My 90% Huel Core Diet Plan - Monthly Updates

[sb-huel]

Hi there, I’ve read a few posts on here about those who’ve went 100%. Two main issues seem to be the lack of ‘proper physical food’ / too much dependence on a drink. The other, the question of potentially missing out on some nutritional benefits we might not be aware of yet that physical food gives us.

But what if, for dinner, I was to have 1.5x a Huel portion of Hot & Savoury? This is somewhat physical. A little more mouth watering in my opinion with the likes of the Madras one to me. I ate this for lunch for weeks and never got bored of it or stopped craving it… I stopped it because realistically, my usual weekly supermarket spend and having that 30 days a month was too much,

I’ve committed to having been on Powder 3.1 for breakfast and lunch most of this year so far. No issues. Sometimes I get a little hungry but I find that easy to deal with.

I was thinking of giving 100% Huel a try - never before did that appeal to me, but in the interest of finding an inoffensive diet for my bowels, combined with some of the non spicy H&S flavours - can this be a good combination? 1.5x portion meaning 600 calories for that.

Then other calories coming from other small things like healthy snacking… oat milk latte’s etc.

Is there any other flaws with this beyond the risk of getting bored of it?

Monthly, I reckon 3 bags of powder and 6/7 bags of H&S. Came to around £175. On a 4/5 week month I budget out £120/£150 (£30 a week) at the supermarket, but truth be told, it often goes over this. Especially at weekends. I have nothing bought in as most meat from the Sunday before can go off, or be too questionable to my picky taste to risk. Then on the weekends, we often get takeaways but these give me trouble, cost a fortune and are appealing less and less. Cooking from scratch is fun but when you’ve been away all day, convenience is key. Huel isn’t too much more, although it’s scary to commit such a big amount to it monthly.

My other thread surrounds trying new diets as well. Mainly giving my bowels a break from difficult to digest things, ruling out dairy (switched to oat milk and away from cereal to Huel for breakfast), avoiding high sugar snacks altogether for rice cakes and peanut butter, cutting out caffeine in my coffee / tea with decaf. The sugar / caffiene in Huel will be fine as a daily amount - still some but not constantly filling my body with it. Bowel issues relating to anxiety and discomfort and thus, poor mood and sitting around in case I feel awful after eating are my main challenges. Though Madras H&S has been one of the favourite things I’ve eaten in my life, I was going to order a variety of flavours that were non, or not as spicy to try. Sadly, spice might be irritating me, as much as I absolutely love scorching hot food. Red peppers don’t mix well with me, do any of you know if this is a key ingredient of any of the H&S as I’d have to avoid that?

Have any of you done this and what’s your personal experience been? Does H&S qualify as ‘something physical’ or is it really in the same arena as the shakes in terms of not being ‘properfood’ (albeit, nutritionally complete)

[mbs]

What you have to avoid depends on the diagnosis or problem that you have. For irritative bowel syndrome you should avoid everything high on so called FODMAPS - even here you will find an article about that.

Some individuals report problems due to the - at least for most - high fibre and protein content of the powders. If that is the case, most seem to find it helpful to introduce it more slowly.

The powders are foods, just like the hot instant meals. The difference is just in convenience, price and preferences.
Actually there is still no universal, objective agreement of what “healthy” means, or what qualifies for that term. Maybe it is individually different.

Try out what works for you.

[Girlthang]

Heya! I did tons of research on Huel before I committed to the system. I found the system to be infinitely more complete in the nutrition situation than what I had been eating. I use a calorie/nutrient tracker called cronometer and it tracks everything I consume and I always come away with a much better nutrient score than I have had in the past. occasionally I eat a meal my caregiver makes me, but mostly it’s 100% Huel. I feel better than I have in years, and my friends enjoy teasing me about “going vegan”. It amuses me too! – Dani

[mbs]

Regarding nutrition, research is still conflicting, and opinions are changing. Even certified nutritionists don’t agree on what can be counted as “complete” or healthy. People are different, too. Maybe there is no “one fits all” diet.

All nutritionists that I have worked with were sceptical of living 100% on Huel or other complete food shakes. As my main focus is convenience, this is not really a problem. I don’t care about health as much as most other people.

The main challenge is still the problem of “socializing over food” - this is so common in our society that I still haven’t found a good solution, even after years. You always need excuses, like allergies.

Most people still regard Huel or similar products as weight loss tools. Some friends have used it for that purpose, but most couldn’t stay on track. Or only for a maximum of about two years. It seems that only a minority is able to stick to a 100% complete food/shake diet for years or even a lifetime.

[sb-huel]

Well, here we go. First new H&S I tried was Thai Green Curry. I love it. I’m still blown away by how little any compromise is on taste with any of these. Carbonara was the exception but they’re trying to mimic smoky bacon there was my main issue.

