Huel, nutrition and health

Nutrition
1

Hi there,

I’ve been a regular Huel user for nearly two years. I mostly use Huel in place of mid-morning and afternoon snacks, and still eat “real” food at breakfast, lunch and dinner time. I estimate that Huel makes up 30-40% of my daily calorie intake. My experience has been very good: Huel has reduced the number of unhealthy snacks I consume, and my impression is that it’s had a positive effect on my overall health and well-being.

I often encounter questions and concerns about Huel from curious friends and family. I’ve realised that I don’t have good answers for these, and that I probably should do if I’m going to recommend Huel to others, and if I want to make informed decisions about my own diet. I think there are five main questions, which I’m posting here in the hope that someone more knowledgeable will be able to answer them, or point me to a place where I can find the answers. I realise that there is information available on the Huel website, but there’s quite a lot to wade through and digest, particularly with my very limited nutritional knowledge!

So, here are the questions:

  1. Does Huel really contain everything necessary for a balanced diet? (This is less relevant to me, as I consume Huel as part of a more varied diet, but it’s a common question nonetheless).
  2. Does Huel contain too much of any one ingredient, e.g. protein, such that it could have adverse effects?
  3. Are there any disadvantages to consuming vitamins and minerals as supplements as opposed to “naturally” through food?
  4. Does Huel contain any artificial ingredients that we would otherwise be unlikely to consume? If so, what are the health effects of consuming these?
  5. Might there be any adverse long-term effects of consuming Huel on a regular basis?

I’d be very grateful for answers to any of these questions, or for links to information that will help me answer them myself!

Thanks!

2

Hey Thom, welcome to the forum!

  1. Yes.

  2. No, Huel may contain more than government recommendations e.g. for protein and vitamin C but this is not a bad thing due to extra health benefits, you can see more here: https://uk.huel.com/pages/the-huel-powder-formula-explained#protein and https://uk.huel.com/pages/about-the-vitamins-minerals-in-huel

  3. Huel isn’t a supplement or a multivitamin, this is explained briefly in the link above and also here: https://uk.huel.com/pages/how-well-are-the-vitamins-and-minerals-in-huel-absorbed

  4. I wouldn’t stress about this. Just because something is artificial doesn’t make it unhealthy or worse and vice versa for something that is natural. For example in the flavoured Huel versions we use sucralose, you can read about this here: https://uk.huel.com/pages/guide-to-sucralose. We also use a synthetic version of vitamin C which is explained in the link above.

  5. If you have no underlying health conditions that require certain dietary requirements such as a reduced potassium intake, then no. Huel is simply food, like any other. This is also the best link to show to your friends or family: https://uk.huel.com/pages/why-huel-is-not-a-meal-replacement

Let us know if you have any more questions.

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3

Hi Dan. Many thanks for your reply, and for the answers and links to further reading. I’ll read the documentation you provided, and get back to you if I have any more questions!

Thanks again!

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