First of all i gotta say Its a great thing you are doing here and i will try some with my gf for sure since i think this could be a great contribution to our nutritional table, really looking forward to it!
But as the topic says; i just wanted to raise a finger over a couple of facts that might be good to inform/consider when including upwards to 50% or more of the daily intake with huel, or actually good to know always.
Calcium is necessary to supplement for a good bonehealth above all but what rarely gets mentioned is that it also blocks a huge part of the uptake of zinc and magnesium, plus some more nutrients and substances actually, wich in the case of Huel means that you should consider ingesting your zinc and magnesium supplements as far away in the day as possible from the Huel intake (or other calcium intake) in order to get to sufficient levels.
As a producer i would strongly consider removing any supplemented calcium to the Huel-mix, except for the traces of calcium that comes with the other ingredients, or possibly make a morning- and a nightversion with the zinc/magnesium in the evening mix since it is best absorbed during night, improved sleep benefits will also be at play if taken before bedtime.
Free radicals - we strongly suspect they can accelerate or even initiatie a spectrum of conditions, in wich cancer is thought to be one even if there still is not entirely proven, but we do know that too much free radicals in our system results in cell damage, easily explained.
So we want to supress it and by ingesting antioxidants (vitamins) we do supress oxidative stress, wich is good but it does not Stop here - Its not like the more you supress free radicals the better your health.
Free radicals actually do a lot of things in our body besides stressing it and the most interesting aspect for people working out, staying or getting fit, losing weight etc - basically just people that are interested in gaining/maintaining LBM (Lean Body Mass), or āmuscle massā, is that free radicals is a key player in the muscle protein synthesis (MPS) pathway. This means that when muscles are being stressed (lifting weights or doing intervals etc) a signaling system in the muscles activate and ultimately, if workload is intense enough, muscle protein synthesis is activated. The level of intensity of the triggered MPS is a result of a number of factors of wich workload, workout duration and current condition of muscle fibres are some and the amount of free radicals in the muscles is key to the initiation of this chain of events.
So what does it mean? Easily explained: when you work out you break down muscle tissue. When workout is finished you want to supply nutrients within a given timeframe to support the triggered process that rebuilds and strengthens the muscle tissue and by consuming antioxidants with your post workout drink consisting of proteins and carbs with various GI-values that the body needs, will ultimately cut the triggered process short and may result in loss of progress or even degression of your overall health aswell as workout goals.
Atleast let the body have 3 hrs alone with your proteins and carbs before you see to the bodys need of antioxidants and try to keep your vitamin supplement-intake as far from your recovery periods as possible for optimal recovery and gains.
Sources to back these statements are readily available on many trustworthy sites and i would have included some links if i was on the computer but instagram brought me here so im on my phone.
Anyways looking forward to try this out, looks like an amazing breakfast supplement!
The calcium level is of concern to me as I canāt ignore the myriad of studies that clearly indicate that there are no benefits to such a high level and that there is a strong correlation with osteoporosis and fracture rates as well as potential drawbacks. There is no logical rational for such a high level. For this reason, I wonāt be continuing with Huel.
Itās very worrying that this thread hasnāt had a reply from any staff. Iāve noticed that my biceps are twitching on their own after a workout and Iāve been on 90%+ Huel for the last few weeks. I believe that this is a sign of magnesium lockout/deficiency.
Iāll have to buy supplements for magnesium and zinc. If they donāt work I may not be continuing with Huel.
I just came off a 3 week stint of 100% Huel (literally, just water and Huel) and didnāt experience this once at 2200kcal per day. This is while training hard on a 5/3/1 routine supplemented by a secondary program of rows and pulls.
Not a single instance of twitching, if anything, I felt better from a strength/recovery perspective.
I donāt think itās very worrying, a new customer above shares their view on the reading theyāve done around free radicals. Although I would love to reply to all posts with a thoughtful insight this isnāt always possible.
Similarly, Wayne above is talking about a level of calcium that is too high. Huel has 125% of the NRV for calcium (64% of this from natural ingredients, 36% from VM blend), I wouldnāt consider this a high level since itās just above the minimum requirement for someone consuming 2000kcal.
You are concerned Huel has too little magnesium and zinc. Huel has 163% and 198% of NVA for magnesium and zinc, respectively. This doesnāt seem like too little either. Weāre all different, maybe you need more? Perhaps your twitching isnāt anything to do with these nutrients ā itās difficult to say. Let us know how your supplementation goes, we would be interested to hear.
Iām drinking 2000kcal of Huel on a normal day and when I work out I will also eat other food (200-500 kcal) after exercise- afaik it should be enough
The free radical stuff is great but Iām worried about the calcium blocking out magnesium and zinc:
Calcium is necessary to supplement for a good bonehealth above all but what rarely gets mentioned is that it also blocks a huge part of the uptake of zinc and magnesium, plus some more nutrients and substances actually, wich in the case of Huel means that you should consider ingesting your zinc and magnesium supplements as far away in the day as possible from the Huel intake (or other calcium intake) in order to get to sufficient levels.
Apart from that Huel has been great so Iāll get my blood tested and then try supplements- sure, Iāll post an update after.
No more politics please, itās nice to come here without the politics and sad shite going on in the world.
Good job Tim locked the other thread, he will be editing all the swearing next
The calcium antinutrient issue has been addressed, for example weāve discussed it here and here. Itās important to look at the whole picture.
Free-radicals - whilst you are correct with their importance in functions including MPS, I donāt see how this translates to a negative effect of Huel any more than eating a āhealthyā solid meal. Itās no different to eating your potatoes, fruit and veg with a meal.
To be honest, I think youāre being concerned when you donāt need to be.
I love it when someone takes the time to really analyse whatās in Huel. I donāt know anything about nutrition so Iām relying on posts like this to hold @JamesCollier and co. to task! We always get a good answer though, seems like you guys at Huel HQ really have considered everythingā¦ itās almost as if youāre qualified nutritional specialists or something haha one day some smarty pants will catch you out Iām sure!
day!
haha one day some smarty pants will catch you out Iām sure!