Legume/Pea Allergy (Pea Protein)

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Hi Guys,

I have been interested in trying Huel for the past month. However, the only thing that is putting me off is the pea protein that is being used. I believe I have a mild allergy to peas. This has not been proven by a doctor, but I get a mild inflammation in my throat when I eat peas. Kind of a burning/itchy sensation. Nothing serious, just uncomfortable…

I was just wondering if anyone else who has an allergy to peas/legumes has tried Huel and has any experiences or any information regarding the allergy?

Is the pea protein a prominent ingredient in Huel? I know its second on the ingredients list, which would indicate that it is…

is there some kind of a trial pouch? I don’t really want to spend £45 on a full two pouches and waste money and perfectly good Huel by not being able to use it.

I love the idea of Huel and definitely think it would help me in my weight goals. I am 20 Years old, 6’4 and weigh around 70KG. I am INCREDIBLY skinny. I find it very difficult to gain weight as my diet is pretty poor. I’m just looking at improving my diet and adding Huel on top of that. Maybe take 3 meals of Huel a day?

Would love to hear from you guys and any information/advice is most welcome.

Much appreciated,

Danny.

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There used to be 100g sample packs available but they seem to have vanished from the website.

Maybe @TimOfficeHuel can shed some light?

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You really should get your GP to run an allergy test. Swelling in your throat is definitely towards the more serious end of reactions.

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Hi there Danny, good question! Here’s a response from James:

The protein in Huel comes primarily from a mixture of brown rice protein concentrate and pea protein isolate. There are no leguminous plants in Huel and all ingredients are low histamine; whilst peas may be high in histamine in their natural form, as Huel uses a pea protein isolate almost everything else, including histamine, is removed in the process. Huel is therefore low histamine.

I completely understand your situation but unfortunately we do not have any samples of Huel anymore. This is something we discontinued a while ago as we felt it didn’t give users enough opportunity to experiment and find their favourite method of making Huel.

Sorry I can’t be more helpful with that. Let us know if you have any other questions.

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This is exactly the kind of response I was looking for. Thank you so much for this information, I’ve been frantically trying to find a similar thread somewhere on the internet.

@Tristan That is very good advice. I never had any allergy tests to be honest. I just kind of found out what to say away from… Its nothing massive, Its more of an itching than a swelling. However, You are absolutely correct. I think I will consult with a medical professional before trying this. Saying that, with the response from Tim & James, things are looking promising!

Thank you all for the helpful information. I really appreciate it!

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It’s a shame you can’t just do a one pouch trial pack, rather than 2; which would maybe make more people take a punt. I know they can return unused bags etc., but it is still quite a pain to go through all that, and it seems that many sell them on eBay and they often sell for as much or more as buying direct, which is quite weird.

I was quite a fan of your 100g sample packs as they were useful for things like festivals and stuff (I find myself at festivals rather a lot), and in fact I did buy rather a lot of them at one point. I see that many of your competitors offer sample packs, which although a bit more expensive do give people the opportunity to try them out, although I agree a one meal pouch doesn’t allow a lot of experimentation and it does take a while to get your preference right IMO; that’s why I think a one bag initial offer may be a good compromise; and as it is less than 2kg, sending it by Royal Mail would be cheaper (if not next day delivery).

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They must think trial pouches will lose them more custom than it gains sadly. I suppose some customers who dislike Huel at first will persist & fall into the group who change their minds & end up liking the product, given they’ve spent £45 on that product already. Those same, after trying a trial pouch & disliking it, are less likely to continue.

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I agree, and that’s why I think a one pouch trial for say 25 quid is more agreeable for those unsure, as will be enough to try a few different ways of prep.

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That would be a good compromise.

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I second the idea of one pouch samples. Maybe even at a discount if you have a good method to make sure that user can only order one.

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Definitely trial pouches are essential. How about a trial pack containing 1 X 400 grams of Vanilla and 1 X 400 grams of UU? That way, the person will try more than once since they paid for it? 800 grams is 8 meals, so they will have one week’s worth of Huel with a leaflet giving loads of different flavouring ideas like instant coffee or banana in Vanilla, and OXO in UU. It is a bit harsh to expect people to have to buy 2 huge bags of Huel just to try it out??? I definitely would not be a Hueler if I hadn’t been able to try it first. I would NEVER have bought 2 huge bags just to try it out. Never. I’m extremely lucky I joined when it was still possible to get the little trial bags, and my niece’s boyfriend, also an avid Hueler, is only a Heuler because I gave him a sample bag when they were still available.

