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Soylent Closes $50M Series B Round Led by GV

blog.soylent.com

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Re: Soylent Closes $50M Series B Round Led by GV

#511

Post by toomanybeersies »

protomyth wrote: post #450
malnourish wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lots of people prefer eating smaller servings more frequently, some people need a snack to get through the day. Yet others have varying schedules that cause may fall between meals in a way that makes them hungry.

Knew a weight lifter that was doing 5 to 8 small meals per day. She was pretty darn fit. I wonder if anyone has done an actual study on the subject?

Here's a meta-study that claims possible positive effects for small, frequent meals: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26024494

On the side bar there's a bunch more.

Re: Soylent Closes $50M Series B Round Led by GV

#512

Post by komali2 »

deeth_starr_v wrote: post #256
giaour wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The founder of Soylent has repeatedly pushed his product as a solution for world hunger, unhealthy diets in the first world, and poor time management. I think critiquing the product on those terms is fair.

Agreed, while the intentions of Soylent are probably sincere, when I first heard about it my response was "nope nope nope". My parents were hippies and we grew/raised most of our food when I was a kid. But my grandparents had embraced the new space-age diet: margarine in place of butter, tang instead of orange juice, kraft instead of cheese, etc. I thought it tasted awful compared to real food. As we have found out,…

My great grandparents ate nothing but potatos, no thanks.

Re: Soylent Closes $50M Series B Round Led by GV

#513

Post by sneak »

deeth_starr_v wrote: post #256
giaour wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The founder of Soylent has repeatedly pushed his product as a solution for world hunger, unhealthy diets in the first world, and poor time management. I think critiquing the product on those terms is fair.

Agreed, while the intentions of Soylent are probably sincere, when I first heard about it my response was "nope nope nope". My parents were hippies and we grew/raised most of our food when I was a kid. But my grandparents had embraced the new space-age diet: margarine in place of butter, tang instead of orange juice, kraft instead of cheese, etc. I thought it tasted awful compared to real food. As we have found out,…

Orange juice, from your example, is pretty bad for you, especially compared to the low glycemic index carbohydrates found in things like Soylent.

File under "false dichotomy".

Re: Soylent Closes $50M Series B Round Led by GV

#514

Post by sneak »

phantom_package wrote: post #502
rubatuga wrote: post #155

Although I was initially brought onto the hype train by great marketing and the promises of health and complete nutrition, I realize that my initial reliance on Soylent was actually part of a deeper problem, brought on by problems such as depression and inappropriate time management. When in reality I should have had enough time to eat out or possibly even cook a meal, I found myself relying on Soylent. I didn't leav…

> inappropriate time management This resonates with me. When I tried Soylent, it was because I was working WAY too much, and that "always-on" mindset carried over into other parts of my life. I felt like I didn't have time for food - I needed to be productive instead! Soylent markets to this extremely well, and it worked on me. I stopped using Soylent when I found a healthier work/life balance, started meditating reg…

I work a lot, I like working a lot, I choose voluntarily to work a lot. I find it fulfilling and productive.

It doesn't leave a lot of time for cooking healthy things (or, more accurately, I would rather spend the limited time left over after work for reading and producing music rather than cooking and cleaning my dishes and kitchen) and most packaged/prepared food is pretty unhealthy. Soylent and Joylent and Jake mean I end up healthier.

Re: Soylent Closes $50M Series B Round Led by GV

#515

Post by GavinMcG »

derefr wrote: post #504
GavinMcG wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, the underlying problem is depression. We can still have a reasonable discussion about things that enable that depression, or extend it. That's not at all a silly concern.

It seems to me that everything that enables depression is almost always otherwise an objective good. Internet access enables depression. Having shelter that won't be taken away from you for lack of monthly payment enables depression. A family willing to take care of you enables depression. Remote work enables depression. Etc. Depression, in this way, is kind of a weird bogeyman of an argument: its prevalence would be…

What if it's not a bogeyman, but something that really is pervasive and should be addressed? I don't think the commenter or anyone I've read is saying "eliminate progress". Have you, or are you just making it up for rhetorical effect?

Look, it's not crazy to grant that each of those things is a benefit and bring up the fact that there are downsides. It doesn't have to be all good or all bad. We can say "ordering pizza is great, and we should consider the fact that some people rely on it to the detriment of their physical and emotional well-being."

