I’ve been reading so many Huel forums but the years differ and the answers differ - and then Huel changes formulas. I’m looking to go 100% Huel. I am already 100% vegan. I workout (cardio and weightlifting 4-5 times per week. I want to lose weight and I can stand to lose 70-100lbs. I use MyFitnessPal to track my calories. From what I see, I have Huel V3 and after calculating getting me 2000cal/day (which is roughly 2080) my iron levels are going to be at 51mg per day, which is high. Additionally, my sodium levels from activity will need replenishing, also from what I’m reading. After the weekend I’ll be consulting a dietician just for “expert” advice.
Just you have info. I’m 22 year old white male (specificity of being white is because of certain nutritional reasons as some folks of different complexion require more/less of certain things) I clock in at about 305lbs. I’m active (could run a 7:57 mile) and have no outlying medical conditions - apart from being overweight. I had blood work about 6 months ago that was all okay, I was in good standing. I’m going for another lab panel in a few days.
Forgive me if these questions have relevant, updated answers, but here are my concerns:
Iron levels. I need to know that these are safe because from what I’ve read 40-45mg/day is the high side of iron you should have in a day and 50 and up could become toxic.
Sodium. My sodium levels from MYFitnessPal after 1 day of having 4 100g scoops is an 0. Zip. Nada. (Are there salt supplements? Should I just add some to my gallon of water per day that I drink?
Has anyone here used Huel 100% at the level I have just described for 1 full year WITH doctor visits and blood work? What have your results been?
A Huel official response is greatly appreciated, but I would be grateful for anyone with knowledge in the topic to respond.
Everything else seems pretty great. Protein is almost spot on, carbs could use a tiny boost but nothing that can’t be easily adjusted, fiber is great. Fat is great. Good saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Potassium great, Vitamin A good. Vitamin C is high (but what your body doesn’t use comes out in your urine, so no big deal) and calcium is great.
Thanks for helping in advance! Sorry again if these concerns have updated answers, I haven’t found them.
Hey @sudanyms! Welcome to the Huel forum! Hope I can help provide you with a bit of information surrounding Huel.
The amount of iron in Huel has been discussed recently and I linked that thread here. I also linked a page on our website here that discusses iron and the amount in Huel in more detail than provided on the linked forum thread.
Huel does contain sodium as Huel is nutritionally complete and contains the 27 essential vitamins and minerals to meet the daily value recommendations per 2000 calories of Huel alone. The amount of sodium in each flavor can vary slightly.
If you click on the product page for Huel v3.0 powder here and then scroll down to “Nutritional Information” you will be able to see the amount of sodium each flavor contains per serving and per 2000 calories.
While there are Hueligans that consume 100% Huel, this is not something we recommend as variety is also important in your daily intake! Is there is a reason why you’re thinking about consuming 100% Huel?
You also want to be sure that if you do choose to consume 100% Huel, that you are providing your body with an appropriate amount each day to meet your needs as everyone’s needs differ!
I appreciate your response. Thanks for relaying that info and I’ll be reading up on those attached links.
To answer your question of “Why 100% Huel”: Honestly, quick weightless and convenience. I also, unfortunately, suffer from GERD. So a lot of food upsets my body - too many foods. I’ve noticed with Huel, I don’t really get an upset stomach. I figured (full transparency) I’d use Huel between 70-90% of the day. Maybe leave myself one solid food meal just so my body doesn’t get completely hooked on a liquid diet.
Also I’m wondering if MyFitnessPal isn’t completely registering all the nutrients. Still though, I am curious about blood work and physical exams - maybe ever some sort of exercise endurance test. That would be a useful study to run if any “Hueligans” have used Huel. Also are there any high-level athletes that use Huel regularly for at least 2-3 meals per day? Thanks again. I have Huel lunch coming up soon, so.
Got it! This is something that’s done a bit more frequently. It’s also a bit easier to sustain if it’s something you want to do longer term, as well. Ultimately, it comes down to what works best for you and this can take a bit of trial and error too in terms of both frequency and amount.
This is just a guess, but if you used one of the previously added options on the app, it may be that whoever input the information for Huel v3.0 powder may not have added all of the nutritional facts. Not sure though.
We did a trial where participants consumed 100% Huel for 5 weeks, if your interested in taking a look. I linked the summary here.
If you want myfitnesspal to be accurate, you need to create the food yourself and input all the information from the label on the bag. You can’t rely on the database, it’s usually wrong/doesn’t have correct serving size, etc.
The main reason we started the one-year Huel project is that specific reason - We haven’t found any information of the long-term effects at all that was documented and it would be progressive if the idea was one day there could be a staple product that could be used exclusively as a source of nutrition.
The iron levels over a month from starting the one-year research project were cut by over half - Initial Iron(ug/dL): [178] to the lower amount of Iron(ug/dL): [69]. Next week on the 26th will be the next update for 2 months (62 Days) and I expect it’ll be around the same levels as the prior test.
Sodium after a month, as @Charlotte_Huel mentioned, was insignificantly higher after 30days(136->138).
@sudanyms About 10 months to go as long as there are no significant negative health consequences along the way.
I am on about 80-90 percent Huel. Some days I won’t eat anything but Huel. Usually I eat one normal meal towards the end of the day, never later than 8pm(late night meals are a no go). For me, being able to eat nutritionally complete 6-8 meals a day is a game changer. My metabolism currently functions like a machine and I’m loving it. Usually I throw a meal in every once in a while in order to shake it up and not get too bored of the same thing repeatedly, granted I have an abnormally high tolerance for that. I simply do not have the time to meal prep and Huel gives me that advantage. To put everything into context though, I am already in good shape. I used to be a personal trainer. Being in shape is not hard for me, I’m conditioned to it. Gym time is not monotonous for me. What I have historically had problems with is getting the diet lined up to a place that I feel is elite. Huel is getting me to that place.
Drastic drop in Iron was more likely overeating foods higher in Iron / taking a multivitamin, the current result is within healthy range and I dont expect it to change that much anymore(Educated Guess)
I did think about it before I started but that would be just another variable, so to keep it literally 100% Huel (and water of course), we opted to take it off the table to keep the results truly from Huel alone.
