Food is a vital component of our daily lives, and finding convenient ways to ensure balanced nutrition is a common goal. Huel produces meal replacements designed to simplify healthy eating by supplying all of the nutrients you need, with no cooking or cleanup required. While many enjoy Huel for its ease and convenience, others claim that relying on meal replacements to meet your nutritional needs may not be healthy or sustainable. At the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: real, lasting change comes from building better habits, not relying on quick fixes. This article evaluates the benefits, safety, and side effects of Huel and whether it can promote weight loss.
What is Huel?
Huel is a company that provides a variety of ready-to-eat meal replacements and snacks that can help save you time while providing the vitamins and minerals you need. All of their products are nutritionally balanced and rich in plant-based protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats. They’re also vegan and free of lactose, soy, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Some of the products that they offer include:
- Powdered meal replacements
- Ready-to-drink smoothies
- Premade meals
- Snack bars
Detailed nutrition information and full lists of ingredients are available for each item on their menu.
While the most popular way to use Huel involves replacing your breakfast and lunch meals with their products, Huel notes that the way you use their meal replacements is entirely up to you. However, they recommend starting with one Huel meal per day and increasing your intake slowly over several days. You can order items individually or sign up for a recurring subscription for additional savings.
Read also: Using Huel to Lose Weight
Nutritional Composition of Huel Products
Huel products are designed to provide all of the nutrients your body needs. For example, the Huel Ready-to-Drink chocolate shake contains the following nutrients (1):
- Calories: 400
- Protein: 20 grams
- Fat: 19 grams
- Carbs: 41 grams
- Fiber: 8 grams
- Vitamin C: 67% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Vitamin B12: 33% of the DV
- Vitamin K: 28% of the DV
- Iron: 28% of the DV
- Vitamin D: 25% of the DV
- Thiamin: 25% of the DV
Huel shakes are also rich in various other vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamin A, vitamin E, phosphorus, zinc, and B vitamins. Huel powders contain a similar set of nutrients as the ready-to-drink shakes, with 400 calories and 29-31 grams of protein per serving. Their prepared meals also contain 400 calories each, along with 23-25 grams of plant-based protein. Meanwhile, the Huel nutrition bars, which are designed to be enjoyed between meals as a filling snack, contain around 200 calories and 12 grams of protein.
How Weight Loss Works
To understand if Huel can help with weight loss, it's crucial to grasp the fundamental principles of how weight loss occurs. Weight loss fundamentally relies on creating a calorie deficit, where you expend more calories than you consume. This deficit forces the body to tap into its energy reserves, primarily stored as fat, to fuel its functions. Several factors contribute to daily calorie expenditure:
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The energy your body uses at rest to maintain basic functions like breathing, circulation, and cell maintenance.
- Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The energy your body uses to digest, absorb, and process the nutrients from your food.
- Exercise Activity: The energy burned during planned physical activity like workouts, sports, or even brisk walking.
- Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): Comes from the energy we burn from involuntary movements, like fidgeting.
No food or drink can specifically target fat loss in a particular body area.
Can Huel Help with Weight Loss?
Huel offers calorie controlled meal replacements that may support weight loss. All Huel products include in-depth nutritional information, which you can use to adjust your daily calorie intake to support weight loss (2). The controlled calorie content (400-500 calories per serving) may make it easier to manage your intake compared to meals that might be difficult to portion control.
Read also: Keto Guide: Huel
Huel meal replacements are also high in protein, with around 20-30 grams in each serving. Their products are also rich in dietary fiber, a natural plant compound that passes slowly through your digestive tract (4). Some studies suggest that eating high fiber foods may enhance feelings of fullness and increase weight loss (5, 6). Furthermore, one review of 23 studies found that weight loss programs that used meal replacements led to significantly greater weight loss after 1 year than programs that did not incorporate meal replacements (7). That said, it may be difficult to maintain weight loss once you’ve transitioned back to your typical diet or decide to stop using Huel products.
Additional Benefits of Huel Meal Replacements
Huel meal replacements may offer other benefits, too.
Convenient: Huel products require little to no preparation and can be enjoyed in minutes, which may be appealing for people who are short on time. During busy workdays, when lunch options are limited to high-calorie takeaways. When you’re too tired to cook but still need balanced nutrition. During travel, when access to fresh food is limited. As a breakfast solution, if you typically skip morning meals. For shift workers who struggle with irregular eating patterns.
All Huel meals and snacks are also nutritionally balanced, providing a good mix of protein, fiber, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals. This can help take the guesswork out of healthy eating and ensure that you’re getting the nutrients your body needs. Enjoying a well-balanced diet may help improve your blood sugar control, reduce food cravings, and protect against conditions like heart disease or obesity (8, 9, 10).
What’s more, all meals are delivered directly to your door, and subscription plans are available for added convenience throughout the week.
Read also: The Huel Weight Loss Guide
Sustainable: Huel is committed to sustainability and produces high quality products with a long shelf life to help minimize food waste. All products are also vegan and thereby free of animal products. Studies have shown that plant-based foods require fewer natural resources, produce less greenhouse gas emissions, and have a smaller carbon footprint than animal-derived foods (11). Additionally, all bottles are made from 51% recycled materials and 100% recyclable. Furthermore, the company has committed to switching to 100% recyclable packaging by 2025 to reduce its environmental impact. Notably, their products can help reduce food waste and promote sustainability.
Cost Analysis of Huel
Huel costs a fraction of the price of prepared meal delivery services, with their signature Huel powder starting at just $2.12 per serving. That said, Huel offers packaged food - not fresh or frozen. Their offerings are limited and not directly comparable to those of many meal delivery services, such as Dinnerly or Factor, which are significantly more expensive and cost $5-$15 per serving.