For the first time in ages, I’ll be able to avoid being caught out (not having food in) and missing a meal, or splurging on a greasy takeaway. I’ll have 6 unique meals before needing to repeat (also an issue I had planning what to eat each week before). Hopefully it works out well, planning 1.5x / 600kcal meals for dinner each day.

I thought of another benefit too, that I can have one portion now then save the 200kcal for later as a snack to keep me going. More consistent energy / flexibility.

[gmtsteve]

Hi
I have been 100% Huel for three years now. I went 100% during and because of the first Covid lockdown. I just found the situation in the supermarkets too stressful. All the panic buying meant lots of my regular foods were unavailable.
I do eat whole food as well, but that is in addition to three Huel meals as my core calorie intake. I have a two scoop (400 cal) black powder shake for breakfast and also for lunch. I then have a two scoop Hot and Savoury for evening meal.
I also have two eggs and a slice of rye bread for elevenses. Berries, an apple and dates as snacks. I also have whole steamed vegetables with my H&S. in addition, I have kimchi, sauerkraut and kefir every day for my gut microbiome.
I figure I’m getting around 2000-2200 calories per day which is about right for me. I haven’t noticed any unwanted side effects and generally feel great, with plenty of energy to get me through the day.
I have been looking a lot at the Zoe Study lately and it does concern me that Huel is a UHP food. I know it’s not a bad UHP food in terms of what is generally meant by that moniker, but it does still worry me. I tell myself that my intake of whole foods should mitigate any issues, but I may be kidding myself there.
The social side of eating Huel doesn’t affect me, as I live alone and don’t socialise much. When I do, I just eat healthily from the restaurant menu. It’s once a month at the most.
I should say also that I make my Huel shakes very thick, like a mousse so you need a spoon to eat it. This is because I read that chewing your food to some degree enables your body to better process it rather than just drinking your food.
I hope this helps you out in your decision.

[Coup]

It’s not 100% if you’re also eating baby chickens, bread, fruit and veg and a once a month visit to a restaurant.

[hunzas]

He’s 110% dedicated to the 100%

[gmtsteve]

Just meant my three main meals are Huel , so most of my calories. The restaurant thing is an exaggeration. Probably more like once every two months. Just trying to be helpful with info.

[Andrew_B]

‘Proper food’ can mean anything so an unstable platform upon which to build a strategy. Huel is, for the most part, powdered food. Most of the answers to your question are already in your post; you seem to be in control of the levers that will provide you with the nutrition you need. Perhaps dropping the concern about ‘proper-ness’ may help.

[rikefrejut]

@gmtsteve

Just meant my three main meals are Huel , so most of my calories.

So say you’re 60%-70% Huel, not 100%. Based on what you wrote, that range sounds about right.

[sb-huel]

Thanks for your reply and welcome to the forum!!! I’m the same, ‘most of’ my food will be Huel but I will also add with coffee or snacks to bump up the calories.

[sb-huel]

Well, few days in. Loving it so far.

Thai Green Curry is nice and a break from true spicy foods.

Korma, I’ll finish the bag, but not a fan. The raisins ruined it for me but other than that’s its nice and very plain tasting.

Just tried a scoop of Cajun Pasta. Oh my god I’m in love. This is second best to Madras now.

Just now I was able to have one scoop of H&S. now a shake as I go on with my day then at dinner time two scoops of H&S. this flexibility really is great. After some H&S another shake is more appetising.

I’m only a few days in but already the flexibility is helping.

I also went out yesterday to a national park. Shake for breakfast beforehand. AZ Vitamins can whilst there (no need for coke or fizzy drink purchase). Felt noticeably brighter after it. Then home, and my pot of H&S two scoops. Had one more around 8.30 when I got peckish. Forgot to have my second shake yesterday was my only mistake. But I bought no fast food, and I think overall I only spent about £8.

This is having a really good financial impact already too. Huel is easy to take with and prepare anywhere whereas you can’t really do that with actual food and raw meats etc.

[sb-huel]

End of the Month Update

The Powders:
Berry - beautiful, in the mood for that for breakfast more times than not. Around one scoop left.
Coffee Caramel - can’t taste much difference from the coffee other than generic sweetness, but I choose this for when I’m out and working etc and it’s the easiest to sip down without feeling sickening all the same. Around two scoops left.
Cinnamon Swirl - falling out of love with this one, opted for it the least but had it regularly… more of it left than the others. Around half the bag left, probably under half. Will keep me going until next week.

