Anyone tried Soylent, the complete meal replacement?

[Skalm]

http://blog.soylent.com/

This is basically like Ensure, except that it's more complete. It takes all of the macro and micro nutrients you need each day, and puts it into a smoothie-like substance. Drink three glasses a day, and you have a full day's worth of perfect nutrition.

It's about $2.27 per meal, which is pricey, but you can make DIY for closer to $0.78 per meal (Found here: https://diy.soylent.com/recipes/brets-soylent-oat-whey-complete-low-price).

The doctors haven't decided if it's good for you to not eat solid food, but there's multiple testimonies of people who have switched to 100% Soylent and have not suffered any ill effects (besides some gassiness for the first week of switching). People on Soylent have reported higher energy, better sleep, and many other benefits.

If anything, Soylent is a quick and easy meal replacement, and you don't have to worry about it being unhealthy.

[EricL]

I think you get bored with that pretty quick.   But it's certainly not a horrible idea as a supplement for those people that are always on the run.  It beats the hell out of fast food and hot pockets - certainly if you take the DIY route.  I strongly recommend the DIY version or at least that you don't buy the green version.

Wait for it....

[DesireeD]

Soy lent is the ultimate in recycling. Great for the invironment!

[Skalm]

I think you get bored with that pretty quick.   But it's certainly not a horrible idea as a supplement for those people that are always on the run.  It beats the hell out of fast food and hot pockets - certainly if you take the DIY route.  I strongly recommend the DIY version or at least that you don't buy the green version.

Wait for it....

I am insanely lazy, so I would love to only do "cooking" one day a week or month and drink all my meals. Especially for the low low cost of ~$70.20/month. You do have to drink a lot more water with this diet, they suggest about a gallon of water a day.

And yes, it is an odd name, considering the movie.

[dragoncar]

I always thought this was dumb, but depending on the shelf life maybe I'll put some into my earthquake kit. 

[davisgang90]

Charlton Heston, please pick up the white courtesy phone.

[nereo]

I always thought this was dumb, but depending on the shelf life maybe I'll put some into my earthquake kit.

my thoughts as well.  Cheaper than those MRIs at least.

[Neustache]

I've never seen the movie...but the name has to be a joke, right?  I'd uh....beware of the protein in that drink. 

[Louisville]

Piggy-backing on the movie for marketing?  Genius, or idiocy - I'm not sure.

[KisKis]

I have one friend who swears by it, but DH and I are extremely skeptical.  First of all, if you are on board with carbs and sugars being the enemy, then you can see that the nutrition facts in Soylent are essentially like a diet of cereal plus some multi-vitamins.  The main ingredient is a fake sugar filler bulking agent - maltodextrin.  I have more paleo-diet leanings, so soylent seems terrible to me.  The friend who went to soylent as a partial meal replacement is a single career-driven male who has a diet composed of cereals and take out, so soylent was probably an improvement.  I don't know.  Food doesn't seem hard to me.  I don't feel the need to simplify. Also, and perhaps most importantly of all in a mustachian thread, soylent is expensive.  If you can't figure out food, you're doing it wrong.

[SouthernTransplant]

I am currently using it as an occasional meal replacement, and for that purpose, it has been great.

I love gourmet food, I love doing my own cooking, and I like eating (relatively) healthy foods.  However, I really only want to spends large amounts of time preparing dinner or weekend meals, as most breakfasts and lunches are strictly utilitarian for me.  I love the idea of having a food that takes almost no preparation, has a long shelf life, and can be eaten easily on a walk during lunch, or in the car on the way to work.  On one hand, I gain a little time this way, but honestly it's nice not having to think about what I will be doing for breakfast or lunch on those occasions.

I don't view this as a complete food replacement, though I'm sure some people do.  As a sporadic meal replacement (~5-6 times a week), it's been fantastic. 

[Skalm]

I have one friend who swears by it, but DH and I are extremely skeptical.  First of all, if you are on board with carbs and sugars being the enemy, then you can see that the nutrition facts in Soylent are essentially like a diet of cereal plus some multi-vitamins.  The main ingredient is a fake sugar filler bulking agent - maltodextrin.  I have more paleo-diet leanings, so soylent seems terrible to me.  The friend who went to soylent as a partial meal replacement is a single career-driven male who has a diet composed of cereals and take out, so soylent was probably an improvement.  I don't know.  Food doesn't seem hard to me.  I don't feel the need to simplify. Also, and perhaps most importantly of all in a mustachian thread, soylent is expensive.  If you can't figure out food, you're doing it wrong.

