My first experience with Huel

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Pretty impressed with the posting to NI last week. Ordered on Monday and it was here Wednesday. Just wish it was free! lol

The Mac & Cheeze isn’t what I was expecting but it’s fine, been working through it. The Spaghetti Carbonara as well, I was initially put off by the smell. It’s like those bacon fry crisps, for a while I wasn’t sure if it was for me but I gave it a go yesterday and just covered my nose. It tastes way better than I expected and there is a fresh / herbiness to it that sachet / instant food can’t seem to deliver. It won’t go to waste - neither will, but they definitely don’t rank as high as the Madras one. I think next it’ll be Cajun Pasta and the Thai Curry, if not another bag of Madras.

I started having 3 scoops as well to get 600 calories which is handy on days when I’m out washing the cars etc, burning more energy it’s good to compensate. Started logging the calorie intake on Apple Health on my phone too.

The powder is also going well, still working my way through Cinnamon Swirl. I have Banana and Salted Caramel powder sitting there for when that’s done. I think keeping a plain / more simple one like Vanilla is wise, alongside a sweet one for days when the craving for the sweetness isn’t there. I’m going to see what people thought about the unsweetened variant now as I’d be curious to try it.

The next challenge now is trying to work out how often to setup an auto subscription and hopefully I can justify the pricier hot and savoury options.

It’s honestly the most fun I’ve had with food or nutrition in a while, as conventional cooking (remembering to buy things in, expiry dates, missing an ingredient, etc) has always been a barrier. I’m not that obsessed with food as most people are and for me to know I’ve got an option that doesn’t leave me unhealthy to depend on that ticks all the boxes is truly a life changer.

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I finished the Mac & Cheeze and Spaghetti Carbonara H&S Huel. I have to admit, there aren’t for me. Although at times I did crave / find it good that I’d rather go home and make this instead of going to get fast-food etc, saving money and being healthy, sometimes the taste sort of came back on me for a few hours after eating. Sometimes as well, I didn’t get the water right (ironically the times I used a measuring jug to get it right). It was crispy / hard. The times I did get this right was nice though. I think it’s just these particular flavours aren’t to my taste. In contrast to the Madras which was just perfect.

I do think I’ll be sticking to the powder as it’s cheaper for more and harder to find any issues with.

Does anybody know what a typical breakfast or lunch comes in calorie wise? I know a typical two scoop Huel is 400 calories. I’m thinking of starting 3 scoops per shake to get the calories I’ve lacked over the years (I’m a pretty thin guy / 54kg and I’d like to get up to 60kg which would be better for my height according to my GP years ago).

Huel is going well for me otherwise. I don’t drink it all at once, I gradually drink it in the morning and over the afternoon. I’m having less issues eating regular food for dinner now, it’s like my stomach never has any issue processing the Huel powder so when I go to eat regular food in the evening, it’s not irritated or full or anything like that.

My tip for people who are moving to Huel for breakfast and lunch, if you’re like me and find that easy and satisfying, remember to consciously have some sugar be it a Lucozade or snack as I notice I feel a little edgy without it later in the day. I also notice that later in the day, having had no sugar, the moment I have some, it triggers something in my bowels and I feel a rather sudden urge to use the bathroom which I’m not used to. This is most of the time. As long as I don’t leave sugar too late, I can avoid that. But a weird observation!

I’ll share my impressions of the Salted Caramel and Banana which I’ll be opening this week

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Just my personal experience, but the banana wasn’t so nice - though I’m going to mix it in and get through it. The salted caramel is very nice, but it’s also very rich and I’m struggling to be as ‘in the mood’ to drink it first thing, etc.

I’m finding that the flavours aren’t for me, but I’ll stick to the vanilla, and maybe cinnamon swirl in the background in the long term as I found that sweet but palatable more often.

My girlfriend tried Huel and didn’t like it (sadly!!) but she has none of the issues with normal food or meals or digestion that I do so I can understand for her, it feels like a compromise. So she gave me her remaining supplies, another bag of banana powder and mint chocolate, so I’m sitting now with: coffee, 2x banana, mint chocolate and salted caramel. I finished my cinnamon swirl one the other week.

I just placed an order for 3x Madras bags. For me I’m discovering the flavours although some nice, some not, are too much for me to personally feel in the mood to consume when I need to so I’m going to stick to the plain stuff - vanilla anyway.

The H&S also wasn’t for me, I wasn’t a fan of carbonara or the Mac and cheese, though I was able to get my use from it and 600 calorie / 3 scoop was extremely useful to me for lunches etc. that’s why I’m sticking to my favourite H&S flavour. I was going to experiment with others but I’m sort of playing it safe now really as it’s a burden to ‘get through’ the remainders for so long.

I’m still excited and happy about Huel. For me, vanilla for breakfast and Madras for lunch is the winning combination. Over time I’ll try other flavours as they’re released etc, but the journey has been fun so far. It’s not over.

It’s so nice also having the option of RTD as the other day I nipped into Holland & Barrett for one. There’s such a difference between RTD and the homemade powder! Putting it in the fridge overnight definitely helps make it come out thicker but smoother.

I tried putting 3 scoops of banana in my shaker last night so I’d not have to shake it this morning … i woke up to cement like Huel!!! Lesson learnt. Anyone else able to fit 3 scoops in the Huel shaker with success or is it putting too strong a ratio in for the size?

Hope this is of interest to people still