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Hi Guys,

Just an update… I (stupidly) did not go and see a GP before buying and decided to go ahead to try Huel but to obviously keep cautious. I was happy with the answer from James.

My vanilla Huel was delivered this afternoon (Less than 24 hours after ordering it (Fantastic customer service!)). I arrived home from work and eagerly prepared my first Huel meal. It smelt great however looked slightly unappealing. I had various anti histamine concoctions next to me. Tentatively, I took my first gulp. The taste was a bit chalky but over all, not bad. I then waited for any signs of reaction. 2-3 minutes went by and nothing. ‘Hallelujah’ I thought, naïvely gulping down about another 250ml. (Very stupid in hindsight). Thats when the reaction kicked in…

My throat began to swell as it does when eating Peas/nuts. I quickly took 2 antihistamine tablets. I could still breathe well but I was having chest pains. I couldn’t find my phone to try and seek some kind of proper medical help. I was going to try calling 111, as this was much worse than I have ever dealt with, due to the volume of what I had ingested. So in the end, I was left cuddling my toilet for a good hour or so, I won’t go into any more detail. I was a pretty scary experience. It’s now 10:30PM, I had the Huel at 7:30PM. I am 95% back to normal. I still have the tiniest bit of swelling in the back of my throat, but absolutely no chest pains anymore.

Make no mistake, this was my fault for being foolish and not being careful with something that I was well aware I was allergic to. I was incredibly excited about the plans I had made for my weight gain and to fix my body, that I didn’t care for myself in that moment. I wanted to believe I’d be fine. Which was stupid of me! It was my fault. However, I beg that this information is made readily available to people because, as I said in my previous comment. I really struggled to find information about legumes and Pea protein etc. anywhere.

I am absolutely gutted about this. I have been looking forward to trying Huel ever since I heard about it. It Is the perfect solution to a load of my dietary issues.

All I ask, Is to make this information available to the consumer. It is not suitable for people with a legume allergy. Secondly, please offer trial packs! All of the ideas listed sound great! I currently have 2 full bags in my kitchen that I can do nothing with apart from try to give them away… I’m also £45 down (Which, personally, I’m not too bothered about… I’m just quite glad the reaction wasn’t more serious. I was very lucky).

A bit of a far cry here, however, hopefully there will be some kind of alternative not using peas…

Anyway, Long story short… I had an allergic reaction to the Pea Protein contained in Huel.

Thanks for all of your comments.

Keep safe,

Danny.

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Crikey, I’m glad you’re okay because that sounds like it could’ve been so much worse! Well down for making it out alive!

Don’t worry about the bags you have left, you could start a for sale thread on here and usually there are plenty of people wanting to buy them at a slightly reduced cost.

Have you considered an alternative to Huel which doesn’t contain pea protein, Queal perhaps?

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Think Ambronite may be OK for you. Be prepared to dig deep into your pockets though.

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Sorry to hear that.

Fortunately there are many alternatives to Huel that do not use pea protein as an ingredient. Most commonly they use whey or soy. Look into GlycoGenesis by Genesis Food Solutions, it is commonly regarded to be very high quality.

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Dude, get an allergy test, they’re quick and really easy to arrange, start here.

Glad you’re still alive, like @rikefrejut says, lots out there that you can try so not all lost. Shame Huel’s not for you :frowning:

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Thank you all for your suggestions!

I’m definitely going to be booking an allergy test when I next see the GP!

Thanks for all of your help!

Danny.

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I am allergic to peas and tried without first reading the ingredients. I wouldn’t recommend it.

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Just a thought …
Depending where you live … find someone who is a Huel User and try a shake using their powder???
If your local to Surrey … you can try some of mine :+1: I have been vanilla and unflavoured
BUT I won’t take any responsibility if you have a bad allergy reaction !!!

Maybe that’s a fantastic idea … have a location style map so we can chat to local Huel users, maybe meet up for a shake, and the idea of sharing a shake powder with newbies ???