Hello, new Huel user here just looking for some basic advice but not sure if I’m getting myself mixed up on how best to use Huel. I’ve just given birth and wanted to use Huel while breastfeeding as a source of nutrition alongside my diet. I tried using huel for breakfast and dinner but this gave me really bad indigestion which I don’t seem to get if I eat food. As calories aren’t really a factor at the moment if I ate food and consumed Huel also would this be equivalent to eating 6 smallish meals a day? It’s more the nutrition I’m after so not bothered about additional calories as I need them due to breastfeeding anyway. Its probably a really simple answer but just looking for a bit of clarity. Thanks in advance x
I would ask a professional because the needs may vary before and after giving birth.
I think there wouldnt be much problem, but I know for example that Marmite was banned in a country because one vitamin if consumed regularly could cause problems to the baby.
Ask your doctor and bring him the huel label
Hi Jade, I’m not exactly sure what you’re trying to ask but Huel products should be limited to one serving per day as there are different nutritional requirements during pregnancy and lactation.
You said that before in another thread. But shouldn’t breastfeeding women have a higher need for vitamins than regular people since you’re passing most of them to your baby?
From my own experience I can say Huel is amazing for breastfeeding!!!
Not only to keep the new mommy full and healthy but it really boosts your supply. I think it’s the oats and the amount of liquids you get which you need because you lose a lot on breastfeeding.
You’d think that but it’s not that simple! For example too much vitamin A can have negative effects on the unborn baby: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-a/
It’s great to hear that Huel worked so well for you Deborah.
Important to always mention that the warning regarding excess Vitamin A applies only to the pre-formed form used in supplements and animal products. It does not apply to the provitamin A corotenoids found in plants - eat as many of these as you want, there is zero danger.
Majority of vitamin A in Huel comes in the provitamin A form, only a small amount of pre-formed Vitamin A (in the form of Retinyl acetate) is added - it will not pose any danger.
From what I understand, that isn’t true. Provitamin A forms still pose a risk it’s just the upper limit is higher due to how it is converted in the body to retinol. Happy to be proved wrong though.
For example section on TOLERABLE UPPER INTAKE LEVELS:
Although there is inconclusive evidence on its effect on lung cancer in smokers, it’s irrelevant here, since a pregnant or breastfeeding woman should not smoke anyway (and neither should anyone else for that matter).
Thanks I get where you’re coming from now. The issue I have is that book doesn’t specifically address pregnancy. You could argue the jury is still out but it’s always best to err on the side of caution and retinyl acetate falls into that unsure category: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/156482650102200304
You make a good point - we do not know exactly how many mg of Retinyl acetate is in Huel (because that’s Huel’s secret formula), so we (customers) cannot make a broad recommendation that Huel is safe for pregnancy.
Additionally, I have yet to see even a case report of βC (or the other provitamin A forms) posing any dangers, at any stage of life (of someone who does not smoke), and thus stand by that being afraid of eating provitamin-A rich foods is not substantiated by evidence.
Yeap totally understand this and I find it hard to disagree. Smokers are super interesting the theory is that because vitamin A is an antioxidant it keeps the cancer cells created by smoking alive longer than normal and allows them to replicate when the body would have otherwise killed them.
I am currently breastfeeding my 1-year-old baby and drinking 2 Huel daily. My daughter is developing very well and has great blood results, she has no digestive problems or allergic reactions.
For most things there is not really sufficient data on use during pregnancy. To get a study that could demonstrate that no bad side effects are there approved by an ethics committee one has to demonstrate that it doesn’t cause any harm in this case - do you see the problem? Most drugs or foods that are considered “save” happen to have been consumed for a long period of time by all kinds of people, long before there were such things as ethics committees. For new foods and drugs it is very very difficult, though, although in the case of foods there might be no plausible argument why it should cause any harm - especially if it’s made up of mostly natural ingredients…