The nutrition part gets a lot of discussion over at www.reddit.com/r/soylent, the biggest concern right now is the type of nutrient (carbs and fats and all that can be super different in their origin and how they're processed), and the GI is fairly high, but the math goes either way if that's OK or not.

I currently spend about $1.38 a meal for my wife and I, so it wouldn't be an awful idea to get some DIY soylent for lunches. I don't think wife would be too keen on replacing dinners. Wouldn't save me much but is probably healthier than Ramen and sandwiches.

[KisKis]

I have one friend who swears by it, but DH and I are extremely skeptical.  First of all, if you are on board with carbs and sugars being the enemy, then you can see that the nutrition facts in Soylent are essentially like a diet of cereal plus some multi-vitamins.  The main ingredient is a fake sugar filler bulking agent - maltodextrin.  I have more paleo-diet leanings, so soylent seems terrible to me.  The friend who went to soylent as a partial meal replacement is a single career-driven male who has a diet composed of cereals and take out, so soylent was probably an improvement.  I don't know.  Food doesn't seem hard to me.  I don't feel the need to simplify. Also, and perhaps most importantly of all in a mustachian thread, soylent is expensive.  If you can't figure out food, you're doing it wrong.

The nutrition part gets a lot of discussion over at www.reddit.com/r/soylent, the biggest concern right now is the type of nutrient (carbs and fats and all that can be super different in their origin and how they're processed), and the GI is fairly high, but the math goes either way if that's OK or not.

I currently spend about $1.38 a meal for my wife and I, so it wouldn't be an awful idea to get some DIY soylent for lunches. I don't think wife would be too keen on replacing dinners. Wouldn't save me much but is probably healthier than Ramen and sandwiches.

That reddit is covered up with soylent fanatics!  It's interesting, and it definitely appears that the jury is still out.  I tend to be cautious about new trendy health fads.  The long-term ramifications are not yet known.  I am open to the fact that maybe Soylent is the new future of food, but I am highly doubtful.  You might say I am Soylent agnostic.  When there is scientific evidence showing that soylent does better than a normal healthy diet, then I will happily jump on the bandwagon.  Right now, I will stick to my fish, meat, fruits, and veggies.

[Sid Hoffman]

I think you get bored with that pretty quick.

That's been one of my main concerns.  I actually don't really enjoy eating and I especially don't enjoy preparing food.  I mainly live on milk, flavored oatmeal, hot dogs, grape juice, a daily multivitamin, and then a bunch of random stuff that probably qualifies in aggregate as junk food.  In other words, I already hate eating so much that I don't eat anything that resembles a balanced diet.  I like the idea of getting a more complete diet while still spending little time preparing and consuming food.

That's actually one of the reasons I like junk food is that there's zero prep time, you just open and consume.  Still, I have a large enough library of junk foods that I buy that I don't get bored with it.  Maybe I could do 50-75% of my daily calorie intake from soylent and then have junk for the other 25-50% so I don't get bored?  I'd still take my daily multi-vitamin so as to not come up short in that area.

The other main holdback then is the fact that it appears a two-week supply is $130.  I barely spend $130/month on groceries as it stands and phasing in any amount of soylent is simply guaranteeing that I will be spending more on food.

[NorCal]

I'd be willing to give  it a try as a replacement for work lunches.  I wouldn't turn my entire diet into it though.

I wish they had a lower priced trial option.  I'd pay $10-$20 for an initial trial, but I'm not going to pay $85  just to see if it works for me.

[ArcadeStache]

I'd give it a try but wonder if it's actually satisfying. Knowing me, I'd drink it then still feel hungry and cave in and buy lunch.

[Skalm]

I'd give it a try but wonder if it's actually satisfying. Knowing me, I'd drink it then still feel hungry and cave in and buy lunch.

A lot of people report that it's like drinking liquefied bread, a really thick smoothie, and that it's really filling. Only about 700 calories per serving though, I would probably need more.

