Joint Pain while using Huel

#1

I started Huel back in October 2017 and everything was really good overall, besides the “odor” (you know what I am talking about). But as time went on, I started to get something of the equivalent of tendonitis at first in one elbow, then a couple weeks later in both.

I continued to use Huel, mainly breakfast and lunch, occasionally diner as well, and I did not equate Huel with the pain that I was going through until recently.

Experiencing shoulder pain about two weeks ago, similar to the elbow pain, I decided to stop eating Huel about four days ago and the pain has lessened in the elbows and drastically reduced in the shoulder.

I am scheduling a doctor’s visit in a couple of weeks to make certain there is nothing else that is happening. Would there be any medical cause of Huel causing this issue?

#2

That sounds like arthritis to me. My own observation of arthritis is that it gets worse with inflammation. I’m not sure if there could be anything in Huel causing inflammatory response - but you might also have reduced your intake of “stuff” that reduces that pain.

I’ve also noticed that when I take glucosamine regularly for 6-8 weeks, I eventually get to where my joints feel too tight - so then I stop taking it until my joints start to hurt again. Not really sure why this might be, most of my medical info at this point is around iv nutrition, electrolytes, insulin, glucose - I haven’t programmed a nutrition or allergy advisor yet.

#3

I have been to an allergist last year and the only thing that came up was trees, some molds and dust mites. Pre- and post Huel was mainly salads and other foods that were from Trader Joe’s. As of this post, I was able to get back to weight lifting a little bit (too painful before) without any significant pain. Unfortunately, I am going to stay of the Huel for now to see if there is improvement.

#4

For reference, is that vanilla or unflavored/unsweetened? Were you mixing with milk or nut milk? I know someone allergic to casein, so even beyond the lactose, there are proteins in milk that cause problems for some people. Also, if you don’t know about an almond allergy yet are drinking almond milk you could be inadvertently attributing the side effects to Huel. It’s a good to eliminate foods to see if you can find the culprit.

btw, the allergist probably didn’t test for anything other than the most common food allergies (shellfish, peanuts, etc.) unless you specifically request each test. I knew someone who ate Hershey bars with almonds every day after lunch without realizing the almond allergy was ruining her evening.

#5

Up until a month ago it was vanilla (US) only, then I switched to half vanilla and half unsweetened with no change in the condition (both with just Brita filtered water).

For the past three weeks it has been 1/2 vanilla, 1/2 unsweetened with 3/4 filtered water (through a Brita) and 1/4 Coconut milk fromTrader Joe’s (to deal with the gassy issue, which actually works).

I have to look up the specifics on what was tested, but it was a pretty comprehensive test, since they were trying to rule out as much as possible.

For now, I can only react to what my body is telling me, get off the Huel for now, see if there is further improvements and then go from there.

#6

Overly vigorous bottle shaking?

#7

Gluten can be inflammatory, but I don’t know if that’s really going to impact your joints. It might be worth an honest try, though.

That aside, perhaps it’s time to intake additional sources of omega-3 or other joint supplements?

I’m about to purchase some supplements for lifting shortly from this site (I can’t vouch for its effectiveness as a result, but some preliminary research looks positive): https://legionathletics.com/products/supplements/fortify/

That link is specifically for the joint supplement.

#8

I was actually taking omega-3 supplements while on Huel, but thanks for the link!

I continually see improvement in not only pain, but in mobility. It is a weird thing to happen, it is the only thing I can do to discontinue for now until I see my doctor.