Huel?

cloggsy71

Anyone use Huel regularly?

What are the pro's & con's?

tinkerbellang83

I'll warn you in advance there's not a lot of support for meal replacements here.

What, if I may ask is drawing you to Huel as an option?

yirara

What the pros and cons are is totally individual. I don't get full at all from liquid food. And I love cooking and great tastes. Thus the whole concept is a con for me

cloggsy71

tinkerbellang83 wrote: »

What, if I may ask is drawing you to Huel as an option?

It's vegan, it's easy to carry for work etc. I currently make a 'green' smoothie for breakfast & lunch (Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Green Apple, Banana & Oat Milk), but I'm thinking that something simple like Huel may be easier?

I'm just interested to hear people's thought on it, that's all...

quiksylver296

My thoughts: I have to chew my food to feel satisfied. Smoothies (or huel) do not work for me. I'll drink 600 calories and still be hungry.

MikePfirrman

I tend not to judge and look at ingredient labels. I've looked at Huel before. Not that I'd buy it (too expensive), but from what I remember the ingredients were very good.

If it's convenient for you and you like it (and can afford it), sure. As someone already mentioned, I do find sometimes that if I drink my calories and don't eat them, I end up having more calories. I'd recommend having something to chew on at work too, like raw carrots or raw veggies -- just to have something super low calorie to fill you up. Sometimes, just the volumetrics of drinks doesn't give you that feeling of fullness.

Looked at the ingredients again just now. I'm not a huge fan of Xanthan Gum. Massive gas for both me and my wife. That would be a deal breaker for me in an office environment.

Sunwarrior has a complete meal drink that might work for you and it's Vegan as well. Just cleaner ingredients. Called Illumin8. It's just a tad more expensive, but Sunwarrior has a program where if you buy it off the website you redeem rewards, takes off like 10% of the price. I think the Illumin8 looks superior to Huel. Sunwarrior also has a subscribe monthly where you save 20% -- that would put it directly on par with Huel in cost.

Hey, at least it's not an MLM!

MikePfirrman

Another thought is my wife drinks a protein drink nearly every day. She likes Sunwarrior Warrior Blend. I buy her Amazing Grass Chocolate or Berry to add into it. I believe those two, even together, are as cheap or cheaper than Huel and, at least I believe, they are superior in product ingredients. Both powders and also convenient to use.

She adds a small bit of frozen fruit and ice and non dairy milk to hers and it's like a shake. She loves it. A single serving blender at work with that wouldn't be hard at all.

scarlett_k

I tried it for a while before returning to MFP (I'd previously dabbled with MFP but had never committed).

Honestly I found it absolutely miserable. Turns out I need complex flavours and textures in my life and drinking these things after the novelty wore off was horrible. It also gave me terrible heartburn which I'd never suffered from before, although apparently that is an unusual side effect.

Your mileage may vary but I'd rather eat real food.

lisa2113940

I love it. It's good ingredients, easy, lots of flavor options, tastes good, fills me up, and gives me the steadiest energy levels I've ever experienced (probably due to low GI). Also, customer service is always responsive and helpful. I recommend it! I work 12 hour night shifts in a hospital with not a lot of time to eat so it's saved me from living off of vending machine food.

It changed my world! I don't have any bad things to say

minniestar55

I have a smoothie for breakfast most day, mostly veg but half green apple too. I had a scoop protein powder & some Skyr to it to make sure I’m keeping protein up.

Whatsthemotive

I have a daughter who has gastroparesis and is unable to eat regular foods at times. She tried Huel and didn’t care for it. She did much better on Kates Farm. Obviously, her needs are different as her effort was to get enough calories, not to lose weight. Kates Farm is also vegan. She is dairy intolerant and so many of the supplement drinks are dairy based. Daily yoga helps her system work better so she can eat.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

That's a great collection of answers. @MikePfirrman made some good observations about checking the ingredients and several people offered interesting alternatives.

Like the OP @cloggsy71, I've been curious about "liquid meals," including Huel. I suppose the best thing is just to jump in and try it for a while.

DamnKnitBlast

I've been on Huel for the last 4 months (breakfast everyday and lunch Mon- Frid, normal meal in evenings) and it has been miraculous for me.

**I'm going to sound like a fan girl***

I had been struggling with erratic blood pressure, partly caused by skipping breakfast (I hate breakfast!) and trying to get my weight back down after a period off ill health.

I had dabbled with Slimfast as a convenient meal replacement but I'm also lactose intolerant and the skimmed milk powder and whey protein disagreed with me aggressively!

Huel is vegan so no chance of hidden milk products. I like having a liquid breakfast too! My blood pressure has reduced massively and is now stable since using Huel - no more passing out after eating:)
Huel is also a balanced, complete food - unlike protein shakes - so I'm not fretting about nutrition.

Last big plus - I'm locked up working from home and can't nip out to a shop in London for a sandwich or soup - I hate having to stop and make/cook something and then clear up everyday - I'm too lazy or busy. Huel is quick and simple. (I have a nutribullet at home)

Lastly - makes calorie counting a cinch! 1 scoop = 200kcal!

PS - it looks expensive but their website design is poor. the price you see (£54) is for 3 bag not one (3 bags = 96 one scoop meals for me)!!

StarBrightStarBright

I just wanted to resurrect this necro thread because I have experimented with using Huel off and on for several years (and am currently using it again) and wanted to put another opinion out there for the next person that searches for it .

I have IBS type issues so traditional low calorie but filling foods are a nightmare for me. Huel has a good nutrient balance and is vegan. I have also started using their hot and savory meals recently, and again, I appreciate the ease and balance of them.

It isn't perfect, but when I don't have time to pre-prep lunches or don't want to do another dish, then Huel really helps with maintaining my health and my weight. I consider it another tool in the arsenal of weight maintenance.