

My 5.5 Months on Soylent: The Joys of Not Cooking - eatitraw
http://www.helloerik.com/my-5-5-months-on-soylent-the-joys-of-not-cooking

======
saulrh
Aligns reasonably well with my (short) experience. I got a bag from a friend
and ate a jar of Soylent every morning for breakfast for about a week. It was
in fact pretty great: I'd pour out N calories, where N was how much I figured
I'd need to eat to get to $nextmeal, and then I'd drink it and be on my way.
The stuff has really nice properties as far as hunger goes, too; it has
neither the lead-brick problem that I get from things like chicken and
dumplings nor the gone-in-fifteen-minutes problem that I have with fried rice.
I generally ate as much as I wanted and felt perfectly full until right when
I'd expected to be having lunch or dinner.

To answer the people who think it can't possibly be healthy, honestly, I don't
have time to fix most of my diet. I can put in all the time I want to make
sure my dinners are perfect, and I generally do, but I'm too rushed in the
morning to have anything other than cereal. And I have to have lunch out so
that's impossible to get right. Even if Soylent doesn't have "the proper carb-
fat ratio" or something, it's better than what I have right now.

So, summary, I have some on order and the rest of you can say "I told you so"
if I get cancer in thirty years. Given what some other people survive on I
doubt you'll get the opportunity.

~~~
cconroy
I couldn't find the ingredients list -- but because it is not fully understood
what food contains there may be missing nutrients in soylent that a well-
balanced diet would have.

~~~
saulrh
Disagree; we've had the tech for a while to keep coma and locked-in patients
healthy (or healthy modulo extremely sedentary lifestyles). Same thing with
cat food and dog food. Soylent is a trivial extension.

~~~
fasteo
Disagree; change "healthy" for "alive" and we could agree.

This is somehow the same distinction between mortality and morbidity. IMHO,
mortality stats are pretty useless and we should always look at morbidity
stats.

~~~
Ntrails
That depends entirely on what we're using the stats for, for pension valuation
I'll stick to mortality!

Glib/nitpicky I know, but all stats are useless in some context - the trick is
to get the right tool for the job. Dismissing an entire dataset as useless is
just missing the point.

~~~
fasteo
Fair comment; I was thinking on health costs (I have a chronic disease and I
tend to view everything indexed to health).

On an individual basis, I will rather be dead than unable to have an
autonomous life, but this is completely a personal preference.

------
jmspring
I look at cooking like I do coding, there is always something new to learn and
it's not always going to be an easy process. In fact, since I work at home
most times, if I get stuck on a particularly gnarly problem and don't have
another outlet, I might distract myself with cooking (gardening, a time
outside, or a nap are other options).

I've made things I've had to throw out, I've made things I've been able to
tweak into other dishes, and I've made things that were quite outstanding.

As a poster above pointed out -- "whatever floats your boat". That said, there
is more to the outside world than things like living like a hermit, avoiding
food, spending every waking moment in front of the computer, etc. At some
point, one wakes up and realizes there is more out there. And, if you are
lucky to find someone who you want to share your life with, habits like those
listed above (they seem to pop up frequently in posts here) are going to
likely change.

~~~
mahouse
Same! I love cooking and I absolutely love food. It feels like a disgrace to
me that some people would exchange actual food for some gray mud, but I guess
that to each his own.

~~~
jmspring
Oh, I think we all embrace some form of "gray mud" at times. Sometimes a
smoothie, sometimes a diet coke and some peanut butter and jelly on toast,
things that are quick and get me going in the day. Or people that do fasts, or
weight loss mixes, or some of the crud I eat while on long bike rides (power
bars, cliff bars, supplements in water bottles, etc).

I think giving up all food for something like Soylent is a bit silly, but at
the same time, we do all make different sacrifices at times.

~~~
Frondo
I wonder how Soylent's uptake would differ if they were pitching it as a quick
occasional meal alternative.

