Huel Meal Replacement Review | 2019
Have you ever been been a rush or in the middle of hectic day and find yourself struggling to make healthy meals or are tempted to go through the fast food drive through? Have you ever found yourself needing more time during the day but spending too much of it making meals or driving to get take out?
Huel meal replacement products are designed for people with these daily problems to provide a healthy, nutritious meal alternative for those hectic and stressful days in life.
In this article, you will obtain access to information on the two primary Huel products, Huel Powder and Huel Ready-To-Drink, the company itself, and what people are saying about it.
This Huel review is mainly here to provide you with all the knowledge you may need on Huel meal replacement products to be able to make your own practical decision. You may even be surprised and enlightened while reading by what you discover about the meal replacement market.
Quick Overview Of Huel Review Product
First, Let's Take A Look At The Huel Company
Huel was created in 2012 when its founder wanted to create a program that would help people get optimal nutrition to assist their physical performance. When he created this program, he realized that it took too much preparation and time for people to get the necessary amounts of nutrition.
Huel’s founder realized that he was getting all the nutrients he needed, but it was just not applicable to a hectic everyday life, so why not put all of the macronutrients into one single product? So instead of using his original program that took a lot of time to manage, he created the product Huel, a nutritionally complete and balanced meal that can be prepared in a matter of minutes.
Huel is developed by a company in the UK, which is pretty similar to the American product Soylent and has made it clear early in its debut that they are its competitors.
What is Huel?
Huel is a variety of pre-made meal replacement drinks and powders that provide complete nutrition and 400 calories per serving. Huel is short for “human fuel” and is designed to fulfill all of your macronutrient, vitamin, and mineral needs throughout hectic days.
Huel is used by people who need a quick but healthy alternative for the busier days in life. It can also be used as alternatives for when people are tempted or only able to get fast foods or quick freezer foods.
Huel’s products are ethically sourced, vegan, and non-GMO, which has made is more accessible and turned the heads of a lot of people. It is food in powder and drink form that contains healthy proteins, carbs, and fats and the FDA’s daily recommended 27 essential vitamins.
Huel has three products to offer for meal replacements:
- Huel Ready-To-Drink: A complete nutritional meal in a handy bottle. Comes in the flavors Chocolate, Vanilla, & Berry.
- Huel Powder: A meal replacement powder. Comes in flavors Chocolate, Vanilla, Berry, & Unflavored.
- Flavor Boosts: Sweetening packets to customize your Huel. Comes in flavors chocolate, banana, strawberry, mocha, chocolate min, apple cinnamon, caramel, chai.
What Are The Ingredients?
All of the ingredients of Huel are relatively healthy, but it is important to note that there is no indication that Huel’s ingredients are organic. Like most meal replacement products the ingredients aren’t always super recognizable, so lets briefly go over them.
Pea Protein
Pea protein is made from yellow and green peas and is also the primary source of protein in Huel. Pea protein is known to be a very suitable protein option for vegetarians, vegans, and people looking to avoid whey. The pea ingredient is also shown to improve glycemic control.
Oats & Flaxseed
Whole oats and oat bran are mainly used to help with certain digestive issues they may have. Oats are the main component of carbohydrates in the drink and powder, and it also gives them their texture. They are also known to promote satiety to help people feel more full and not be tempted to overeat. Flaxseed is a source of healthy fat, fiber, and antioxidants, which helps make Huel rich in nutrients.
Brown Rice Protein
Brown rice protein is the protein source from brown rice that is used as an option for vegans and vegetarians. Rice protein isolate is also known to increase changes in body composition, such as helping people lose weight more effectively.
Coconut MCT's
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are created from processing coconut oil and has claimed to help halt muscle break down. MCT’s are the main fat source of Huel along with flaxseed. Using MCT’s in your diet can also potentially cause small reductions in body weight and composition.
Breakdown Of Nutrition
Huel is mostly comprised of pea protein, brown rice protein, and oats, which makes for a drink high in protein. There is a bit of coconut and sunflower oil powder to provide some fat content in the product as well. The blend of various vitamins also provides a vary balanced nutrition for the product. So where do we go with this information in terms of macronutrients?
