Soylent (But not green)

[ThePowerofTower]

So I found an actually really chill foodstuff called Soylent, and for some reason it made me think of BTW.

Not sure why.

https://www.soylent.com/

I just ordered my first bag of the powder, and honestly, I have no idea what it's going to taste like. Have any of you guys had it? I know we all make jokes about the movie, but has anyone tried the people-free powdery stuff?

[Larmantine]

I saw it a few years ago, am amazed that it still exists. Keep us posted on how it is.

[Moldiworp2]

How does this compare to Soy milk? Sounds like it might be an interesting alternative for Vegans

[Larmantine]

Not only vegans, anyone. It is essentially meant to replace your food, it saves time/money greatly. Most users also report significant weight loss and haven't heard of any negative effects. Aside from craving normal food that you can chew or weird metabolism at first week. Would've tried it myself if it was available here. I think it even was cheaper when it launched, now you essentially pay about $ 2.50 - 3.00 per meal which not THAT cheap. There are better alternatives in terms of money.

[Whisp]

I think it even was cheaper when it launched, now you essentially pay about $ 2.50 - 3.00 per meal which not THAT cheap. There are better alternatives in terms of money.

Interesting to hear that, from what I remember when I heard of it a few years back, their plan was to make it an alternative for third world countries and for that they wanted to reduce the price to about 1$ per meal which means 3$ per day. Seems like they missed that goal completely.
I understand it as an complement to normal food, like eating soilent at work, because its quick and easy and you're probably not as stuffed as with regular lunch, but I don't think it's completely safe to live on soylent alone as the founder did since a year when I read about it.
I just don't think the significant change in the microbiology of the body, when he doesn't have to digest many parts of regular food anymore, comes without consequences in the long term.
Especially since they basically started by just looking up tables of what the human body needs and then mixing them into their powder.

[mc_isaac]

I preordered soylent v1.0
It was waaaayyy to gritty for me to drink. Taste was meh. But the texture just set me off so terribly that I never tried to order any Soylent 2.0 (which is what they switched to almost immediately due to everyone complaining about the grittiness).

I'm interested in your experience as you should be getting the newest rendition..

[AdmiralJonB]

I have a european brand called Joylent that I quite like. I find that after doing the mixing, leaving it in the fridge overnight helps a lot to bring out the flavour and remove a lot of that grittiness. There is also an oaty flavour to whichever flavour you choose, but I eat porridge for breakfast so I'm used to it! I've heard Joylent can be a bit more flavourful than other brands, but I'm not too sure since there aren't many shipping around the EU that I've found.

I tend to put one in a thermos to slowly drink throughout the day instead of having lunch. I find drinking it all in one go to be a little too much for my stomach, so I have to pace it out a bit. Otherwise, it does wonders for me when I use it for a while. Less tired overall, no after-lunch tiredness, and just having that bit more energy. I guess I'm missing out on a lot of nutrients in my normal diet! That, or they put drugs in it ;)

[DaveYanakov]

I'm not a fan of liquid foods so as an alternative I use dried and flaked sweet potato. It's nutritionally complete, dirt cheap, and once you do the prep work to flake it, is basically finished. As a bonus it has a good texture that can be improved by adding things like peas, beans, mushrooms, etc to the mix.

[Whuppee]

Would recommend. I've had about a month each of 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and am currently working through a few months of 1.4. I preferred the original version, but it has all been quite drinkable. I've had much worse experiences with some protein shakes.

If it is gritty, it's not mixed well. Consider adding a whisk ball. Also do shake the ever-loving fuck out of it.

I'd suggest adding several inches of water to the pitcher before adding any powder. This should help prevent/breakup the clumps that tend to form otherwise.

[Psion]

my main issue with it was the oatsy taste to it, a bit like raw flour or something. (i think this was 1.2) the grittyness wasn't too bad since i used a blender to mix it, but that oat taste was unpleasant to me.

[Larmantine]

Would recommend. I've had about a month each of 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and am currently working through a few months of 1.4. I preferred the original version, but it has all been quite drinkable. I've had much worse experiences with some protein shakes.

If it is gritty, it's not mixed well. Consider adding a whisk ball. Also do shake the ever-loving fuck out of it.

I'd suggest adding several inches of water to the pitcher before adding any powder. This should help prevent/breakup the clumps that tend to form otherwise.

How do you feel? How is the metabolism? Have you noticed any weight loss? Do you experience cravings?

[Mason11987]

Would recommend. I've had about a month each of 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and am currently working through a few months of 1.4. I preferred the original version, but it has all been quite drinkable. I've had much worse experiences with some protein shakes.