Everything I've ever seen about Soylent is along the lines of "now you can eat
nothing but Soylent!", which, for how much of the world enjoys both cooking
and eating, seems like a tough pitch, except for a very, very small niche
that, I guess, doesn't actually get any visceral pleasure from food.

~~~
detaro
> "now you can eat nothing but Soylent!"

Why is the message that it is build that you _can_ do that a problem? (If I
were to use it as a temporary replacement food I still would like to know that
I don't have to take particular care to fix specific things it is missing. One
less thing to worry about.)

That said, I think the customer base they are aiming for (and getting) right
now is the right one for the moment (somewhat reliable demand from those that
stick with it, willingness to tolerate hiccups, willingness to talk about it,
...)

~~~
Frondo
The problem I see is not that it _can_ function as a temporary meal
replacement, it's that the PR pieces never seem to describe anyone using it
that way. It's always the "Joe hasn't eaten another food in X weeks!"

Which, frankly, is going to turn a lot of people off.

One other remark--if you're skipping a meal on occasion, and supplementing it
with some easy foodstuff, you don't really need to worry about it being
nutritionally balanced. Virtually any western diet will get you enough
nutrients on a regular basis that you don't need to supplement with vitamins
or worry about the diseases caused by a lack of some nutrient, even if your
diet is restricted for a while.

~~~
evilduck
Just skipping a meal every now and then isn't even a problem. Fasting through
a mealtime or three isn't going to hurt anyone who is otherwise healthy and
well fed for most other meals. It may be uncomfortable, but you don't _need_
to eat every day, the body stores fat for good reason. (and as you said, a
less balanced Clif bar or a handful of almonds would carry you through single-
instances of missed meals pretty well too).

To me, Soylent is only interesting _because_ they're wanting to replace every
meal for normal adults living normal lives. Anything less is just better
marketing of an Ensure clone.

------
fpgaminer
I'm surprised by the number of people who say they like the taste, as I found
it quite unpalatable both in smell and flavor. Of course, taste varies, but
that doesn't seem to show in the general conversations surrounding Soylent;
most say it tastes fine or good.

Perhaps more curious is how people respond to such comments on Soylent's
taste. 'savanaly' below mentions a dislike of the flavor, and most of the
replies are suggesting that he/she did something wrong, or there is something
wrong/unusual with 'savanaly's taste buds. When someone says they dislike the
taste of mango, wouldn't response like "you prepared it wrong", or "you must
be a supertaster" be odd and out of place?

The lack of proper dissenting dialog regarding Soylent's flavor makes me a bit
suspicious of a social PR campaign. But maybe that's me being a bit too jaded,
and perhaps people like me and 'savanaly' are just the odd few who don't
handle Soylent's taste well.

Regardless, this lack of dialog leaves me with a problem. I would like to find
a way to alter the taste, as the concept of Soylent still intrigues me. But my
so far brief searches have yielded little wisdom in doing so, again because
the overarching internet consensus seems to be that Soylent by itself is
delicious and, excuse the exaggeration, holy manna from the Gods' themselves,
requiring no modification.

P.S. For reference, I enjoy the taste of cilantro, and have a generally mild
palate (neither picky nor adventurous). I drink protein shakes regularly as
part of my current bodybuilding program, and tolerate the taste of those just
fine.

~~~
syntheticnature
I'd figure it must be some sort of selection bias; something such as those who
aren't as into the taste of food, regardless of their tasting aspects, are
more likely to try it.

FWIW, back when I was doing the protein shakes and weightlifting thing, I
found some protein shakes tasted fine... and others were nasty. The biology of
taste is more complex than a simple non-taster < taster < supertaster
continuum, that's merely an obvious aspect.

