Just placed my order for Huel and thought I’d signup here and introduce myself - I am Steve from Essex, an IT engineer who has fallen off the wagon over the past year and put back on a lot of the weight I worked so hard to lose.
Sadly, 2 months ago my dad was attacked during his first week of retirement, suffered severe brain damage and has been in rehab in Addenbrookes and on a specialist diet which is part solid and the rest liquid (yoghurt drinks and nutritional mixes etc). During the travel back and forth I found myself slipping drastically back into a typical junk diet of convenience which didn’t help my already fragile mindset because I wasn’t fuelling myself correctly to deal with the stress. Then I heard about Huel and I’ve lurked around and digested (sorry bad pun) as much info from the forums and I’ve bit the bullet and ordered. I’m planning to have breakfast and lunch as Huel and a balanced meal in the evening, as well as cycling 3 times a week to try and regain the lost ground of my healthy lifestyle.
Also on a side note, during the research of Dad’s injury I have read a lot that Omega’s and MCT’s are really good at helping cognitive recovery so as soon as I have more control over Dad’s diet I am going to try and get him to give Huel a go as it seems like it could be a perfect fit for those who are impaired mentally and need a decent level of nutrition.
Really sorry to hear about your Dad. Has the injury affected his swallow reflex at all? Is he on thickened fluids? Is he under a clinical dietitian? (I worked as a clinical dietitian years ago including with head injury patients).
There is evidence that a diet rich in omega3s is beneficial ro congitive function and MCTs have benefits to rehab (they are also easily digested and absorbed).
Thanks for the reply - Dad has got a sagging right side of the face currently, which means solid foods tend to collect which he then has trouble dealing with and swallowing - but this does seem to be getting better over time. Currently I think they are giving him thickened fluids, cranberry juice for example I’ve seen be thickened and given to him which he deals with okay and pots of yoghurt drinks, which I forget the name. His solid foods are very basic from what I’ve seen, tender broccoli and vege, mashed potato and stews etc…
In regards to a clinical dietitian I haven’t been formally introduced to all of the rehab team yet as my working hours have reduced the times I can visit but I assume there is a dietitian that covers the majority of the patients in the ward.
Maybe have a chat with his dietitian and/or speech and language therapist (these guys deal with swallowing issues) and see what they feel about thickening Huel for him.
