I’ve been consuming Huel for 75-100% of my meals for over 3 years now. During certain phases I’ve put on weight by eating in a caloric surplus largely derived from adding Light in colour Olive oil to my Huel shakes. It is fairly tasteless, and very calorie dense so you can easily consume 1,000 calories in one shake without any discomfort while consuming and without any trouble shaking the shaker Huel is sold with. It is also relatively cheap (£0.25 per 100 calories or so).
However, for athletic performance purposes I’d ideally like to gain weight by increasing calories and keeping fat at a minimum (with protein determined based on an amount per kg of bodyweight). I’ve tried using powdered oats before, but could only fit 50g into the Huel shaker alongside 133g of Huel and the water without it becoming too thick.
Has anyone any recommendations for a carb source that would mix well, is easily consumed in large quantities throughout the day, and isn’t super expensive? Has anyone tried Fructos, Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin etc? Are the health concerns with any of these sources? Thanks
These are indeed the most obvious carb sources. These are pure carb, nothing else, and also dissolve fairly well in water.
I think fructose and dextrose might add to much of a sweet taste to your shake. Maltodextrin could be perhaps a better option here, it is commonly used in the industry and could help you reaching the goal without making the shake ultra sweet.
As for other options, I think most of other options are likely to add volume since they will not be pure carbs. Also, hard to beat maltodextrin in price when looking for cheap carbs.
Most concerns with maltodextrin are related to its GI and the fact that provides nothing but carbs. I think you should not be worried about the GI so much, because the base of Huel is very low.
Literally ‘Light in Colour Olive Oil’ is how its named in most supermarkets I generally buy in 2L bottles from Sainsbury’s or from Asda.
I put on 10kg in 4 months earlier in the year eating up to 4,000 calories a day by the end of it, with ~1,000 calories coming from the Light in Colour Olive Oil in my breakfast and lunch Huels. So good luck!
Yes I was worried that 120g of Fructose in a shake would be a little sweet!
But yes, also a little worried that consuming 1,000 calories a day of high GI carbs might put me at risk of diabetes or heart disease…
@JamesCollier - do you have any input? I know you’re a bodybuilder and have received positive feedback in the past from bodybuilders using Huel, have you, or did any of them, using Huel whilst massing using fast carbs? Any advice would be appreciated!
I know bodybuilders who have added extra maltodextrin to their diet, though I’m not sure if anyone has done this with Huel specifically. I would be cautious of using these though. If you do want more carbs, then oats or oat powder is your best bet. You needed actually mix these with your Huel of course, you could mix in a separate shake and consume separately. This way you can still enjoy your Huel!
I don’t think most bodybuilders need to overeat though, sure you need a calorie surplus, but you don’t need mega calories; just a surplus. I’ve made the mistake myself in my younger, more-naive days. 500-1000kcal above maintenance is plenty as long as it’s good nutrition.
Thanks @JamesCollier. It is a between 500-1,000 calories from the added carb source I would be looking for, but on the top end that would be adding two 125g powdered oat shakes to the day which is less pleasant and more bloating than adding 60g of oil to the Huel shakes I’m already drinking, unfortunately. Especially with all the added fibre!
170cm, 74.1kg, 19.6% BF, currently cutting. A few months ago I was 76.4kg and maintaining at 3,300 calories after a massing period were I ate up to 4,000.
I’m loving the Olive Oil! I do 425mlwater/75g Huel, 25g Oil which makes a shake I can down in 1-2 minutes that has 500 calories and I hardly taste the oil. It really helps, but it still takes so long to become hungry again… basically I need to set a timer and force myself after 2-3 hours
I generally buy in 2L bottles from Sainsbury’s or from Asda.