------
e12e
Maybe "college level athlete" means something different than what I think, but
I have a hard time squaring that with 1200 calories a day. I might be
overestimating, but when I think "hard exercise", I think of Royal Marines
etc, that generally target at least 3000 calories a day. I get that you need
to eat less if your goal is to loose weight -- but I can't understand how
anyone can be active on that few calories. Good for him it works, though.

~~~
MrMember
Seriously. I was only ever a high school athlete but even then I was eating
~3500 calories a day and maintaining weight. At 1200 calories a day you could
be mostly sedentary and still likely lose several pounds a week.

~~~
nilved
No, 1200 is a pretty reasonable diet for weight loss if you're not getting a
lot of exercise. For example, I (an early 20s dude) naturally burn about 1800
calories a day, and another 200 from walking to and from work. 2000 - 1200 =
800 calorie deficit, or a week to reach a deficit of 3500 and lose a pound.

~~~
tzakrajs
Maybe if you are a very small person.

------
jdkuepper
Thanks for the post-

It would be interesting to see some more detailed N=1 studies posted regarding
Soylent. In particular, I'd be very interested in seeing a blood lipid
profile, blood pressure readings, and blood glucose readings before and after
to see its effects on key markers for metabolic syndrome.

I'm not opposed to the idea of engineered food (it would certainly be
convenient), but I'm not convinced that the same macronutrient profile is
ideal for everyone. My other big concern is that there's potential harm in the
lack of diversity - e.g. "unknown unknowns" so to speak.

Unfortunately, the field of nutrition is not very WELL studied despite the
high NUMBER of studies published, so I won't pretend that I have a better
answer than Soylent to the problem with nutrition in society. It's good to see
that people are at least working on the problem in creative ways, so long as
they aren't harming anyone.

~~~
bbarn
"I'm not convinced that the same macronutrient profile is ideal for everyone.
"

Yeah, this is my big problem with all of this. In fact, given the known
differences in gut fauna that localized cultures/diets have, it's pretty much
a fact. Different people process different foods differently.

I agree with your assertion that quantity of nutrition "studies" doesn't
provide quality. Most nutrition studies seem to be done with the goal of
proving X diet is better than Y, sponsored and paid for by X.

~~~
myrryr
if People can take a massive range of macronutrients. Seriously, if soylent
was going to be a problem, then people would have to be FAR more careful about
what they eat then they are now.

It all reminds me of the perfect is the enemy of good arguments.

Is soylent perfect? Most likely not, is it better then the vast majority of
people are eating? that wouldn't be a high bar to jump, and I think it jumps
it easily.

~~~
tracker1
More recent studies seam to lean towards once you get a minimum level of
protein in your diet, the rest of it is just calories... though ketosis vs
carb burning is another difference. That said, most people are not on a keto
based diet. So, get your protein in (1/3 to 1/2 your lean weight in pounds as
grams of protein), and from there have whatever you want to hit your caloric
needs.

Even when trying to lose wieght, making sure you hit your minimum protein
requirements is important... my only suggestion to someone taking a reduced
amount of soylent is that they really should supplement extra protein into
their diet. Especially if exercising as they are likely losing a lot of muscle
with the fat loss, which is probably not the desired result.

~~~
jdkuepper
I have an interesting anecdote related to ketosis: I was in nutritional
ketosis for three months to test its effects on my body. My ketones were
consistent with being in the ketotic state, but my LDL-P and triglycerides
skyrocketed with no meaningful improvement in HDL. It's debatable whether this
is "bad" for you without inflammation (atherosclerosis relies on both), but I
certainly wasn't comfortable with the elevated levels and went out of ketosis.

Saturated fat sensitivity seems to have been my issue (VERY difficult to be on
that diet without high levels of saturated fat) and I'm now on a low-carb
monounsaturated fat diet that has dramatically improved my blood lipids.

So, for me at least, I would have to disagree with "the rest is just calories"
statement. I think too many people are trying to simplify nutrition with a
single book, diet, or pill, when in reality, it's a complex system that might
very well be impossible to predict.

------
russellallen
Good for him. Whatever floats your boat. Personally for me it sounds horrible.
Cooking isn't that bad - in fact it gives me some pleasure. And I enjoy
different flavours, textures, in fact I enjoy eating.

So I don't really understand, but I'm not going to force my tastes on others.

