I’m a 20 year old student (and so naturally poor) and I’m looking for a way to save money, time and fat.
My first question is; even when you’re buying the extra foods to add to Huel such as fruit, soya milk, spices etc, are you still saving money?
Secondly, I’m very concerned about the taste… I’m a bit of a foodie! Does it taste good? Bad? OK?
Lastly, I’m quite active already and go to the gym 3-5 days per week for about 1 hour per session. I am also vegan and so generally I tend to eat pretty healthy but its when I’m working that I opt for cheaper, unhealthy foods to save money and I just don’t have time to prepare food in advance! This seems to have a massive affect on how quickly I lose weight… so my question is, will Huel definitely help me to lose weight?
You don’t have to add anything else to it. I would try a couple of the flavours and can also add coffee for a pick me up. I like the taste and look forward to the shake, give it a try.
Taste is, at risk of stating the obvious, a matter of taste.
To me, Huel tastes just fine. I usually have it with a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee. But taste really is secondary. I use Huel to not have to worry about food for most of the day. And to save money and stay healthy etc.
You probably won’t save money. It’s not that it’s expensive, just from my experience it costs about the same as I would normally spend on groceries anyway.
It’s something around 1.80 a meal if you add good quality plant based milk. I prefer oat, coconut, help or almond to soya, so not as cheap as noodles or beans on toast, but cheaper than takeout sandwiches/cafe etc.
Huel can definitely help you lose weight because it allows you to measure quite accurately your calorie intake. So adjust it to give yourself a deficit a day and you will lose weight. Also good for maintaining to increasing weight if you follow similar rules.
It’s not really a food for foodies, and some people love it some hate it. There are loads of tips for flavouring it. In my opinion it is a great tasting vegan product, but I find it can get boring without trying different flavours to mix it up.
Whole Fuel is a decent product, but Huel has it beaten in a number of ways nutritionally. Somewhat alarmingly, I contacted MyProtein as soon as they released Whole Fuel asking what forms the micronutrients were in so I’d know how much was absorbed, and I received no response. Messaged a few more times across February and march, and finally a few days ago, I was told that it was a proprietary blend so they couldn’t say. My suspicion is it’s full of inorganic minerals like magnesium oxide.
I am a newbie on my 3rd day. Use the vanilla sweetened version. To me not too sweet and more oaty really. I either add a teaspoon of instant coffee or a banana. No need to buy expensive stuff to add. Tastes great in my opinion and no way could I buy or prep breakfast or lunch will everything my body needs. Enjoy a cooked conventional meal in the evening!
I can refute most of the points he has made myself, hence why he locked the topic so no one can challenge the weak points he has made and also why he deletes topics about whole fuel
Ok and what are the actual real life benefits you are getting from huel that you wouldnt get from myprotein, actual noticeable differences ?
Just because they said its a proprietary blend doesnt mean you should assume its something negative ? I remember the huel guys refusing to give a break down of their main ingredients by saying it is a proprietary blend. Where is the negative backlash for that
Whole fuel is very very solid, and the way everyone plays it down on here is pathetic really. Its kind of cult like behaviour
I don’t consume Huel so I can’t answer the question perfectly, but the main three things that jump out are:
No MCTs in Whole Fuel. I appreciate MCTs perhaps more than most people due to using them a lot whilst doing keto and feeling their positive effects, but I do like them.
Lower GI. Diabetics in particular will benefit from this, but even those just prone to sugar crashes will notice a benefit.
Micronutrients. Huel has extra of certain micronutrients that are more likely to be competing for absorption, whereas Whole Fuel’s mix doesn’t seem to have taken this into account and based on quantities is more likely to be a simple ground up multivitamin mixed into the ingredients already there, hence the varied percentages for no real reason. Varied percentages work extremely well if they’re done logically (e.g. vitamin D should probably be consumed at at least 1000% RDA based on deficiency rates), but it doesn’t look like they’ve done this based on what lies above 100%.
You’re correct that saying it’s a proprietary blend doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad (though notably Huel does say all the forms its micronutrients are in), but telling me I’d hear back within 24-48 hours in January with the ingredients and then telling me in March after much pestering they weren’t going to reeks of unprofessionalism.
Obviously Whole Fuel is a cheaper option (contrary to the sticky in this forum) due to the frequency of MyProtein’s discount codes, but there are a number of reasons Huel is a better product nutritionally, at least in my opinion.
Ok, so MCTs in huel are around 1% arent they ? Are you saying getting such a tiny amount will give tangible differences to peoples wellbeing ?
Lower GI, do we know whole fuels GI ? What benefits will normal people have over using huel in favour of whole fuel directly relating to the GI if they are not diabetic ?
So huel contains a few additional micronutrients. Is that actually worth paying £50 a month extra for ?
Im willing to bet money that if someone drank whole fuel for a year and then drank huel the next year there would be absolutely no difference in that persons health and well being, the only difference being a much lighter pocket
I feel it shows im right in the locking and closing down of all whole fuel topics. If it really was vastly inferior then let the discussion flow free as there is nothing to worry about. The opposite approach is taken and its a banned subject really, wonder why ?
For MCTs, yes, just lauric acid in quantities less than that has been shown to demonstrate anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties, amongst other things.
No, but based on the higher sugar content and the presence of a syrup, it’s definitely higher. Lower GI will improve insulin sensitivity even in those who aren’t diabetic, and loss of insulin sensitivity is the biggest risk factor when it comes to obesity.
The extra micronutrients (and added phytonutrients) are part of it. The ethos of the company is another, as is the fact MyProtein are certainly making a larger profit margin due to their scale (which suggests if/when Huel grow, we can expect a decrease in price). But yes, as someone who is concerned with optimal nutrition, the extra cash (I doubt it’s £50/month but even if it were) is worth it to me for the added benefits. For others it won’t be, this is just my opinion, though I use my own blend to suit my needs better.
I agree discussion should be permitted, but it’s only right we respect the rules of the owners of the forum.
So what are the real world benefits of less than 1% of MCT day ? Its all good saying it “shows properties” but what is it actually doing ? Show something where it shows me that such a tiny amount does something real world beneficial ?
So sugar content, we have a recommended sugar limit, both huel and whole fuel fall well below the limit. Also the limit is for added sugar anyway so it makes the numbers even lower in respect to the limit. So that is a non issue really.
The £50 is a rough figure and may be higher, i dont believe it is lower, work it out. Myprotein regularly give out 30% off codes with makes a saving of roughly £50 compared to huel per month
As i said, the average person wont notice any difference in taking the two. The only benefits i can see is huel have a few extra nutrients which i would like to see some proof of their effectiveness in a huel drink.
I would definitely disagree huel dont make as much profit as myprotein. Case and point when they reduced the christmas pudding to £99. Usual price £165. Thats an immediate profit of £66 we can see, and that is the price of bulk buying huel. Id also wager that £99 isnt cost price and they were still making a healthy margin on that. Just look at the ingredients its mainly made up of oats and rice two of the cheapest things going. So when whole fuel sells at the regular sale price of £100 for 15.7kg and huel sells for £165 for 13.7kg id say huel makes a much higher imo greedy profit for something remarkably similar