I have had a look at the so callled micronutrient blend, they are ingredients in the drink that i find a little worrying, maybe it is just me but would love someone to put my mind at rest. Also want to say i have had huel for nearly a year and i think my memory as become bad from having it. So lets start of with chromium picolinate, it says it is used to treat diabetes and promote weight loss, no why is this when this is targeted as a quick healthy meal not as a weight loss drink. Why does it need zinc oxide which is used to make rubbers. Or why potassium iodide to block radioactive iodine (huel has iodone too i think). Why does it have thiamine mononitrate which we do not need these synthetic ingredients.
I do not know anything about these ingredients and there are more to list but would love to know why this is needed in huel. I have seen online that some of these are actually harmful to health and the fact one of them is to treat disease and promote weight loss when huel have said it is not a weight loss drink, so why is it in the drink. Don’t believe everything you read some of you will say, well don’t believe everything huel tell you as well, its good we question whats really in these synthetic products.
Maybe i am completely wrong but am interested about this blend and also as to why 3 year olds can have huel when it contains all these ingredients listed above surely we need to encourage real healthy food.
EDIT: I AM WRONG. He’s talking about the RTD not the powder. Stupid post as follows:
I’ve just read the ingredients on my Huel (chocolate, 2.3 version) and none of the things you mention are listed there. Have you discovered them yourself in your laboratory or do you have secret information the rest of us should know about?
Huel does contain iodine, which is an essential nutrient found in stuff like oily fish.
Its in the micronutrient blend it you read the label! Sorry if you were somehow offended. I said i do not know about these ingredients and was asking. Maybe people need to question more what is put in our food from pesticides in fruit and veg to cows milk containing antibiotics. This contains ingredients which are not needed like i said from something that is to help you lose weight to making rubbers.the fact that they say 3 years and up can consume this should not be right, some people might have 3 or 4 a day and could be having a lot of this synthetic stuff which is not good, maybe one a day you could get away with but at the end of the day 3 or 4 of these is going to be very bad for you.
EDIT: I AM WRONG AND BEING A DICK ABOUT IT. Leaving the post unchanged so you can see what a berk I am.
This is like when my nan rants about the Lisbon Treaty on Facebook.
I’ve noticed a growing trend where someone says something factually incorrect, then when they’re corrected they say
like saying untrue things with no evidence is somehow brave and challenging rather than a waste of everybody’s time.
Haha your one of them people who lives in a bubble, never questions anything nor had any answers to the other i ingredients was questioning and instead you just move away from the question. I have had huel for nearly a year and never thought about this blend which is why i was nicely asking anyone and you just try and be rude which doesn’t why by the way. Nothing is good so things in moderation so that is why i am saying maybe they shouldn’t say people can have this for 4-5 a day with it containing all this stuff. Maybe if i do get a good answer then i will still have huel but one or two a week as a emergency quick snack and i can spend the 100.00 left over every two months on healthy food.
Here’s a list of the micronutrients in Huel, chief. None of the things you mentioned are in it. EDIT: THEY ARE.
Are you from uk? As it varies by country
All i am saying is maybe people should think about having 1 not 4 or 5 as we need a balanced diet
And it says this on my ingredients
You make a good point that complete foods manufacturers should write articles where they explain their choice for ever single ingredients - all in the name of transparency and science. After all, some of us eat those products exclusively, and some of us don’t have the ability to do our own research.
i have had huel for nearly a year and im my memory as become bad from having it.
That is an extraordinary claim that would require extraordinary evidence. Huel (and other complete foods products) has been consumed by a sufficient number of people that we would have already seen some evidence of this if it were true. In any case, this is something you should discuss with your doctor instead of accusing Huel on these forums.
On these forums, you will find people asking you about the rest of your lifestyle: If you don’t eat Huel for 100% of your calories, how does the rest of your diet look? Do you drink alcohol? Do you smoke? Do you do actual real vigorous exercise frequently? Are you a healthy weight? Do you have a good body fat percentage? Do you get enough good quality sleep? How stressed are you? Do you have any health conditions? Do you take any medication? Any chance you might be depressed? And many more questions, where each one is shown to affect memory, and which you might be more comfortable talking to your doctor instead.
