The TRUTH about Meal Replacements

Meal replacements are rapidly gaining popularity, the brands that have emerged to meet this demand promise that you can fuel your active and busy lifestyle with a simple, healthy, and affordable and scoopable version of the food that we all rely on… but these meals in a bag might mean something very different for the future of our food.

Subscribe to Future Proof!

Join our Patreon:

Stay updated on our socials

For further reading, check out the sources for this video here:

Script: Holly Maley
Editor: Reid Valaitis
Lead Editor: Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand

[nathanielp]

"If you want to be sad about that, too." This line made me chuckle, but I don't just feel sad when I watch your videos. I feel like I'm enjoying another informative deep-dive into an aspect I've not given much thought to. Thank you for producing them.

[peterwinkler]

I AM OUTRAGED AT HOW MUCH YOUR VIDEO ALIGNS WITH MY OPINIONN!!! THANK YOU FOR TAKING SUCH A NUANCED STANCE ON A TECHNOLOGY TREND THAT MAKES PRACTICAL SENSE IN TODAY'S WORLD, YET FORESHADOWS A POSSIBLY BLEAK FUTURE. I MYSELF FIND HUEL A HELPFUL TOOL IN MANAGING MY 1-PERSON HOUSEHOLD AS A STRUGGLING STUDEND. AND I USE IT DESPITE THAT I LOVE COOKING AND CONNECTING WITH THE SOURCE OF MY FOOD, SO MUCH THAT I HAVE GROWN TOMATOES AND PEPPERS FOR MY FAMILY WHEN I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND KEEP IT REAL!

[elizabethcohen]

I met someone once who said he used Huel for most of his meals because he couldn't afford regular food or even fast food. It was the only thing keeping him from starving. I can see a lot of reasons why something like Huel would be a lifesaver for people suffering from poverty, chronic illness and/or extreme work schedules. Probably not the customer-base those meal replacement companies were originally aiming for....

[nialeemaria]

I've found Huel to be instrumental in building a well-rounded healthy relationship with food. Instead of worrying about planning and prepping three meals and multiple snacks each day, I can consume Huel for breakfast and/or lunch, know I'm meeting my caloric and nutritional needs, and spend the time I do cook making fresh, healthy meals with local ingredients. If meal replacements are replacing dining out or worse from processed foods, it's an improvement for most people.

These discussions don't have to be all or nothing. You don't have to choose between Huel and real food—you can have both. You don't have to go vegan to cut back on meat consumption. You don't have to exercise every day to get benefits.

[vandalpaulius]

I tried Huel and Saturo. Here's where it stands to me: sometimes I'm too focused on other things and I get really hungry. At that point I will eat anything, crisps, other random crap, etc... I always place meal replacement packs before snacks in the cupboard. Since it's easy to prepare and generally doesn't taste bad, that becomes my choice for a snack or quick in-between-meetings-lunch.

[IvyLilley]

I have had Huel for breakfast or lunch or both every day pretty much since 2015 when they launched, it was the main thing which helped me come out of my eating disorder and I genuinely don’t think I’d be here without it. It saved me in my depression pits, it saves me on anxious days or agoraphobia ridden days. I work an office job and it helped me stay consistent in my recovery and to this day I stick with it even though I work from home now! I recommend to anyone with mental health struggles even though it’s mainly aimed at busy professionals

[Sophie-kngh]

Yes! I think meal replacements have their place, but end goal is making nutritious foods more accessible 👍

[Kiryosity]

As a health care worker I do not have time to eat healthy consistently. I started with Soylent all the way back in 2013 and it's impacted my life for the better. Today meal replacements are a staple for me. They will never take away a healthy balenced home cook meal but it's preventing me from skipping meals, or eating junk, unhealthy over processed food.

Meal replacements may not be perfect, but in our current society, they can support our busy lifestyles. I will forever be grateful to Soylent for paving the way for other companies to join in! The more competition the better! I'll continue to recommend them to anyone as a alternative or substitute to an unhealthy meal.

[Kymerahx]

As a person who struggles with mental illness and her relationship with food as well as having money for food. Hule has been a lifesaver and a crutch i can come back to time and time again. I love cooking and it can never replace that, but without it I think i would be in a much worse position today then I am. Im glad Hule is "not the wrost" and I hope they can keep that title, because without them Life just wouldn't be as accessible for someone like me.

[aarontom]

I LOVE cooking, eating, and sharing meals with people. On the other hand, I am often rushed in the mornings and dont like eating microwave meals. So Huel has been a time-saving game changer for me. I drink about 5 Huel shakes per week, for various breakfasts and lunches. Even replacing some meals is very helpful to me. Having Huel at home also means i have a quick, easy snack at home and dont turn to junky snack food as easily.

[Rossy]

I liked Huel for my office job. Basically, it replaced my lunch meal which would either be terrible canteen food or terrible supermarket food (at 2x the price of huel).

But I’d never use it when I meal prepped and immediately dropped it when I started working from home.