If it is gritty, it's not mixed well. Consider adding a whisk ball. Also do shake the ever-loving fuck out of it.

I'd suggest adding several inches of water to the pitcher before adding any powder. This should help prevent/breakup the clumps that tend to form otherwise.

How do you feel? How is the metabolism? Have you noticed any weight loss? Do you experience cravings?

I did a month of 1.4. Not every meal, but many in a row. I felt normal, didn't notice weight loss. I did eat a couple small snacks those days, but I normally do so I can't really ascribe it to that.

[Larmantine]

snakes

You had cravings for snakes? :D

[Wafflewaffle]

Im not a big fan of this kind of replacement cousine. I get the appeal, but cooking and tasting is such a integral part of what makes us people, it makes me kinda unconfortable that people try to replace it with ready-to-go meals. Seems so souless to feed on something that nobody made.

[Larmantine]

Im not a big fan of this kind of replacement cousine. I get the appeal, but cooking and tasting is such a integral part of what makes us people, it makes me kinda unconfortable that people try to replace it with ready-to-go meals. Seems so souless to feed on something that nobody made.

I, on the other hand, sometimes have epiphanies about earthly needs as something disgusting, eating being one of them. Would be happy to live off some chemical nutritious substance. Eating something that was/is alive in some sense makes me realize how disgusting people and the concept of life in general is, making me want to become a non-corpum. A bird's freedom (in a go-where-you-want sense), slave to nothing.

[Gilberreke]

I'd love to just skip eating most of the time. I have a hard time remembering I should eat (I sometimes realize I haven't eaten in two days). I agree with Larmantine that something chemical I could take to replace eating would be just fine by me. No one says that means you can't eat anything else anymore, but that means I can replace all the boring meals with something quick and only eat proper meals when I feel like it (restaurants, dinner parties, etc).

[Wafflewaffle]

No one says that means you can't eat anything else anymore, but that means I can replace all the boring meals with something quick and only eat proper meals when I feel like it (restaurants, dinner parties, etc).

Thats what i worry about. People are loosing the connection with the food they eat. The thought that proper food is served on a restaurant is crazy to me. Its just another place where you go to eat something you have nothing to do with. Its like paying a prostitute every week and thinking you are in a relantionship.

Its not just the food, its cooking that is in danger. People dont bother to cook anymore, to learn how to cook, to respect the meal they were served by a loved one. Cooking is a social activity as well as a catharsis for the soul. Few things are as relaxing as cooking yourself a good dinner, serving your friends some homemade snack or making your partners favorite dish.

The size of kitchens nearly halfed in the last 30 years in Brazil, dinning rooms are basically gone in newer blue prints. Thats really scary to me. Cooking is what we do. The most basic way we shape nature around us and through it become one with it. Im not saying you should not eat chemical paste for sustenance or eat at a restaurant every once in a while. Im saying that disconecting ourselves from our food and placing this responsability in the hands of someone you will never meet, to be produced by machine without care or love and then just absorve this into your body more as a chore then a privilage... it cant be healthy for your mind. For as much as any food i cook goes through pretty much the same process, at the end of it i was part of the chain of production and i have an ilusion of control.

[Mason11987]

No one says that means you can't eat anything else anymore, but that means I can replace all the boring meals with something quick and only eat proper meals when I feel like it (restaurants, dinner parties, etc).

The thought that proper food is served on a restaurant is crazy to me.

He's not saying that. He's saying he'll eat a proper meal (not soylent) when he feels like it. That will be when he's out and the meal is part of the social interaction, or when someone else can prepare it.

That's pretty reasonable to me, assuming you can afford such a thing, and you don't enjoy spending time thinking up what to eat, gathering the materials and cooking.

Even if we cook like you said we're still placing responsibility for our food in the hands of someone else unless you're self-sustaining on a farm. I don't see a massive difference between having produce or meat curated and raised for you so that you could chop, mix and heat it up, and someone doing the last step for you.

I don't see how this can't be healthy for your mind. Not everyone finds enjoyment in preparing food. Plenty of people are comfortable recognizing their illusion of control is just that, an illusion, and might as well spend their time on things they enjoy instead of preparing food.

[Larmantine]

I enjoy cooking as well, it's like modern day alchemy. And I agree with Wafflewaffle completely that it brings joy and peace, in cooking, sharing, and tasting the food. It takes a lot of practice and knowledge, and I would rather pay the same sum for ingredients and do it myself any day rather than visiting a restaurant. I was just saying that eating is just another of our limitations and it's disgusting that we have to destroy in order to create or preserve.

