5 ms·

Convenience. It's the same with regular Soylent, Mana, and anything DIY in between. I make my own version of Soylent, both in liquid and baked form and use it w

by redka 10y ago

Convenience. It's the same with regular Soylent, Mana, and anything DIY in between. I make my own version of Soylent, both in liquid and baked form and use it whenever it suits me, mostly 1 meal a day.

Klathmon 10y ago
Yeah, I've wanted to look into something like this for a long time. For me, eating is a chore most of the time. I just want something cheap and quick that will allow me to not die.
- TheDong 10y ago
  I doubt you really want just "to not die" from your food. Your mental health, ability to work, and happiness are all impacted pretty heavily by your diet. Lacking some nutrients can increase depression, lacking others can result in always feeling tired and sluggish, etc. The reason I'm wary of soylent is not because I doubt that I could live on it (many people have lived for fairly significant durations on basically only soylent), but because I worry it would overall decrease my quality of life. Saving time eating is great, but it's not worth feeling like shit the rest of the time.
  - Klathmon 10y ago
    That is a bit of hyperbole, but the sentiment is there. I'm not looking for a "food replacement" though. I just want something that I can eat for lunch because I often forget to eat anything at all (also with breakfast, but that's more of not wanting to waste the time on making a good breakfast). Soylent seems like a great choice vs nothing half of the time. It's also better than me just eating rasin bran for the 20th morning in a row.
    - smallnamespace 10y ago
      Breakfast is actually pretty easy to make 1) cheap and 2) easy to prepare. It takes about 5 minutes to grill an egg or boil one. If you soak oatmeal overnight, it takes about 10 minutes to fully cook. You can make toast or hashbrowns in about that amount of time as well. My routine is often start heating some food, then go brush my teeth while it's heating, so no time wasted. Small condiments can add a lot of variety -- buy a tub of yogurt, cream, cheese, salmon slices, sausage, etc., then just mix and match. You won't have to have the same meal twice in a week. And if cooking is simply too much of a hassle, why not just buy some apples, oranges, or whatever fruit suits your fancy, and just eat it whole? Pretty sure everyone agrees that fruit is healthy, and they're cheap.
      - Klathmon 10y ago
        But I'm looking for consistency, not variation. I want the same thing every morning, I dont want to have to prepare by going to the store, checking experiation dates and timing usage before stuff goes bad, etc. It seems funny that people are coming out of the woodwork to tell me alternatives to Soylent like its some kind of toxic waste. I might be horribly wrong, but I'm pretty sure that a soylent shake is going to be nutritionally better for me than an orange in the mornings...
        eropple 10y ago
        To be clear, I wouldn't suggest that Soylent is some kind of toxic waste (though I think it tastes like shit, personally). It's certainly better than an orange. But I would suggest that there is a human good in being willing and able to do things for yourself that is worth reflecting on and exploring. Like, there's an Aristotelian "are we really attempting to achieve the good?" question that I would put to people who neglect--and this word is chosen very carefully--themselves in lieu of other pursuits. I don't claim to have any answers on this, mind! And I'm certainly not perfect about any of this (said my waistline, peevishly), but actually thinking about this stuff has made me spend more time taking care of myself. And I actively wonder if attempted solve-everythings like Soylent are not a step backwards for us as people, instead of mere consumers. The stuff you don't want to do with regard to going to the store and so on is so very, very trivial, and yet actually engages you with the ephemera of your world in a way that I would suggest meditating on before discarding.
        smallnamespace 10y ago
