My Experience - Can't Stand the Texture!

[Gnotknormal]

Hey everyone

I know everyone is doing this, and I’ll try not to waffle too much, but I wanted to share my experience and ask for advice from advanced Huellers!

Why I Chose Huel

There were so many reasons for me to try Huel. Here is a summary of my main issues that lead me to Huel;

I have, for most of my life, struggled with an eating disorder. I’m autistic and this tends to be common for people with an Autism Spectrum Condition. I get very stressed when it comes to food. This may not make sense to a neurotypical person, but in my head I try to balance how much I enjoy the food with how good it is for me, and how many calories it has. Leaving me feeling sick (with anxiety) after eating a meal that didn’t balance up the way I want it to.

Huel seemed to be the answer. I figured that even if it was just ‘bareable’ in taste, I would feel good as I’d have eaten something with the perfect balance of nutrients. I could control my calorie intake, ensure I neither eat too much or too little, and not worry about the quality of the nutrition I was getting.

I also get very anxious about cost. I worry about food wastage. I got into the habit of freezing everything. Wouldn’t it save so much energy if I didn’t have to freeze or cook anything? Definitely.

Although Huel is around £1.50 per meal (more than I spend on breakfast and lunch combined, and more than my evening meal usually), it seemed to solve the biggest problem I have with overspending on food - when I’m out! I try to take a packet lunch if I know I’m out for lunch time, but it isn’t always practical (for example you can’t eat your packed lunch in a café! You’d get thrown out!). So I often resorted to grab and go food. Meal deals costing as much as £3.00, or something from Bon Appetite (99p food shop), which lacked in nutrition and never filled me up.

I’m also currently phasing myself out of eating meat. So since Huel is vegan friendly, it is an easy way to get there!

Also, I have seen people’s comments on how Huel has helped their skin and energy levels, and as someone with eczema and chronic fatigue this has very much interested me.

My Huel Adventure

So I bought my Huel recently and immediately jumped to have some. I got the unsweetened version with view of trying savoury flavours as I personally am not a fan of much sweetness in food. In spite of this I have only thus far tried lightly sweet flavours, not having the confidence to try anything outrageous!

Mocha

Oh gosh guys, I’m so sorry but the mocha flavour is vile!! Opening the packet stank out my kitchen and I happened to decide to try it on a day when I was consuming it out of the house. I went hungry that day because I just couldn’t stand it.

Disposing of Huel is a nightmare too! I had to pour it through a seive and throw the lumps in the food waste - but I don’t doubt the stuff that went down the drain can only be bad for the pipes!

My favourite flavour thus far that I’ve mixed myself is chocolate flavour milk powder and powdered milk. It’s still only on the bareable side but in prefer it to the “chalky” flavour they quite rightly describe the unflavoured version as.

Texture…the end?

This is sort of the point where I feel sick because I’ve spent £84 on Huel and no longer feel I can drink it. I can’t handle the texture. Part of my autism is my heightened sense of touch, and this is especially a problem when it comes to texture of food. I think I could get over the flavour of anything as long as it feels okay in my mouth. I honestly expected Huel to just taste chalky. Not FEEL chalky!

I have managed to persevere through a 200 calorie meal, but I’m terrified of trying again because I just see myself wasting money every time I throw Huel away.

I tried having it cold as some people suggested. But the only thing that did is… Well make it cold. Even with ice doesn’t change the actual texture.

Can You Huellers Help?

Is anybody here hypersensitive to mouth feel? And can honestly tell me a way to remove the texture of Huel?

I have considered having it exclusively as biscuits, but of course that means overthrowing the great balance in suit of more fat which I don’t really want in my diet. Not to mention time and energy that I would be using otherwise - which I had hoped to save with Huel.

Is a blender really the answer? I don’t own a blender, and I do not want to purchase one unless I am certain it will help. (This is coming from someone who doesn’t own a toaster because I only have toast on very rare occasion). People talk about blending it making the taste better or the texture better somewhat. But nobody has confirmed that it will remove that feeling that one gets as if their throat is lined with flour (this is what I desperately want to avoid).

To Conclude

I would absolutely in future like to be consuming Huel 100%, but if I can’t get past this issue I will have just wasted a lot of money. And it seems such a shame to something that is the answer to a lot of my anxieties!!

I hope someone can help thanks!

[welwynd]

To start, what ratio are you mixing huel with?
If you like banana, then blend Huel and a banana ( be aware of calories if worried about weight loss), and it loses a lot of the chalky feel. The unsweetened is also said to be more chalky textured.

