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In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is in Demand

nytimes.com

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Re: In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is in Demand

#61

Post by shanusmagnus »

ggnore wrote: post #3
gfodor wrote: post #2

Soylent was originally touted as a meal replacement but I (and others) have found that it works best as a "plan B" to nutrition. It changes the way you look at food if you always have an option to just get the nutrition you need quickly and easily: a lot of meals you'd normally skip you don't, and a lot of meals you eat that are less than nutritious you can either opt-out of or can supplement with proper nutrition wi…

Where Soylent falls short in this respect is that it's nutrition is only ideal given that the rest of your diet is Soylent too. It has a ton of carbs, and if you're anything like most Americans, you already have way too many carbs in your diet. Unless you're doing a lot of physical activity and you need those carbs, most people would do better just drinking a regular whey protein shake.

The thing that keeps me from really jumping in on Soylent is the lack of a low-carb option. I've made my own LC version, based on recipes online, but it takes a long time and is a pain in the ass, which is a killer considering Soylent's main virtue is that you dump it on the shaker, shake it up, and are done. I'm hopeful that if things keep going well for the company eventually they'll offer a LC version; or maybe a competitor will.

[I know there are things like Keto fuel, but these all require buying a bunch of oil and stuff and mixing it in, which is not the seamless solution I really want.]

Re: In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is in Demand

#62

Post by brooklyndavs »

Sigh. If you are drinking a Soylent or some other drink because you literally don't have the time to get up from your desk for 30-60 minutes for a meal I question what type of human existence you are living. There are so many things central to living life that revolve around eating (social benefits, maybe fresh air and sunshine, tasting and smelling the food itself) that one misses out on by just drinking a shake and not seeing daylight for days on end. It seems like another way to make people more productive. Who needs a lunch break? Just drink a shake and keep coding! If you don't have any ownership in what you are making why one would give up one of the rights they have as a worker, a break in the day to get something to eat, is beyond me.

With that said I understand the value of a meal replacement if you are trying to loose weight. Soylent seems to be better vs the older meal replacement shakes out there, ie that slim fast junk.

Re: In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is in Demand

#63

Post by [deleted] »

jjoonathan wrote: post #48
misiogames wrote: post #44

IMHO if cooking or ordering food is "taking time away" then, well, you need to evaluate the whole picture, maybe you need to improve in other areas, plus, you are not going to get to me to sign a check serving soylent as dinner, sorry! Dinner is more than a meal.

It's one thing to say you would rather spend time chatting and enjoying food (so would I), but it's quite another to say something is wrong with someone who disagrees.

[deleted]

Re: In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is in Demand

#64

Post by gfodor »

BrainInAJar wrote: post #6
gfodor wrote: post #2

Soylent was originally touted as a meal replacement but I (and others) have found that it works best as a "plan B" to nutrition. It changes the way you look at food if you always have an option to just get the nutrition you need quickly and easily: a lot of meals you'd normally skip you don't, and a lot of meals you eat that are less than nutritious you can either opt-out of or can supplement with proper nutrition wi…

So, here's a question; If you're using it as a supplement rather than a total meal replacement, why spend the exorbitant amount for Soylent specifically when you could get 90% of the way by getting some whey, mixing in a bit of cheap oil, and taking a multivitamin?

It's cheap enough for me I don't think about it, what you describe sounds like work to do properly and at parity with soylent's nutrition label. (Other people seem to do DIY soylent, not me.)

Soylent just shows up at my door every couple of weeks, I throw it in the soylent cabinet, and I can make and drink one in about 2 minutes.

Re: In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is in Demand

#65

Post by brooklyndavs »

brainburn wrote: post #42

I've been eating our own type of soylent for the past year and a half now. 2 per day, morning and noon, and 'normal' dinner. The type I eat is ketogenic (meaning low carb). I have to conclude that I feel better than ever before. Where previously I ate very monotonic (and one could argue, I still do), I did not get all the nutrients I should. I now do, and feel pretty damn good. I do feel soylent is the future, but th…

Soylent will never be the future. Just like slim fast or ensure were not the future in the 80s and 90s. This is because food, and to some extent drink, are central to cultures around the world. Many countries have food traditions dating back 100s and 1000s of years. Heck, ever since we discovered fire humans have been taking a break from the day, gathering around something, and enjoying the fruits of a hunt or harvest with their community. This is why outside of tech and maybe health/weight loss circles meal replacement of any type will have an incredibly hard time catching on. In my opinion that's a great thing.

