Eating Soylent

ME_Andy · 02-21-16, 04:20 PM

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.

jeff5may · 02-21-16, 04:53 PM

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.

hamsterpower · 02-22-16, 01:42 PM

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.

Daox · 02-22-16, 03:30 PM

Sounds interesting! I may have to try...

Mobile Master Tech · 02-24-16, 01:39 PM

Here's the obligatory "Soylent Green is People!" reference....

I like the bugout bag storage idea.

bdgWesternMass · 04-08-16, 03:53 PM

I have tried soylent and believe that the one week supply will actually last my family for generations.

MN Renovator · 04-08-16, 05:14 PM

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.

hamsterpower · 04-09-16, 05:54 AM

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.

02-21-16, 04:20 PM	#1
ME_Andy Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: New Mexico/Texas Posts: 66 Thanks: 22 Thanked 11 Times in 10 Posts	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.

02-22-16, 03:30 PM	#4
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Sounds interesting! I may have to try... __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

02-24-16, 01:39 PM	#5
Mobile Master Tech Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: May 2012 Location: Atlanta, Ga Posts: 142 Thanks: 38 Thanked 41 Times in 34 Posts	Here's the obligatory "Soylent Green is People!" reference.... I like the bugout bag storage idea. __________________ "I‘d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don‘t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." Thomas Edison, 1847 — 1931

02-21-16, 04:53 PM	#2
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,431 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	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.

02-22-16, 01:42 PM	#3
hamsterpower Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 142 Thanks: 0 Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts	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.

04-08-16, 03:53 PM	#6
bdgWesternMass Lurking Renovator Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Williamstown, MA Posts: 21 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	I have tried soylent and believe that the one week supply will actually last my family for generations.

04-08-16, 05:14 PM	#7
MN Renovator Less usage=Cheaper bills Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 940 Thanks: 41 Thanked 117 Times in 91 Posts	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.

04-09-16, 05:54 AM	#8
hamsterpower Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 142 Thanks: 0 Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts	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.