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Old 02-21-16, 04:20 PM   #1
ME_Andy
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Default Eating Soylent

A new blog post about a high-efficiency "food" I tried:


Have you heard of soylent? It's a powdered meal replacement that some of my nerdier friends turned me on to. People have subsisted 90% or more on the stuff for years. Our general line of thought was, "It can't be any worse than the junk most people are eating."

Seeing that 8 bags (32 meals worth) cost $50 on eBay, I had to give it a shot. That's just about $1.50 per meal (Mr. Money Mustache would approve.) I use it as a convenient snack because, well, I enjoy real food too much to give it up completely. Obviously Soylent is extremely cost-effective and its main goal is efficiency. I believe a software engineer used crowd-funding to start the product, and his fingerprint is still noticeable today. For example, each box of Soylent comes with a "Release Notes" pamphlet. LOL. The different Soylent formulas are labeled v1.0, v1.4, v2.0... I'm on v1.4 but I have also tried v2.0. 2.0 was truly delicious but it's actually quite expensive because it ships in pre-mixed bottles. Of v1.4, some will say the mixed drink tastes like cake batter, others say almond milk, and my impression was corn bread.



A quarter-bag satisfies my cravings nicely but I wouldn't want to eat it twice a day. What is actually in the powder? Well, a lot of stuff. That's one of the reasons why I'm limiting my intake. The 38-long ingredient list starts with --
  • High oleic sunflower oil
  • Rice protein
  • Oat flour
  • Isomultalose- wtf is that?

and it ends with Sucralose. There are many vitamins in the middle, as the blend is specifically formulated to provide 100% of your dietary needs. Obviously this is some highly synthetic stuff. Some soylent eaters claim that constipation has been an issue, but it's been fine with me so far. Despite the strange ingredients, I would encourage efficiency-minded people to give Soylent a try.


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Old 02-21-16, 04:53 PM   #2
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Sounds like the stuff they fed robo cop. More like something I would pack in my bug out bag than something I would actually include as part of my diet. Ymmv.
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Old 02-22-16, 01:42 PM   #3
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I've been using Soylent for 15 months now. I think I have posted here before about my experiences. I replace up to 3 out of 5 meals a day. It works for some people better than others. If you crave flavors it will likely be hard to integrate in to your life. If you more often find it hard to find time to eat, it may be a good solution. The current version 1.5 is a more neutral flavor than the previous versions I've used. 1.4 required flavoring to be tolerable.
Part of my original intention was for a bugout bag. however the advertised 2year shelf life is not reflected in the "use by" date stamps. Often less than 6 months. I have not yet tried "expired" powder.
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Old 02-22-16, 03:30 PM   #4
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Sounds interesting! I may have to try...
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Old 02-24-16, 01:39 PM   #5
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Here's the obligatory "Soylent Green is People!" reference....

I like the bugout bag storage idea.
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Old 04-08-16, 03:53 PM   #6
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I have tried soylent and believe that the one week supply will actually last my family for generations.
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Old 04-08-16, 05:14 PM   #7
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I'll keep in mind that I can get it cheaper via ebay. I remember a higher price for the stuff that turned me off from it. My intention was for when I go camping and am packing light for a purpose, such as backpacking or destination camping with an airplane where weight really counts. Usually in those cases, water is a substantial weight, along with a bike or other adventure equipment might be desired.

Is this stuff normally consumed cold?
Reason I ask is most lightweight camping foods that don't require refrigeration/ice usually involve heating, such as canned soup/ravioli/spaghetti-meatball(heavier stuff but no added water needed), ramen/pasta, or expensive stuff like the dehydrated meal-in-bag. I'd prefer to have options that don't rot when I camp and don't require heating. Especially when I'm camping with a backpacking stove unsheilded from wind, I've gone a day without eating once while camping because the stove wouldn't stay lit and I wasn't about to cook inside a tent.
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Old 04-09-16, 05:54 AM   #8
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A few comments from experience. (subscriber for over 18 months)
Cold yes. Warm Soylent is harder to consume. Just below 40*F is recommended.
I little flavoring helps a lot with some variants. On version 1.4 I mixed in a few drops of strawberry syrup into each glass.
Remember you need extra water. The liter of water used in the mix does not count toward your daily needs. An addition liter is required to stay hydrated.
The price. Yes the cost to start seems high but is replaces a lot. It is cheaper than fast food but much more healthy for you. (there was a price cut a few months back)
There was a promised 2 year shelf life for the dry mix, but I have not seen that. The mix I received most recently has a use by date only 5 months from arrival.
and finally, Soylent is not a diet shake. It has fairly high calorie count. it is intended to be a fast, easy, inexpensive, food replacement. But if used to replace fast food you will lose weight and feel better.

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