

Soylent 1.4: a quick review - jmgrosen
http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/25/8287781/soylent-1-4-a-quick-review

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vhost-
I'm not going to run-on and on here, but I'm on 1.4 right now (first time
Soylent user) and I'm pleasantly surprised.

I was very skeptical about it at first and got it just to convince myself I
didn't need it. Immediately I felt pretty good and didn't crave the burrito I
wanted for lunch.

I'm also very excited that it's vegan because that's been my diet for over 8
years.

~~~
hamburglar
One thing that's surprisingly not mentioned at all in their FAQ is the actual
process of preparing the stuff. Do you have to use a blender or can you get
away with just stirring it up with a spoon?

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jack-r-abbit
I've been using a blender for awhile now. I found that just dumping it all in
the pitcher and shaking was a PITA. It always clumped to the sides and bottom.
Now I put about half the required water in my blender, turn it on and slowly
pour the powder/oil into the whirling water. Then I dump that into my pitcher.
I rinse the sides of the blender with some water that I then dump into my
pitcher. I top off the pitcher as needed. A little bit of shaking then
finishes mixing the newly added water with the blended slurry. It has been
working out pretty well for me.

I am curious to see how the 1.4 mixes. My subscription really out paced me so
I have about 35-40 pouches of 1.3 to get through before I get to the 1.4 box.

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kileywm
I'm almost finished with my first shipment (formula 1.3) and my results have
been positive. I use it to replace some, but not all, meals in my diet. I
think it especially excels in situations where I am in a hurry or too lazy to
cook, because it's far more nutritious and cost-effective than the meals I
would eat/skip otherwise.

I currently have my subscription set up so that I receive 2 weeks work of
Soylent every month.

Breakdown: 500 calories per meal ~$2.33 per meal

How I use it:

Complete meal/snack replacement for breakfast and lunch most days. Rarely have
it for dinner.

What I've learned so far:

Don't drink it right after you mix it unless you shake it really really well,
otherwise you'll encounter clumps. Given at least an hour to soak in water, it
reaches a clumpless consistency.

The taste is fairly neutral with a slight hint of malty sweetness. Some people
rave about using it as a coffee creamer, but I myself have not tried that.

The texture is grainy in comparison to a smoothie, but this is to be expected
with a powder-based meal.

It's filling, very easy to drink when chilled, and the bowel movements are
regular in frequency (and consistency!) with no notable increase in gas.

So far I'm pretty happy with it. It strikes me as a good deal healthier and
ridiculously more convenient than anything else I'd make for myself, meal-
wise, if you can tolerate sacrificing flavor and texture.

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kposehn
I'm almost done with my 1.3 and looking forward to 1.4. The big thing for me
is the lack of the oil bottle and the sodium (I wasn't getting enough before
and would get headaches).

At this point, my body has fully adjusted and I crave Soylent at some times. I
use it for ~1/2 my meals and could easily see it taking 2/3\. I do enjoy
regular food a _lot_ so I doubt I'll ever go full time, but it definitely has
helped to balance out my nutrition fully.

I continue to feel that Soylent is the first company that will likely feed the
world - literally. Without the oil bottle and the ability to scale
manufacturing, it is only a matter of time before we see Soylent as part of
humanitarian convoys and/or used in medical settings. The possibilities are
quite frankly amazing...

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DanBC
There are already better products for humanitarian use and for medical use.
The medical products come in a wide variety of styles to suit different
medical needs. The humanitarian products are much cheaper than soylent and
don't require so much water - which is in short supply in the target regions;
and they have a more suitable nutrient profile.

It's baffling when people claim soylent could be used for medical or
humanitarian purposes, especially when those uses have been debunked on HN
everytime they're mentioned.

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yazaddaruvala
Out of curiosity, how much do those products cost?

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DanBC
One product cost $4 to $5 per kg in 2008; treatment lasts 6 to 8 weeks with
children eating about 11 kg total: [http://irinnews.org/report/83124/malawi-
cheaper-recipe-for-t...](http://irinnews.org/report/83124/malawi-cheaper-
recipe-for-treating-hungry-children#.VRMIB6_47To)

High energy biscuits are 12 cents per 100g; micronutrient sprinkles are $3 per
