I have tried Huel a few times now and I keep getting the same feeling. Almost immediately (within 30 mins) after drinking I get a feeling of drowsiness. The only thing I can compare it to is the feeling I get when I used to take an antihistamine tablet. I’ve just had 3 scoops in 400 ml of water and feel terrible after? I really want Huel to work as I love the idea and the business model but I can’t feel like this. Help!
Perhaps they should make Horlicks flavoured Huel and remarket it as a bedtime drink. I’d certai…zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Which Huel do you have? Sounds to me like you ought to try the gluten-free version. The same thing happens to me if I eat more than 2 slices of bread - an overwhelming sleepiness. Just my two penn’orth.
Try 2 scoops and see if that has the same effect.
I found having 125g in a shake made me pretty tired after (and I’d drink in under 5 minutes usually), so I now have 100g or less.
I have a sensitivity to Gluten and can relate. I haven’t tried any of the non-Gluten-Free Huel versions, but if I eat bread and other gluten-containing foods I feel very drowsy and bloated.
Huel is gluten free in the normal version too. The gluten free version is only for extreme form of diseases like celiacs, for which eating even a small quantity of gluten can lead to very serious problems. [The gluten free version is made in facilities certified to never use gluten products, while the normal version is not, to be cheaper.]
Correction: The gluten free version is made with ingredients with 5 parts of gluten per million, to be gluten free certified, while the normal version has 20 parts per million, which is still very low. So buying the gluten free version without a serious disease is a tax for nothing.
I would exclude that as a cause. I had a similar feeling the first times I used Huel too. As said by ElectroDan, I too think you should try starting with less scoops (3 scoops is a lot, I had a lot of bloating and bowel issues the first week, even with 2 scoops). Also, 400 ml with 3 scoops is below the suggested ratio (1:5), so maybe try with more water, I usually do 550 ml to 600 ml with 3 scoops and I find better. But that really depends on your preferences.
Good luck, I hope you’ll find a way!
Not to be picky, but how can you exclude that as a cause if we don’t know, and possibly the op doesn’t know if they have gluten issues?
I know people who were undiagnosed with various degrees of gluten intolerance for many years, and I’ve seen first hand the effects of this. Tiredness after eating even tiny amounts of gluten, esp while the intolerance has not been diagnosed and the body is still suffering severe effects of this, is common.
I have my opinion on gluten intolerance but that’s not the point here. The point is that Huel is gluten free even in the normal version. It’s like thinking to have a problem with lactose eating something lactose free.
I gave a not accurate explanation in the post before due to a memory fault, sorry, but the basic idea is the same. Here’s a clarification:
If you have issues with that tiny percentage, then you have probably a severe form of celiac disease. There are appropriate diagnostic exams for that (my sister had that tested because she had a recurrent diarrhea for a period. But no, it wasn’t the case, luckily). Otherwise, I would exclude that as a cause unless any other cause is excluded.
Interesting points. I’m not sure what the issue is with my body but I have certainly noticed myself feeling like shit after eating things high in gluten such as seitan mock meat. It may or may not be related to gluten but i’ve decided to avoid it as best as I can as there’s no downside in doing so. I’ll try the non-gluten-free Huel next week simply for the sake of saving the £5 difference, and see how I feel on that. Thanks.
What kind of Huel did you use? Normal? Vanilla-version? Glutenfree? Or the Unflavoured+Unsweetened?
I can´t eat gluten so I have only tried Huel glutenfree. The Vanilla Huel gave me a very funny reaction about 15 minutes after. I felt dizzy and tired. After reading the ingredients my guess is I had a reaction to sucralose, the sugar substitute. Since I changed to U/U everything is fine. No bad reaction. So either try a smaller amount of Huel, try a different kind (like the U/U) - or try a glutenfree U/U Huel. That would be my suggestion
I remember somebody saying this last year. I wonder if they ever found a solution. See if you can find that old post using the search function on the forum