        Is Soylent actually better than an orange though? For example: https://discourse.soylent.com/t/phytonutrients-and-all-the-other-stuff-soylent-doesnt-have/12782/ https://discourse.soylent.com/t/phytonutrients-and-all-the-o... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistant_starch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistant_starch http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/phytonutrients-faq#1 http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/phytonutrients-faq#1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4287321/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4287321/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26757793 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26757793 There are all sorts of compounds in natural foods that science hasn't even begun to analyze in depth, but which humans have been eating and coevolved with for millions of years. What's the effect if you take them all out of your diet completely? Soylent's strategy, understandably, is to put in all the things that we think we already understand and know we need, but what if that's only 10% of what the body needs long term? How do you quantify the risk from unknown unknowns? Also, the comparison isn't really between Soylent and oranges alone, but Soylent and a normal balanced diet, of which fruit is one component.
  - jijinopo 10y ago
    .
    - eropple 10y ago
      > Most people who try soylent feel much better than when they don't drink it. Your uninformed opinion means nothing. "Most people", huh? How about some scientific studies to this effect instead of green-texter assertions that another poster's hesitance means nothing?
      - jijinopo 10y ago
        .
        eropple 10y ago
        > It's my opinion from having tried it and talking with those who have tried it. I don't need a scientific study to tell me how to form an opinion based on observation. I also don't need people stating their opinion without ever having tried something. They're just spewing bs to stroke their own ego at the expense of honest discussion. So you've talked to a statistically valid sample of Soylent users to conclude "most people" believe as you do? Interesting. How about you provide that data? Oh, wait. You haven't talked to a statistically valid sample, you're just doing exactly the same thing you're accusing him of. I get that you might be a fan of Tech-Branded Slim-Fast, but come on. Be better than this. (And I have tried it. I disagree with you. Oh no! Countering anecdotes with anecdotes!)
        AznHisoka 10y ago
        Umm, You are replying to a dot...
        eropple 10y ago
        The author edited away his posts.
- smallnamespace 10y ago
  Why not find food that you (and your body) want to eat?
  - Klathmon 10y ago
    Like Soylent? The problem is that many "healthy" things either cost time to prepare and make, or they cost money to buy. I don't want to spend either of those, and based on my past experience, I'll just end up not eating, or just drinking milk if the barrier is too high. I know it's not healthy, but its what ends up happening.
    - eropple 10y ago
      You could also modify your behavior instead of attempting to build crutches for unhealthy behaviors. Food preparation can be a pleasant experience, curiosity-satisfying experience and need not take much time. I spend maybe two and a half hours across an entire week preparing healthy food--and it tastes a hell of a lot better, too. (I have tried Soylent, and I think it's foul and unsatisfying. Tech bros apparently can't make Ensure or Slim-Fast better than Ensure or Slim-Fast is. Which isn't very good.)
      - Klathmon 10y ago
        I've actually tried the soylent powder from a friend and found it was great. And while you can find food prep to be a satisfying experience, i can't. I've tried, many times, and it just feels like pulling teeth. From going to the market to buy ingredients, to planning out the meals and portions, to actually prepping and cooking the food. It's boring, tedious, and not something I enjoy at all. The "better taste" can actually be an issue as well, because I tend to need to force myself to eat even when I'm not hungry, and eating something that was prepared hours ago that doesn't sound that appealing any more while not really hungry isn't a pleasant experience. I'd rather have a shake, or eat a bar, and go on with my life.
    - smallnamespace 10y ago
      I don't know what your living arrangements are, but I've found that if you're living with others, sharing food prep responsibilities can be efficient in both time and money. Obviously, that does require some time investment in learning to cook. I hope Soylent works out for you, I'm just really doubtful that it's a reliable long term solution. It's our hubris in thinking we understood nutrition that led to stuff like trans fats being added to everything. Hope this isn't just repeating the same mistake.