[Gilberreke]

Thats what i worry about. People are loosing the connection with the food they eat. The thought that proper food is served on a restaurant is crazy to me. Its just another place where you go to eat something you have nothing to do with. Its like paying a prostitute every week and thinking you are in a relantionship.

Its not just the food, its cooking that is in danger. People dont bother to cook anymore, to learn how to cook, to respect the meal they were served by a loved one. Cooking is a social activity as well as a catharsis for the soul. Few things are as relaxing as cooking yourself a good dinner, serving your friends some homemade snack or making your partners favorite dish.

The size of kitchens nearly halfed in the last 30 years in Brazil, dinning rooms are basically gone in newer blue prints. Thats really scary to me. Cooking is what we do. The most basic way we shape nature around us and through it become one with it. Im not saying you should not eat chemical paste for sustenance or eat at a restaurant every once in a while. Im saying that disconecting ourselves from our food and placing this responsability in the hands of someone you will never meet, to be produced by machine without care or love and then just absorve this into your body more as a chore then a privilage... it cant be healthy for your mind. For as much as any food i cook goes through pretty much the same process, at the end of it i was part of the chain of production and i have an ilusion of control.

[ThePowerofTower]

Lol, sounds like you guys should read some ancient philosophers.

I tried it out for the last few days, and it is seriously blegh. It doesn't have any taste but the hint of rice milk and some kind of chalky texture, but that goes away if you mix it like crazy. Definitely drink it with tons of ice, and maybe something to flavor. You also don't need as much water as they say you do. It smells... special.

I kind of like drinking it because half the time I don't even care about what my food tastes like, because I'm busy or whatever. I keep this in my little travel thermos, so it doesn't get in my way like a sandwich or a burrito like I used to make to take with me when I go to work, class etc. Also, it doesn't leave me feeling funny after I have it, like I do if I eat too many veggies, or too much meat, or bread. So it keeps me productive midday. I might even start mixing it with my midday coffee :P

[Larmantine]

Lol, sounds like you guys should read some ancient philosophers.

I tried it out for the last few days, and it is seriously blegh. It doesn't have any taste but the hint of rice milk and some kind of chalky texture, but that goes away if you mix it like crazy. Definitely drink it with tons of ice, and maybe something to flavor. You also don't need as much water as they say you do. It smells... special.

I kind of like drinking it because half the time I don't even care about what my food tastes like, because I'm busy or whatever. I keep this in my little travel thermos, so it doesn't get in my way like a sandwich or a burrito like I used to make to take with me when I go to work, class etc. Also, it doesn't leave me feeling funny after I have it, like I do if I eat too many veggies, or too much meat, or bread. So it keeps me productive midday. I might even start mixing it with my midday coffee :P

I've read them all. Aristotle was the only one that I could enjoy. Anyway, what about the financial aspect, does it save you money?

[ThePowerofTower]

Anyway, what about the financial aspect, does it save you money?

Not particularly. If we're talking homemade lunches, you can get a pretty balanced meal for about $1.50 if you spend it right, and make things from scratch. It technically does if you consider that I make 400 calories of that stuff last longer than tasty meals because frankly the texture is mind-bogglingly boring but in and of itself it isn't a huge saving.

Saves space, though; the packages are really flat when you get them and so I have a ton of lunches in a box in my room.

[DerAlex]

I knew about soylent, but because they don't deliver to europe, I never tried it. Throu this thread I learned about joylent, and have ordered every flavor just to test it out last week.

I just had my first bottle, and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. The taste reminds me very much of oatmeal, which is no surprise since oats are the main ingredient, so if you don't like that taste, don't bother. I do like the taste, and the texture reminds me of a McDonald's milkshake, which I don't find unpleasant as well.

I ordered it because I suck at being a human. I don't like eating in the morning, and while I am at work, I don't eat lunch ether. I'm not hungry, my body accepts that I only eat in the evening. Problem is, that fucks with my metabolism, because my stupid body, who claims he isn't hungry, goes into energy conservation we are gonna die survival mode and slows everything down. So I'm tired all the time and try to fix this with tons of coffee. So yeah, I'm trying joylent now to give my stomach something to do. I will report back in a few weeks

[mc_isaac]

So i decided to follow up with Soylent again after the start of this thread.
Because of my dislike for Soylent 1.0's texture I thought i'd try the premixed Soylent 2.0. To me its taste is that of plain steamed white rice. Having eaten plain white rice for much of my childhood this is okay to me. Texture is smooth (a bit thicker than whole milk).
I think I may try to add some chocolate or caramel syrup in it at some point during my 12 bottles to try and spice it up. I tried putting honey in the one i'm currently drinking but didn't notice a difference.