hundred sachets; plumpyDoz ration is 20 cents;
[http://wfp.org/nutrition/special-nutritional-
products](http://wfp.org/nutrition/special-nutritional-products)

This PDF lists the range of products but doesn't have prices:
[http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/co...](http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/communications/wfp255508.pdf)

This website talks about what the different products are
[http://wfp.org/nutrition/how-wfp-fights-
malnutrition](http://wfp.org/nutrition/how-wfp-fights-malnutrition)

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mrfusion
It still seems very expensive. $12/day? Also I wish I could buy a 1 day
sample. I'd hate to be out $85 if I don't like it.

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Someone1234
Expensive relative to what?

If you're making your own meals ($3/meal), yes, it is expensive. If you eat
out then it is much more reasonable. A single eat-out costs ballpark around
$6/meal, so assuming you did that twice it would break even.

I agree re. sample size. $85 in one go is hard to justify to the +1 when all
you're really buying is food. $6 here or there is easy to ignore, but $85 is a
weekly grocery shop in everyone's mind.

I wonder if price will come down as they expand? It might be wishful thinking
to be honest, but I do suspect there are a fair few people who would happily
try it if it was closer to $4/meal rather than $6/meal per now (i.e. $8/day
from $12/day).

PS - I have to admit my three reasons for not trying it is: price,
manufacturing problems/delays, and also I remain unconvinced that we know
enough about nutrition to create this product that won't caused health defects
in the medium to long term.

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dyeje
Where are you eating out for $6 a meal?

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dragonwriter
Togos daily meal deal is less than that, with tax, without chips, and exactly
$6 before tax, IIRC, with chips.

Not exactly the height of the culinary arts, but then neither is Soylent.

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Someone1234
Also worth noting that Soylent will have to pay tax if they get large enough,
just like Amazon does in many states now.

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dragonwriter
For food (at least, under many state sales tax regimes in the US), food that
isn't sold in a restaurant (roughly, the exact rules are a bit different)
isn't subject to sales tax. Its not a size issue, its a what they are selling
issue.

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FreakyT
Glad to see they've integrated the separate oil bottle -- that will make it
way more portable.

On another note, I hope that the increase in manufacturing capacity will
eventually allow Soylet to be purchased through traditional retail channels --
it'd be nice to just buy it by the package instead of bulk-orders online.

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stevebot
I like the idea of Soylent, but everything I have read lately on nutrition
seems to suggest that gettings vitamins and minerals from real food should be
a priority and is against multivitamins. I wonder what is people's view on
Soylent as a replacement for fruits/vegetables? Is the nutritional makeup
somehow different from a multi-vitamin? If it isn't, then it just seems like
an overpriced protein powder alternative. I can't seem to find any info on
their site.

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DanBC
Look at something like cholesterol. We used to think high blood cholesterol
was caused by a diet high in saturated fat, and that this was a causal risk
factor for hear attack.

Now we've modifed that a bit and some doctors think that saturated fat isn't
as terrible as it was and that sugar is the actual problem:
[http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/10October/Pages/Saturated-fat-
li...](http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/10October/Pages/Saturated-fat-link-with-
heart-disease-questioned.aspx)

If we got that wrong how well are going to do with all the micronutrients and
other stuff that is in real food?

Soylent had a terrible, unethical, marketing campaing during its kickstarter.
(Probably illegal in the US - it made medical claims) but they seem to be a
lot more careful about that kind of stuff now.

If you're going to use any of the meal replacement products (there are loads
on the market) you don't have to give up real food. You can still eat fruit
and veg alongside your nutrient-gloop.

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mrfusion
Has anyone lost weight on this? I'd also be curious if it lowered your blood
pressure [1] if it was high, and if it helped with any other health issues.

[1] I'm thinking the high potassium, and low sodium could lower high blood
pressure?

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XBigTK13X
