Soylent: What Happened When I Stopped Eating For 2 Weeks

That's it. Game over for nutrition science.

You can convince someone's mind to change physical attributes of their body using psychology.

Who's to say this guy's brain wasn't really excited about the prospect of a new diet that he was told by a really smart dude was going to make him more productive and healthier? Hook, line, sinker.

This also doesn't address any of the social rituals associated with food. Personally, for me, breakfast is the only meal that is removable, but that's because I'm not a morning person. I telecommute and have a family. Sitting down to lunch with my kids and wife (or just wife, joy when the kiddos are in school), is a great break in my day.

And dinner ... don't even get me started. I love sitting down to dinner. Makes me really just feel sorry for single folks whose lives revolve around productivity to such an extent.

We don't "know" this. There is strong anecdotal evidence showing that it MIGHT be true. But Alan Aragon, Lyle McDonald, and others (including those in the IF community) dispute this claim.

I would caution a rebuttal to what we "don't know" with Soylent with what "we know" which may not even be true.

As for my unsolicited opinion, who gives a shit if they make it and people eat it. Tim Ferriss is usually a shill for ridiculous products and information (like his Four Hour Anything crap), but he makes good points about Soylent needing to rebrand and change how they advertise. You can't just make a bunch of claims that it's all the body needs because it fits XYZ macronutrient panels (even though they are very, VERY likely correct - the laws of physics don't get trumped by biology, sorry) for the simple reason that the FDA will wield the banhammer with extreme prejudice.

But no one is being coerced to use the stuff, so who cares?

This guy is going to make a ton of money but I think that people should be thinking, "Do I really want to live a life where I don't have time for food or I don't enjoy preparing and eating it".

Personally I think it is kind of sad and hope in the future that 'Eating' doesn't become what 'face-to-face communication' or 'playing outside' has become today.....

What exactly is Soylent's target market? 20-30 something men?

As much as I love the idea of a meal replacement, the idea of a one-formula-for-all Soylent marketed as a near-entire meal replacement is kind of disturbing. I really hope the Soylent team figure things out soon by coming out with multiple formulas, or at least make it really clear who they're targeting first.

You don't have to even reach for a patient with special dietary requirements to realize the problem. For years I had to ensure I either took an iron supplement or got enough iron through my diet due to iron deficiency anemia from menstruation - a problem discovered only after I passed out in the middle of the street one morning. Given that I love iron-rich foods and that I chalked up the rest of the symptoms to stress, imagine my surprise. My postmenopausal mother consumes an absurd amount of calcium daily because that's one thing the female body needs after menopause. My father is getting old and his eye doctor tells him to consume eye vitamins now to reduce his risk of AMD (age related macular degeneration - one of the largest causes of vision loss). These three examples from my immediate family. Half the world's population will menstruate at some point, or will stop doing so. Even more will eventually get old. You can see where I'm trying to go with this.

I would probably be a lot more relaxed about this and put Soylent on the same level as my Carnation Breakfast Essentials if it's only supposed to replace a small part of what you eat, but while people are wholeheartedly advertising this as a complete meal replacement and while all the (so far public) test subjects seem to be 20-30 something men... I'll be nervous about it and I'll hold it to a higher standard. (And no, none of my disapproval of Soylent means I approve of crappy diets of fast food and sugary foods. Maybe some people will end up eating healthier with Soylent compared to their old diet, which would be great, but just don't market it like it's for everyone to replace nearly all their meals with IMO.)