First, we do not understand human biochemistry and nutrition nearly well enough to start making complete food replacements.
I'm not proposing to use it as a complete food replacement, just as something to have once or twice a day. Because 1) it saves time, 2) it saves money, 3) it's more nutritious than the alternative and 4) it's less caloric/fattening/sugary/salty than the alternative.
Second, I like (real) food. I like the taste and the texture and the smells and everything that makes yumminess. Why in the world would I give it up?
I'm with you, food is great! But a lot of times I find myself scrambling to "get my meal out of the way" because I'm in a rush. I throw something together quickly or find something to eat on the go, and this doesn't give me that satisfaction you describe. I sense I'm not alone here. Aren't there times when you don't get to eat a satisfying meal, and you'd prefer something like Soylent instead because of the time, cost and nutritional benefits? You could still eat a nice dinner each day and real meals on the weekends when you have more time.
I'm not proposing to use it as a complete food replacemen
Maybe you aren't, but Soylent is marketed as such.
Because 1) ... 2) ... 3) ... 4)
What is that "alternative" you're talking about? It's not made of straw, is it? :-)
Aren't there times when you don't get to eat a satisfying meal, and you'd prefer something like Soylent
Definitely not. Why would I drink goop when I can have real food instead? I don't find any of the time, cost, or nutrition arguments persuasive.
Edit: Sorry, I didn't realize there has been so much discussion on this already! I thought I had just stumbled across some obscure product haha. Anyway, I've been reading through discussions here, on Hacker News, Tim Ferris' blog etc. There's been a lot of talk about whether or not this is truly a "replacement for eating" (or whatever the term is). I think the more interesting question is whether it's a good idea to:
My initial impression is that it is a good idea to use it as a once or twice a day thing.
*The two main problems (digestive issues and headaches) seem to be sufficiently addressed by 1. Adopting it slowly into your diet (over the course of 5 days or so) and 2. Making sure you get enough salt.
Original Post: you could ignore this if you're familiar with Soylent
I've just came across a meal replacement drink called Soylent - http://www.soylent.me/.
It is...
However I really don't have enough information to make any reasonably strong conclusions. Those bullet points above are more vague suspicions than evidence backed knowledge.
So do any of you guys know anything about Soylent or meal replacement drinks/bars/etc.? Are they healthy? Are there things I haven't accounted for?
Also, I'm sorta surprised this isn't more popular. Most people I know hate cooking and cleaning and shopping and spending so much time and money on food. I think most people would be more than happy to have Soylent (or something similar) for a meal or two each day, and then have a big dinner or something. It would save a ton of money and time, and would reduce the amount of fat and sugar in the persons diet. And because you're spending less money on food and consuming less fat and sugar, you could justify eating out or ordering in a splurge meal more often! What do you guys think? Why isn't this more popular? Are people really that afraid of the health effects?
(I'm not being hypocritical. I know that *I've* been asking about the health effects and seem to be worried about them, but I wouldn't think most people would approach this the same way I am. If I lived on an island isolated from other people, was told about Soylent and asked what I think it's popularity is, I would guess it to be very high. I would think people would see that it's pretty nutritious, aren't really any known risks or reason to think there would be risks, and be eager to save time and money by using Soylent).