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Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

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Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#991
These stories are getting enough press I figure I'll chime in.

I've been drinking Soylent since the early days. At times I've almost exclusively drank soylent. Since the first early adopters received their first shipments almost 1 year later than originally anticipated.

The one thing that has caused mild indigestion for me was when I was drinking Soylent almost exclusively in combination with energy drinks. Specifically Monster Lo-Carb (1 each morning on weekdays). Once I eliminated energy drinks from my diet the indigestion stopped.

Otherwise my personal impression (given my mostly eventless but extensive history with soylent, along with an inability of the company to precisely define the source of the issue) is that a lot of the bad press is a smear campaign.

EDIT: Another thing that has crossed my mind is that the American diet is notoriously bad. When switching diet from mostly bad to mostly good a person should expect a change of the composition of the bacteria in their stomach. Which could lead to the sensation / symptoms of indigestion.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#992
post #440

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been drinking that breakfast and lunch for a few months and have felt great. Only downside is occasional dehydration if I don't keep my water inkeep up, but that's easy to fix fast and self inflicted.

Out of interest, if I may ask, did you start using Huel to fix a nutritional deficiency of some sort, or did you simply like the appeal? I've heard a fair few people say they feel generally healthier or 'better' after beginning it, which I find interesting. I've been using Huel on-and-off for a few months — to replace my lunches for a few days each week, or when I don't fancy breakfast, or if I realise I haven't eate…

I tried it out of curiosity, and to see if I could improve my diet. It gives me a lot more energy, especially at work, and my productivity and sleep quality have improved drastically. that said after almost two weeks on Holiday where I didn't drink it much I am struggling to get back into it.

The best effect is re-examining my relationship with food. If I over eat or eat rubbish I really notice it now and just that awareness has naturally improved the rest of my diet.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#993

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least he's been eating his own product almost exclusively when at home according to that blog post. This gave me a positive impression at the start of the blog post and I was agreeing with what he said initially, but then it went downhill. I would not want to get rid of my kitchen and I would absolutely never replace my food with Soylent, especially now that I've heard of all the people getting sick from it. Also,…

> At least he's been eating his own product almost exclusively when at home according to that blog post. I'd note that he got anemia early on in his Soylent journey because he forgot iron was a basic nutrient.

I thought it was sulfur:

http://robrhinehart.com/?p=570

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#994
post #988

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you name any of these "toxins"?

are you disputing that bile plays a role in the metabolic process that removes toxins ? or are you seeking clarification of what I mean by toxins ?

It seems that nowadays "toxins" are what used to be called "evil spirits".

If they were physical substances, they'd have names.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#995

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go look into health inspection reports. Restaurants of all kinds routinely violate health codes.

Yes, and we don't accept "hygiene is hard!" as an excuse when they violate health codes.

Restaurants don't get shut down for every little violation.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#996

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There are a limited number of ingredients, all of which are surely well documented and tested. There isn't really any bright line between edible and poisonous. E.g. if you buy a bunch of field guides, the exact same plants and mushrooms will be listed as edible in some books and poisonous in others. There are lots of species that are widely considered poisonous, but many people eat them anyway without any ill effec…

> the exact same plants and mushrooms will be listed as edible in some books and poisonous in others. Are you serious? Any mycologist or survivalist worth their salt will tell you to avoid any mushrooms you could not identify with 100% certainty because there is no regret if you had them. Some manuals may advocate (in very desperate situations) eating a small piece of an unknown species to see if you have a reaction…

Let's take something else: vodka. Poisonous or edible? Clearly poisonous: if you drink a litre, you may feel nauseous, lose your balance, slur your words, throw up...

On the other hand, generally recognized as edible: many people consume it regularly, most doctors wouldn't tell you to never consume it, recipe books include recipes using it, etc.

Many (identified!) mushrooms are on a similar level of toxicity: one is fine, a kilo will make you nauseous, twenty kilos can kill you. Whether this is toxic or edible is to some extent a cultural construct. The dose makes the poison.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#997
post #988

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you name any of these "toxins"?

are you disputing that bile plays a role in the metabolic process that removes toxins ? or are you seeking clarification of what I mean by toxins ?

With the rise of terrestrial plants and animals approximately 400 Myr ago, the major functions of CYPs expanded to encompass the detoxification of dietary phytochemicals via a coevolutionary process involving dozens of gene duplication events (Nelson 1999; Lewis 2001). There are approximately 76 CYP families known in animals, with 57 of these present in humans (Nelson et al. 2004).

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/275/1640/1231...

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#998

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A cautionary tale that produces a fast-growing company now worth at least $100 million dollars? I'll take it.

Here, in a nutshell, is everything that is wrong with the toxic valley startup culture.

I agree with you. I don't support this mentality -- I'm just making fun of it.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#999
post #988

Earlier quoted context omitted.

are you disputing that bile plays a role in the metabolic process that removes toxins ? or are you seeking clarification of what I mean by toxins ?

It seems that nowadays "toxins" are what used to be called "evil spirits". If they were physical substances, they'd have names.

What, you want me to list all substances that are toxins? I don't get this comment, clearly toxins exist. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxin

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#1000
post #999

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems that nowadays "toxins" are what used to be called "evil spirits". If they were physical substances, they'd have names.

What, you want me to list all substances that are toxins? I don't get this comment, clearly toxins exist. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxin

http://news.berkeley.edu/2016/11/01/study-finds-wide-exposur...
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