Other Huel products range in price, such as the nutrition bars, which start at $2.08 per serving, or the prepared meals, which cost $3.65 each. Keep in mind that although it may be a cheaper option than other meal delivery services, it’s expensive compared with many other meal replacement options. SlimFast, for example, offers a variety of meal replacement shakes, smoothie mixes, and snacks, which start at around $0.49 per serving. Similarly, Soylent offers meal replacement powders starting at just $1.82 per serving.
Finally, some of their products, such as the nutrition bars, are more expensive than store-bought snacks like trail mixes, yogurt, or protein bars, which usually cost $1-$2 per serving. However, many Huel products can still help save you money, time, and energy compared with buying ingredients individually and preparing your own meals at home.
Potential Drawbacks of Huel
Although Huel can be a convenient alternative to cooking, there are several drawbacks to consider. For starters, consuming meal replacement powders and drinks instead of real foods may feel boring, repetitive, and unappetizing over time. It could also be challenging during social situations, such as dining out or eating with family or friends. In fact, studies that involve the use of low calorie meal replacements typically have high dropout rates, which may be because they can be difficult to stick to in the long term (12).
What’s more, rather than encouraging long-term, sustainable dietary and lifestyle changes, Huel depends on prepackaged meals and snacks to promote health. Research suggests that using meal replacements may lead to greater weight regain in the long run, compared with other dietary and behavioral modifications (13, 14, 15). For this reason, it may be difficult to maintain any changes in your weight or health once you discontinue the products and resume your typical diet. Finally, while the products may be more cost-effective than grocery shopping and preparing your own meals at home, they’re pricier than other similar meal replacement programs.
Personal Experience with Huel: A 30-Day Challenge
One individual embarked on a 30-day challenge to live, work, and climb solely on Huel to evaluate its impact on overall health and climbing ability. The challenge involved consuming approximately 2700 calories per day, spread across various Huel 3.0 powders, Huel Bars, and Huel Hot & Savory. A series of subjective and objective measurements were tracked throughout the 30 days, including:
- Max reps for pull ups and push ups
- Max hang weight on the hangboard
- Max vertical jump height
- Body weight
- Body fat percentage
- Mood
- Perceived energy levels
- Cravings
- Bowel movements
A blood test was also conducted midway through the challenge.
Week 1
The first week was surprisingly smooth, with the body adjusting quickly to the new diet. There were no significant stomach pains, diarrhea, or excessive hunger. Energy levels remained high, and climbing performance was maintained.
Week 2
The second week started with an unexpected "Sunday Crumday," characterized by nausea, stomach cramps, and feeling hungover despite not consuming alcohol. This subsided after a day, and the rest of the week progressed without issues.
Week 3
The individual experienced a surge in energy and enjoyed the time saved from meal preparation. Bowel movements became remarkably consistent. However, a blood test revealed high potassium levels, causing concern about potential kidney damage and cardiac arrest. A subsequent blood test, ensuring adequate hydration, showed improved potassium levels, highlighting the importance of staying hydrated while consuming Huel.
Week 4
The final week was marked by mild anxiety regarding the high potassium levels. The individual became more conscious of their body and the potential harm of continuing the challenge, emphasizing the connection between mind, body, and food.
What I Hated
- Processed food: A preference for whole, natural foods over processed meal replacements.
- Hot & Savory: While suitable for camping or backpacking, it was less appealing as an everyday meal replacement due to taste and limited flavor options.
- Inconvenient in large quantities: Carrying large amounts of water for Huel preparation during climbing trips was cumbersome.
- The bags: The bags were difficult to reseal, messy to use, and non-recyclable, raising environmental concerns.
- Frequent bathroom trips: Increased urination due to high fluid intake.
What I Loved
- No diet guesswork: Huel eliminated the stress of meal planning and portion control.
- Convenience factor: The quick and easy preparation saved time and simplified the daily routine.
- Healthy digestive system: Improved GI consistency and regular bowel movements.
- Saves money: Huel was cost-effective compared to eating out.
Practical Tips for Using Huel for Weight Loss
If you're considering using Huel for weight loss, here are some practical tips to maximize its effectiveness and sustainability:
- Calculate Your Calorie Needs: Determine your daily calorie requirements based on your activity level, age, gender, and weight loss goals. Use Huel's nutritional information to create a calorie deficit.
- Start Slowly: Gradually replace meals with Huel to allow your body to adjust and minimize potential digestive issues.
- Hydrate Adequately: Drink plenty of water throughout the day, as Huel can be dehydrating if not balanced with sufficient water intake.
- Incorporate Whole Foods: Don't rely solely on Huel. Include whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean protein sources in your diet for a balanced nutritional profile.
- Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to hunger and fullness cues, and adjust your Huel intake accordingly.
- Practice Mindful Eating: Learn to recognise true hunger and fullness cues, eat without distractions, and truly taste and appreciate your food.
- Prioritise quality sleep: Poor sleep disrupts hunger hormones and increases cravings for high-calorie foods.
- Learning other coping strategies for challenging emotions: Emotions like stress, worry, and loneliness can lead to emotional eating.
- Combine with Exercise: Incorporate regular physical activity into your routine to further enhance weight loss and overall health.
- Monitor Your Health: Regularly track your weight, body composition, and overall health to ensure Huel is supporting your goals.
- Seek Professional Guidance: Consult with a registered dietitian or healthcare professional for personalized advice and support.