Huel bars review

I have to say, the powder is a struggle for me so I went and tried some Twenny Bars. They are awful. I’ve been waiting for the Huel bar for ages and it is leaps and bounds ahead of Twenny ones both in terms or taste and general usability (Twenny bars are huge!) but I have to ask, why always chocolate flavour? Are we going to get a Vanilla flavoured one, I really hope so…

Sorry yes I did mean Joylent and yes it was that I’d heard the Twenny bars make people sick

I’ve just received and tried my sample Huel Bar. I too found it a little bit dry to begin with, but working through it, it has a really nice flavour but as others have said, and importantly to me, it’s not “too nice”. It’s not at all offensive, but it’s not something I’d overdo it with, which is why I like Huel anyway.

I’m definitely going to be stocking up for when I’m bedbound after my next operation; I’ll not have to bother anyone to fetch me water and/or mix me Huel and can feel a little bit more independent! Lol

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@Charlotte_Hylton thank you for the comment and I hope the op goes well.

Right now I’m tempted to go for Vanilla Twennybars for two reasons:

  • cheaper per kcal
  • less sugar

These matter to me more than the things you mentioned. Im just bringing it up here because - why cant Huel? And has anyone tried both to compare?
When we’re being told about 12 % sugar is necessary to make the product viable as a bar and a competitor brings one out with less than half, there’d have to be significant tradeoffs to that product or the Huel team has to go back and try again.

It sounds like perhaps the Twennybars might be better for you right now, which is fair enough.

Perhaps the sugar in Huel bars will come down over time. I suppose this may be an issue for you if you are planning on having multiple per day, day in day out. I’m unlikely to have more than one a day (if that - for me they are just for times when the powder is impractical) so the sugar is not a concern (to put it in perspective, we are talking about less than half the sugar in one small apple).

In terms of cost - ultimately I see Huel as the most premium of all these types of products because of the thought and effort that goes into keeping the ingredients list as minimal as possible (and vegan). As such there are always going to be cheaper alternatives available with less favourable formulations.

To be honest once you get to the kind of ingredients list in the Joylent bars, I’m not sure really you are getting any advantage (other than the vitamin and mineral blend) over something like MyProtein Oats & Whey Bars, which with the usual 25% off are probably half the cost again of the Joylent bars.

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On a separate note, I grabbed a Huel bar on the way out to the cinema yesterday and had it during the film. For me this is a perfect example of a situation where I never would have used the powder but the bar is perfect :thumbsup:

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Thank you for the balanced and informative reply.

Funnily enough, I have to say the bars you linked do not look bad at all to me. Even more favorable than the Twennybar. I might order some. :smiley:

I guess for now it does make sense for me to rely on Huel for bulk everyday nutrition and maybe have the snacks be supplied by someone else. I am glad they are trying though. As always, it is impossible to satisfy everyone.
Everybody will have to ask themselves whether they need a balanced mineral and vitamin mix in their snacks as well and how much a vegan tag is worth to them.

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Just wanted to add my positive feedback re the bars. They taste good and are healthier than every other equivalent out there. And they’re super convenient. Thanks team Huel.

@Julian @JamesCollier, are you planning to bring out any other bars in the future? i.e. with different formulas or flavours?

p.s. I like that the bars have less salt than the powder, but am interested in why that is? (0.3g/100g for the bar vs 0.7g/100g for powder).

They oughta sell them in cinemas rather than most of the junk they sell. Our local cinema searches you on the way in for stuff not purchased there at exorbitant prices…airport security is less strict. They’ve never had a shoe bomber in the cinema though so guess it is working.

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My mini review:
I usually consume two 4 scoop Huel meals a day (~1200 calories, ~40-60 of my daily intake depending on the day). I’ve been having 4ish bars a day for the last week.

Initially I found them quite dry, powdery and not particularly pleasant. I had hoped the chocolate flavouring would be a milk chocolatey taste, but it’s a much more cocoa powdery taste (which makes sense!)

However, I’ve really gotten into them and find them quite tasty now. FAR more pleasant than either downing 750ml of Huel in one go or sipping it for an hour (I use both approaches but like neither.)

I often find myself feeling quite bloated after drinking Huel (especially in the evenings) or have heartburn symptoms. I have had some indigestion while eating the bars, but I’ve found that if I eat them at a slightly slower pace and drink some water part way through then this is alleviated. I have also noticed an increase in my acid reflux symptoms over the last week (something I suffer from on an ongoing basis) - but that might be due to the fact I’ve been eating more (and less healthily in general this last week). I’ve noticed that I’ve been a bit more… gassy than usual. But this might likewise be due to other eating.

I am more or less happy with macros and increased sugar content of the bars relative to the powder and if it wasn’t for the price I would probably switch to them full time. Instead I’m wondering if I should investigate Twenny bars (cheaper and I’m not vegan) or MyProtein equivalents (and take a multivitamin alongside.) Blah.

Thanks for the feedback.

We are looking at other flavours and, like everything Huel, we’re always looking to improve where necessary.

Salt, for labeling purposes is related to sodium, and the ingredients in the bar have less sodium, in particular the oats are lower per 2000kcal; hence the lower salt.

That ridiculous! I’ve often taken a rucksack into a cinema, and will happily eat and drink my own things in there. If anyone was to stop me going in with my own stuff, I’d probably just leave.

But I’m a country bumpkin outdoors type who tends to take a rucksack whenever I go anywhere for more than 2 hours. I’m a big fan of taking my own food and drink wherever I go, avoiding spending money on food while out whenever possible. It’s a habit my parents got me into because they were always taking us out hiking, and there are no shops out in the middle of nowhere. But this habit tends to stick with me even when I go to towns or cities. But I am little bit on the autistic spectrum, so I’m not claiming to be “normal” :wink:

If every cinema did this, I would probably just make sure I had a good dinner before I went out. No need to combine the cinema with a mealtime really. The food they serve in cinemas is pure junk anyway.

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My local cinema is a country bumpkin one too…they burn you at the stake like a witch for talking in your own snacks.

They have the wicker man showing in screen 1 too…endlessly repeated…and always full.

I guess it is no different to going to a gig…they don’t let you take your own beer or drum kit there either!

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Does anyone ever actually try to take their own drums to concerts? :grinning:

This sounds like an excellent idea for a sketch for Trigger Happy TV. I’m picturing Dom Joly banging away in the corner like a lunatic with a giant bear bottle next to him…

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Loving the bar - will be placing an order to support me pre & post long / marathon runs. It was a wee bit faffy after the GNR making up my Huel on the bus back from South Shields, incidentally felt great within minutes of having it.

Happy with the flavour, happy with the texture, great stuff!

Happy Hueling eveyone.

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I had pie & chips and a pint after the GNR, probably not the best post run recovery meal but it tasted great :grinning:

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Dude I would have not been ‘very well’ at all if I’d had that.

Just tried my first bar and the knee jerk review is that they’re dense and lacking flavour.

Certainly useful for travel / on the go if I can’t package huel powder but they’d need to be a little less heavy with a bit more heavy to be the first choice for on the go.

Will keep and use them as an emergency stash.

Found the bar to be very dry and not really very flavoursome but maybe they’ll grow on me… didn’t expect it to be the best anyway being v1