Re: In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is in Demand

#66

Post by somedangedname »

iyn wrote: post #60
timtamboy63 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any idea how to get it if you're outside the EU?

From their FAQ ( http://jakeshake.eu/faq/ ): > Do you ship outside of the EU? > Unfortunately we currently do not ship outside the EU. We are however exploring the possibility of expanding outside of the EU in the future.

Use a mail forwarder that is located in the EU.

Re: In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is in Demand

#67

Post by gfodor »

brooklyndavs wrote: post #62

Sigh. If you are drinking a Soylent or some other drink because you literally don't have the time to get up from your desk for 30-60 minutes for a meal I question what type of human existence you are living. There are so many things central to living life that revolve around eating (social benefits, maybe fresh air and sunshine, tasting and smelling the food itself) that one misses out on by just drinking a shake and…

Or, drink the soylent and skip the lunch rush at subway and go for a walk, ride your bike, or read a book under a tree instead.

Re: In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is in Demand

#68

Post by QuercusMax »

brooklyndavs wrote: post #62

Sigh. If you are drinking a Soylent or some other drink because you literally don't have the time to get up from your desk for 30-60 minutes for a meal I question what type of human existence you are living. There are so many things central to living life that revolve around eating (social benefits, maybe fresh air and sunshine, tasting and smelling the food itself) that one misses out on by just drinking a shake and…

I don't get it either. I have a few coworkers (in Cleveland) who have started on the Soylent thing for breakfast / lunch, and it seems insane. I personally relish the chance to take a break for lunch / coffee / etc. and spend a few minutes decompressing / socializing and find myself re-energized to continue working.

I'll be starting a new position with Google[x] in Mountain View and the meals are one of the things I really look forward to - not so much because they're free food, but because socializing at lunch can make such a big difference in terms of building community / "company culture". Some of my fondest memories of college were regular lunch gatherings at the cafeterias -- sharing a meal is such a fundamental human thing, and giving it up for some "scientific" meal replacement just seems like one more way to remove our humanity.

Re: In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is in Demand

#69

Post by douche »

QuercusMax wrote: post #68
brooklyndavs wrote: post #62

Sigh. If you are drinking a Soylent or some other drink because you literally don't have the time to get up from your desk for 30-60 minutes for a meal I question what type of human existence you are living. There are so many things central to living life that revolve around eating (social benefits, maybe fresh air and sunshine, tasting and smelling the food itself) that one misses out on by just drinking a shake and…

I don't get it either. I have a few coworkers (in Cleveland) who have started on the Soylent thing for breakfast / lunch, and it seems insane. I personally relish the chance to take a break for lunch / coffee / etc. and spend a few minutes decompressing / socializing and find myself re-energized to continue working. I'll be starting a new position with Google[x] in Mountain View and the meals are one of the things I…

Some people don't enjoy that. If I've been having an especially meeting-laden day, I will sneak out for lunch, and get some takeout and go to a park to read and play with my dog for an hour. Or sit in my office and drink my soylent and catch up on my blog reader. The key is that I don't have to deal with people and have that blessed time to myself.

Re: In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is in Demand

#70

Post by mojoe »

I would really like to see a long-term study of heavy Soylent use. It would be awesome if we're getting close to an optimally healthy meal replacement, but I have some serious doubts about the stuff due to the lack of phytochemicals. Vegetables contain thousands of organic compounds that are metabolized by our bodies in poorly understood ways -- my hunch is that Soylent doesn't have enough ingredients to keep human bodies running optimally. I guess it depends on where your baseline is, though; a soylent meal seems better than a fast food meal. I'll be watching the scientific literature with interest!
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