[Gnotknormal]

I was mixing Huel with just over 250ml of water and 50g of Huel (so half the portion the site recommends), and I did one meal of 375ml and 75g.

I can’t stand banana (again a texture thing). Thanks for the suggestion though.

As I said though I don’t have a blender so I’m not in a position to try that out.

I wonder if anyone has tried both Original and Unsweetened and can compare the textures for me?

[welwynd]

@Julian I know has tried both, being one of the guys behind the product! But he’s also a busy guy, what with running the company. Sure he could probably do with an assistant lol.

I’ve only tried the 1.2 mix, which is the less sweet vanilla mix. So can’t really say whats more chalky, but I can say I don’t really think this is that chalky to me.

A few others that I’m aware of that have tried both that might be able to comment: @sk8ninja @Philips @2958302 and likely more, but off the top of my head I can’t recall any!

[Marcus]

@Gnotknormal Welcome to the forum!

I am also on the autistic spectrum, having been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome 3 years ago. However, my over-sensitivity is not to do with food. My over-sensitivity is to do with noise and busy social situations. But I can sympathise with feeling anxious if this aren’t right, and obsessing over trying to get them right. Personally, I find I cope a lot better with everything if I’ve had enough sleep. I also find meditation helps keep me calm.

Regarding the texture, I think the unflavoured one is different to the vanilla version. My advice would be to try the vanilla version and mix it well in a blender. If you find the texture too thick, add more water. You might get on well with a very watery mixture. Of course, that will mean you will need to drink a lot of it to get enough calories.

[Omc]

I just tried mixing 25g of unflavoured with 125ml of water by hand. Chalky describes it well; a wash of mild flavour with a powdery residue around the mouth. Bleurgh!

Tried the same thing with a blender; slightly smoother but still distinctly chalky. Bleurgh.

Tried the vanilla version by hand; definitely less chalky, until you hit a lump (bleurgh).

Blended it; no lumps, no chalk. Mmmmmm!

So, I’d definitely get a sample pack of the vanilla if I were you, & I only usually ever blend my huel as I prefer a smooth consistent texture (and only got a “week” of unflavoured as a trial, still got it fit occasional savoury experiments). That said, food texture isn’t a particular common issue for me, I’m not sensitive, & I should also point out that while I didn’t get what I established in my mind as the “chalkiness” of the unflavoured, even blended you’ll still get the flaxseed, in case that’s an issue too.

Also, I found the flavour packs did barely anything for the unflavoured huel, but with vanilla I think they influence the flavour well (less so with toffee though) although I still have to use a bit more than the 2% or whatever the recommendation was.

[Julian]

@Gnotknormal firstly welcome and thank you for choosing Huel.

What exactly don’t you like about the texture? This will help me tailor my answer?

I see you purchased the unflavoured and unsweetened version, I personally don’t like this version straight up, it certainly needs flavour and sweetener added from my perspective, although some people like it straight up.

Here is my advice:

• Try one of our flavour pouches, I see you tried the mocha which I think is excellent - http://huel.com/collections/other-huel-products/products/natural-flavour-and-sweetener-pouches

• A blender will help produce a smoother Huel but it won’t remove the chalky taste

• I really like the vanilla and would be happy to swap some of your unopened pouches for you to try

• Dilute the Huel more, e.g. try 1 scoop per 500 ml and experiment from there.

[Julian]

Another idea is you can make something with Huel:

Think my @gethuel bread turned out alright now to try it pic.twitter.com/bW2h8B781Q

— Kirsty_Hawkshaw (@kirsty_hawkshaw) November 8, 2015

I am Jill, The #FatController and I'm officially addicted to #hethuel #huel @gethuel pancakes!! #banishthebeige pic.twitter.com/p7WRWV9AWX

— The Fat Controller (@itsjillgardner) October 27, 2015

Huel cookies/biscuits

Had a quick try at baking with Huel today. A semi-success. 150g Huel 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoon butter 1 egg (based on the cookie recipie on the Huel homepage) Using the above recipie I got nine Huel biscuits. Quite dry though, so I might put a bit of icing on them. Anyone out there got a good Huel cookie recipie?

[itsjillgardner]

I have experimented. I add cocoa powder and cinnamon. This morning I added baking powder and it rose beautifully. My kids love it too and use berries in the mix. Or chopped banana.

