Hello all, I decided to try HUEL after coming across a facebook ad and after nearly a week in I can say, with a little confidence (I have to see how it goes after a few months), its working wonders!
I work 12 hours shifts, which usually end up being 13 hours, they have no particular pattern. One mealbreak during the shift which has no routine either (you get it 4-7 hours into the shift). Such is life for a Paramedic, love the job but it does not do any wonders for regular or healthy meals.
Before I would always have cereal bars, some fruit (if I can find any fresh in the small 24hr shop on the way home) and also the bad old vending machine for chocolate and sugary drinks in the hospital to keep me going during the shift. There was many a time I would be driving home feeling too tired to cook and stop off at a takeaway to get some āproperā food before hitting the hay. In short, bad eating habits.
I tried many a time to get into a better routine and prepare meals, but all it takes is a run of maybe 2-3 really long shifts to make that go all out of the window. I usually end up stopping at the same small 24hr shop and buying the expensive lil smoothies, stocking up in snacks and a meal for lunch. This was costing me about Ā£15 a day and then on top of that the takeaways!
I could never find a simple, cost-effective and healthy plan. Personally I wasnāt concerned about ethical foodstuffs, being intolerant to certain things etc. I just needed something that required little thinking and could easily be set in place. I bought a 2 weeks supply and with little else than following the instructions on the pack (3 scoops into 570ml water) I went into having cereal in the morning, getting a sandwich, making up a bottle of HUEL and bringing enough powder for another full bottle with me to work. Then out the door I go! I donāt stop at the shop anymore, I donāt grab the chocolate and sugary drinks out of the vending machine and I donāt feel so hungry and tired to the point of stopping for a takeaway!
The good points of HUEL that I have noticed is hunger pangs during the shift are gone (I drink the stuff about 100ml at a time between jobs), I have noticed feeling more alert even at this early stage! A few things for anyone starting out to be aware of though, it will be rough on your bowels a bit until the lil buddies in your gut get used to it. A slight increase in flatulence and type 5 on the good old stool chart will be normal. I have also noticed a need to still be drinking some water on top, this can be due to my job, the loose stools containing more water than usual or a diuretic quality to HUEL. It is too early to tell what the culprit is but urine is darker than usual unless I actively rehydrate.
Overall, I have high hopes for HUEL and will be glad if it helps me have some form of healthy eating regimen. I will never be able to simply calculate my daily calorie requirement or eat at any regularity, the nature of working on an ambulance means that will always be a luxury out of my grasp. HUEL so far is letting me simply chug away and giving me some assurance of making the most of what I got!
If HUEL after 2months (Iām going to give the stuff this long with me as a guinea pig) does what I hope I will be shouting from the rooftops to my colleagues about it!
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