~~~
nkozyra
It plays into a relatively new desire for all things quantified and automated.
It does this - it allows for granular control over input, but it removes all
of the inherent joy of eating. It's not a good trade-off for most people, but
appeals to experimenters.

The only appeal for me would be removing the time constraints of cooking or
dining out. To be honest, cooking is a huge time sink and dining out isn't a
whole lot better.

~~~
batbomb
Considering many people on this HN are, well, hackers, and can spend a ton of
time coding, optimizing, etc... often even evangelizing coding for everyday
people, I feel like this is the lazy answer.

Which is fine; there's nothing inherently wrong with being lazy or ignorant
about cooking. But evangelism about Soylent freeing up ones time is silly, all
things considered. It's not for everyone, it's not for families, it's not even
formulated for women, the elderly, children, or generally for people with
nutritional needs that deviate from those of a 30 year old male. It's for the
lazy dude who doesn't want to cook.

~~~
Retra
Not wanting to cook doesn't make you lazy. There are a billion interesting
things to do in the world.

------
waskosky
As a strict vegan who felt very drained mentally from Soylent, with no
expectations going into it, I much prefer the meal replacements from the
Garden of Life brand (no affiliation), and for me I felt much more awake and
alert afterward with their stuff. [http://www.gardenoflife.com/Products-for-
Life/Foundational-N...](http://www.gardenoflife.com/Products-for-
Life/Foundational-Nutrition/RAW-Meal.aspx)

Soylent was a downer for me but I did not stay with it past the first 3 bags
to see if the feeling would pass. The most productive I ever feel (mentally)
is generally after eating a very large salad, usually with lots of kale,
tempeh, and tahini (no sugar) for dressing. Takes awhile to prepare that so I
find meal replacements are still really nice to have around. Still, if you
haven't tried that kind of meal before, you might not realize what you are
missing.

~~~
quadrangle
That salad sounds great. I usually have salad dry. For my whole life, I've
always hated how people cover perfectly fine vegetables with gross sweet or
excessively oily dressings. Ugh.

Incidentally, I really like Soylent 1.4 (the only I've tried), and I tried
Garden of Life's Raw Meal and couldn't stand it. I've tried their Raw Fit
protien supplement though and enjoy that. I might try other options too. I
like Soylent though actually. I hope it ends up taking a direction that truly
cares about sustainability, health, and ethics in their sourcing of things. I
have the impression that Garden of Life is a little more conscientious, but I
dunno.

~~~
waskosky
I've tried a variety of dressings but have found that simply ground up seeds
satisfy me the most.

I had only tried Solent version 1.1, the vegan version that came with no oil
packets. I can see how v1.4, with added fats and no artificial flavoring,
would be superior. I found that if I added plenty of (unrefined) salt to
either brand of meal replacement, that also significantly helped the flavor. I
suspect that extra salt is more healthy and important than either of these
brands give credit for [http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Your-Way-Health-
Edition/dp/B000R8...](http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Your-Way-Health-
Edition/dp/B000R8ZTGK)

------
rayiner
I don't understand all the reactions to Soylent where people are weirded out.
Didn't we all grow up watching Slimfast commercials? "A shake for breakfast, a
shake for lunch, then a sensible dinner."

~~~
jlas
Great point! Although I think Soylent also wants you to have a shake for
dinner... forever...

