I've eaten a meal replacement shake twice a day for two years (2019)

> Telling people to eat more fruits and vegetables often tends to be 1 percent or a high-income solution

Am I totally out of touch with reality or is this a completely ridiculous remark? Only 1 procent of people is able to afford the most basic food?

The headline is spot on. This person ate a meal replacement shake twice a day for two years.

If there was anything else to add, then I guess the headline might be different.

I used Huel for 6 months twice a day because I have ADHD and would simply not eat because I would forget or felt eating “interrupted” my flow, and I thought this would be cost effective and efficient; I could just leave Huel in containers at my desk with water nearby, ready to mix and consume without stopping what I was doing. Reality? I had diarrhea on most days and towards the end of that experiment, trying to consume one had the psychological impact of water boarding myself.

Meal prepping rice bowls with beans (bought dried and in bulk, cooked in an Instant Pot), tofu/seitan, veggies, and whatever sauce I felt like for the week is cheap, fast, easy, healthy, etc. and doesn’t make me feel suicidal. The latter point might be because I was taking time to enjoy being alive rather than hyperfocusing on being a good little cog in economic machine trying to spin as fast as I could.

> I do eat my Huel, by the way; I don’t drink it. I make it with less water so my Huel is the consistency of melted ice cream. Then I pour my Huel into a bowl and eat it with a spoon.

Huel, more like Gruel.

I replaced breakfast with a bottle of Huel six years ago, and I don't see a reason to stop. I still cook for lunch and dinner and I skip the Huel on occasion to brunch with friends. No need to be a zealot about these things.

I do keep some of the meal bags in the pantry for emergencies. I've also replaced lunch with them at times to count calories and lose weight. I think these are good tools to have in your kitchen. They have characteristics that no other food option has, and that makes them valuable.

I did it for 2 years with like 90% of meals like this. Nothing significant to report there, it worked well but got boring.

I cannot even begin to imagine doing that. I cook all my meals and cooking process is like a meditation/flow experience for me (and my spouse if we are doing it together), then taking time to enjoy the meal, then a very rewarding „one-up“ after cleaning. Nothing will ever beat that. Yes, a lot of time, yes, you have to factor it in. But it is so much quality of life, this is irreplacable, imho.

I did Soylent for ten years, at least once a day, AMA.

I highly, highly recommend Huel or alternatives for anyone. I feel way better and have much more energy when I'm regularly consuming them. I think liquid food in general is really good for energy levels because the body has to expend way less energy breaking the food down to absorb it.

I especially recommend it for anyone who suffers from depression. The ability to just make a nutritionally complete meal that isn't full of complete shit in less than a minute is a godsend for maintaining your physical health on bad mental health days.

Another tip for healthy meals in under 5 minutes. Buy the following:

- A bag of mixed salad leaves

- A bag of pre-shredded coleslaw veg

- Microwave rice, cous cous or grain blend

- Cooked chicken breast (or get a whole chicken from the shop and strip it all)

- Some ready made sauce or dressing like peri-peri mayo, pesto mayo, honey-soy-garlic dressing etc

- A seed blend (optional)

- Some fried shallots/onions (optional)

- Wasabi peas (optional)

Put the salad and coleslaw veg in a bowl. Put the rice in the microwave for 90s, and the chicken in the microwave for 60s. Add the rice and chicken to bowl, add the optional toppings if desired and drizzle a bit of sauce (don't go overboard) on it.

You've now made an exceptionally healthy meal in under 5 minutes. For some reason the added carbs and the heat in the chicken and grains really makes the it way more palatable than a cold salad. Poke bowls for the win.

This can’t be good for your jaw muscles.

It's good to do if your life isn't boring enough and you need to avoid pleasure.

Why do people eat 2 meals a day? Any other animals do that?

The author wrote about her experiences 3 years later on: https://www.greaterwrong.com/posts/zpg2C9fmzcGqqhZpE/hyperpa...

TLDR: while meal replacements were technically effective, they did come at a cost to her mental health. Shifting to a well balanced diet appeared more sustainable in the long run.

I tried Huel once, but it tasted like it had some artificial sweetener in, that unfortunately disgusted me.

This is a prime example of why not all innovation is good.