Hi, newbie here!
I saw that Huel released a protein shake, wondering whether I should get this…
My background:
I am vegetarian leaning towards vegan (not a fan of dairy but love honey!). I was (still am!) a big advocate of fresh wholefood homemade meals cooked with love, and used to despise any meal replacement (which, at that time, were still marketed as diet aids). I realised I didn’t get enough nutrients with my meals (I ate a lot of carbs when in fact what I needed was more proteins).
As a busy student, I meal prepped on the weekend but I didn’t have time to track my macros and diversify my meals/protein sources (I love tofu and soy-based food, but not that keen on legumes and pulse). So I bought 2 bags of Huel 3.0 white. It was exactly what I expected: bland, artificial flavours (I tried banana), thick liquid that doesn’t give the same satiety as solid food (satisfaction from chewing). But it was convenient on busy days and I felt physically good afterwards (my body was finally getting all it needed I guess?).
When I started my new job, I decided to cycle to work (20 km per day), mainly to avoid public transport during the pandemic, but also to quit my sedentary lifestyle. As a consequence, I lost 6kg (not intentional, just a byproduct). Now that I have a normal -ish schedule, i cook more but I still have a few hectic days (running from meeting to meeting, doing time-specific tasks).
A typical day includes a small breakfast (toast with butter and jam or honey, tea) around 6am, a cooked meal I bring to work for lunch (depending on the time-dependent tasks, between 12.30pm and 2.30pm. If it’s later than that, I just skip lunch), and dinner around 8.30pm.
I am considering using Huel again, especially now that they released a protein shake. I just tried my second bag of Huel white (vanilla flavour), and it tastes way better than banana. I still plan to bring a meal to work, so I am looking for a healthy snack to keep me fuelled for the rest of my day/ my ride home/ until the next meal (especially when I skip lunch).
What I would need:
- support my new exercice regimen (I spend 500 kcal per day with my cycling) with enough proteins
- enough calories to get me through my day, especially with irregular meal times.
- something filling and satisfying so I don’t snack on junk food between meals) -something tasty (so no artificial fruit flavour. I have a sweet tooth but chocolate flavours are a hit or miss for me. I prefer a dark chocolate like flavour than a sickeningly sweet fudge chocolate cake. Actually a mild sweet flavour like Huel white vanilla is perfect for me. I also love the taste of coffee. So I guess I am into bitter and sweet tastes?)
So I guess my questions are:
-
what Huel should I try? Which flavours? Or should I even mix different Huels (i.e one scoop of each or one different for different meals?)? -
I might buy the bars too, are they on the crunchy or chewy side? -
any suggestions on how to bring the powder to work (don’t want a heavy load on my back)? There is a kitchenette so I can make and store the shake in the fridge. -
How do you deal with social aspects of meal replacements? I live in a country where food culture is very important. If it’s not cooked from fresh, natural ingredients, it’s not food. People take the time to eat, so not at your desk and with colleagues/family/friends when possible. Shakes are viewed as space food for people obsessed with their body (gym rats/bodybuilders or dieters) who consider food as nutrients/fuel, and either good or bad, not something enjoyable.
Thank you for reading till the end !