Very happy with this setup for breakfast / lunch. A few times I’ve either made them too early and left them in a backpack and they’ve gone bad (well, I was too scared to take the risk). So some have been wasted unfortunately. I keep the second one in the fridge at work now. What is the prepared lifespan for ambient temperature and fridge storage to consume by?

The Hot & Savoury
Korma - Initially I didn’t like the raisins but I’m coming to terms with it now and it’s not so bad. It’s still my least favourite of this batch.
Thai Green Curry This one is beautiful and refreshing, and whilst I love spice, fills in as a non spice day. I really like this and it’ll be a staple going forward.
Cajun Pasta Absolutely in love with this one. Once I figured out the water / pasta pieces / powder combination and having to be a bit more careful about ensuring the balance. This is my strong second behind Madras. I’m having it today and I can’t wait.
Madras The love of my life in food since I first tried it. I’ll never get tired of the taste, the kick or the texture. It’s spot on, I hope they never ever replace or modify this one. I’d legitimately have it daily if I could do so without the spice overload affecting the internals.
Mexican Chilli I like this one too, there’s a bit of a strange taste, but other than that the beans texture, spice level and overall flavour is great and I’m also making it a staple.
Pasta Bolognese Rarely these days am I in the mood for very tomato-tasting stuff, though this is nice enough, and importantly a non spice option to space out my spicy food intake. I like it, I will order it every so often, as with Korma. Again, it’s all about that pasta-powder-water mix for these pasta flavours. Sometimes I’ll make it too thick and rich, other times a tad watery and tasteless. But I’m finding a balance more now than before.

Huel AZ Vitamins
Been having this every other day, and about to drink my last one today then I’m out until my new order next week. I love this, it’s refreshing and hits the spot for a fizzy drink. Only issue being I’ve fallen back into drinking normal Coke or Pepsi Max in between… although I’ve totally cut out the likes of Monster / Red Bull.

Overall Feelings on this 90% Huel
This month I’ve spent exceptionally little on food. Last week, until the weekend I only spent 88p. Also, as hoped, I’ve had a variety of meals. Always had it in stock / ready to make. Been able to move it and have it in different places including work. And achieved a trickle of energy in my work office mornings of sipping two Huel powder shakes throughout the day. My mood, feeling and even anxiety levels (despite a new job) have been very, very steady compared to the past. Sometimes I’ve let myself go a little long (or as I say, left a shake too long in a backpack and it was wasted) - but much less so than any other month in history. It’s really working for me, and despite the scary number as the total, it’s definitely a lot less than I used to spend. I used to spend £30 a week at Tesco for everything, and then inevitably be out another £6 or so toward the end of the week to buy chicken to put into a curry as an example, then weekends: nothing in, takeaway. Now I’m able to - at times, get a takeaway but mostly I opt for a side or something small - that’s also enabled me to trial foods like greasy breakfast fry food or chips or things like onion heavy dips - and guess what? No issues. At all. So those foods in themselves don’t seem to be intolerable. But having them seldom, in between a core diet of Huel, has really benefitted me. Just as a note, I’ve been having 1.5x / 600kcal of H&S meals a day

Next Order
I’ve just placed my next order this morning so it gets here by the time my remaining Huel runs out.

Powders: Coffee Caramel, Banana and Original. Coffee is the easiest to drink. Banana to swap out for Berry as a morning / fruity one (I hated it last time but it grew on me). And I’ve been curious about Original as well, maybe the lack of flavour will make it easier to drink as well.

Hot & Savoury: Staples: Madras, Cajun Pasta, Thai Green Curry, Mexican Chilli. But I’ve swapped out Korma for Chicken/Mushroom as a bland / non spicy choice. And I swapped out Pasta Bolognese for Tomato & Herb as another non spicy choice. If they’re nice I’ll rotate between them each month. And I might re-try Spaghetti Carbonara and Mac & Cheese now that I think I have a handle on the water-pasta-powder ratio to get a decent result.

Huel AZ: I ordered two crates this month. I still consider it a bit pricy as even £1.65 a day adds up, but if I can totally cut out the odd 90p here and there buying a can of Coke it might work out better. And it’ll satisfy my craving for fizzy drinks in a way that won’t feel like wasted sugar consumption each day too as it’s low enough in sugar. I heard something like most diabetes is brought on by over consumption of sugar through fizzy drinks above all else, so happy to cut them out entirely eventually. It’ll be nice looking forward to the AZ drink daily. So far it’s a nice little surprise every other day.

So if you’ve made it this far, well done. I’m happy to be doing this for another month and seeing how it goes. As another note, I have things like latte’s, some sweets and sugary things and other food here and there to add to my calorie count. It’s not 100% Huel, I’d say 90% though. Huel is the core of my diet / energy. Everything else is a welcome bonus.