by redka 10y ago

Klathmon 10y ago

Yeah, I've wanted to look into something like this for a long time. For me, eating is a chore most of the time. I just want something cheap and quick that will allow me to not die.

TheDong 10y ago
I doubt you really want just "to not die" from your food. Your mental health, ability to work, and happiness are all impacted pretty heavily by your diet. Lacking some nutrients can increase depression, lacking others can result in always feeling tired and sluggish, etc. The reason I'm wary of soylent is not because I doubt that I could live on it (many people have lived for fairly significant durations on basically only soylent), but because I worry it would overall decrease my quality of life. Saving time eating is great, but it's not worth feeling like shit the rest of the time.
- Klathmon 10y ago
  That is a bit of hyperbole, but the sentiment is there. I'm not looking for a "food replacement" though. I just want something that I can eat for lunch because I often forget to eat anything at all (also with breakfast, but that's more of not wanting to waste the time on making a good breakfast). Soylent seems like a great choice vs nothing half of the time. It's also better than me just eating rasin bran for the 20th morning in a row.
  - smallnamespace 10y ago
    Breakfast is actually pretty easy to make 1) cheap and 2) easy to prepare. It takes about 5 minutes to grill an egg or boil one. If you soak oatmeal overnight, it takes about 10 minutes to fully cook. You can make toast or hashbrowns in about that amount of time as well. My routine is often start heating some food, then go brush my teeth while it's heating, so no time wasted. Small condiments can add a lot of variety -- buy a tub of yogurt, cream, cheese, salmon slices, sausage, etc., then just mix and match. You won't have to have the same meal twice in a week. And if cooking is simply too much of a hassle, why not just buy some apples, oranges, or whatever fruit suits your fancy, and just eat it whole? Pretty sure everyone agrees that fruit is healthy, and they're cheap.
    - Klathmon 10y ago
      But I'm looking for consistency, not variation. I want the same thing every morning, I dont want to have to prepare by going to the store, checking experiation dates and timing usage before stuff goes bad, etc. It seems funny that people are coming out of the woodwork to tell me alternatives to Soylent like its some kind of toxic waste. I might be horribly wrong, but I'm pretty sure that a soylent shake is going to be nutritionally better for me than an orange in the mornings...
      - eropple 10y ago
        To be clear, I wouldn't suggest that Soylent is some kind of toxic waste (though I think it tastes like shit, personally). It's certainly better than an orange. But I would suggest that there is a human good in being willing and able to do things for yourself that is worth reflecting on and exploring. Like, there's an Aristotelian "are we really attempting to achieve the good?" question that I would put to people who neglect--and this word is chosen very carefully--themselves in lieu of other pursuits. I don't claim to have any answers on this, mind! And I'm certainly not perfect about any of this (said my waistline, peevishly), but actually thinking about this stuff has made me spend more time taking care of myself. And I actively wonder if attempted solve-everythings like Soylent are not a step backwards for us as people, instead of mere consumers. The stuff you don't want to do with regard to going to the store and so on is so very, very trivial, and yet actually engages you with the ephemera of your world in a way that I would suggest meditating on before discarding.
        smallnamespace 10y ago
        Is Soylent actually better than an orange though? For example: https://discourse.soylent.com/t/phytonutrients-and-all-the-other-stuff-soylent-doesnt-have/12782/ https://discourse.soylent.com/t/phytonutrients-and-all-the-o... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistant_starch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistant_starch http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/phytonutrients-faq#1 http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/phytonutrients-faq#1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4287321/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4287321/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26757793 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26757793 There are all sorts of compounds in natural foods that science hasn't even begun to analyze in depth, but which humans have been eating and coevolved with for millions of years. What's the effect if you take them all out of your diet completely? Soylent's strategy, understandably, is to put in all the things that we think we already understand and know we need, but what if that's only 10% of what the body needs long term? How do you quantify the risk from unknown unknowns? Also, the comparison isn't really between Soylent and oranges alone, but Soylent and a normal balanced diet, of which fruit is one component.
- jijinopo 10y ago
  .
  - eropple 10y ago
    > Most people who try soylent feel much better than when they don't drink it. Your uninformed opinion means nothing. "Most people", huh? How about some scientific studies to this effect instead of green-texter assertions that another poster's hesitance means nothing?
    - jijinopo 10y ago
      .
      - eropple 10y ago
        > It's my opinion from having tried it and talking with those who have tried it. I don't need a scientific study to tell me how to form an opinion based on observation. I also don't need people stating their opinion without ever having tried something. They're just spewing bs to stroke their own ego at the expense of honest discussion. So you've talked to a statistically valid sample of Soylent users to conclude "most people" believe as you do? Interesting. How about you provide that data? Oh, wait. You haven't talked to a statistically valid sample, you're just doing exactly the same thing you're accusing him of. I get that you might be a fan of Tech-Branded Slim-Fast, but come on. Be better than this. (And I have tried it. I disagree with you. Oh no! Countering anecdotes with anecdotes!)
        AznHisoka 10y ago
        Umm, You are replying to a dot...
        eropple 10y ago
        The author edited away his posts.
smallnamespace 10y ago
Why not find food that you (and your body) want to eat?
- Klathmon 10y ago
  Like Soylent? The problem is that many "healthy" things either cost time to prepare and make, or they cost money to buy. I don't want to spend either of those, and based on my past experience, I'll just end up not eating, or just drinking milk if the barrier is too high. I know it's not healthy, but its what ends up happening.
  - eropple 10y ago
    You could also modify your behavior instead of attempting to build crutches for unhealthy behaviors. Food preparation can be a pleasant experience, curiosity-satisfying experience and need not take much time. I spend maybe two and a half hours across an entire week preparing healthy food--and it tastes a hell of a lot better, too. (I have tried Soylent, and I think it's foul and unsatisfying. Tech bros apparently can't make Ensure or Slim-Fast better than Ensure or Slim-Fast is. Which isn't very good.)
    - Klathmon 10y ago
      I've actually tried the soylent powder from a friend and found it was great. And while you can find food prep to be a satisfying experience, i can't. I've tried, many times, and it just feels like pulling teeth. From going to the market to buy ingredients, to planning out the meals and portions, to actually prepping and cooking the food. It's boring, tedious, and not something I enjoy at all. The "better taste" can actually be an issue as well, because I tend to need to force myself to eat even when I'm not hungry, and eating something that was prepared hours ago that doesn't sound that appealing any more while not really hungry isn't a pleasant experience. I'd rather have a shake, or eat a bar, and go on with my life.
  - smallnamespace 10y ago
    I don't know what your living arrangements are, but I've found that if you're living with others, sharing food prep responsibilities can be efficient in both time and money. Obviously, that does require some time investment in learning to cook. I hope Soylent works out for you, I'm just really doubtful that it's a reliable long term solution. It's our hubris in thinking we understood nutrition that led to stuff like trans fats being added to everything. Hope this isn't just repeating the same mistake.