredients in for.

Anyone who says they can’t lose weight, or eat healthy and they eat crisps, chocolate, tinned soups, cereal bars, cereal, or anything that has more than a handful of ingredients or are full of carbs or sugar – then again, you’re not even trying.

No one needs to eat/drink Huel. Just make breakfast or lunch the night before work. Or take apples, grapes, berries and some fat free yoghurt.

Any short-cuts to eating well aren’t going to work long-term. Everyone needs a sustainable way of maintaining a healthy diet, and that changes with thinking that food NEEDS to take zero time to prepare, and come in a pot, or a bag, or a wrapper or a tin.

Chris van Tulleken has done several talks and interviews on the subject, including this TED talk:

Also an excellent podcast on BBC Sounds

Interestingly that GCN video debunks the link between exercise and weight loss.

If you actually listen to what he say then it doesn’t, he just briefly covers some ideas from the research. Like the suggestion that after you exercise you change your behaviour.

But what if you exercise at the end of the day, before bed for example?

I find just a little exercise (30 mins) on the turbo at the end of the day in zone 2 is enough to drop between 1/2 and 1 lb overnight, with no change to what I eat earlier in the day, And running burns even more.

I am coming down from 13 stone 10 lbs to currently 12 (gained from comfort eating and no real exercise whilst DIYing on my new house) in a fairly leisurely manner, previously went from about 13 to near 11 to win a weight competition at work (and that included drinking a Venti caramel latte every morning before work), and when I was younger 13 stone 3 down to 11 stone, so based on my experience I would catagorise that research as flawed…

.

I think that the likes of Huel and Soylent etc are meant to be only used as alternative to eating crap, not really a substitute to real food ie, when you’re too busy for lunch so just eat a bag of crisps and a kitkat.