~~~
myrryr
Not at all, and there are VERY few people who use it that way.

~~~
FireBeyond
Based on ... what?

------
Thelo33
Can anyone parse why the "What's Soylent made of?"
([http://www.soylent.me/](http://www.soylent.me/)) screen is so different from
their "Complete-Soylent-Nutrition-Facts.pdf"
([https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0421/5993/t/14/assets/file...](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0421/5993/t/14/assets/files_Complete-
Soylent-Nutrition-Facts-1p4.pdf))?

At first I thought it was a simple serving size multiple, but carbs are 5x
(51,252), Sodium is 2.5x (410,1050), Fiber is 7x (4,27), Potassium is 4x (866,
3500). The only reason I care is that I was curious about Omega 3s, but that's
only listed on less official looking table that doesn't give a serving size.
And so now I'm questioning what that's actually based on.

------
dataker
Quite honestly, I find Soylent to be quite overrated. Existing protein
powders/meal replacement/mass gainers are tastier and more affordable. I get
the point of 'eventually scientifically managing your diet', but that's far
from reality.

~~~
Yhippa
What does it taste like to you?

------
cko
I, too, sometimes dislike cooking, so here's what I do:

I take 1 cup of raw oatmeal, ice, and 2 cups of lactose free whole milk and
put it in a blender. Thirty seconds later I have a meal of 600Cal with 26g
protein. I have this at least once a day. Sometimes three times a day.

I heard somewhere that we need to actually use our teeth once in a while, so I
microwave frozen broccoli florets. I soft-boil 2-4 eggs with an egg steamer
and combine all of that in sesame oil + soy sauce.

~~~
tomasien
Makes sense - but I guess I would have to ask why not try Soylent then?
Soylent is basically the the oatmeal smoothie you're describing except
nutritionally complete, so why not just do that? Why make your own that is
less healthy and complete? It almost certainly can't be cheaper.

~~~
nacs
What makes you think the parent post's recipe is "less healthy". Is there any
3rd-party scientific study proving Soylent is healthier or its long term
effects?

Also, raw oats bought in bulk are cheaper and more eco-friendly than buying
pricey Soylent drinks and having them shipped across the country regularly.

~~~
tomasien
Good point, bought in bulk that is probably a cheaper meal.

And no I don't have any 3rd-party scientific study proving the long term
effects of something that has only been out for 2 years, but thank you for
asking. There's an absolute ton of 3rd party, peer reviewed science around
nutritional completeness and what that entails, and Soylent adheres to the
best practices of that research extremely well. Oats and milk is actually a
pretty darn good approximation from what I understand about the nutritional
content of oats (super strong), but my point is why not at least try Soylent
if that's what you're going to do? Soylent is basically by design a super
optimized version of that meal.

~~~
nacs
You're assuming that combining whatever has been labelled as good for you and
whipping it up in a bottle is a perfect replacement for all/most meals. If I'm
going to drastically change my diet to something processed like that I'd
better know for sure whats in it, how its made and its long term effects. I'm
not willing to be a guinea pig with my food intake.

Also things like the numerous shipping delays, recipe changes and some other
complaints[1] [2] make me cautious about Soylent.

[1]: [http://pando.com/2013/11/12/vice-investigates-soylent-
finds-...](http://pando.com/2013/11/12/vice-investigates-soylent-finds-rats-
and-mold/)

[2]: [http://www.meghantelpner.com/blog/the-soylent-
killer/](http://www.meghantelpner.com/blog/the-soylent-killer/)

------
smegel
I don't cook either.

Snap-dried frozen dinners can be healthy, taste like real food* and you also
know exactly how many calories you are eating. Food science has come a long
way and quality frozen meals are not the salt-drenched, fat/sugar bombs of the
"TV-dinners" of past.

* (edit) _are_ real food

------
dankohn1
Not to disagree with the poster, but I do want to point out the obvious fact
that there are many different ways to consume Soylent. Most days, I skip
breakfast, have a relatively healthy lunch (often socially with colleagues),
and then drink Soylent as a filling and healthy (and relatively low-calorie)
dinner, while my wife and kids eat normal food. I also love adding cinnamon,
cocoa powder, or (as a special treat) PB2.

To each their own.

------
alexland
I love eating and the social aspect of sharing a meal with others, so I can't
see myself having Soylent in this capacity whatsoever, but I would definitely
like to try it as a breakfast and quick lunch alternative. I have the bad
habit of rushing in the morning and rarely eating, so Soylent seems like a
great fit.

