Soylent

Portius

Do any of you have any experience with Soylent? I find the idea of it very appealing, but at the same time I really don't know enough about nutrition to make an informed decision about it, and this isn't a great time for me to just buy some and do a test run on myself. So, trusted sources, if you've used it or any of its assorted offshoots I'd like to hear about your experiences.

Enyalida

I heard it's made of people.

(Just getting that out of the way.)

Portius

Wrong Soylent! Not that I'd be terribly adverse to eating people as long as there was no murder involved, but I feel like turning them into a just-add-water powder might be prohibitively difficult.

Daraius

Unhelpful comment is unhelpful. Don't mind me.

Ayisdra

Daraius said:

Unhelpful comment is unhelpful. Don't mind me.

more so towards the original comment: You would be surprised at how people can be lazy and find having to cook a waste of time and would rather use that time for something else.

Portius

Ayisdra said:

Daraius said:

Unhelpful comment is unhelpful. Don't mind me.

more so towards the original comment: You would be surprised at how people can be lazy and find having to cook a waste of time and would rather use that time for something else.

There's also the simple fact that nothing I would choose to eat in the absence of need has any significant nutritional value. But time is a big factor, too. Saving even twenty minutes a day on food acquisition adds up to 2 and a third hours a week. That's a lot. For scale, that's about two books for Lusternia.

I'd just go for it if I didn't need to be healthy to get things done. If I ever have like two weeks to be horribly ill if things go wrong, I'll try it sight unseen.

Daraius

What if you just hire me to come cook your meals?

Synkarin

There's a pretty decent sized soylent culture, can google lots of websites about it

I considered it, but never went through with it

Aruin

This is pretty cool and reminds me of old sci-fi books. I don't think I'd ever switch over completely to any meal substitutes (I like tasting food and I even enjoy cooking it sometimes.) Probably do 1-2 cooked meals a week that I could just go out and buy the ingredients to the day of. Less dishes too.

I am now considering it.

Rialorm

I've dieted with shakes and used them to get some protein in me after workouts, and honestly I quite enjoyed that. I imagine Soylent is like that except more complete. On the protein diet I did I had to supplement vitamins and stuff, does anyone know if that is the case for this or not?

As for cooking, much as I want to eat healthy, I loathe it. Having to stand in the kitchen for a while making something, then the dishes that come from it, uuuugh. Am I lazy? Probably. Am I trying to do too much in a day that I can't appreciate taking the time out to make something for myself? Most likely yes. So I found an acceptable middle ground in making bulk meals and just eat the same thing a whole week. I buy meat or a replacement, and veggies, and make a batch that gets portioned out. Then I reheat a portion every day. It's also way cheaper than making food for a single person, and it avoids me resorting to fast food or tv dinners. Although sometimes I am weak and do just that. Still, I mostly eat ok this way without much bother. I'll work on the rest eventually.

Ventidius

I do not like or approve of any substances like this which are just meant to halve the cooking time while also halving the health and positive benefits. Sure, buy a blended fruit juice, but you'll get a lot more health benefits and enjoy it more, and find it more filling, to eat about 3-4 fruits. Shortcuts are bad unless they keep the same amount of goodness.

Ssaliss

It's not really meant to halve the health or positive benefits; quite the opposite. It's advertised to have all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals and what-have-you that you need for a full days work. All it does is provide it in a way that's quick to make (and, personally, I'd also buy it for the fact that I'll know it gives me what I need so I won't have to worry about deficiencies).

Xenthos

There've been multiple shows and such on NPR about it (I think if you Google "soylent" and "On Point" you should be able to find a podcast that will give you some more information, including people calling in and asking questions to the guy who created the stuff).  It might give you a broader / more general overview of the whole thing.

Ventidius

Ssaliss said:

It's not really meant to halve the health or positive benefits; quite the opposite. It's advertised to have all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals and what-have-you that you need for a full days work. All it does is provide it in a way that's quick to make (and, personally, I'd also buy it for the fact that I'll know it gives me what I need so I won't have to worry about deficiencies).

It's still a shortcut, and well, I think we need more than just the basics.

Ssaliss

Ventidius said:

Ssaliss said:

It's not really meant to halve the health or positive benefits; quite the opposite. It's advertised to have all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals and what-have-you that you need for a full days work. All it does is provide it in a way that's quick to make (and, personally, I'd also buy it for the fact that I'll know it gives me what I need so I won't have to worry about deficiencies).

It's still a shortcut, and well, I think we need more than just the basics.

Eh. Not all shortcuts are bad. I'd gladly get Soylent, if only it were available over here. I think I'd be healthier for it, frankly.

Synkarin

You can make your own, there are entire sites dedicated to recipes

Xeria

.....why!

Different food culture down where I'm at. IF soylent made it's debut here, it'd most likely marketed as the food for invalids and paralyzed people. 

Rialorm

One thought I had about this: Feeling full and satisfied after a meal is a complex thing. There's metabolic processes which start off, but also your stomach expanding which sends signals to your brain. I wonder if Soylent, due to being so compact and liquid, can achieve this, as opposed to say having to chew and eat a steak and veggies.