I have the issue with Huel, that I either feel tired after eating it (does it provide enough energy for a normal active healthy lifestyle, or is it mostly targeted people who want to lose weight or live an unhealthy lifestyle??) OR that if I eat more of it, I easily feel constipated. I feel like all the water I would normally drink throughout the day, should maybe be all consumed while eating Huel, or else that powder will get stuck in my gut. That even after mixing the recommended amount of water and Huel with my Nutribullet blender, I still need a large glass of water to go along with it.
I have the impression that it is not very concentrated in terms of nutritional content, compared to the amount you have to consume, and that it’s not very focus on giving you a healthy gut either, more than just meeting some low EU standard for average daily recommended nutrition intake…
I have no allergies, only have some lactose intolerance, and is otherwise a healthy slim guy in my early thirties.
Sorry for the sceptisism, but something just doesn’t feel right, or else I would eat this product constantly.
Also the Huel bars feel like concrete, they are so extremely dense and dry, none of my friends could eat one
I suppose we will all have different experiences. Mine would be pretty much the opposite of most of what you mention.
For me I definitely have more energy. I do triathlon and I know that, during long training rides, aches and fatigue set in measurably later than before I started with Huel. I put that down to it having low GI and the energy being digested gradually.
I am sure there are people better qualified to address your other points and I don’t want to sound like I am arguing for the sake of it. I haven’t tried the bars.
In my case, I have food allergies (wheat/dairy), live in Tokyo and Huel has kinda saved my arse or my stomach ha ha. 100% Huel wasn’t a goer for me and found the following rules made a huge difference:
Glorious meat+ leafy green psycho portion sized breakfast with coffee for breakfast at 9am . 5 scoop Huel for Lunch at 4pm and 3 scoop for dinner around 8pm.
Once in a while, add a small bowl of rice with chicken as a treat at 10pm
Sleep by 1am
I had 2 Huel bars if I couldn’t do a liquid Huel meal. You cannot eat the Huel Bars like normal food bars. Small bites, eat slow or you get this kind of indigestion which invites regret.
I needed the real food in there otherwise Huel didn’t work well for me. I just felt wrong simply. Since following the above I feel at 80%.
On a separate note, eating after 7pm really drains my body of energy. When I’ve had the discipline to finish all my meals by 6pm I have 50% more energy the following day. Real life isn’t as forgiving for me but just wrapping up all your meals before 7pm should give you a noticeable kick. It’s something I was told by an Ayurvedic guy and it was such a simple change which gave me so much more energy.
My stomach is pretty dinged up from all the food allergies I had in Tokyo over the last 6 months and Huel has brought me back to something normal. Not perfect. Digestive enzymes and extra hydration do make a difference. Throw in soil based pro-biotics and that rounds out my approach. Huel is not an end all or be all of nutrition, but in my perspective, it fills the 70% food volume I need to make it everyday when you have to work hard (Japan has an insane work ethic) and are short on time. Products such as chlorella or herbs from Sunrider might fill the nutritional void you are concerned about. Wherever I can, I try to eat as much real food as I can. After becoming a Hueler I always crave real food and enjoy food much more now. I had some success with Bertrand and think the two products go well together. Unfortunately, something in Bertrand gives me epic zits (probably the nutritional yeast) which I hope is just a short term herx reaction.
I felt the same for the first week or so. In my experience, I needed to slowly introduce Huel into my diet (as is recommended).
I also found that as I had a high sugar diet, and Huel is low in sugar (which is a good thing!) I had to supplement the sugar with an apple and a chocolate bar at first and slowly reduce it.
I’ve been living mostly on Huel for about two and a half months - a combination vanilla and U/U Huel, and various non-Huel flavourings. Admittedly, I’m doing it primarily for gradual weight loss, however my energy levels have definitely increased and I can honestly say I feel better generally than I have for some time. It took a little while for my bowels to adjust but I’m now “regular” and never have an upset stomach.
I can’t speak knowledgeably on Huel’s nutritional profile; I can only go by the information provided. But I’m certain I’m getting healthier, more-balanced nutrition than I used to. Plus, I don’t get cravings or feel the need to binge on snacks, so I assume my blood sugar levels are better throughout the day.