It's also interesting to realize that the food most people eat really is not
very healthy, even when it consists of mostly healthy ingredients. It seems
like most of the people I know probably don't get nearly as much fibre as they
should, so a product like Soylent could be a beneficial addition to many
people's daily nutrient intake.

------
savanaly
I tried soylent recently on a whim and found it to be too disgusting in taste
to continue after the first sip. A lot of people here seem to have tried it
and I don't see a single confirmation of this problem. Has the been a problem
for anyone?

~~~
pbreit
It doesn't taste like pooh or anything. Are you sure you're not over-reacting?

~~~
savanaly
By most people's standard I certainly am. I'm a very picky eater and am
working on it, but certain things simply cause me to gag and that's all there
is to it. And unfortunately soylent is one of them.

------
pixie_
I have to agree that Soylent is pretty great. I have it for breakfast everyday
and sometimes dinner. I'll throw half a scoop of protein powder in there as
well because I workout. Weekends I'll usually have 2 meals Soylent and 1 meal
normal. I like cooking and eating out, but not 3 times a day. Sometimes I just
want to get 500 (perfectly balanced) calories in me and go about my business.

------
kelvie
What's wrong with the meal replacement drinks that you can purchase at any
drug store and are prescribed by doctors and such currently for people who
can't conveniently eat?

During busier days where I don't want to bother deciding what to eat, I just
take one of those. Why do we need soylent, when meal replacement drinks have
already existed for years?

~~~
brandon272
One thing that meal replacement drinks seem to lack (among other things, if I
recall correctly) is fibre. The ones I've purchased (Ensure, Boost, etc.)
don't contain any fibre whatsoever. If you're at all prone to constipation and
you rely a lot on those drinks you are in for a hard road.

------
rdmcfee
I'm a big fan of personal experimentation but it's important to always be
skeptical of your own n=1 conclusions.

In this particular case, coinciding the interventions of your diet change and
exercise regiment make it very difficult to know the respective contribution
of each to your results.

Interesting anecdotes nonetheless.

------
alisson
I never liked cooking, so when I moved out I ate a lot on restaurants or
ordered to deliver, then I re-discovered fruits.

I don't like the idea of processed foo because I think we need the bacterias
and all the life on the food. Those kids who could not play on dirt or weren't
feed on mother's milk are more likely to have allergies. Bacterias bring us
health, when we cook food we kill most of it's life and lower it's nutritional
value to our body.

Today I'm living on 90% fruits, fruits are the perfect food to me, seems like
most people don't see what fruits can bring to their health. You don't have to
cook, just grab and eat and I can grow my own which means that is not that
difficult to be auto-sufficient, they're like the best fast food ever.

On first month I noticed I could smell things better, I could breath through
my nose much more easily, my taste is better, it's much easier to poop too and
the smell is also different, less 'harmful' to the nose. When I eat dairy or
something cooked my poop goes bad on the next day, it's like our body is the
best doctor around.

~~~
kiba
_I don 't like the idea of processed foo because I think we need the bacterias
and all the life on the food. Those kids who could not play on dirt or weren't
feed on mother's milk are more likely to have allergies. Bacterias bring us
health, when we cook food we kill most of it's life and lower it's nutritional
value to our body._

You know cooking actually increases the nutritional value accessible in our
food we eat, right?

If it's pointless to cook food, we would just eat food raw.

~~~
alisson
I'm not expert at all, but I can't understand how cooking could increase since
we destroy/kill/change most things on the process, maybe something are better
digestible when cooked but maybe we shouldn't be eating it in the first place,
we have the habit of making things eatable, or digestible, my idea is that
nature already has everything we need, just like any other life form here on
earth have, why we should be exception?

I couldn't find any good source of information on it, I found this article [1]
that couldn't get a clear conclusion because seems like there's a lot to be
understood yet.

[http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-
he...](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/)

~~~
lsd_is_awesome
One possibility is that cooking the food destroys compounds we can digest(like
a plant's cell wall) which ends up releasing compounds otherwise
inaccessible(minerals & proteins sequestered inside the plant cell).

