All this talk about liquid food as a holy grail to pursue is intruiging but I wonder, what harm does it do to the teeth, oral flora and digestive system if they have nothing to 'chew' on? Just like our body slowly atrophies when we sit to much and move to little, perhaps our body needs the traditional 'holistic' form of food (not necessarily including raw food)?
SupermealX, India’s Soylent
11–20 of 51 posts
Re: SupermealX, India’s Soylent
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think any Soylent thread would benefit from a summary of typical comments, to make way for new ideas. Pick yours. 1. Liquid diets aren't new 2. Cooking is easy and enjoyable, I don't see why people avoid it 3. Soylent is healthier than fast food even if it's inferior to well-made natural meals 4. It hasn't undergone rigorous, clinical testing 5. It's dystopic, dehumanizing 6. It's a dietary choice of others that ma…
I pick #1. My biggest problem with Soylent is not what they are doing, but that they have an attitude that they invented the idea.
Like how Apple "invented" the GUI? The results speak for themselves.
Re: SupermealX, India’s Soylent
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think any Soylent thread would benefit from a summary of typical comments, to make way for new ideas. Pick yours. 1. Liquid diets aren't new 2. Cooking is easy and enjoyable, I don't see why people avoid it 3. Soylent is healthier than fast food even if it's inferior to well-made natural meals 4. It hasn't undergone rigorous, clinical testing 5. It's dystopic, dehumanizing 6. It's a dietary choice of others that ma…
I pick #1. My biggest problem with Soylent is not what they are doing, but that they have an attitude that they invented the idea.
There are a many meal replacements out there that are meant to supplement a diet. Ensure for example is easy to find, but it's not designed to be the only thing you eat.
There are some medical products that fit the goal, but I don't know of any that are marketed to the general public. Though, if you actually have a better alternative in mind I think a lot of people here would be interested.
Re: SupermealX, India’s Soylent
#14That idea that a selection of vitamins and minerals, et al. can replace traditional food has largely been debunked, for the current state of the art at least. Perhaps in the future, but based on our current knowledge base we can not yet replace traditional food with synthesized pills and powder for the majority of one's natural life. We still do not know all of the nutritional elements of some of the most basic fruit…
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Re: SupermealX, India’s Soylent
#15That idea that a selection of vitamins and minerals, et al. can replace traditional food has largely been debunked, for the current state of the art at least. Perhaps in the future, but based on our current knowledge base we can not yet replace traditional food with synthesized pills and powder for the majority of one's natural life. We still do not know all of the nutritional elements of some of the most basic fruit…
I think the debate around Soylent really suffers from disagreement of what users of Soylent use it for, what others think it is being used for out should be used for and what it is advertised as.
I think it's foolish to believe that Soylent will provide a very healthy diet just I its own. As you point out we know way to little about what the body needs. That's why no one I know who uses Soylent eats it exclusively. Unfortunately that's not what is advertised as. If you see it as an alternative to a rushed meal that comes from a fast food chain and our prematr from the freezer in the grocery store, Soylent is the better choice. I eat/drink Soylent for breakfast add weekday lunches. For dinner I usually have streamed vegetables and done lean meat with done fresh fruit later in the evening. I think together that probably makes for a much better diet than most people have. Yes, it could be improved by replacing the Soylent with a more traditional, but healthy meal, but the effort I'm willing to invest I breakfast and weekday lunches prevents that as far as I can see. Especially at the price point that Soylent comes at.
I'm certain that most Soylent users see Soylent as a replacement for a crappy sandwich or burger with a side of potato chips and not as a replacement for a wholesome meal.
Re: SupermealX, India’s Soylent
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
I pick #1. My biggest problem with Soylent is not what they are doing, but that they have an attitude that they invented the idea.
There are a many meal replacements out there that are meant to supplement a diet. Ensure for example is easy to find, but it's not designed to be the only thing you eat. There are some medical products that fit the goal, but I don't know of any that are marketed to the general public. Though, if you actually have a better alternative in mind I think a lot of people here would be interested.
> Ensure for example is easy to find, but it's not designed to be the only thing you eat.
Untrue. Ensure has many different products, and many of them are complete meal replacements.
Re: SupermealX, India’s Soylent
#17For the starving poor - it is too expensive.
For the tasteful rich - it is too bland.
For the average house - it is too unlike a home-cooked meal.
For programmers being used as disposable slaves - it's perfect! Less time eating, more time programming.
Re: SupermealX, India’s Soylent
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are a many meal replacements out there that are meant to supplement a diet. Ensure for example is easy to find, but it's not designed to be the only thing you eat. There are some medical products that fit the goal, but I don't know of any that are marketed to the general public. Though, if you actually have a better alternative in mind I think a lot of people here would be interested.
> Ensure for example is easy to find, but it's not designed to be the only thing you eat. Untrue. Ensure has many different products, and many of them are complete meal replacements.
Link?
From there site: https://ensure.com/nutrition-facts-questions-answers
"Can Ensure products be used as a meal replacement or a snack? Yes, Ensure ready-to-drink shakes and drinks can be used as a snack and as an occasional meal replacement."
Re: SupermealX, India’s Soylent
#19That idea that a selection of vitamins and minerals, et al. can replace traditional food has largely been debunked, for the current state of the art at least. Perhaps in the future, but based on our current knowledge base we can not yet replace traditional food with synthesized pills and powder for the majority of one's natural life. We still do not know all of the nutritional elements of some of the most basic fruit…
I think the debate around Soylent really suffers from disagreement of what users of Soylent use it for, what others think it is being used for out should be used for and what it is advertised as. I think it's foolish to believe that Soylent will provide a very healthy diet just I its own. As you point out we know way to little about what the body needs. That's why no one I know who uses Soylent eats it exclusively. U…
Unfortunately Soylent does not market it as such. If they did, I'd be inclined to agree with you. However, on Soylent's website you can find the following:
"Soylent is a food product (classified as a food, not a supplement, by the FDA) designed for use as a staple meal by all adults." -https://www.soylent.com/about/
"Soylent is designed as a simple staple food, and people incorporate it into their lives to varying degrees. Some people use it almost exclusively, while others use it 2-3 times per week. There is no right or wrong amount of Soylent to eat - the whole idea is to find a balance that works for you." -https://faq.soylent.com/hc/en-us/articles/201273045-How-do-I...
"Our goal at Soylent is to engineer nutritionally-complete food products that are optimized for modern consumers' lifestyles and budgets. Above all, we want to make healthy nutrition easily attainable." -https://faq.soylent.com/hc/en-us/articles/203709619-Soylent-...
So by using terms or phrases such as 'complete', 'almost exclusively', and 'staple', and going so far as to remark that it is classified by the FDA as a 'food' and not a 'supplement', Soylent is explicitly marketing their product as a primary or complete food and nutrition source.
Their words. Not mine.
Re: SupermealX, India’s Soylent
#20Designated food.