Below we’ll show you the break down of nutrition in Huel drink and powder products. We will specifically be going through two different products: Huel powder and Huel Read-To-Drink.
Huel Powder
Calories. The Calories of Huel Powder are 400 calories per serving, which is pretty decent for a meal replacement product. 400 calories are usually best for meal replacements in not being too overly filling, but also not leaving you feeling unsatisfied and hungry.
Fat. The fat content in Huel Powder is seen as superior when compared to other meal replacement products. This is because when compared to its own protein and carbohydrate count, the fat content is quite low being at 12 grams. Huel is the type of product where you won’t have to worry about watching your fat intake while consuming it. However, the saturated fat content is slightly higher than other meal replacements on the market, which can be a problem for some people.
Carbs & Protein. Huel Powder contains more carbohydrates (42 grams) than most other meal replacements because of their lower fat content, but usually not by much. However, an upside is that as a result, it contains less sugar and more fiber than the average meal replacement. The biggest plus when it comes to Huel powder is its massive protein count at 29 grams per serving, and because of this, it is often used as a protein powder. As we know from our Huel vs Soylent article this amount of protein is unheard of for most meal replacements. This is very beneficial for people wanting to gain more muscle mass or wanting more satiety after consuming to avoid overeating.
Huel Ready-To-Drink
Calories. The calorie content of Huel Ready-To-Drink is 400 calories, the same as its powder counterpart. As we stated above, 400 calories is a good amount for meal replacement drinks to stick to.
Fat. The fat content in Huel Ready-To-Drink is higher than the powder version of the product being at 20 grams per serving. The high-fat content is probably the most worrisome factor of the product, especially if you are drinking more then one a day.
If you drink more then one Huel drink a day, it is highly likely that you will be going over the daily recommended amount of fat. This can result in causing adverse effects such as it being harder to gain muscle mass, stomach problems, or gaining fat more easily. This type of problem usually depends on your body and how it responds to high-fat diets if you want to drink more the none per day.
Carbs & Protein. The carbohydrate content in Huel Ready-To-Drink is at 37 grams, which is decent compared to other meal replacement drinks. The protein content at 20 grams is the perfect amount to promote satiety during those particularly hectic days.
Vitamins and Minerals
When it comes to the micronutrients in Huel Powder and Huel Ready-To-Drink the product will give you at least 20% of all vitamins and minerals that you need daily. The two products give higher percentages in specific vitamins and minerals such as:
- Vitamin D2
- Vitamin C
- Phosphorus
- Iron
- Molybdenum
Even though these vitamins may go over the daily recommended amount, there should be no adverse effects. The excess vitamins should either be easily flushed out by your body or be beneficial to those who exercise more frequently.
Side Effects?
Huel is generally a very safe and reliable product without very many side effects to worry about. There are no severe side effects found when consuming Huel, but there are a few minor side effects to be mindful of:
- Digestive issues
- Gas
- Bloating
This small list of side effects are generally easy to deal with and keep at bay, but if they are too cumbersome then we advice consuming smaller amounts or discontinuing use.
Is Huel Considered Healthy?
Huel as a meal replacement drink has been compared to other products on the market such as Soylent in regards to if it being considered healthy or not. We can make our decision based on the comparisons and on what we have already stated in this article.
First of all, Huel ingredients are considered very healthy when we take the time to look them over and breaking them down one by one, as we did above. When compared to other meal replacements such as Soylent we can applaud Huel on not using soy protein as one of their ingredients, especially when looking at our Soylent review. This is because there are soy allergies and soy can be controversial because certain parts of the ingredient can imitate the hormone estrogen, which can cause adverse effects. As a result, Huel’s protein sources are still vegan and plant friendly without using a somewhat polarizing ingredient.
Huels Powder is the superior product of Huel when breaking down the nutrients compared to calories with there being low amounts of fat and high amounts of protein. Huel Ready-To-Drink has some of the same problems as other meal replacements such as Soylent with their high-fat content, which makes it harder for the people who want to drink more than one daily.
Huel powder and Huel Ready-To-Drink with their high protein content also make it accessible for people looking to gain muscle or workout consistently while drinking the products. The protein content also promotes satiety, which is very important for people wanting to use Huel for weight loss temptations for unhealthy food. Huel also provides a higher percentage of specific vitamins and minerals in their drinks, unlike in most meal replacements they are all usually the same low amounts, or some even lacking.
