Hu guys…I have been using huel for about two months (2 meals per day), and I am really enthusiast about it, cause it provides me with all the energy I need during to day, and at the same I do not waste time cooking, going to the grocery shop, washing the dishes, hunting for food, etc. I have a request. Can we be provided with the phytoestrogenic intake (an estimation, of course) a huel-based diet implies? I am a guy and well…I would not like to end up having gynecomastia, or hormone related problems. I know that in the literature there are not many studies tackling this issue, but I would not like to risk…
Phytoestrogens are plant-derived compounds similar in structure to the hormone estrogen; they may also have similar effects on the body to that of estrogen if consumed in large enough amounts. However, the proportion to which phytoestrogens affect the body and hormones, especially testosterone, have been highly inflated. If you are looking to gain muscle, this is a slow and difficult task and the most important factors are correct training, adequate nutrition and getting enough rest and sleep; the whole process takes time and effort. Testosterone is the hormone that’s important in the process of muscle gain and some people have concerns as low testosterone levels will make the muscle gain process harder. Some people point to articles which state flaxseed may increase the amount of phytoestrogens causing concerns that this might lower or limit the production of testosterone. However, the fact that flaxseed is broken down by the body into lignans can actually lower the effectiveness of estrogen in the body, with very useful side effects from people suffering from certain forms of cancer:
Flaxseed is sometimes tried for cancer because it is broken down by the body into chemicals called ‘lignans’. Lignans are similar to the estrogen - so similar, in fact, that they compete with estrogen for a part in certain chemical reactions. As a result, natural estrogens seem to become less powerful in the body. Some researchers believe that lignans may be able to slow down the progress of certain breast cancers and other types of cancers that need estrogen to thrive.
So while phytoestrogens may act like natural estrogens, they will only do so in large amounts and their ability to affect testosterone levels are limited at best. Bringing this back to muscle gain, while testosterone will play a part, this will be affected mostly by the exercise you do, cutting out alcohol, getting enough fats, etc, not the minute amounts of phytoestrogens from the flaxseed in Huel.
Huel contains a macro split of 37:30:30:3; i.e. 37% of the energy comes from carbohydrates, 30% from fat, 30% from protein and 3% from fiber; it provides everything you need and is ideal for muscle gain, especially if you struggle to consume enough food for bulking.