note that a reason wasn’t given in the changelog but James Collier stated that Sodium Fluoride was needed for Huel to make it more nutritionally complete. Here:
What we know about Sodium Fluoride
It is the active chemical in toothpaste which makes teeth stronger and more resistant to decay.
Thought I might as well share this post as well.
However, the examples I have given here which link Fluoride to skeletal fluorosis, Anemia, and Cancer are all likely linked with Malnutrition. (Which is something Huel drinkers don’t have to worry about ;))
Fluoride is not needed and so should not be added to Huel. Deviation from a minimalist design philosophy (“Nothing more”) is a slippery slope and I hope the Huel team will reconsider this with a v2.1. I think the case for adding, say, Creatine is stronger than the case for adding Fluoride - where do you draw the line? At some stage individuals have to admit that Huel is a strong foundation on which to base your diet. The room is there to add extras according to your personal needs (e.g. Calories of individual macros, Vitamin D3, Creatine, Fluoride, Salt, HMB etc.). It is very difficult (near impossible) to remove any one ingredient from the Huel powder, it is easy to add them.
Should Huel try to be all things to all people or one core formula that can tweaked (with additives) for most people? Due to the significant variation between humans and their differing activities there is only one correct answer.
I suspect this poll will get biased results leaning to being anti sodium fluoride. I think this should have a ‘I expect Huel know more about it than I do, so I’ll leave it to them’ option
I’m not sure why you expect a bias. The question is even worded very simply - do you want a new ingredient added or not. And, no offence to the Huel team, but this is still early days for food products that are trying to achieve “nutritional completeness”, we all have a lot to learn.
The post includes only negative point NRA and does not present a balanced objective standpoint. As such, anyone reading this who has not done their research will draw a negative conclusion.
What’s more, due to confirmation bias in us all, those who go searching for details now will most likely find only posts confirming the above points. The argument is already heavily tainted.
I wonder how many people voting have spent more than 1 hour reading factual scientific studies?
I worry about the world where masses of people think all artificial sweeteners are going to kill them because their friend told them so on Facebook. I’d love to have the time to commit to researching it all, but I don’t
I understand your position now. The dosage is another aspect not captured by the poll. In any case, as you mentioned, the more dialogue and referenced justification the better.
The problem here is that the only positive point to Fluoride is that it prevents teeth decay, and I’m not denying that. I’m not going to try and balance 1 positive with 1 negative.
3.5mg of Sodium Fluoride per 2000 calories of Huel powder is equivalent to roughly 3.5 litres of tap water in England, where the tap water has a Fluoride content of 1mg/L. Fluoride - NHS
Which, if combined, brings 1 days worth of Huel at 2000 calories mixed with 2L of tap water, to 5.5mg/day, not including any other Fluoride consumption in a day.
The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine recommends up to 4.0mg/day for males over the age of 18. Fluoride in diet: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
If you combine that with the recommended minimum amount of water (2L) an adult male needs per day, you get a fluoride level of 7.5mg/day, 3.5mg over the recommended amount. How much water should I drink? | The Independent | The Independent
Thanks for the extra information Alex, you make some good points.
For me I think the one that stands out most is it appears to be against the mission statement of the product - it’s everything you need nutritionally, and nothing more
I’ll abstain from voting myself because I’m really not sure, although I’ll read your links when I am not pool side on holiday
How much are they adding? One of the big reasons I eat huel is to not have to worry about whats in my food, just that it is healthy and nutritious. When the huel team start slipping in controversial neurotoxins on the quiet it really shakes my trust in them and their vision. (it was also a shock to note that they have no clue what pesticides may have been used on their ingredients).
I await a comment from the Huel team. Which should have come before v2, not after.
Although I am not yet cancelling my subscription, I am starting to look for alternatives.
The addition of fluoride has made me a bit wary about buying any more. It’s not necessary as we get enough via water in areas where it is added and in toothpaste. We don’t need more. I might wait and see what happens, but it has made me less likely to buy again.
I would just like to explain the reasons for adding fluoride:
Fluoride is one of the 27 vitamins & minerals for which the EU provide a recommend daily intake, Huel also contains all the other 26
Fluoride can help prevent cavities
We sell to over 30+ countries
Not everyone has access to fluoridated water “Out of a population of about three-quarters of a billion, under 14 million people (approximately a mere 2%) in Europe receive artificially-fluoridated water. Those people are in the UK (5,797,000), Republic of Ireland (3,250,000), Spain (4,250,000), and Serbia (300,000).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoridation_by_country - I’m sorry I don’t have numbers on naturally occurring fluoride in water
Some people will not use / have access to toothpaste which contains fluoride
So in summary it’s tricky. Some Huel customers will not need fluoride from Huel as they will get it from tap water and/or toothpaste, but others will, e.g. in the UK only 5.8m receive fluoridated water (some also get natural fluoridated water but it’s not clear how many do) . Because it’s not essential as such - just beneficial, I’m edging towards removing it in 2.1 but adding a message suggesting that if you live in an area that doesn’t have fluoridated water it would be beneficial to use fluoridated toothpaste or fluoride mouth rinses as recommended by the NHS - http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Fluoride/Pages/Introduction.aspx
I can see the reasons for adding it, but also by adding it you run the risk of those who do have access to fluoride toothpaste and fluoridated water consuming too much over time. Is this a risk you are willing to take ?
I live in an area where the level of fluoride is 1.5mg/l add in what Huel provides and it’s more than @alexbraidwood listed above. Not sure I am comfortable with that. Especially for my husband who has multiple health condition including epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, and a heart condition.
I am now hoping my 8 bags will last me long enough to skip 2.0, and go to 2.1 and avoid the fluoride all together, if not I may have to seek an alternative.
I would prefer that fluoride keep being added to Huel as Thames Water are not on the list of suppliers that fluoridate their water.
Ingesting fluoride as part of your diet is also more effective than having it applied temporarily/fleetingly to the exterior of your teeth by the use of toothpaste/mouthwash.
The figure for the Republic of Ireland of 3.25 Million is an approximation from 2012, the reality is that the vast majority of the population (currently approx. >4.7 Million, waiting for latest census figures) access artificially fluoridated water by law. What are Irish Huelers supposed to do to avoid excessively high levels?
Also, anyone who flavours their Huel with tea (a popular idea in other threads) should reconsider, because many teas contain relatively high amounts of Fluouride. You don’t want to compound the problem. Reference: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996913000446.
Edit:
I’m sorry I don’t have numbers on naturally occurring fluoride in water
This is very important to clarify, because the reason some of these regions were able to opt out of adding fluoride artifically is precisely because there was already a considerable natural level occurring in the local water supply.
It’s cute how people tend to think that they must drink 2L of water on its own, in addition to all the other water inside their other food/drinks throughout the day. It sounds like you believe that all the water that you mix with your Huel doesn’t count as far as your digestive system is concerned, and that you must separately drink 2L of water so your body doesn’t get it mixed up. Perhaps even when you drink coffee and tea, which are almost entirely water, you don’t consider that part of your 2L either.
