I came to Huel in the hope that it could end a years-long problem for me. A little history first: I’m a long term survivor of HIV (diagnosed in January 1987, almost certainly had seroconversion illness in spring 1980), and as such have been through pretty much the entire pharmacy, including virtually all of the early drugs. While they kept me alive they’ve left me with a number of health problems, the relevant ones here being diabetes and Fanconi’s syndrome (diagnosed in 2007 and 2012 respectively).
I used to view cooking as a competitive sport, my best mate and I trying to out-do each other when we ate together twice a week. In late 2011 I started getting sick with what the following year was diagnosed as Fanconi’s syndrome: damage to the kidneys results in their recycling function breaking down so that minerals and vitamins that should be recycled go down the pan. Among the symptoms are non-rational thinking, bone density loss, and so on. By the time I was hospitalised I weighed just 60kg and was sufficiently irrational that the papers had been drawn up to section me if I refused to go. Among my delusions was the idea that a litre of fruit juice and a small pot of yogurt a day made for an adequate diet… I’d completely lost my love of cooking and eating, and neither has returned. I lost much of my Tarot knowledge and almost all my Welsh too, but that’s another story.
Since 2011 I’ve struggled to maintain some semblance of a proper diet - in 2013 I was living on eight bottles of Ensure a day, until I realised that my blood glucose had hit 20 and that the stuff is 25% sugar. Since then I’ve been living on microwave meals (memory issues make me dangerous at a cooker), and dreading eating as there’s little pleasure in it. One of the few tolerable foods are savoury snacks, so I keep plastic boxes of cashews and of bombay mix in the living room.
A few weeks ago I saw an advert for Huel on Facebook, liked by two people whose opinions I respect, read up a little and in a “what the hell” mood bought a couple of bags, thinking that even if it tasted foul I’m experienced enough with medication that alters the sense of taste to be able to neck something I don’t like if I know there’s some nutritional benefit to it. My first impression of the vanilla (I’ve yet to try plain) was that I don’t have the strength in my arms to shake it properly and that it was a little bland, but it would ensure that I was having at least one diabetic friendly, nutritionally sensible meal a day…
It took less than a week for me to give up on the idea of microwave meals: I’m experimenting with throwing some fruit into the blender, and getting through just under 400g Huel a day (on the low side for someone of my height and build, but my life is largely sedentary as it hurts like hell to walk). Together with the fruit and the snacks, the only way I can fault my diet right now is by the salt from the snacks. In a matter of weeks my worries about diet have gone. The only problem I have is a little indigestion after breakfast, a meal I’ve never eaten before, so I think it’s just my system adjusting to the unexpected. Unfortunately my morning meds preclude the use of antacids.
I’m aware that this is early days, but I doubled up for my third order and had three bags of vanilla and a bag of plain, so I can experiment with savoury ideas. At this point my big regret is that Huel wasn’t around in 2012: it would have saved me so much worry. It feels like I’ve been living with an eating disorder since the Fanconi’s hit, and now I have what seems to be an answer. I say “seems” because I’m treating Huel the way I’d treat a new drug: it has three months to prove itself, during which I’ll ride out any adverse effects, and after that period it’s indefinite. So far I’m feeling fine on Huel, and after an unexpectedly high Hba1c some months ago, I had another done last, three weeks or so into going 100% Huel and I haven’t had the diabetes nurse on the phone, so I presume that’s improved.
If Huel isn’t being promoted to hospitals and dietitians, it damn well ought to be. It’s something I intend raising with the specialist dietician next time I have my HIV hospital appointment, maybe taking a sample along for her to try.
