4 ms·

At this point I'm skeptical that Soylent fulfills B, as healthy diets include a lot more than 30-40 ingredients in the form of enzymes and nutrients that aren't

At this point I'm skeptical that Soylent fulfills B, as healthy diets include a lot more than 30-40 ingredients in the form of enzymes and nutrients that aren't "essential" but aid metabolism. But I appreciate the fact that they're aiming for ABD and hope they can achieve it as the data rolls in over time. If it tastes like gritty pancake batter, it can't be any worse than a diet of brussels sprouts, turnips, rutabagas, radicchio, eggplant, etc.

ezyang 12y ago
I don't know what you are talking about, but all of those vegetables are delicious if cooked properly.
- neurobro 12y ago
  Apparently I've never cooked any of those properly! Anyway, I'm sure everyone has a few least-favorite veggies that would clear up that sentence (unless they really dislike pancake batter).
  - ktrgardiner 12y ago
    Almost any vegetable tastes amazing sautéed in butter with shallots and garlic. You can also add plain breadcrumbs once done. I say this having just made brussel sprouts that way for dinner. Very simple and very delicious. And I used to hate brussel sprouts.
    - corprew 12y ago
      Brussel sprouts used to be more bitter than they are; farmers have actively been breeding better tasting brussels sprouts. Lots of people who used to hate them and didn't eat them for a number of years find them more pleasant when trying them now.
- gone35 12y ago
  Not necessarily. Individual expression of TAS2Rs is genetically determined and varies considerably[1]; and so the perceived bitterness of sinigrin-containing vegetables like cabbage (B. oleracea) differs from person to person [2,3]. [1] http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/2/157.full http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/2/157.full [2] http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060918/full/news060918-1.html http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060918/full/news060918-1.htm... [3] http://tools.lifetechnologies.com/content/sfs/manuals/qPCR_learning_kit_studentversion.pdf http://tools.lifetechnologies.com/content/sfs/manuals/qPCR_l...
gfodor 12y ago
I'm skeptical too, but the point I'm making here isn't about if Soylent meets these criteria but what the intent behind the design is. I think laying out these criteria show why Soylent's use-cases, at least in theory, are orthogonal to those of other ways of consuming food. (Hence arguments about how Soylent can never replace those things is a just tautology and not a real argument.)

ezyang 12y ago

I don't know what you are talking about, but all of those vegetables are delicious if cooked properly.

neurobro 12y ago
Apparently I've never cooked any of those properly! Anyway, I'm sure everyone has a few least-favorite veggies that would clear up that sentence (unless they really dislike pancake batter).
- ktrgardiner 12y ago
  Almost any vegetable tastes amazing sautéed in butter with shallots and garlic. You can also add plain breadcrumbs once done. I say this having just made brussel sprouts that way for dinner. Very simple and very delicious. And I used to hate brussel sprouts.
  - corprew 12y ago
    Brussel sprouts used to be more bitter than they are; farmers have actively been breeding better tasting brussels sprouts. Lots of people who used to hate them and didn't eat them for a number of years find them more pleasant when trying them now.
gone35 12y ago
Not necessarily. Individual expression of TAS2Rs is genetically determined and varies considerably[1]; and so the perceived bitterness of sinigrin-containing vegetables like cabbage (B. oleracea) differs from person to person [2,3]. [1] http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/2/157.full http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/2/157.full [2] http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060918/full/news060918-1.html http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060918/full/news060918-1.htm... [3] http://tools.lifetechnologies.com/content/sfs/manuals/qPCR_learning_kit_studentversion.pdf http://tools.lifetechnologies.com/content/sfs/manuals/qPCR_l...

gfodor 12y ago

I'm skeptical too, but the point I'm making here isn't about if Soylent meets these criteria but what the intent behind the design is. I think laying out these criteria show why Soylent's use-cases, at least in theory, are orthogonal to those of other ways of consuming food. (Hence arguments about how Soylent can never replace those things is a just tautology and not a real argument.)