So overall we consider Huel Powder to be an overall healthy and good source of a meal replacement when needed once or multiple times a day. The Huel Ready-To-Drink product is deemed to be pretty decent when giving people a more convenient.
Taste & Texture
The taste and texture of Huel are described to be rather decent, but also much like what you would imagine a meal replacement to taste like. The Huel Ready-To-Drink products received more positive feedback when regarding taste such as being described as a less sweet version of cake batter to some. Most people recommended the vanilla flavor over the others, but the other flavors are just as decent.
The Huel Powder received less positive feedback regarding taste, but it was still decent and drinkable. It presents that protein powder taste that you may be familiar with, and if you aren’t careful, the mix can be thick and gloopy. However, Huel has heard the calls from their customers about the taste and has come out multiple different mix in flavor packs for the Powder.
How To Buy And Store Huel Products
At first glance, the cost of Huel may appear expensive, but that may be because you just see it as a bag of powder. When you do some research on the product and what it has to offer, you realize that it drives a good bargain. Each meal you prepare with Huel Powder takes at the very most 5 minutes to prepare, and it is packed with nutrients and vitamins.
When we base Huel Powder off of cost per meal, it comes out to $1.75 per meal.
Huel Powder
Highest Protein Content
About
- Inlcudes 2 pouches of nutrition packed Huel, A Shaker, and quick guide.
- Made from real food
- Vegan and Plant friendly
- High Protein and fiber
Huel Flavor Boost Packets
Best Flavor Packets
About
- No added sugar.
- Roughly there are 75 servings per pouch.
- Includes a flavor pouch to add to Huel, and does not include any actual Huel powder.
- In flavors Banana, Cappuccino, Chocolate, Chocolate Mint, and Strawberry.
A Soylent Alternative?
Huel has marketed itself publicly as an alternative to Soylent meal replacement products when it comes weight loss, an easy alternative, and just overall health. As a Soylent alternative Huel meal replacements had to make comparable products that offer something different and of value when compared to Soylent products.
What Huel does differently from Soylent is that is offers itself as more of a flexible option when it comes to different lifestyles. Huel is accessible for anybody looking to lose weight, build muscle, have a quick and easy meal option, or looking for health benefits. Huel offers a higher protein content for people who want to build muscle and lose weight as well as providing all the needed nutrients a meal replacement needs. When it comes to the taste of Huel as a Soylent alternative they have provided a wide array of flavor packages to mix in with your Huel shake which results in twice the amount flavors Soylent offers,
Technically, yes you could live off of Huel but it is not recommended by health professionals or the Huel company to do so. Huel is best used as a meal replacement when you need a healthier alternative or quick meal for a hectic day. Huel has all the nutrients you could possibly need and more to replace a meal or multiple meals throughout your day.
Huel is good to use for weight loss since it is a meal replacement and can be used in place of unhealthy food choices and overeating habits. Huel meal replacement products are mainly used to replace nutrients that would be missed if you skipped meals or ate foods that are considered empty calories. Huel also has a high content of protein which is perfect for when you want to lose weight since protein helps keep people full and satisfied for longer after eating.
Huel and Soylent are considered competing products that are somewhat similar to one another in terms of nutrients and goal. When the two products are contrasted against one another, the Huel powder product seems to come on top in terms of a meal replacement product. It has a higher amount of protein, a lower amount of fat, and more vitamins and minerals to offer in comparison to Soylent. Although, the two meal replacement drink products are both very similar to one another and don’t have a clear winner.
Huel is a great meal replacement provided on the market for people looking to replace meals for health, convenience, or weight loss purposes. It has a high amount of protein, decent fat percentage, and excellent vitamins and minerals list provided. All of these nutrients are also provided from quality sources and FDA approved.
Huel is an excellent source for muscle gain, especially when it comes to meal replacements on the market. Huel Powder has one of the highest content of protein per serving when compared to other meal replacements. It also contains a good amount of fats and carbohydrates along with vitamins and minerals to help you gain muscle mass.