I think that’s actually a decent use case. As a meal to replace meals that are purely functional and serve no joy. But as a wholesale replacement, that’s just sad.

[ExpertScientist]

I have IBS, and just having huel for lunch at work has saved me a lot of hassle and stress. It being low Fodmap, affordable and quick to prepare is pretty great.

[marg]

As a person who used to reach for snacks between meals, Huel has been a life saver to help me eat healthier and not more expensive. Not to mention it’s a good workout drink.

[Austrolopithe]

Something that annoys me is when people don't realise not _everyone_ is a Foodie. It's something that comes up a lot in Huel reviews. I'm whatever the opposite of a Foodie is. Sure, tasty meals are nice, and I enjoy eating meals with people I love, but it's not a major motivator in my life, and that's _okay_ . On the point at 11:00 - that isn't everyone's ideal world. Again, I like social eating, but not every single meal can practically be a wholesome bonding experience, and I fail to see why the extra time/effort/money is worth it for the meals that aren't.

I'm not willing to invest more than than 10 minutes a day and significantly more disposable income than I have to on food. I get more enjoyment out of life doing other things with my time and money. And again, _that's okay_ .

Personally, about 35-50% of my meals have been Huel for the past two years. It's great:

-takes <5 mins a day (including washup - no dirty dishes and cutlery is a major plus as well!)
-I buy in bulk so very little fuss around deliveries/shopping - literally 1 delivery every few months, that's it.
-minimal food packaging and almost zero waste (which I do wish the packets were somehow recyclable, I'm collecting packets in bulk so I can pay to have them recycled)
-it's vegan (I'm veggie, not vegan, but I avoid animal products when I can)
-it's reasonably healthy (compared to most realistic alternatives. On the 'you don't know what's in it' - we don't know what's in a lot of other foods as well, and not just classic junk food. Ultra-processed-food is opaque by it's nature, but at least I can be reasonably assured Huel hasn't dumped a load of gunk in as emulsifiers, preservatives, colourants...etcs, given it's just powder).
-this is a dumb reason, but I quite like the fact I wouldn't starve right away in a zombie apocalypse.

I also don't mind the taste. That's not putting a brave face on it - I honestly get about the same amount of satisfaction as out of a regular pasta. It's _fine_ . II'd recommend it to anyone who eats to live, rather than lives to eat.

[thesailboatking]

I’ve been using Huel for over a year now. As a vegetarian who is trying to get more protein in my diet, it’s kinda hard to hit over 100g of protein each day. The Huel Black Edition helps this out so much. I have for breakfast probably 3 times a week. It has 400 calories with 40 grams of protein and I usually have that with a fruit or something. It’s really a great way to jumpstart my protein for the day. I still do eggs, overnight oats, or something else for breakfast on other days cause you gotta change it up. I have tried all their other products and honestly they all taste awful. Pouring water into a bowl and microwaving some stale rice and quinoa does not taste good. Get your food normally and every now and then do the Huel Black Edition for breakfast.
I think a bigger topic is that alll these companies use the term “Natural Flavors” in their ingredients but I believe that should be illegal. What the heck does Natural Flavors mean? Why is that in the ingredients portion and why don’t they have to write out the exact natural flavor that they are using? I think it’s a larger topic to discuss.

[jamieism]

I love the Huel Hot&Savory line. It’s my go-to most days. While I know how to cook and do sometimes, the honest truth is that I want to spend my time doing other things. There is no other solution to eat healthy and less expensive than this without spending a lot of time cooking, so that’s what I do.

[yotuber-nz]

Meal replacement definitely have their place. I remember trying it in college when they hadn’t solved the satiety problem yet and I saved a lot of money on it, even thought I felt hungry all the time. If you have depression too, this makes it pretty easy to get some nutrition and calories in you (maybe because the flavor is so neutral). I tried huel and the nutty aftertaste is not great. Made me miss Soylent, huel’s packaging is WAY better.

[АсяНиколова-зи]

LOVE YOUR VIDEOS! 😆Joke aside, I live in Eastern Europe so reality for us still a lot different. But I love how you always find the exact topic to keep the consumerist pulse in check. May we never stop thinking about what we consume in every sense of the word.

[Ermude]

I hate consuming Huel myself, but I think it's an awesome product and company from what I've seen. It's as you say, it's a bandaid solution, but in a world where we're suffering from a million minor cuts, quality bandaids can be pretty helpful.

[domdombear]

I've been using Huel for about 3-4 years now. I'm a very fussy eater and don't really eat a balanced diet. I started drinking huel over lockdown as being stuck at home made me very aware of what I was eating daily. I wanted something healthy I could use to fill me up. Huel now makes me feel really good and I feel a much heathier with it. I don't get heart burn any more which is a plus. I drink 2 a day during the week while at work. At the Weekends have 'normal' and 'normal' food for dinner each night. Good stuff aside, it can get very boring and dull drinking it 10 times a week. But it does make the 'normal' food I eat so much nicer. I think of it as part medicine just something that keeps me healthy. Its not for everyone, but it works great for me.