Fruit and vegetables

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Question to Huel gurus:

We are told to eat five a day. I usually would eat about five veg and three fruits per day.

Does Huel fix this?

(Ps i think this should be on your FAQ)

2

Hi,

We are told to eat 5 a day because Fruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium. They’re an excellent source of dietary fibre, which can help to maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestion problems.

Find out more here: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/why-5-a-day/

Huel is also a good source of these minerals, vitamins and fibre. Therefore i feel huel can substitute fruit and veg.

3

The ‘5-a-day’ guideline ensures that you get good amounts of many of the vitamins and minerals, as well as a good intake of fibre and phytonutrients. Although Huel will not count as one of your ‘5-a-day’ it does contain all 26 essential vitamins and minerals as well as being rich in insoluble and soluble fibre.

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To add to that, if you do want to use the ‘X-a-day’ guideline while having Huel for a fraction of your diet, I like to count 250 calories of Huel as 1 portion, working out to 8-a-day at 100% Huel, on the basis that I think 8-a-day is actually more likely to be optimal. I eat about 700 calories of Huel a day so I count that as 3, and roughly aim for 5 more.

5

As previous comments mention; much of the reason for the recommendation comes from veggies being rich in micronutrients, while low in calories. However, they also contain many phytonutrients which have beneficial roles (not all of them!). Note also that phytonutrients are not considered essential (currently).

Despite the fact that Huel does have some phytonutrients, this are likely linked to the ingredients. More info https://huel.com/pages/phytonutrients-in-huel. I’m sure @Dan_Huel can give you more insight on this, too.

However, there will be some that you will miss. As long as you keep eating your veggies/fruits on the side you will get some more. I, on the other hand, buy some greens powder when I’m drinking a lot of shakes. Not because I believe to be necessary, but because I feel it boosts my nutrient income when I can’t get vegetables easily.

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Any recommendations for green powders? I know it’s not a magical fix but I do near 100% from time to time with intermittent fasting so think it would be a good boost for when I’m in these periods.

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I wouldn’t recommend green powders, no. The benefits and positive effects seen in studies are from whole fruits and vegetables which is why I’m saying you can’t compare them to Huel.

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Take this into consideration. Remember he’s got a degree in nutrition while I don’t.

That disclaimer aside, here is my criteria when looking for greens:

  • Less is often more. Some brands like to add greens + probiotics + extra protein + active ingredients (enzymes/cognitive boosters…). I like to stick to simple mesh of green powders (spirulina, kale, spinach,… are common ones). I don’t feel the need for any other extras since I’m just looking to boost my veggie intake (again worth noting that it’s not 100% equal to eating vegetables).
  • No added multivitamins or sugar or synthetic sweeteners. I already consume most of those from elsewhere.
  • Not high in calories (often indicative of one of the above).
  • Heavy metals. This is a bit harder to track, but vegetables can be high in metal depending where they come from. Some green powders do test to keep to a minimum.
    Basically, I like it bare bones. Something I can add to my shake or just water; without any fancy flavours or anything.

I understand that they might not be a 1-1 replacement for vegetables; but powdered vegetables should still contain some of the nutrients and phytochemicals that the actual plants contain? Unless, there’s some loss along the way? Interested on your thoughts on the topic.

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Yeah so take in mind this just my personal recommendation and you’ll find different opinions to mine. I’m mainly basing this on the fact there is limited evidence for green powders while there is a lot of evidence for whole fruit and vegetables. With time we may see that green powders are great and if you can afford it I don’t see an issue with them at all especially, like you said, when struggling to eat fruits and vegetables. It;s just not a like-for-like substitution, but you know that.

Yes in theory! It’s a tricky one though, particularly because green powders are supplements so are poorly regulated so doing a bit of research (which I know you would have done) will go a long way.

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10

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys. I do try to eat plenty of fruit and veg as well as my Huel but not always easy as I sometimes have a very hectic work schedule so wondered if this could be a solution from time to time.
Thanks again, something to think about.