# Is the new "Soylent" a healthy food substitute? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566 "2013-08-30T05:07:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IMfez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f07891/32.png) [@IMfez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IMfez)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/1 "2013-08-30T05:07:01Z")
A young engineer is trying to create a total food substitute for those who want to eat healthy with minimal hassle: > **[soylent.me](https://campaign.soylent.me/soylent-free-your-body)** > > This domain may be for sale! Is it healthy though? Seems to me food is something very hard to recreate in a single formula. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/2 "2013-08-30T05:37:42Z")
There are already powdered/liquid diets that hospitals give to people who can’t eat normally. They are presumably nutritionally sufficient enough to at least maintain life. Soylent, on the other hand, is an experimental thing made by a software engineer and a team of computer geeks with no formal nutritional experience. I would not trust their product without a lot more research. They’ve already had to tweak a few substances in their prototype because they weren’t getting sufficient amounts of one nutrient or another. > **[Soylent (meal replacement)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_(food_substitute))** > > Soylent, produced by Soylent Nutrition, Inc., is an American company that produces meal replacement products in powder, shake, and bar forms. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. > Soylent is named after a food in Make Room! Make Room!, a 1966 dystopian science fiction novel (which was the basis of the 1973 film Soylent Green) that explores themes of population growth and limited resources. > The company developed a following initially in Silicon Valley a... ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/3 "2013-08-30T12:10:31Z")
There’s a guy over at Ars who is living on it for a week and reporting how it goes. [Day 1](http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/08/nothing-but-the-soylent-were-trying-1-full-week-of-the-meal-substitute/) [Day 2](http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/08/ars-does-soylent-day-2-my-god-what-have-i-gotten-myself-into/) [Day 3](http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/08/ars-does-soylent-day-3-moderation-leads-to-actual-for-real-enjoyment/) ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/4 "2013-08-30T15:47:57Z")
It’s a good thing that it was an old movie, but I’m sure there are many folks in my generation who can’t help but think “SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!!!” (in a Charlton Heston voice, of course) every time they see the name of this stuff. I guess the younger generation doesn’t have a clue what I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/5 "2013-08-30T20:17:34Z")
> [@tanstaafl](#): > > There’s a guy over at Ars who is living on it for a week and reporting how it goes. That’s a fun bit of journalism, but I don’t think it will prove anything one way or another. It takes much longer than a week for most dietary issues to surface. You could eat boiled potatoes for a week and not really suffer any noticeable affects. To the OP: Is Soylent a magic food you could eat forever and be healthier than people eating a varied healthful diet? I doubt it. But I bet it’s better than most mass produced prepared foods. At least it’s intended to include vitamins and nutrients in the proper proportions. Can’t say that much about a Hot Pocket or a Big Mac. ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/6 "2013-08-31T01:56:59Z")
Getting closer to [people kibble](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=53966)! ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/7 "2013-08-31T03:27:00Z")
We’ve been over this a few times and there are already some relevant products out there. zoo-grade Primate chow (pretty gross, [according to people who’ve tried it](http://www.nathanedwardwilliams.com/fun/monkeylog.htm)) This disgusting gruel they feed to famine areas called [Unimix](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unimix) This tasty peanut spread they feed in famine areas called by the rather disgusting name of [Plumpy’nut](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumpy'nut). ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/8 "2013-08-31T05:13:17Z")
Here is a hilarious ongoing experiment on the stuff: [The Soylent powered man](http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/08/ars-does-soylent-day-4-the-soylent-powered-man/) Oops sorry already posted ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/9 "2013-08-31T05:54:36Z")
Heck, Kashi Go Lean crunch would power you for quite some time. Not much Vit C, tho. The problem with eating just one thing is micronutrients. Many foods out there are just fine if you take a Multi-vite with them. Really, there’s little need for a Soylent. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/10 "2013-08-31T21:52:02Z")
If that’s the best name they could come up with, I don’t think I trust the brains behind this. Either that, or this is a giant hoax. (didn’t click link) ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/11 "2013-08-31T23:08:14Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > If that’s the best name they could come up with, I don’t think I trust the brains behind this. Either that, or this is a giant hoax. (didn’t click link) > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > It’s a good thing that it was an old movie, but I’m sure there are many folks in my generation who can’t help but think “SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!!!” (in a Charlton Heston voice, of course) every time they see the name of this stuff. > > I guess the younger generation doesn’t have a clue what I’m talking about. Thus far the stuff seems to be pretty squarely aimed at nerds who are generally going to be familiar with the movie (albiet perhaps only from Simpsons or Futurama references). The name seems like a pretty convenient shorthand for what they’re trying to do without just calling it “Food Replacement Sludge” or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/12 "2013-08-31T23:17:31Z")
Given the current discomfort I get when I eat, I like the idea of ‘Food Replacement Sludge’. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/13 "2013-08-31T23:21:06Z")
It’s a reference to _Make Room, Make Room,_ not the movie based on _Make Room, Make Room._ Soy and lentils. Not that modern soylent is really just soy and lentils. So yes, bit of unnecessarily tin ear there. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/14 "2013-08-31T23:35:08Z")
I was surviving on a product called 2cal./HN for two years while under cancer treatment. Tasted like an artificially flavored melted vanilla milkshake. But most of that time I was direct injection. I still have trouble getting solid food so this would probably supplement my diet very well. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-new-soylent-a-healthy-food-substitute/667566/15 "2013-08-31T23:56:39Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > You could eat boiled potatoes for a week and not really suffer any noticeable affects. Longer than that; as some of my ancestors could no doubt testify, it’s when the potatoes stop coming, the problems begin. [My GG-Grandfather left Dublin around 1850.]