Mastication also does this, but I doubt it is as effective as cooking unless
you chew your food very well(which I would recommend doing). The downside to
cooking is that high temperatures may destroy some more fragile compounds.

I guess if you are going to cook, the best way is to steam or boil/soupify
your veggies. That way any released compounds are retained in solution & the
heat is limited vs cooking with lipids.

------
Frondo
I think of cooking like I think of sex: it's best when you use a variety of
methods/ingredients, and when you share it with someone.

------
unavoidable
Anyone else think that OP is doing a disservice to his children, which he
describes as eating mac and cheese?

~~~
foofoo55
Totally. Sit and eat with your kids. Make food with them, clean up with them.
Make them seriously good times. Teach them good food habits, good life skills
(chill out from the rat race and sit down for a decent meal), and improve both
their and your own social skills. I doubt that particular meal substitute
stuff is truly complete, and I do believe that variety is a good thing. Eating
good food is good for the soul, as it can be one of the different types of
beauty we can have on our lives.

~~~
eflowers
I posted above, but my wife and I are very conscious of how our kids eat, and
they aren't ignored or sitting at the table, sad and alone. They enjoy a
variety of meals, meal time, "social skill building at the kitchen table".
We're even starting to make our 5 year old sushi (rice and seaweed) at his
request after eating some from the store.

------
jarin
I used to like the idea of Soylent, but after subscribing to one of those
weekly boxes where they deliver all the fresh ingredients and recipes to you,
I've found a lot of enjoyment in cooking.

~~~
someone13
Which service do you subscribe to, if you don't mind my asking?

~~~
jarin
Blue Apron, to me it has the most variety and more interesting ingredients
than the other ones I've looked at so far.

------
crimsonalucard
Are there any actual studies on this kind of diet yet? I feel this author's
anecdotal experiences are colored by other changes in his life style.

------
prostoalex
Is anybody working on a ketogenic (i.e., zero-carb) version of this?

~~~
frankacter
Here you go:

[http://diy.soylent.me/recipes?tags=Ketogenic](http://diy.soylent.me/recipes?tags=Ketogenic)

------
outside1234
I would never do this day to day - but I love the idea of this for
backpacking? Anyone have any experience with that?

~~~
Taek
Yes, we took soylent backpacking. I would summarize it as 'mediocre'. You
needed water to make it and wash it down, it was kind of gritty, the bottle we
had it in reeked of soylent and pretty much couldn't be used for anything
else.

I don't know what exactly was the issue but it felt cumbersome. On later trips
we opted not to take soylent.

There are no major problems or things to warn you about. It just felt like it
was in the way.

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SCAQTony
I wonder if milk alone (breast milk? cow milk?) is better for you and more
healthy than Soylent?

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source99
I don't intend to pass judgement on this person but from all the scientific
research I have read the ratio of carbs to fat/protein in soylent is not
healthy. This individual may not have any visibly negative health effects but
I doubt this diet will work for a majority of people for an extended time
frame.

~~~
aidanhs
The problem I have with statements like this is that it gives no context for
what 'not healthy' actually means (and, by extension, what a 'perfectly
healthy' diet is).

For example, I often don't hit 3 of the 5 recommended fruit/veg in a day and I
consume far too many fatty foods. Over an extended time frame this will
probably cause me to become overweight and deficient in vitamins. Given this,
it'd be useful to know what the advantages and disadvantages of soylent would
be in my current situation.

Do you have a link to the studies? They presumably give more information about
their benchmarking.

~~~
source99
Gary Taubes provides a good summary of recent scientific studies.
[http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qEuIlQONcHw](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qEuIlQONcHw)

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dzhiurgis
Does anyone know author's height?

~~~
eflowers
6'

