5 ms·

I get lost in my work/play quite a bit and often forget about meals. I'd definitely be interested in trying soylent simply as a meal replacement, especially if

by jjcm 14y ago

I get lost in my work/play quite a bit and often forget about meals. I'd definitely be interested in trying soylent simply as a meal replacement, especially if ingestion/preparation of it is quick enough not to break my workflow.

evgen 14y ago
You are looking for a product called Ensure. You can find it in every mini-mart in the country. It has actually been scientifically developed and tested as a meal replacement and is based on real research by people who know what they are talking about rather than one guy who is making a lot of guesses...
- bluedino 14y ago
  Except that it's really, really expensive per-calorie.
huhtenberg 14y ago
Consider SlimFast. Same sh#t, but in strawberry flavor.
- mistercow 14y ago
  The main problem with SlimFast, as opposed to soylent, is that almost all of its carbs are sugars. On the other hand, it probably has a slightly better Omega-3:Omega-6 ratio.
  - javert 14y ago
    > The main problem with SlimFast, as opposed to soylent, is that almost all of its carbs are sugars Does that actually matter? (I know nothing, genuinely curious.)
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
    - mistercow 14y ago
      The main problem with sugars is that they have a high glycemic index, which means that they break down quickly and rapidly release glucose into your bloodstream. That's bad for several reasons. One is that it causes a strong insulin response, which can increase insulin resistance over time, leading to diabetes. Another is that it will give you a burst of energy initially, which will then fall off, leaving you feeling tired. Carbs with a lower GI will keep your blood sugar at a steady level. But actually, looking again at the soylent recipe, he seems to be preferring maltodextrin as his carb source. He was probably mislead by the fact that it's a "complex carbohydrate", but in fact, the GI of maltodextrin is higher than cane sugar. In fact, it has basically the same glycemic index as pure glucose. So I retract my previous statement. Unless you replace carb source in soylent, SlimFast is basically just a better option.
DanBC 14y ago
There are a bunch of different liquid feeds available. Well known brands include Ensure and Fortisip. (https://www.nutricia.co.uk/fortisip// https://www.nutricia.co.uk/fortisip//) (http://ensure.com/ http://ensure.com/) These have the advantage of careful preparation and high standards of QA.
- javert 14y ago
  I would order Soylent right now if I could. So I'm pretty excited to find out about these. I had no idea they existed. FWIW, my diet now is like 95% red meat, with some cheese occasionally added in. What are the downsides of these compared to Soylent? I mean, what's the motivation for Soylent if these already exist?
  - msutherl 14y ago
    Dude, get a pack of baby spinach and throw it in with the meat.
    - coolsunglasses 14y ago
      And odd choice, since excessive spinach intake can lead to iron deficiencies. Other green vegetables are better.
  - corresation 14y ago
    What are the downsides of these compared to Soylent? I mean, what's the motivation for Soylent if these already exist? I swear that this Soylent thing is all, as some others have opined, a long troll. But yes, there are a number of "meal replacement" drinks, some of them (like Ensure), very widely known and heavily advertised.
    - fian 14y ago
      I guess the difference is that this guy is making the recipe available so you can tweak it to your requirements. Ensure or other prepackaged products are a predefined set ratio, which may not be optimal for all consumers. For example, highly active people will probably require a higher ratio of carbohydrates than less active people. Similarly, some people will be genetically predisposed to have higher/lower uptake of some nutrients/vitamins. Ultimately, for any one person to succeed with a Soylent style approach, they will need to monitor their blood levels of a range of elements and compounds. To my mind, developing a rapid, cheap, broad spectrum blood analysis to allow people to monitor their diet (soylent or not) is what should be focused on. Your mileage and diet may vary...

by jjcm 14y ago

evgen 14y ago

You are looking for a product called Ensure. You can find it in every mini-mart in the country. It has actually been scientifically developed and tested as a meal replacement and is based on real research by people who know what they are talking about rather than one guy who is making a lot of guesses...

bluedino 14y ago
Except that it's really, really expensive per-calorie.

huhtenberg 14y ago

Consider SlimFast. Same sh#t, but in strawberry flavor.

mistercow 14y ago
The main problem with SlimFast, as opposed to soylent, is that almost all of its carbs are sugars. On the other hand, it probably has a slightly better Omega-3:Omega-6 ratio.
- javert 14y ago
  > The main problem with SlimFast, as opposed to soylent, is that almost all of its carbs are sugars Does that actually matter? (I know nothing, genuinely curious.)
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - mistercow 14y ago
    The main problem with sugars is that they have a high glycemic index, which means that they break down quickly and rapidly release glucose into your bloodstream. That's bad for several reasons. One is that it causes a strong insulin response, which can increase insulin resistance over time, leading to diabetes. Another is that it will give you a burst of energy initially, which will then fall off, leaving you feeling tired. Carbs with a lower GI will keep your blood sugar at a steady level. But actually, looking again at the soylent recipe, he seems to be preferring maltodextrin as his carb source. He was probably mislead by the fact that it's a "complex carbohydrate", but in fact, the GI of maltodextrin is higher than cane sugar. In fact, it has basically the same glycemic index as pure glucose. So I retract my previous statement. Unless you replace carb source in soylent, SlimFast is basically just a better option.

DanBC 14y ago

There are a bunch of different liquid feeds available. Well known brands include Ensure and Fortisip. (https://www.nutricia.co.uk/fortisip// https://www.nutricia.co.uk/fortisip//) (http://ensure.com/ http://ensure.com/) These have the advantage of careful preparation and high standards of QA.

javert 14y ago
I would order Soylent right now if I could. So I'm pretty excited to find out about these. I had no idea they existed. FWIW, my diet now is like 95% red meat, with some cheese occasionally added in. What are the downsides of these compared to Soylent? I mean, what's the motivation for Soylent if these already exist?
- msutherl 14y ago
  Dude, get a pack of baby spinach and throw it in with the meat.
  - coolsunglasses 14y ago
    And odd choice, since excessive spinach intake can lead to iron deficiencies. Other green vegetables are better.
- corresation 14y ago
  What are the downsides of these compared to Soylent? I mean, what's the motivation for Soylent if these already exist? I swear that this Soylent thing is all, as some others have opined, a long troll. But yes, there are a number of "meal replacement" drinks, some of them (like Ensure), very widely known and heavily advertised.
  - fian 14y ago
    I guess the difference is that this guy is making the recipe available so you can tweak it to your requirements. Ensure or other prepackaged products are a predefined set ratio, which may not be optimal for all consumers. For example, highly active people will probably require a higher ratio of carbohydrates than less active people. Similarly, some people will be genetically predisposed to have higher/lower uptake of some nutrients/vitamins. Ultimately, for any one person to succeed with a Soylent style approach, they will need to monitor their blood levels of a range of elements and compounds. To my mind, developing a rapid, cheap, broad spectrum blood analysis to allow people to monitor their diet (soylent or not) is what should be focused on. Your mileage and diet may vary...