Is Soylent the Food for People?

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It looks like milk, taste like milk, but this is no milk

Last November, I wrote about a food product called Soylent. I wondered if replacing my diet with the a product that represents the nutritional needs of an average adult would be a satisfying way increase my nutritional balance in a simplified way. At the time I did not heavily consider trying it.

For whatever reason, my desire to try Soylent has changed. I have been using it for 3 days. I think that this is as good a place as any to keep track of my experience with it. Before I go over my initial impressions, I’d like to cover some of my hopes and for the product and expectations in using it.

Goals

I have not been a very healthy eater lately. This is not something that is easily quantifiable, but I can say for certain that I do not feel a sense of wellness in relation to much of what I put in my body. I eat fast and when I find something tasty, I can easily eat more than the need for satisfying my hunger requires. This leaves me feeling miserable for some time after eating.

I do think that on average I eat at least one meal a day where this is not the case. A meal where I am conscious enough of my tendency to eat fast to either choose something with fewer calories or just slow down and wait for my body’s natural response. I also think that on average I eat one meal a day that is nutritionally balanced. At least much more so than other meals of the day.

I originally wrote about Soylent as not just a meal replacement, but a diet replacement. The idea was that it could be a human equivalent to dog food. I currently have no plans to use it that way.

As stated, I feel that for one meal a day on average I can already combat my habitual unhealthy tendencies. Also, I like to make and eat some meals with my family. Therefore, I will continue to enjoy up to a meal of non-Soylent food each day. So as part of this trial of the product, I will consume 50% or more of my calories using Soylent for at least a month.

Another thing that I am hoping to see is an increased consciousness of what I am putting into my body. I think a big part of my lack of feeling of wellness related to my diet has to do with snacking. I would like to feel less like snacking between meals.

Here is my short list of goals or hopes that I am looking for in the next month to determine if I would like to continue to use this product in this way. This list may not be all inclusive, there may be things I add to it as I continue my journey:

  • Increased consciousness of nutritional value of food intake

  • Increased feelings of wellness related to dietary consumption both physically and mentally

  • Less hungry between meal (or Soylent consumption) times, therefore less snacking

Initial Impressions

When I took the first drink of Soylent, I thought the taste was just as neutral as it has been described. I have seen flavoring recipes for Soylent and I think that is why it aims for a neutral flavor. It is made to be adapted to the taste of anyone.

I personally am okay with drinking Soylent as is. I would describe it as a similar taste to milk after eating a non-sweet cereal such as Chex. In fact I would say it is exactly the taste of milk left after eating a bowl of Chex. I would normally drink that milk. Some people would not.

So far I have been drinking Soylent in replacement of the first two meals of the day. Depending on the calories expected in the meal that I eat, I have either been drinking 2 or 3 of the 400 kCal ready to drink Soylent servings. Each of these is representative of 20% of the average adult daily nutritional needs according the FDA guidelines.

I can definitely say that I feel different in the first two parts of the day. I cannot say that it is increased wellness due to the nutritional simplicity provided by Soylent. My body is adapting to a change in diet, and certainly the changed feeling has a lot to do with that. I am not prepared to evaluate whether this change feels good or bad, so for now I will stick with ‘different’.

I have not been feeling much like snacking. I have been noticing an increased awareness of the difference between a desired to eat because I am actually hungry and simply feeling ‘snacky’ for lack of a better term. I notice that I feel full for a good deal of time, say four hours or more, after drinking the Soylent.

So those are my initial impressions. I intend to keep this space of the internet updated with my continuing thoughts on my trial of Soylent. Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to follow along. Share your thoughts below.

Kirk Aug

Kirk helps grow the Idea Farm around here at SeedSing. He is th eone who gets to try all the new innovative food stuff of tomorrow that the rest of us fear. Next up, lab grown meat?. Follow Kirk on twitter @kirkaug