I use 1 whole egg and 5 egg whites to make a BIG filling pancake. Or your can use 2-3 whole eggs and 1 scoop! Could serve two. But 1 will keep me full till lunch!

[Gnotknormal]

Hi, thanks so much for getting back to me. Didn’t expect a higher up to pay attention customer service definitely gets an 11/10 for you guys!!

I have three unopened pouches, would it be okay to swap them? I worry this would be logistically difficult but you’re the expert.

The problem I have, more specifically, about the texture is that after every mouthful I can just feel it lining the inside walls of my mouth. Obviously most people wouldn’t be as sensitive as me due to not being autistic, so I admit this is not likely a problem with the product, more with me.

I think I will invest in getting a blender, eventually, as perhaps the problem is that the powder hasn’t dissolved properly.

I will try having it really diluted, but my worry about this is (as @Marcus said) that I will need to consume more in order to get enough calories.

I’ll definitely try some of the recipes too

Also, I don’t think it’s the flaxseed sort of lumpiness that bothers me (wouldn’t be any different from drinking soup really), just the residual feeling in the mouth.

[NP_Lima]

@Gnotknormal

Can You Huellers Help?

Is anybody here hypersensitive to mouth feel? And can honestly tell me a way to remove the texture of Huel?

[…]Is a blender really the answer? I don’t own a blender, and I do not want to purchase one unless I am certain it will help. But nobody has confirmed that it will remove that feeling that one gets as if their throat is lined with flour (this is what I desperately want to avoid).

Hi,

Before spending money on a blender, I’d suggest you vigorously mix the powder with some milk rather than just water. My meals so far have been nicer when I used milk AND water. 100ml semi-skimmed milk, 400ml water (filtered, cold, shaken & stirred ) with 2 scoops of Huel seems to work well.

For dinner I had Huel mixed with Yeo Valley organic strawberry yoghurt and it was yummy. One teaspoon of peanut butter made it a treat for me.

NP_Lima

[Gnotknormal]

I’ve been using powdered milk in increasing amounts so that’s basically what I’m doing anyway lol.

Not a fan of peanut butter (‘sticks to the roof of your mouth’ is not a texture someone like me would enjoy!)

Mixed with yogurt sounds amazing but surely THAT would need a blender?

[NP_Lima]

I just use a spoon. vigorously Before Huel I would do the same mix of yoghurt with muesli, so I’m really not used to or hoping to get a smooth runny texture. If that is a huge requirement for you, then maybe I take back what I wrote before and you really need to go through ebay or charity shops to get a cheap barely used blender.

[Idylla]

I also really dislike the texture.

I had a battery powered blender at first to try and assist: Vortex Pro Mixxer on Amazon

This helped, but still left considerable lumps.

I sent it back and bought a Breville Sports Active blender instead, and this gives a much better texture! Definitely recommend a blender, but you do get the added mess. (And can’t quite fit it into one bottle, need to mix twice and transfer into the big Huel bottle.

[Alwan]

Hi, I’m using a Tesco HB-14 hand blender to mix my Huel.

It fits easily into the shaker so there’s not much extra clean up, just rinse it under the tap when you’re done
I’ve never managed to get a mix I like by shaking, but never failed when blending. It’s definitely worth trying.

An HB-14 will cost you a tenner.

[Marcus]

@Gnotknormal

Not a fan of peanut butter (‘sticks to the roof of your mouth’ is not a texture someone like me would enjoy!)

Definitely mix the vanilla Huel in a blender, then. I find if I mix it in a shaker I get some lumps and sometimes this sticks to the roof of my mouth. This doesn’t happen when I blend it because the mixtures is perfectly smooth.

[Ric]

I’ll take the unpopular view here:

If the problem is texture, I think you are out of luck. Sorry about that.

As you’ve (very politely) pointed out, a lot of the replies here are targeting flavorings. And I think the blender won’t do you much good. It removes lumps, but Huel will still “feel” chalky to you.

The only thing to change the texture appears to be using it in cooking. But as you point out, that involves time and energy that you had “hoped to save with Huel.”

Huel is a great product. Unfortunately, I think it isn’t a good fit for you.

(Hopefully I’m wrong, and your swap will solve the problem.)

[mr_high_kick]

I am a very picky eater and I love Huel’s texture.

[Julian]

I too love the texture it feels like I’m consuming something healthy, natural, and not highly processed. I can take out the oats, flaxseed, pea and rice out and replace them with maltodextrin and whey protein both are “textureless”.

[Raymondcal]

Please. Don’t.