Pros:
After returning from my regular lunchtime gym visit, I can say that’s its quite possibly one of the best workouts I’ve ever had. By that, I mean that I was full of energy, and I didn’t really want to leave the gym because of fatigue, but more due to time constraints. Usually it’s the other way round! I was doing a full body workout, and my arms are absolutely pumped! It’s a great feeling. The only other time I felt that was 3 years ago when I was taking Beta-Alanine supplements from MyProtein - but these days I tend to just stay away from any supplements!
Cons:
Mixing this at work, (9:30am && 13:30 post-workout) - I don’t have a blender, so 500ml + 3 scoops is rather gloopy. I don’t care, it tastes nice, but I do get the odd chunk of unmixed powder. I refuse to have less than 3 scoops though, so maybe it’s my own doing!
Mix it at home the night before, take it to work stick it in the fridge - it gets less gritty when mixed the night before. I also add water just before consumption and give it another shake - gets me paste how gloopy it has become since they added gum. I have three containers so make a batch before bed.
Myprotein do shakers with a small spherical whisk in it that blends as you shake. I just did my first Huel with that and it was perfectly smooth.
From taking normal protein shakes I don’t like to use a blender for these things. It fills the liquid with air bubbles that come out as painful trapped wind.
I’ve tried it with a metal coiled wire ball, but I still got a ton of lumps. Not a good first experience. The second try I used a blender and it’s just perfect. No gas (maybe better ingredients than competitors helps with this) and a very smooth consistency.
Everyone’s different. I don’t care about lumps. If I wanted culinary enjoyment I would prepare and eat a gromet 3 course meal. I just chug it down in under 3 seconds and get on with my day. Don’t try to chew it. Just swallow, you barely notice the lumps.
No thanks. I do notice them. A LOT. Also dry lumps gross me out. And I wasn’t responding to you specifically, I just wanted to make it clear to others that buying a shaker bottle with a metal coiled wire might not be the solution to the lump problem and may not result in a “perfectly smooth” shake. I find it weird by the way you claim you make a perfectly smooth shake, but at the same time just swallow lumps that don’t bother you. And yes every is different if a blender adds too much air for you then for you it might not be the solution.
Stop being so confrontational. Peace. How smooth it turns out depends on how much you shake it - I probably shake mine for less time than you blend yours - a few seconds at most. I also use chilled water from the fridge. Here Marcus posted a good foolproof soltuion:
Anyhow I have shaken mine very aggressively for minutes at least and every shake had a ton of lumps. Maybe it’s the newer formulation with gum and you still have old batch?
I use more than 400ml of water (less creates a cement block almost) and I use a mixer ball, it doesn’t help. Adding more water later doesn’t help for me either, or shaking from side to side. I followed the steps and I still get lumps. Maybe chilled water works, I personally am not going to chill water in my fridge for multiple reasons but for others, it’s worth trying I guess. I will stick to the blender because it’s a perfect result.
Put just 400ml in first, then 3 scoops of Huel, wiggle vigorously from side to side for 10 seconds, shake up and down vigorously for 10 seconds, put 150ml water in, shake vigorously for another 10 seconds. If you do that with a mixer ball in, it should do the trick. I’m in a hard water area; I don’t know if that makes any difference.
Oddly I found the vanilla impossible to mix by hand but unflavoured was no problem. A little worse with gum but no more than 6 shakes to mix. Occasionally settles and sticks to bottom and before I drink it I top off the shaker so probably about 700ml
I love beta alanine, but mainly because once I’ve taken it, there’s no going back: I HAVE to work out. Using PHD VMX2 at the moment, which also contains Creapure. As for the shaking thing, I’ve found that a 40 second shake gives a smooth result (was doing 60 seconds but experimented with how much shaking was required). Having said that, I rarely have more than 2 scoops in 400ml, so all I can say is work out the right intensity / time for your personal choice of dosage. Great to hear about the lost weight, I’m also finding I lose weight on Huel, especially in comparison to similar calorie intake from my old diet (beer n pizza): goes to show the importance of nutrition over calories.