Re: Soylent Closes $50M Series B Round Led by GV

#516

Post by GavinMcG »

jklinger410 wrote: post #212
GavinMcG wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, the underlying problem is depression. We can still have a reasonable discussion about things that enable that depression, or extend it. That's not at all a silly concern.

Convenience of any form enables unfavorable outcomes. Delivery pizza may have caused suicide, from this perspective.

Yes! It may have!

Why is that not something that can be discussed? I mean, I'd bet good money that delivery pizza is a net benefit, but I can still admit that some people probably rely on it in a way that's unhealthy.

Re: Soylent Closes $50M Series B Round Led by GV

#517

Post by sneak »

Tiksi wrote: post #488
davycro wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For medical training, Soylent has been wonderful. On emergency shifts I often won't have 10 or 20 minutes to go to the cafeteria for a meal as there are too many acute patients. I used to rely on energy bars to get me through but I much prefer Soylent. They are quicker to eat and I know that I am drinking a someone balanced meal. I usually drink about three in an eight hour shift. You raise a great point about self r…

>To stop cooking entirely is madness, Does that include takeout/eating out? Because I know tons of people (myself unfortunately included) that have stopped cooking entirely and rely on takeout. It's not ideal but I wouldn't call it madness.

Cooking is an anachronism and it is in no way madness to stop doing it any more than it is madness to use a washing machine instead of a washboard or email instead of the post.

Re: Soylent Closes $50M Series B Round Led by GV

#518

Post by [deleted] »

etherdoc wrote: post #406
rubatuga wrote: post #155

Although I was initially brought onto the hype train by great marketing and the promises of health and complete nutrition, I realize that my initial reliance on Soylent was actually part of a deeper problem, brought on by problems such as depression and inappropriate time management. When in reality I should have had enough time to eat out or possibly even cook a meal, I found myself relying on Soylent. I didn't leav…

I never understood Soylent. Why not simple, convenient, repetitive meals instead? Why not a protein shake and a banana if occasional liquid meal replacements are needed?

[deleted]

Re: Soylent Closes $50M Series B Round Led by GV

#519

Post by theoh »

metamet wrote: post #349
hammock wrote: post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"eat what your grand-grand parents ate" Not possible, unfortunately. Meat and vegetables are so totally different now. For example meats are raised on GM corn and antibiotics, altering their balance of omega 3's, impact on gut health, and other things. While today's vegetables are massively decremented in micronutrients- and may have less arsenic-based pesticide residue than your greatgrandparents', but more of othe…

They still exist. Eat locally from farmers. All my beef is grass fed (which have higher omega 3's), for example. And if you can't because of where you live, there's a good chance neither could your grandparents had if they lived there as well.

Better to eat how your great grandparents would have eaten if they lived somewhere notorious for long, healthy lives.

There's such a gap between Soylent and something like Wendell Berry's ideas:

https://www.ecoliteracy.org/article/wendell-berry-pleasures-...

People do mention that in relation to Soylent, encouragingly (whether it's altogether right or not). Historical perspective is very important.

Re: Soylent Closes $50M Series B Round Led by GV

#520

Post by andkon »

phantom_package wrote: post #502
rubatuga wrote: post #155

Although I was initially brought onto the hype train by great marketing and the promises of health and complete nutrition, I realize that my initial reliance on Soylent was actually part of a deeper problem, brought on by problems such as depression and inappropriate time management. When in reality I should have had enough time to eat out or possibly even cook a meal, I found myself relying on Soylent. I didn't leav…

> inappropriate time management This resonates with me. When I tried Soylent, it was because I was working WAY too much, and that "always-on" mindset carried over into other parts of my life. I felt like I didn't have time for food - I needed to be productive instead! Soylent markets to this extremely well, and it worked on me. I stopped using Soylent when I found a healthier work/life balance, started meditating reg…

This isn't just something Soylent pushes, either. This is a lifestyle that was crafted really carefully over many years that is at the core of 'startup culture.' It's ironic that we're talking about that "always-on mentality" in the venue that's responsible more than anywhere else for disseminating it, demonizing the 9-5 life as the choice of inferior cubicle-bound minds, and glorifying the startup life as the only alternative acceptable alternative. Otherwise, you're not smart or ambitious.

In the same way that "ball is life" gets a lot of kids to pay a lot of money for sneakers and the faint possibility of a future as a pro athlete, you'll get goods that signal your commitment to that lifestyle. Same with startups. Ergo, as startup culture does well, so does Soylent.

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