Speaking only to weight, my wife and I did lose a planned number of pounds.
Soylent was a means of controlling caloric intake, while providing complete
nutrition while exercising.

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mrfusion
What kind of calorie deficit were you running? How was the hunger level?

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mrfusion
It seems odd to remove fiber? Does anyone know if it has enough fiber?

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orik
The article implied the fiber led to digestion issues.

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dragonwriter
Significant changes in fiber intake tend to lead to digestive issues, even
where the overall level, sustained, would not.

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DustyDiscovery
You'll get more detailed user opinions on the soylent forum.

I go through 3 bags a week. I'm on my second of 1.4:

The sugar crashes I would get in previous versions are significantly reduced
in 1.4. The artificial vanilla flavor made 1.3 tastier; 1.4 is easier to prep
but its blend of oils and lack of grittiness makes it smoother and slimier.

Unmodified 1.4 digests slightly better than 1.3 for me. 1.3 digested best for
me when I added psyllium husk. I'll be adding that again next batch to test.

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mrfusion
Why 3 bags? Isn't a week one bag?

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DustyDiscovery
It complements my weekly 9 meals of food and maintains my weight.

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mrfusion
Maybe a dumb question, but how would you use this at work? Do you mix it up at
home in the morning and bring it in? Or just mix it at your desk?

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TamDenholm
From what i've read, you mix it the night before, put it in the fridge
overnight to get smooth and then consume it throughout the day. So presumably
you'd just take a small bottle of it into work for your lunch.

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XBigTK13X
That is correct. I mix up 2 meals worth each night and grab them from the
fridge in the morning. One for breakfast immediately and the second for lunch
at the office. I do not use the provided pitcher, but rather mix individual
servings in these:
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MVMCUK8](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MVMCUK8)

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XBigTK13X
@mrfusion, I do refrigerate the lunch portion while at the office and
immediately rinse the bottle out after consuming.

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rckrd
I think the supply shortage of soylent initially helped with their marketing
and buzz.

I wonder if they are now claiming an artificial shortage to try and continue
to sustain the illusion.

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weego
You can powderise oils using maltodextrin, it's a trick that a lot of gastro-
chefs have been using for years. Turns back into oil in the presence of any
liquid.

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rjurney
Things in plants other than basic nutrients are what keep you alive, well and
free of cancer. Soylent is an obviously horrible idea for your health.

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brathouz
Agreed that plants are great (I've been vegan for 12 years), but Soylent
provides a dependable solution for those who need a quick, nutritious meal
(such as breakfast) and has opened up interesting possibilities such as
sipping down lunch while taking a walk in a park.

Plus, you can use Soylent as an excellent base for making smoothies that
include other fruits, veggies, etc.

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DanBC
> has opened up

The marketing hype was good - similar meal replacement products have existed
for many years and so people could have bought something off the shelf of
their local Walgreens[1] for their walk in the park, but they didn't appear to
realise it until soylent appeared.

[1] I say Walgreens because it's the only US drugstore I know. Substitute
Boots in the UK or whatever for where you are.

~~~
dragonwriter
The big difference is that the competing products have been marketed heavily
to those who are elderly or have special medical needs that make regular food
problematic (specialized forms have also been marketed as weight loss aids,
etc., as well.)

The big innovation in Soylent is not the product (though there are some
differences in the product) but in targeting healthy, upper-income
demographics with marketing.

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mrcwinn
Is Soylent on SemVer? Does anyone know if 1.4 is another breaking (wind)
change?

I would like to apologize to the entire HN community.

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mizzao
I wonder what it would be like if some food products were versioned 0.x, like
OSS projects :)

