Two Months of Soylent
robrhinehart.com
Two Months of Soylent
1–10 of 247 posts
Re: Two Months of Soylent
#2While your project is crazy, you've inspired me to try eating 1/2 of a 600-calorie sandwich every 3 hours. The points about disconnecting our energy source from our entertainment resonates with me, and I'm becoming more aware of the benefits of a consistent calorie supply.
The FDA recommends a crazy amount of potassium. Most people don't get that much potassium in their diets.
Re: Two Months of Soylent
#3How exactly does Soylent solve world hunger? I've heard we produce more than enough food to solve hunger already, and much is wasted. Is the food too expensive?
Is Soylent much more shelf stable?
Re: Two Months of Soylent
#4How exactly does Soylent solve world hunger? I've heard we produce more than enough food to solve hunger already, and much is wasted. Is the food too expensive? Is Soylent much more shelf stable?
> Is Soylent much more shelf stable?
No, actually, it's less so. But apparently it can be made out of "very common [mostly vegetable] ingredients growable in every place on Earth", unlike most other "complete" diets.
Re: Two Months of Soylent
#5How exactly does Soylent solve world hunger? I've heard we produce more than enough food to solve hunger already, and much is wasted. Is the food too expensive? Is Soylent much more shelf stable?
I would guess that the main problem is distribution of said food. Since most food spoils quickly, that presents a huge problem.
If Soylent powder preserves well, then distribution should be substantially easier.
Re: Two Months of Soylent
#6It's people?
Re: Two Months of Soylent
#7> Some people tell me going "ketogenic", or reducing carbs is healthy. I am now skeptical of this claim as lowering carbs makes me feel hungry and tired, and the drink taste less sweet. Perhaps it would be possible after an unpleasant transition period, but I don’t see the ultimate gain...
Their advice seems to fall in line with the paleo/primal philosophies—in a nutshell: man only started eating a significant amount of carbohydrates after the agriculturalization of cereals (grains) about 10,000 years ago. They argue that wasn't enough time for us to evolve enough to adapt.
But to your point about feeling hungry and tired—I think it's because you're addicted to carbs and sugar (like almost all of us are), but you don't NEED carbs, at all. I tried primal for a month, and yes, the adjustment took a few days (maybe a week). However, after I got over the sugar/carb cravings, my energy levels where much more even throughout the day, sans-grains.
Re: Two Months of Soylent
#8How exactly does Soylent solve world hunger? I've heard we produce more than enough food to solve hunger already, and much is wasted. Is the food too expensive? Is Soylent much more shelf stable?
The components of Soylent (as listed in an earlier blog post) are chemically stable at room temperature. (caveat the probiotics). (this from looking them up in the 'rubber bible' [1]) I would expect you could spoil them if they got too hot (oxidizing) but other than that doesn't look too bad.
Assuming the $150/month calculated, that's still pretty pricey for someone who makes $1-$2 a day in wages. Its not clear to me how to calculate how that cost compares to sending sacks of wheat or rice.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRC_Handbook_of_Chemistry_and_P...
Re: Two Months of Soylent
#9How exactly does Soylent solve world hunger? I've heard we produce more than enough food to solve hunger already, and much is wasted. Is the food too expensive? Is Soylent much more shelf stable?
> Is Soylent much more shelf stable? No, actually, it's less so. But apparently it can be made out of "very common [mostly vegetable] ingredients growable in every place on Earth", unlike most other "complete" diets.
The "[mostly vegetable]" aspect would, in theory, also reduce stress on water supplies because raising animals requires a fair amount of water. I don't have a definitive source at hand, but there's an interesting interactive exploration of the matter on NatGeo: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshw...
Re: Two Months of Soylent
#10I have a great deal of respect for self-experimenters, no matter how crazy they seem.
That said, I'd like to see him compare two months of Soylent to two months of eating solid meals with a similar nutritional profile. Most of the benefits he has experienced are probably just a result of extremely well-balanced diet, not anything specifically related to Soylent.