In the meantime, I can put your mind at ease. Most of the nutrition in Huel comes from the main ingredients, such as oats. The added minerals and vitamins are there just to top it off to the desired RDI values.
chromium picolinate, it says it is used to treat diabetes and promote weight loss
That is not the main use of chromium picolinate. There have been some trials where it was used for diabetes treatment and weight loss in people who had dysfunctional insulin pathways, but the evidence is not fully convincing yet. In the meantime, it is used as a good source of chromium, which is an essential nutrient for humans, as tested on comatose patients receiving parenteral nutrition. Huel therefore uses it as a good source of chromium.
zinc oxide which is used to make rubbers
Zinc oxide is used for many things, and is biologically active in humans. (Did you know that Iron is used to build warships, yet if we don’t eat enough of it, we die?) Once again, zinc is an essential nutrient, and Huel uses zinc oxide as a source of zinc that has been demonstrated to be safe.
potassium iodide to block radioactive iodine (huel has iodone too i think)
Again, Potassium Iodide is a good source of Iodine, which is essential for humans. Hence Huel includes Potassium Iodide as a source of iodine. The fact that Potassium Iodide can be used to prevent radioactive Iodine from the environment (after a nuclear disaster) being absorbed into the body is true, but irrelevant.
I have seen online that some of these are actually harmful to health
That is a very bold claim and I would like to you to back it up with evidence.
Overall, Huel and its ingredients have been tested to be safe. However, Huel should definitely write up an article explaining their choice for the form of every micronutrient Huel uses.
@Oliver00 is talking about the RTD, not powder. Look here The Huel Ready-to-drink Formula Explained and you will find those ingredients mentioned.
Thank you for actually giving me a answer i i should have said i think about the memory rather than saying it for sure. Also no smoking, alcohol, healthy weight and i exercise.
I still see this on the back of the unflavoured powder.
Huel Ready-to-drink and Huel Powder have slightly different ingredients. Oliver you are talking about Ready-to-drink and David about the Powder.
@rikefrejut has covered most of the micronutrients really well. Let me add that ingredients used for food can have many uses and you also need to look at the amount (dose) used.
This food ingredient is also used in cleaning products, animal feed, fire extinguishers and the dyeing of textiles. It’s common baking soda.
As well as the link David provided you can find out some more general information about the 26 essential vitamins and minerals here: Essential vitamins and minerals in Huel
Children have different dietary needs to adults. Huel is formulated for adults. You can find out more here: Children, Adolescents and Huel
We have loads of nutrition-related articles on-site written by our qualified nutrition team. I’d really recommend reading some to further your understanding: Guides & Articles – Huel
Also want to say that they were asking for someone to take part in a year experience to test it for just a huel diet, were they selling it at this time because if so i would expect it to have been tested before sale.
The ingredients of the powder are different from the RTD, so you might feel more comfortable eating the powder instead if you have any worries about the ingredients or the form of micronutrients in the RTD. And the Unflavored/Unsweetened powder does not even contain any artificial sweeteners if that is something you care about.
In any case, I have been eating Huel U/U powder as an exclusive source of my calories for many years now, and I am perfectly fine (both the way I feel, and by doctors tests for everything because they did not believe I could live on this initially).
Thank you for your reply, although it says 3 year olds can have some huel when i would say 16+ when people have developed. Also i think some of the ingredients maybe isn’t needed in the huel and maybe people need to have in moderation just like any normal food should be not 4 or 5 a day.
This was simply for our understanding, it’s not required for safety testing, the same as a sandwich doesn’t have to undergo clinical trials. Huel is a food not a drug.
We did conduct an internal investigation of people on 100% Huel for a month which we thought Hueligans would be interested in so we made it public: A Summary — Five Weeks on a 100%-Huel Diet
If a doctor is consulted yes. The full sentence in the first paragraph is “Parents of children under 4 years old should consult their doctor or relevant health care professional before allowing their child to consume Huel.” Why do you suggest above 16? What evidence are you basing this on? Please be aware specific and lower amounts are recommended for each age group compared to an adult.
Which ingredients do you feel are not necessary? Most people have Huel once or twice a day for those meals that are on the go or rushed like breakfast or lunch and then they have a home-cooked meal in the evening. Only a small percentage of Hueligans have Huel for 100% of their diet.
In the micronutrient blend is all the vitamins needed-as some of the ingredients are synthetic i see then maybe not all are needed.
Thanks for most of your replies.