Does the Black Edition contain too much protein?

On the Huel Black Edition package, they state in the nutrition information that this package contains 200 grams of protein for each 2000kcal of calories. That’s concerning because I need 2000kcal of calories per day to fill me according to this link. As for my protein I need around 60-108g/day or 54-188g/day depending on which sources you’re talking about, I got this result from this calculator (with inputs of my weight and height). is 200g of protein a little too much? I’m rather concerned because a lot of articles are telling me that 200g of protein is more than necessary and too much protein could lead to excess weight as excess proteins are converted to fats.

The difference of my protein intake may seem small, but I plan to consume Huel pretty much everyday 2-3 times to completely replace my meal. I don’t have a weight loss goal or fitness goal, I just want to have a healthy and consistent meal everyday of the week and Huel seems to fullfill that need for me.

Edit: I could go for the lighter powder version of Huel, however I’ve heard that a lot more people find the black edition much more tasty compared to the v3.0 powder edition. Not only that, but I’ve also some people complain about the taste of the powder edition on this subreddit :confused: I am a bit hesitant to eat the powder edition as opposed to the black edition.

Huel Black Edition is our higher protein version of Huel, if you wish to consume less protein then our v3.0 is a better option (145g protein/2000kcal). Black Edition is for people who want more protein (and some other differences like the sweetener used).

I wrote about this to a Hueligan recently, but the requirement for protein are much more like minimum requirements, not limits.

So whether you consume v3.0 or Black Edition I don’t think you need to be concerned about the quantity of protein :blush: Hope that helps!

What are the target audience for each use cases. Who might want to use more protein and who might not want as much and settle for default powder?

People who want more protein. Perhaps they’re exercising more (you need more protein to recover adequately). Perhaps they want to lose weight (to preserve muscle while in a calorie deficit you require more protein). We also were asked for a higher protein version of Huel by our customers. Perhaps they are tracking macros and would prefer to get their daily carbohydrates from a different source (e.g. haribo, jk).

Those who prefer the taste of v3.0. People who need more carbohydrates e.g. those who like endurance sports. The opposites of what I said above. Some people find carbohydrates more filling, others find protein more filing.

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and there’s me who’s just happy to replace his carb calories with protein calories for dinner. :slight_smile:
among 100+ other reasons.

I find the black keeps me fuller for longer

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I don’t exercise but as I’m older I like to have more protein than carbs. I need to preserve muscle and control my weight. So, I use the black edition as well as the protein shakes and hot and savoury. I’ve never tried the v3.0 so don’t know which is more filling but protein is better than carbs for me.

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R.E. haribo … I feel seen
:rofl:

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Honestly. The black is less tasty than the normal in my experience

I don’t consume only Huel and if I did it would be a mixture of different Huel products not just the one Huel Black, your plan is to consume Huel Black and nothing else?

I’d say Huel Black is ideal for me because I go to the gym 5-6x per week so would probably utilise the extra 12g of protein that is over the recommended daily minimum amount

Go for the non black or use hot Huel as well as Huel black

Lots of solutions to this

I am sure too protein does not turn to fat, as far as I know you urinate it out the system any excess protein. Anybody?

I use v3.0 UU for training days and Black for rest days.

I try and hit 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight (currently about 160g of protein per day), which seems to be a sensible level for athletic performance.

On training days I try and hit about 2,800 kcal, and the balance of v3 hits this target with a near perfect macro balance. However, on rest days I need to reduce my cals to c1,800, but I still need to hit 160g of protein. I therefore reduce carbs to hit my protein and fat need without exceeding my cals. This is where Black is deal.

Hopefully this makes sense :slight_smile:

Pretty sure excess calories are excess calories, regardless of whether they are protein, fat or carbs.

Carbs and protein average 6 kcal per g, fat is about 9 kcal.

Your body uses what it needs, stores what it can, and then excretes whatever it can’t process. So if you have an excess of calories, and a large portion of the excess is protein, some of the excess protein cals will still get stored as fat.

hello
new to the forum and to Huel as well.
I’ve been digging around this subject,
I agree that the RDA for protein is barely a minimum and that much more protein intake might be needed for different reasons. In fact I’m doing some exercice and I’m targeting around 100g per day.

However, I’ve read many studies indicating that protein intake should be spreaded over the day by amounts of no more than 25-30g every 3-4 hours, as the body could apparently not process more than that. Many studies shows that protein intake over 30g is almost “going to waste” and is not used by the body for recovery and adaptation.

Those studies are pretty known and common and I wonder why Huel choose to hit 40g for this product ?
I do not wish to switch to Huel White because I don’t want any sucralose and I prefer the Gluten free version provided by black.
Thanks

Let me clear a couple of things up.

I am sure too protein does not turn to fat, as far as I know you urinate it out the system any excess protein. Anybody?

If this were the case protein would be a weight loss miracle! Excess calories (above what the body needs) will be converted into fat. If the excess calories are coming from protein, that still rings true.

Around 4kcal/g. We have a more in-depth article on calories if you’re interested: Calculating calories in food – Huel

However, I’ve read many studies indicating that protein intake should be spreaded over the day by amounts of no more than 25-30g every 3-4 hours, as the body could apparently not process more than that. Many studies shows that protein intake over 30g is almost “going to waste” and is not used by the body for recovery and adaptation.

This is a common misunderstanding don’t worry! The studies and amounts you’re referring to are related to muscle ONLY.

However, protein has so many other functions such as collagen and keratin for the structure of hair, skin and nails, white blood cells of the immune system and enzymes for digestion. So that protein is absolutely not going to waste.

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Do you have a citation to a study making those findings? That is, findings that that the human body can absorb more than 25-30 grams of protein in one meal and use said protein?

Every study I’ve ever seen appears to indicate that anything more than 25 grams of protein in one meal goes right to the kidneys for excretion in urine. Certainly that’s less than ideal as it’s a waste of protein but also taxing on the kidneys.

There’s almost no protein in healthy urine.

Damn, I’ve been taking the piss for years and hoped it would beef up my feeble vegan body

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There’s almost no protein in healthy urine.

There most certainly can be, if consumed in excess. It may be broken down into something that’s not technically BCAAs, but it’s excreted by the body. It’s urea.

I’m pretty certain if you look at those studies closely that they will relate to protein utilised by the muscle, but even then that’s on the lower end, for example this paper shows a greater response when 40g of protein is consumed versus 20g. You can also read more here.

When we’re just talking about absorption, there isn’t really a limit, the limit is based on the amount a person consumed (source). This paper also lays out that 2.2g protein per kg of body weight is a more likely upper limit which for a 75kg person consuming 4 meals is 41g protein.

Based on more recent research, this has been shown not to be true unless someone has kidney disease, you can find out more at the bottom of this referenced article.

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Thank you, I will read those articles carefully.

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And urea is not protein.