I think you get bored with that pretty quick.

The other main holdback then is the fact that it appears a two-week supply is $130.  I barely spend $130/month on groceries as it stands and phasing in any amount of soylent is simply guaranteeing that I will be spending more on food.

That's the other problem, even if you do DIY the initial cost is higher, even though the per-unit cost is lower. Whey protein and one of the other ingredients are pretty expensive.

[ArcadeStache]

700 calories is probably perfect assuming it keeps your blood sugar even, which begs the question: how does it taste? Is a "hint of vanilla" enough to choke this down?

[dragoncar]

There are some really tasty whey proteins out there.  Things I've used at work in a pinch:

Protein shake.  Tasty.
Shot of garlic olive oil.  Filling.
Multivitamins.

None of the above gives me much fiber, but I can eat a big ass salad for dinner.

[noora]

My roommate (eats?drinks?) consumes Soylent. His motivation was environmental and sustainability for the future, but from the stand point that resources are supposedly scarce so that's all we'll be able to eat in the future. That view to me seems reactionary and silly. I think the convenience of it is a big part of it too; it's an easy complete diet for people that aren't willing to put in the time to make meals or shop for fresh foods. He did have smelly poops though; I can always tell when he's been in the bathroom.

[Chesterfield]

I bought a week to try it and am selling the extra packages on eBay. Tastes fine,  sort of oat like and thick. Realized I like to eat my food. I think it is perfect for people who eat a terrible diet and don't mind that it is a bit spend-y. It's got to be better for you than ramen and freezer burritos. Probably cheaper than ramen and frozen burritos if you get them at the convenience store.

[tmoneyearlyretiree]

my buddy tried it by buying a whole tank of it from amazon, idk i feel like i want to wait for that kinda diet until im in the middle of a battlefield, camping, or in the hospital

[arpies]

I've recently started on Soylent, and I quite enjoy it. It's not particularly tasty, but it gets the job done, and compared to here where fresh fruit isn't fresh for long, it's relatively cheap. It's also great for utilitarian meals when I'm alone. I enjoy cooking, but I don't enjoy cooking for one a whole lot.

I agree about potent poop though. I work in a hospital lab, and my gas is still stinky compared to most of the lab; the microbiology incubators are usually worse.

[ditheca]

Tried it myself.  I mostly use it when I'm running late and don't have time for a real breakfast.  I like it, and it's probably healthier than my usual diet.

DW can't stand it, because of the gritty texture.  Kids weren't big fans either.  It's hard to justify the cost, but spending some time finding a good DIY recipe might be worthwhile.

Edit: Don't use it for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner... entirely liquid diets mess with your digestive system.  You'll get bad gas, at best.

[cerebus]

This is a total abomination as far as I'm concerned. It's exactly the kind of atrocity that would be dreamed up by Silicon Valley futurists with no aesthetic or humanist sense about them. The kind of people who still wear Google Glass and have posters of Elon Musk quotes on their bedroom wall.

[patrickza]

As a man who wants to be strong and healthy, including a healthy sex drive. I wouldn't touch soy with a barge pole...

[Skalm]

As a man who wants to be strong and healthy, including a healthy sex drive. I wouldn't touch soy with a barge pole...

Despite the name, it doesn't have any soy in it. Most DIY recipes use masa as the filler carb.

[golden1]

1) I don't think we have figured out what the optimal diet really is enough to try to engineer a one size fits all diet drink.

2) I actually enjoy variety and tasting different things so this isn't for me. 

3) What is the obsession with making everything drinkable?  We have teeth for a reason.

[seattlecyclone]

I tried Soylent once. Someone at work bought more than they needed and brought some into the office for people to sample. I thought it tasted pretty good, and seems to have a decent mix of fats, carbohydrates, and protein, plus vitamins. I agree that it's more expensive than many conventional foods if you try to keep your grocery costs low, but it's probably cheaper and better for you than most fast food meals if that's what you would be eating instead at that time.

[LennStar]

Havent read the thread, so if anyone already posted it, sorry.

http://www.raptitude.com/2014/05/why-soylent/

experiment log:
http://www.raptitude.com/experiment-no-18-a-month-on-soylent/