Should I try Huel?

As a student myself I find you won’t really save money UNLESS you usually:

-order take out
-buy lunch at uni
-buy snacks at uni

Breakfast (for me) would be cheaper as I usually just have plain oats and water.

Hope this helps?

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.

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Out of pure interest, why do you bother adding plant milk to the already perfect nutrient composition of Huel?

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Mainly to enhance the taste texture and thicken it a little, rather than for the nutritional benefits.

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My protein do a version which is almost exactly the same as huel. Same ingredients and an exceptional nutrition profile

Search for whole fuel

Subscribe to the newsletter and they regularly give out 20 and 30& discount codes which does in fact make it substantially cheaper

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.

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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!

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Oops, quoted wrong person… Was meant to be at the guy above!

That is the owner of the competition saying that

He may be, how do you say…biased

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.

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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

Just google the benefits of lauric acid and you’ll find a whole host of papers about how the benefits start from ~1% of calories (which would be 2.222g).

The limit in the EU is a horribly outdated 90g, and bearing in mind the prevalence of obesity, we need to be reconsidering that recommendation strongly. Regardless though, the reason for a sugar limit is to keep GI low where possible, and Whole Fuel’s GI is higher than Huel’s.

I buy from MyProtein near enough every couple of weeks at least, and 30% discount codes, though not unheard of, certainly aren’t the norm. Generally you’ll manage to get 20% at least, sometimes 25%, but rarely 30. So the difference would be smaller than your calculations, but certainly not negligible.

Bearing in mind how many people are vitamin D deficient, to say people won’t notice a difference when increasing their vitamin D intake substantially is… questionable.

MyProtein operate on a much larger scale so can buy in in far larger quantities - the fact they aren’t by far the cheapest EU option is a little ridiculous. Meanwhile the Huel discount on Christmas pudding flavour would have been to get rid of stock as it was out of season, and it would not be unreasonable to suspect they were selling this at cost, if not at a loss.

One of the main reasons that Huel appealed to me was the cost. I myself have struggled to save money and after sitting down and looking at my outgoings, I discovered that most of my expenditure was on FOOD!! Snacks at shops, the occasional takeaway, ready meals galore.

Huel comes to £1.33 a meal (with the bulk discount) which is less than a third of what I would normally spend on food. The benefit for me is that it comes out in one payment, so I can very efficiently budget my meals for the month.

I recommend buying the smallest amount first ( I started with 2 bags at £45 ) and seeing how you get on. If you notice a difference, great! Keep it up!! If not, have a sit down and consider if it’s right for you.

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I’m also vegan and on a budget. I am five foot ten and weighed 16 stone ten/twelve at my heaviest (four years ago) and although I managed to shift two stone by myself I was still overweight. Dieting was hard because I would get ravenously hungry and end up buying and eating more than I needed.

Since starting with Huel I have got down to eleven and a half stone (took me about a year and a half, I think.) Cravings have stopped and sugar crashes too - which has saved me money since I don’t run out and buy rubbish.

Regarding exercise, I run 30 miles average a week, do yoga most days and work three to four twelve hour shifts a week. My body composition has improved a great deal - my arms are now toned rather than batwingy, so my protien requirements are being met.

And I’ve decided to trial a week (starting Monday the 10th) 100% huel and see what happens. I suspect a month at 80 -100% Huel would get me back to my pre pregnancy weight (afer twenty one years!) I’ve been about 25% huelling it at work, with periods of three days occasionally higher.

The best thing about losing weight with Huel is that I did not disproportionally lose muscle tone (as I have on previous occasions.) By eating huel instead of skipping a meal I’ve had far better levels of energy. (My glucose levels are very good now, having been a touch high.)

So, my feeling is that from a health point of view this will meet your requirements.

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I use Huel for similar reasons. I house/pet sit at isolated properties and can’t alaways conveniently get to shops. Also easy way to keep my calories under control. I find the taste pleasant but not so ‘moreish’ that I crave more helpings than I need. At present I have one or two 3 scoop drinks and one or two Huel bars a day. I find the best way to enjoy Huel is to make it up (using handheld mixer if poss) and leave it in the fridge over night. Seems to be thicker and also nice and cold. I live on nothing but Huel on some sits for 2 or three weeks.

I am a foodie, celiac and foodie. Because of the combination of the two, plus very specific work hours due to my profession.
I love to spend long evenings in quite exclusive restaurants; at home I love to cook or to be served very cared meals, when I work and to compensate the time I spend in quality particular food, I often use huel, this happens regularly.

It’s a full meal, so you don’t have to worry that you’re not eating enough nutrition, it’s fast to make, to eat and doesn’t make dirty dishes, so you can save time for breakfast and or lunch and dedicate more time to work, fun and to make a better diner. It doesn’t interrupt your workflow and does not cost much, ir save you from making junk meals in a hurry (common issue for students).

Overall it’s great.
Alert: tastes gross if you don’t add some soy milk or anything milk to it. Tastes delicious with powder soy milk added.