Soylent just announced version 1.6 of their powder. More fiber, a bit more protein, a lot of Reddit posters unhappy about the soya content.
Any thoughts on the differences? Huel still seems to have an edge in my mind.
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Isn’t this a Huel forum?
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It is a Huel forum but I figured a new version of it’s biggest competitor was relevant particularly as the two are relatively close in approach.
I was hoping for a discussion on the different choices made and what Huel might learn from them e.g. Use of algal oil as a source of omegas and differences in protein sources.
I fixed the title, originally autocorrect have me Solvent instead of Soylent.
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Surprised about the use of soy, obviously a big allergen for many people, hopefully they will release an amino acid profile too. Interesting to see they now have realised they have to declare their isomaltooligosaccharide as sugar, hence the increase of sugar content.
Thanks Barney for agreeing we still have the edge!
Hueligans.
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@TimOfficeHuel Yes, with soy being such a common allergen, I really don’t see why they don’t create a soy-free version. According to this article, 0.2% of Americans have a sensitivity to soy. That’s 637,800 potential customers.
I mean, of all the people who would benefit most from a meal drink, surely those with food intolerances/allergies are potential big market. Get all your nutritional requirements in one drink without having to worry about accidentally getting any of the thing you’re intolerant to.
Of course, the name Soylent would seem ridiculous for something that doesn’t contain soy.
By that argument, 318,800,000 potential customers are not affected.
Soya is the seventh-most common food allergen, behind eggs, fish, milk, tree nuts, peanuts, and shellfish. But it is mostly children who are allergic to peanuts, milk, and soya. Most powdered foods, including Huel and Soylent, don’t recommend their product for children.
The most common food allergies for adults are citrus fruit, tree nuts, fish, peanuts, shellfish and wheat. Take away children, and soy is not a common allergen. At least, much less than “0.2% of Americans.”
That’s fair (and funny). But Soylent still does not contain lentils, so I guess we know what the change is for Soylent 1.7.
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Seeing that they have released an amino acid profile for every iteration, I’m sure you won’t have to wait long.
EDIT: It appears they already have released the amino acid profile. Amino acid profile.
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whoosh mate
[quote=“Ric, post:7, topic:2993”]By that argument, 318,800,000 potential customers are not affected.
[/quote]
Yes, that is true, but many of those people won’t be searching for special foods. My argument is that people affected by food sensitivities may be more likely to be the kind of people to search for a convenient complete food that they won’t react to. So a soy-free meal replacement drink might be a really good specific niche market to target. Of course, Soylent leave it open for others to fill that niche, and maybe they are fine with that. Rob Rhinehart is probably filthy rich already anyway.
Well, this is where things can get a little blurry. There is a difference between an allergy and an intolerance. Even the NHS says this here. You are right that soy is listed behind 5 others on this list. However, it is number 3 on this list of 5.
I’m also interested in whether over-consumption of a particular food can lead to intolerance in some people. I seem to remember reading that this is the case, but unfortunately I apologise that I cannot find a specific article to back that up. But I seem to remember reading that if a person has a potential for becoming intolerant to foods by consuming too much of them (e.g. if they have digestion problems which cause foods not to be digested properly). So I wonder if there could be people who, over time, could develop an intolerance to soy from it being in every meal they have.
You might like this thread on the Soylent forum: Which “Soylent” is available in Europe. It has quite a few favorable reviews of Huel.
On the whole, most powdered foods customers are supportive of other companies. They see themselves as part of a larger community. A rising tide raises all the ships. 
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Out of complete curiosity @Ric, what’s the source of that data on food allergy prevalence?
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- Out of complete curiosity, @JamesCollier, why are people
ing a question, and - Marcus linked the source.
(My girlfriend used to work for Food Allergy and Research Network, when it was known as the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.)
(@Marcus, it is ranked at #5 on the first list. The second list is not rankings; it is just the top five allergens. It is listed third, but not necessarily the third largest. The website is a general website run by a holistic nutritionist, and is not a “food allergy” site.) (This reads catty; it isn’t meant to read catty.)
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Because they would like to know the answer? As in, a quick way to say “Good question”. I would have thought that was obvious.
Just to clarify, is it that you used to have a girlfriend who worked for the Food Allergy and Research Network, or is she still your girlfriend but used to work for the Food Allergy and Research Network but doesn’t anymore? If she’s still there, could you please ask her what she knows about food intolerances as opposed to allergies.
You have explained that food allergies are not super common, and I accept that. But as far as I understand, a food intolerance is not the same thing. Whereas an allergy has an immediate reaction (for example swelling, difficulty breathing, rashes), a food intolerance has a more delayed reaction, am I right? The difference is in the type of antibody, isn’t? IgE antibodies versus IgG antibodies, or have I misunderstood that?
The point I’m trying to get to the bottom of is whether there are a significant number of people who don’t fit the definition of allergy, but who are nonetheless people who have problems consuming a particular footstuff due to having an intolerance.
If your girlfriend is there, can you please ask her? If she is no longer your girlfriend, could you please text her? If you don’t have her number, can you send her a message on Facebook? If she’s not on Facebook can you go round her house? If she doesn’t live nearby, can you please write her a letter and let us know when she writes back? I’m genuinely interested to know what she says, whatever it is.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Marcus.
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I’m certain there is a significant number of people who don’t fit the definition of allergy, but have problems consuming a particular foodstuff due to intolerance.
(And maybe I edited the statement while you were replying, but my answer wasn’t meant to sound catty. I’m fairly certain we are in agreement here.)
Thanks for the link
Thank Marcus! 
Sorry. I guess my confusion was that you liked the question, even though you yourself previously answered it.
I’m sometimes too literal, so I missed the joke.